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Murder in an Irish Churchyard

hknovielli

Siobhán O’Sullivan was up at the wee hours of the morning, combing through her new employee handbook, when Father Kearney discovered a dead man in the cemetery.

Carlene O’Connor, Murder in an Irish Churchyard


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I love the Irish Village Mystery series by Carlene O’Connor so much. My introduction to the series was actually the second book, Murder at an Irish Wedding, which I’d gotten via a deal on BookBub. I immediately loved Siobhán and found her to be a plucky, smart, and often funny amateur detective. I read the first installment, Murder in an Irish Village, not long after and was hooked on the series.


Siobhán and her siblings are such a fun group of characters and are written as well-rounded, fleshed out, full characters. Supporting casts, even when they make regular appearances, aren’t always so well done, but this family is a delight to read.


In this third book in the series, Murder in an Irish Churchyard, Siobhán has become a policewoman and is just starting out on the job. She’s investigated and solved two murders already and her skill and success in those endeavors were part of the impetus for her going to the police college. Her love interest, already a Garda, was another factor, though as we learn in this book, things between them have gone cold.



O’Connor writes the small Irish village so well. It’s easy to picture and the inhabitants are such characters. There’s just enough slang and reference to Irish things to give enough flavor without being overdone. The addition of these words, phrases, cultural difference and such walk the line between appealing and annoying and I don’t think they ever veer into overdone territory. For me, it just enhances the setting and characters.


Murder in an Irish Churchyard was a twisty mystery and involved Americans in Ireland researching family history and ancestors. I guessed at some of the solution but didn’t quite get the whole thing figured out. No surprise there! I did enjoy Siobhán’s doggedness in pursuing the answer even when her boss said the case was closed. Her attention to detail and stubbornness served her well in solving two other murders and it was nice to see that the character didn’t change just because she went to school and graduated as a Garda.


The sixth book in the series is set at Christmas time so it looks like I’ve got some reading to do before December so I can jump into this holiday mystery.


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