Holding - Hardcover

"A mystery laced with a sense of humor . . . yet the narrative also deepens into moments of unexpected sadness and insight . . . . A bright, quick-paced novel, especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit."--Kirkus Reviews

"Poised and perceptive."--Sunday Times

"An undercurrent of black comedy accompanies the ripples that ensue - but with a pathos that makes this deftly plotted story as moving as it is compelling."--Sunday Mirror

"A wistful, atmospheric mystery . . . as this winning tale shows, sometimes things work themselves out in ways no one could have imagined."--Publishers Weekly

"Thoroughly enjoyable . . . Fans of the cozy mysteries of Alan Bradley and Alexander McCall Smith will love this debut by THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW star and clamor for more tales of Duneen."--Library Journal (starred review)

"The author uses his typically sharp and piercing sense of humor to breathe life into a multitude of delightful characters. . . . a charming debut novel."--New York Journal of Books

"It is beautiful and yet devastatingly sad."--Daily Express

A New York Times Bestseller

From Graham Norton, the BAFTA-award-winning Irish television host and author of the “sparkling and impish” (Daily Mail) memoirs The Life and Loves of a He Devil and So Me, comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama but when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke—a former lover of two different inhabitants—the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated sergeant PJ Collins struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

In this darkly comic, touching, and at times heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.