Paramilitary-turned-statesman Harold “Harry the Hurler” Hurley knows the North’s new politics will never work until they sort the police and the judiciary out first.

But his Derry heartland is still reluctant to trust the old enemies. So he takes two of his brightest young stars, convinces one to join the PSNI and makes the other a lawyer.
Only problem is that the would-be cop is an inveterate gambler, while the soon-to-be judge is an incurable thief. And before long they’re on a collision course that not even Harry with all his buried ammo can prevent.

Packed full of the edgy comedy, murder and mayhem which has graced Garbhán Downey’s previous works of fiction, The Rookie and the Thief casts a satirical eye over Northern Ireland’s never-quite-convincing attempts to heal itself.
From the author of the critically-acclaimed short story collection Off Broadway: “A master stylist, dammit, you can almost taste the steam off the pages...” (Modern Woman)

Derry native Garbhán Downey is a writer, editor and publisher. His novels include Once Upon a Time in the North West (2015), War of the Blue Roses(2009) and Running Mates (2007).