Rachel Donohue

Rachel Donohue is the author of two literary mysteries. The Temple House Vanishing is set in a Catholic boarding school. It was an Irish Times bestseller in 2020; nominated for an An Post Irish Book Award in the Best Newcomer Category and for the Kate O'Brien Award for best debut by an Irish female author. It was named a CrimeReads debut of the month and one of the best thrillers of 2021 by the New York Times. Her second novel, The Beauty of Impossible Things, was published by Atlantic in the UK, to critical acclaim.

Rachel studied Philosophy and Politics in University College Dublin, before working in communications. Her short stories have been published in the Irish Independent, Irish Times and RTE.ie, and in 2017 she won the Hennessy "New Irish Writer of the Year" Award.

She lives with her family in Dublin, Ireland.

Praise for Rachel Donohue:

‘With shades of everything from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Frost in May to Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Secret History, this is subtle, intriguing and very well written’ Guardian on The Temple House Vanishing

‘Donohue is a master of clean, sharp prose.’ Irish Times

‘A brooding, gothic-tinged coming-of-age tale... There is a gentle lyricism to Donohue's prose that brushes everything with a dreamy heat haze - but the emotions roiling beneath are sharp and cutting.’ The Times

‘Donohue looks to be the latest name to join the ranks of Ireland's proud female thriller-writing tradition.’ Irish Independent

Photo Credit: Shane O’Neill, Coalesce Photography