Audiobook Review: Murder in an Irish Village, by Carlene O'Connor

 

Title: Murder in an Irish Village (Irish Village Mysteries #1)
Author: Carlene O'Connor, read by Caroline Lennon
Publisher: Dreamscape Media 2016; original hardback by Kensington, 2016. 304 pages.
Source: Library digital resources

Publisher's Summary:In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Natalie's Bistro has always been warm and welcoming. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhan O'Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago. It's been a rough year for the O'Sullivans, but it's about to get rougher. One morning, as they're opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table with a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest. With the local garda suspecting the O'Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned. It's up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood. 


My Review: 
An altogether satisfying mystery! Maybe it just hit the right tone at the right time, but I thought the story and characters were interesting, the mystery was intriguing and not so easy to see through, and there were just the right amounts of excitement and romance (which is to say, a final scene that raised the heart rate a bit, and romance kept to the very mild and second or probably third tier of importance to the story).

Probably the only complaint I could make would be the usual one of motivation and justification for the amateur sleuth, and in all honesty, this was much less of an issue than with most cozies. Every time I began to think Siobhán should just go to the police and let it go, the author ramped up her personal investment, and gave Siobhán reasons why she couldn't wait for the slower-moving wheels of justice to grind.

The interactions of the people of the village are a large part of what makes this sort of book interesting, and I thought O'Connor did a great job of making the people interesting, quirky, and a human mix of good and bad. There were no stereotypes, except maybe the evil landlady.

Caroline Lennon does a great job with the reading, and has a delightful voice and accent to listen to.

My Recommendation:
This is definitely a series and an author to watch, and to read more of.

FTC Disclosure: I checked Murder in an Irish Village out of my on-line library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Mystery Monday: Ruined Abbey by Anne Emery

Title: Ruined Abbey
Author:  Anne Emery
Publisher: ECW Press, coming May 12, 2015. 382 pages.
Source: Electronic ARC

Publisher's Summary:
It’s 1989. The Troubles are raging in Ireland, bombs exploding in England. In this prequel to the Collins-Burke series, Father Brennan Burke is home in New York when news of his sister’s arrest in London sends him flying across the ocean. The family troubles deepen when Brennan’s cousin Conn is charged with the murder of a Special Branch detective, and suspected in a terrorist plot against Westminster Abbey. The Burkes come under surveillance by the murdered cop’s partner and are caught in a tangle of buried family memories. From the bullet-riddled bars of Belfast to an elegant English estate, Ruined Abbey combines a whodunit with a war story, love story, and historical novel, while exploring the eternal question: what is fair in love and war? It all starts with a ruined abbey.

Review:
First thing to make clear to my usual readers: this is not a cozy mystery. It's not that it's horribly violent (though there is a great deal more violence than in most cozies), it's that it is a story of a time and circumstances that have very little that feels light about them.

In fact, I'm not completely sure this is really a mystery, so much as a historical novel. Either way, it was a gripping read, with a mix of wonderful period atmosphere, relationships of all sorts, and some real tension. The issue of IRA and terrorism vs. legitimate warfare made for some thoughtful moments; though the author is careful to make the characters we care about draw the line well short of actions we would have to condemn, we are forced to acknowledge the reality of war.

I got a good dose of history, not only from the 1980s, but the "Irish problem" going back through the 20th Century, not to mention the history that went all the way back to Cromwell. It left me uneasy, which I think is a testament to the author's writing. Although at first I wasn't sure I liked the book, the characters and the style grew on me, as did sympathy for their politics, if not their methods. I would consider reading more of this series, when I'm in the mood for something a little darker than my usual cozy.

Recommendation:
For those who like historical fiction and are up for some grim realities. There is a mystery, but it's not presented in the classic form.


Full Disclosure: I received an electronic ARC of  Ruined Abbey from the publisher, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Mystery Monday: Buried in a Bog

That's right. . . after a week of slacking, I have another review for you, my loyal reader.  Er, readers. With an "S".  Plural.  Right?  Don't go away!  I need you!

Title: Buried in a Bog, by Sheila Connolly.  293 pages.
Publisher: Berkeley Prime Crime, 2013
Source: Library


Summary:
After the death of her Grandmother and only relative, Maura Donovan visits the tiny Irish town where Gran grew up.  Gran wanted her to, and saved the money for it, and Maura doesn't have a life anyway, so she goes to take a look.  Once there, one thing leads to another until she finds herself working in the local pub, staying on longer than intended, and discovering a raft of relations she never knew she had.  She also finds herself involved with two corpses, one nearly a century old, the other fresh.  By the time she's done, she knows more than she wants to about both deaths, and find out just what family is.

Review:
This is a nice story, and I enjoyed the characters (though I did kind of want to shake Maura, especially at first.  Ignorant youngster!).   But I can't say I found it much of a mystery.  There are, indeed, two corpses, though one is old enough to be almost historic.  And Maura is instrumental in solving both deaths.  But something felt off, and I think it was that the mystery was too far secondary to the story of finding a family and a home.  Nor was the conclusion any great surprise to me.  However, I enjoyed the story enough to give the series another chance--and/or to try the other series by the same author.  But I don't rate it very highly as mysteries go.  I far more enjoyed the Irish countryside and ambiance (Sullivan's Pub, in particular, felt laughably read), and there is no question that Ms. Connolly can write.  I hope she continues the series, and I hope she develops Maura more as an amateur sleuth and moves her away from being a hapless innocent caught up in things she doesn't quite grok.

Full disclosure: I borrowed this book from the  library and received nothing from the author or the publisher for this review.  The opinions expressed herein are my own and those of no one else.