Irish Village Mystery, #4
My Review
Book four in The Irish Mystery Village series brings us back into the lives of Siobhán O’ Sullivan, her brood and the other inhabitants of Kilbane. The events take place in Kilbane during the International International Poker Tournament and annual Arts and Music Festival. A great backdrop that brought a lot of people into town, providing lots of space for the author to weave a great story.
Siobhán is now a rookie garda (police officer). After the Octopus dies, an entertaining mystery unfolds as she and her beau/superior officer, Macdara, try to figure out how and why the poker player died. Was it suicide or murder? There are many twists and turns in unraveling this question.
From the beginning of the poker tournament, where we are introduced to the top three poker players who have huge personalities, the drama never slows down. So many good suspects with great motives and good reasons why the Octopus may have committed suicide.
As always, Siobhán and her brood were delightful. They do not always see eye-to-eye but you can always sense the love and caring going on between them all.
I wasn’t sure I would enjoy Siobhán as an official garda, but it was brilliant. I thought the interplay between her, Macdara and the rest of the officers was well done. It added another layer of believeability to their investigation for me as well as a new level of depth into her and Macdara’s relationship.
This was a wonderful locked-room mystery that was very entertaining. I read until late into the early morning and very reluctantly put it down with an hour left to go. I couldn’t wait to get up to finish it.
I received an advanced digital copy of Murder in an Irish Pub by Carlene O’Connor from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Blurb
When competing card sharps stir up Siobhán O’Sullivan’s quiet Irish village, a poker tournament turns into a game of Hangman . . .
Naomi’s Bistro, managed by the many siblings of the lively O’Sullivan brood, is the place to go for a cuppa tea in Kilbane. For a pint or a game of darts, it’s the pub you want. But when Dublin card sharp Eamon Foley is found swinging from the rafters of Rory Mack’s pub, it’s time for the garda to take matters into their own hands. Macdara Flannery would lay odds it’s a simple suicide, but Siobhán suspects foul play. With conflicting theories abounding, tensions are running high between Siobhán and Macdara. Soon it’s up to Siobhán to call a killer’s bluff, but if she doesn’t play her cards right, she may be the next one taken out of the game . . .
“The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series’ best to date.”
—Kirkus Reviews