Gill Perdue

In the Shaw & Darmody books (which can be read in any order) we meet two garda detectives who are also (SVIs) Specialist Victim Interviewers. The job of the SVI is to prepare video statements for vulnerable witnesses, thereby saving them the trauma of testifying in court.  

 

Detective Garda SVI Laura Shaw is calm, uncompromising, and driven. Immaculate in her appearance and meticulous in her work, she’s a legend in the Seskin West DDU (District Detective Unit) where her controlled strategic work as a victim interviewer has put countless abusers and rapists behind bars. But Laura has a secret of her own. The rape she endured as a nineteen-year-old student has been buried in her past, never to emerge. Except of course, it does. PTSD and denial have led to obsessive compulsions and bizarre coping strategies which infiltrate her marriage, her parenting and, sometimes - her job.

 

Camogie-playing Detective Garda Niamh Darmody, the other half of the SVI pair, has feck all time for secrets. As brazen and straight as Laura is twisted and uptight, Niamh is Laura’s most loyal supporter, devoted mentee, and best friend. She’s the kind of friend who’s not afraid to cut you down to size or tell you to your face when you’ve got it wrong. Strong and fearless, you think twice before taking on Niamh.

 

I love writing this series for the adventure, the research, the excitement and the friends I make along the way. No matter how many times I make them do it, Laura and Niamh never shirk from the task I set them; to make sense of a confusing and sometimes cruel world while still maintaining their deep friendship, their sense of humour, and hope.