R. P. O'Donnell grew up on the South Shore of Boston. He was short and wore a back brace for two years, so he really had no choice but to love reading and writing from a young age. He graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in English. He's had a wide range of job experiences: garbage collector, A&E admissions, apprentice to a roving yard-sale salesman, barista, camp counsellor, caterer and a call centre employee. He moved to a tiny fishing village in West Cork, where he lives with his two children. His debut mystery, also set in a village in West Cork, was published in the US by Crooked Lane (2025) and in the UK by New Island Press (2026). The US edition was nominated for the Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award at the 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, run by the Mystery Writers of America.

‘In this enthralling debut full of lyr­ical prose and humour – time, memory, and fam­ily secrets inter­sect and come crash­ing together.’ – Irish Mail on Sunday, ‘Best New Fiction’

‘O’Donnell debuts with a complex and accomplished whodunit . . . and he matches his gift for atmosphere with intricate plotting and nuanced characterizations.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘O’Donnell’s debut is so atmospheric in its background and poetic in its language.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘Cosy crime with a sharp bite … has all the charm of an Irish thriller, wrapped in a soft cardigan and wearing wellies.’ – Kitty Murphy