The New Policeman Trilogy
Winner of The Guardian Children's Book Prize, 2005
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Winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award, 2005
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Winner of the Dublin Airport Authority Children's Book of the Year Award for 2005
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Winner of the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Award 2006
Who knows where the time goes? There is never enough of it in Kinvara. When Helen Liddy is asked what she wants for her birthday, she says, 'Time. That's what I want. Time.'
Fifteen-year-old JJ is continuing the Liddy family tradition with his foddle playing. But one day he discovers that music might not be the only thing that runs in his veins. Can it be true that his great grandfather was a murderer?
When JJ sets out to buy his mother some time he discovers the answer, as well as some truly remarkable things about music, myth and magic.
Who knows where the time goes?
JJ does.
'Kate Thompson's work always surprises with its inventiveness and sheer quality of her writing...this book breaks new ground' - INIS Magazine
'There is something hallucinatory, if not delirious about this stylish, magical book' - The Guardian
'A distinctive and beautifully written book...an enthralling tale, both whimsical and deep, told with a dry, laconic wit' - Books For Keeps
'Imaginative, neatly constructed and rich in Irish lore, characters and atmosphere, it is deservedly gathering prizes' - Sunday Times
'The New Policeman is charming, seductive and completely enthralling. Everyone with even a passing interest in Irish music, or magic should read it' - Eoin Colfer
'If you buy nothing else for your children (or yourself) this summer, buy Kate Thompson's The New Policeman . . . Witty, entrancinly romantic and rooted in an ancient Celtic myth, this is a parable about not having enough time which hits hard' - Independent
'A story full of surprises, magic and a delicately balanced internal logic' Guardian
'A masterful fantasy of the old school: long on story, short on whizzy gimmicks . . . Beautifully told and the characters draw you in' - Carousel
A new generation of Liddys are living in the old family home, and JJ's daughter Jenny is spending a lot of her time up on the hill, talking to someone who isn't there. Or perhaps there is someone there, who has more significance for JJ and the rest of the human race than anyone else realises.
It is nearly the end of the 21st century in the West of Ireland, and catastrophic climate change is wreaking havoc, not only in Ireland, but in Tir na n'Og, the secret land which lies beneath. JJ is happily retired there, but his influence might be needed in the world above. Will the White Horse Trick work as a bridge between the worlds once again?
