A young boy discovers a bone in a snow-covered forest. Initially, Adrian Calvert thinks it could simply be that of an animal. But it belongs to a young girl who has been missing for three years.

Adrian's father, Frank, an ex-detective who now works as a private investigator, has hidden from his son his responsibility for his wife's death. When he confesses the truth to him, Adrian runs from his home into the worst snowstorm for decades.

Frank's search for his son brings him into contact with Jeremiah Grazier and his drug-addicted wife, Judith, a damaged refugee from an orphanage who now sees herself as an avenging angel.

Meanwhile, in the derelict orphanage, a tramp discovers a sexually mutilated and decapitated corpse, later identified as that of the grotesquely abusive head warden of the institute. Based on a true story.



“The Darkness of Bones recreates the details of a child sex abuse scandal [Kincora] with shivery vividness.”
BookReviews, Irish Times

Best-selling and award-winning book by crime writer, Sam Millar, about the biggest robbery in American History. Book acquired by Warner Brothers.
This memoir divides comfortably between the North [of Ireland] and New York. Millar's vivid recollection of privations withstood during the blanket protest offers grim testimony to the limits of human endurance. Like others around him Millar would not be broken, even when political conviction was reduced to dogged resistance against a repressive prison regime. He then emigrated to New York, worked in illicit casinos. The American chapters unveil a gambling underworld run by New York's Irish gangs. The empire wasn't built to last but Millar eyed a much bigger prize. Teaming up with an associate to rob $7.2 million from the hitherto impregnable Brinks Security operation in Rochester. It was a daring and bloodless heist.
“Brilliant."
Irish Examiner

“Michael Mann’s Heist meets Jim Sheridan’s In The Name of The Father, and you come close to what awaits you in On The Brinks. An unbelievably cool book.”
Village Voice, New York

"Brilliant. Powerful..."
Irish Times

The story begins with Neenah, resting atop a grassy knoll, watching a rat (Xerk) being chased by a mangy cat. On impulse, Neenah extracts a crossbow from her bag and fires a rubber-tipped arrow into the air, hitting the cat directly on the nose. Her actions save the rat, but in doing so unleash a nightmare she is not sure of escaping. To her horror and amazement, within seconds of finding the rat hidden in an old syrup tin, she soon discovers that she can communicate, quite fluently with the rat – and vice versa. The rat explains to her that of course she can communicate with rodents – she is one herself!
Disbelieving, gingerly Neenah produces a mirror and to her shock and horror discovers that the rat is telling the truth, although she still believes deep down that she is a girl – a human girl.

So begins an extraordinary journey for Neenah accompanied by Xerk, in a strange and wonderful land; a land where time is slipping quickly through Neenah’s hands…

Tattooed to Neenah’s shaven head, is a picture of the sun, and upon meeting a wooden giant by the name of Stiltman, she is given a key – a key that will open a book for her and reveal all. Unfortunately for Neenah, time is of the essence. Should her hair grow back before she discovers the book, she will be trapped in this strange land forever. To add to her woes, a bounty hunter named Scythe, a skeleton-type creature mounted atop a gigantic wingless bird, is hunting her relentlessly. Once human himself, he must bring Neenah back to the Darkness.

Unbeknown to Scythe, he also is being hunted, but by a more ruthless and dangerous, reptilian creature called Retribution. She suspects Scythe of never fully discarding his human traits and of not being fully loyal to the Darkness.

After many dangerous missions, finally, Neenah discovers the book but is confronted, face to face with Scythe who has amassed the entire cat population to help defeat Neenah and Xerk. Watching craftily form the back, is Retribution, waiting for Scythe to be weakened before making her move in this last of all great battles.

Critically wounded by Neenah, it is left to the one-time human Scythe - by a cruel twist of fate - to save the life of the little girl from the horrendous Retribution.

“Amazingly dark and scary, best-selling crime writer, Sam Millar (On The Brinks) has created a unique landscape and peopled it with bizarre and original characters. Adults and children will love this extraordinary tale of tails.”
Irish Times