The Scholar is the second novel in Dervla McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series, a crime thriller where Detective Cormac Reilly investigates the murder of a gifted scientist, Carline Darcy, who is also the heir to a pharmaceutical giant. The case becomes deeply personal as Reilly's girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, is connected to the victim and the university where the murder occurred, forcing Reilly to confront conflicts between his professional duty and personal loyalty as evidence implicates Emma. The book explores the cutthroat world of academia and big pharma, winning the 2020 International Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original.
