Title: THREE REASONS FOR REVENGE
Author: DERVLA McTIERNAN
ISBN: 9780008408060
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 336
Source: NetGalley
Someone’s been watching. Someone’s been waiting.
Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault. By the end of the day, she is nowhere to be found.
Soon after she disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different a respected psychologist’s home, a socialite’s mansion, and a struggling single father’s run-down apartment. Inside, each gift is perfectly tailored to its recipient — and each will tear apart the life of its intended victim.
Detective Sergeant Judith Lee is smart and experienced, but this is no ordinary case. Someone with intimate knowledge of their targets is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt each victim where they’re most vulnerable. And she’s convinced that somehow, it connects back to Alexis Turner.
As she races to uncover the connection between four seemingly unrelated people, Judith discovers she’s no longer just investigating the game – she’s being forced to play.
Official Summary
15 April 2026
I fell in love with Dervla McTiernan’s writing when I read The Murder Rule for a blog tour a few years ago, so when I spotted Three Reasons for Revenge on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review it.
Set in Australia, Three Reasons for Revenge is a gripping and emotionally layered story about family, loss, revenge, and the long-term effects of abuse. The premise is immediately intriguing, and I found myself drawn in very quickly.
The story begins with a woman walking into a police station, asking specifically for Detective Sergeant Judith Lee. She reports that her therapist sexually assaulted her—an allegation that closely mirrors a case Judith investigated ten years earlier. Haunted by the past and determined not to fail again, Judith throws herself into the investigation. But as she starts to dig deeper, strange and unsettling events begin to unfold, all seemingly connected to Mariam—the young woman she couldn’t help a decade before.
McTiernan does an excellent job of weaving together past and present, gradually revealing connections between the characters while maintaining a strong sense of tension throughout. The concept of the three mysterious packages—each one deeply personal and destructive—adds an extra layer of suspense and psychological intrigue to the story.
I particularly enjoyed Judith as a protagonist. She is sharp, driven, and complex, carrying the weight of her past mistakes while trying to do the right thing in the present. Her determination to seek justice gives the story a strong emotional core.
That said, I did feel that with multiple characters and storylines in play, a few of them became slightly underdeveloped or faded into the background at times. I found myself wanting a bit more depth from certain perspectives, especially as their connections to the overall plot became clearer.
Despite this, the novel builds steadily towards a satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion. McTiernan explores themes of trauma, power, and revenge in a way that feels both unsettling and compelling, leaving you thinking about the characters long after you’ve turned the final page.
Overall, this is a tense and engaging thriller with an original premise and strong emotional undercurrents. While not my absolute favourite from McTiernan, it is still a solid and worthwhile read for fans of character-driven crime fiction.
Also by Dervla McTiernan
THE MURDER RULE
First Rule: Make them like you.
Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.
They think I’m a young, idealistic law student that I’m passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system.
They think I’m working hard to impress them.
They think I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.
They’re wrong. I’m going to bury him.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Number-one internationally bestselling author Dervla McTiernan is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of six novels, including the much-loved Cormac Reilly series and two number-one bestselling standalone thrillers, The Murder Rule and What Happened to Nina?
Her books have sold over 1 million copies around the world, and What Happened to Nina? is currently in development for screen adaptation. Before turning her hand to writing, Dervla spent 12 years working as a lawyer in her home country of Ireland, before relocating to Western Australia, where she now lives with her husband, two children and too many pets.
Once again, thank you for visiting. Your support means so much. Have you read What Happened to Nina?. I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment below. I am looking forward to adding that to my TBR. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
