The latest book in the Joe Swallow murder mystery series was unveiled at a launch party in Hodges & Figgis in Dublin on Monday night.

A Hunt in Winter, written by former Irish Times editor and former Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission member Conor Brady, tells the story of detective Swallow's hunt for a "terrifying" killer across Europe.

The book is the third in a trilogy that also includes A June of Ordinary Murders and Eloquence of the Dead, all of which track the fictional detective's investigations in Victorian Dublin.

Brady gave a reading of his latest work for the assembled crowd on Monday, before which he gave special thanks to publisher New Island Books as well as his family, without whom he said the acclaimed series would not have been possible.

“It is intended to be much more than a detective story. It is a detective story, but it’s also, I hope, a slice of sociology, a slice of Irish history that people will enjoy and learn from,” he said, before elaborating on the latest plotline featuring Swallow.

“Joe has moved on in this book. He’s got the stripe, he’s got the promotion to inspector. He’s made a decent woman out of Maria, but tragedy lurks.”

The event was also attended by former managing director of RTÉ Television Joe Mulholland, who described A Hunt in Winter as a work of "factual-fiction" that was "subtle, informative and intelligent".

A Hunt in Winter retails for €14.95 in paperback.