Regarded as one of Ireland’s best authors of crime fiction the County Down born Eoin McNamee has drawn on real events in his native Northern Ireland as the basis for his critically acclaimed works. His latest novel, Blue Is The Night, continues this trend as it explores the real life murder case of Mary McGowan.

The closing installment in McNamee’s acclaimed Blue Trilogy this story is again tied up with the life of Lance Curran. Though intertwined with the narratives from the earlier The Blue Tango and Orchid Blue and yet is also able to stand on its own.

Well on his way to being appointed judge Blue Is The Night opens with Lance Curran acting as prosecution in the case of Mary McGowan’s murder in 1949. Robert Taylor, a protestant handyman, stands accused and Curran is determined to see him hang. The religious divide complicates matters though and Harry Ferguson, Curran’s confidant and fixer, knows that convicting Taylor for the murder of the catholic McGowan would be dangerous and costly.

So Ferguson moves behind the scenes to thwart the prosecution, fixing the jury and working with the defence to save Curran’s future. Along the way Ferguson falls into a flirtatious relationship with Curran’s headstrong teenage daughter, Patricia.

Three years later the 19-year-old Patricia is murdered (this case is the basis for The Blue Tango). Curran had been appointed judge before now yet despite his position, or maybe because of it, little comes from the investigation and the murder remains unsolved.

Soon after their daughter’s death Curran’s wife Doris is committed to an asylum, where she will remain for the rest of her life. It is here that Ferguson finds Doris years later.

Troubled by the nefarious deeds and acts he has committed in the past Ferguson has come to Doris looking for answers about her daughter’s death. The truth of the Curran family is slowly unravelled as McNamee explores man’s terrible nature and the grip the dead can have on the living.

Susan Cahill, host of Talking Books, talks with Eoin McNamee about the conclusion to his Blue Trilogy, the history behind the story, and how his own family history feed into the novel. You can listen to their discussion here, starting at around 25 minutes.

This week's music to read to

"Shenandoah" by Goldmund, aka Keith Kenniff, open's the show before Olafur Arnalds brings part one to a close with "Near Light". The show ends with Nick Cave's "People Just Ain't No Good".