Leo Woods is a memorable character ... A sympathetically flawed rogue ... Woods is elevated above the run-of-the- mill police detective by O’Sullivan’s sublime prose, which flashes with shards of poetry when least expected. Studded with dark humour, elegant in style and clever in its execution, Crocodile Tears is a remarkably assured first outing.

Well written, gritty, with dark humour and some striking metaphors… a good addition to the Irish crime-fiction corpus. It reminded me of Mankel's Wallander. A satisfying read.

This absorbing, dense crime novel … reveals a new and interesting talent. … Splendidly idiosyncratic and with a leading man who makes Inspector Morse look positively cheerful, this is fine crime writing.

Well written and filled with pathos, dark humour and lyrical description. An absorbing plot and an exceptional lead character combine to make Crocodile Tears a worthwhile summer read.

If there’s a better Irish crime fiction debut published this year, I’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

A very promising debut … skilfully plotted and populated with a fine cast of characters.

There’s only one thing as good as reading a John D. MacDonald novel: reading it again . . . He is the all-time master of the American mystery novel

John le Carré has lost none of his ability in skewering the murkier foibles of the British Establishment. A tale of deception, greed, betrayal and ultimately, revenge . . . it is not until the last few pages that the full three dimensions of the plot are thrillingly revealed

A writer of towering gifts . . . le Carré is one of the great analysts of the contemporary scene, who has a talent to provoke as well as unsettle

John le Carré takes us back to his favourite scenarios: Whitehall, the secret services, the gentleman's clubs, dodgy bankers, corrupt public schoolboys and gruesome American neo-cons . . . revelling once more in that imaginary world of secrets and lies that is le Carré's gift to us

Tense, twisty, and driven by a melancholy insight into human motivation . . . deeply compelling

John le Carré is as recognisable a writer as Dickens or Austen, with an often-imitated but never rivalled cast of seedy spies, false lovers, public schoolboys struggling with guilt, and charming but immoral leaders of the brutal establishment . . . This is vintage le Carré and highly enjoyable

Thrilling, suspenseful . . . Fans will not be disappointed

Utterly convincing characters, a tight plot . . . Wonderful

Thrilling

Choreographed with unsettling precision

When I was under house arrest I was helped by the books of John le Carré ... they were a journey into the wider world ... These were the journeys that made me feel that I was not really cut off from the rest of humankind

Plunges the reader into a modern-day thriller...Dad won't be able to put it down

[It] has all the essential ingredients of his masterpieces: the dilemmas of duty, patriotism and decency

John Le Carré at his masterful best . . . nobody does it better

Widely hailed as a return to the good old Smiley days . . . le Carré writes with laconic elegance