Talented Cork author releases debut novel – a dark and gritty detective series set in the Rebel county

Irish Independent

22-07-2025

The 35-year-old former primary school teacher turned writer, who hails from West Cork, is celebrating ticking off a major life goal this week. After years of work, his debut novel LAWLESS has officially made its way out into the world, with the first copies arriving into readers' hands last Friday.
The release marks an exciting moment for Irish crime fiction fans. For those who haven't come across it on their online travels yet, LAWLESS is described as 'the first in a gripping crime series set on the rain-soaked streets of Cork City,' as well as 'tense, atmospheric and deeply human.'
With that setup, readers can expect a haunting and compelling read.
The story follows Detective Adrian Lawless, who is assigned to investigate the savage murder of a young man in a quiet Cork suburb. The victim's ex-girlfriend has also gone missing, adding another layer of mystery.
From the outset, something about the case feels off. To Lawless – no stranger to messy, emotionally complex investigations – this crime scene is unsettlingly clean. The girl has vanished without a trace, and buried deep in the silence is the unmistakable presence of someone else. Someone watching. Waiting. Hunting.
As the case unfolds, Lawless finds himself pulled deeper into a search that quickly becomes more than just a job. He's drawn into a situation that threatens to consume him entirely – one that forces him to confront the darkest corners of his own past. This isn't just a killer. It's something far more dangerous...and far more personal.
While the plot promises intensity and high stakes, it's the setting that truly distinguishes LAWLESS. Speaking to The Irish Independent on Monday, Moloney explained why Cork was the perfect place for this story.
'It [LAWLESS] was one of those ideas that grew and morphed over time without a single word ever being put to paper,' he said. 'Initially, the idea stemmed purely from my own bemusement that there hadn't been a detective series based in Ireland where the tone was purposefully dark, and that explored what a serial killer might look like after being shaped by the Irish landscape.'
For Moloney, setting the novel outside the usual crime fiction hotspots was a conscious decision.
'I wanted it to give people something that I felt was missing,' he continued. 'I wanted to write a crime thriller that wasn't based in Dublin. I wanted to write a crime thriller that wasn't centred around narcotics or the idea of 'gangland crime.' And I wanted to write a story that really gave a true reflection of what it's like to live and exist in rural Ireland.'
This vision didn't come to life overnight. In fact, it spent years simmering in the background while Moloney pursued other writing projects.
'The fact that it remained an idea in the back of my head for so long, however, wound up being a blessing in disguise, I feel,' he explained. 'Because in doing the other work that came before LAWLESS – namely, a golf fiction series called Mustang – I feel it prepared me to write LAWLESS from a technical standpoint that helped deliver the story in the manner it so demanded.'
Switching genres turned out to be exactly what Moloney needed creatively.
'Even the timing of writing LAWLESS was perfect,' he said. 'After spending a year or two straight writing Mustang week-to-week, to make such a drastic change of direction in terms of tone and writing style came as a much-needed palate cleanser that served as a welcome boost of inspiration.'
That shift in energy proved helpful more than once.
'And the same thing happened after I paused writing LAWLESS halfway through it in order to bring Leo & The Broken Throne—a fantasy book—to fruition,' he added. 'Meaning, every time that I sat down to write LAWLESS, I was always doing so from a refreshed and reinvigorated state of mind that, I hope, comes across in the book.'
After all the years of conceptualizing, writing, and revising, seeing the book finally on shelves is an emotional moment for Moloney.
'Bearing that in mind, though, to now see it actually out there in the world and available for people to read is, understandably, quite surreal,' he said. 'To see something that started as a rough idea over five years ago, and then came to exist over two six-month periods of intense writing, and then months of editing after that? It really is tough to wrap your head around in the most wonderful way imaginable.'
The response from readers has made the journey all the more rewarding.
'But to see the incredible support that the book has been getting and that people are enjoying it? Well, that's what it's all about, right?'