Many a Twist by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: County Cork #6
Publication Date: 1/9/2018

WOW! I think I want to move to County Cork. This author’s descriptions just immerse you in the countryside and lifestyle. What a wonderful place to live – a slower pace of life, a totally involved populace and scenic beauty beyond compare. Sullivan’s pub is like the Cheer’s TV show – where everybody knows your name and they’re all glad you came. The books are well written, the plots are well thought out, the book stays on-point and the character development is superb. You’ll come to love the recurring characters – they are quirky, down-to-earth, funny, relatable and very believable.

What a difference a year makes in the life of Maura Donovan. A year ago Maura arrived in Leap, County Cork, Ireland without a cent to her name, no job, no prospects and she had just lost her much-beloved grandmother. Since Maura’s father was deceased and her mother abandoned her at the age of two, her grandmother was all she had in the world. Her grandmother’s dying wish was for Maura to travel from Boston to Leap and personally let all of her Irish relatives know of her passing. When Maura arrived, she found that she had inherited a pub and a house – neither in great shape, but functional. What was she going to do – sell them or stay and manage the pub? She stayed and the year has certainly brought excitement, contentment and maybe, just maybe, love. She’s helped the Gardaí five times already and they have developed a good relationship – now – this sixth time might put that trust to the test.

Maura gets a call from the new owners of the Crann Mor luxury hotel in Skibbereen and has no clue what they might want with her, but she agrees to meet with them. When they arrive, the leader of the group John Byrne comes across as arrogant. The party also includes John’s male assistant, Helen Jenkins (an executive with the group) and Helen’s female assistant. Maura is not particularly impressed and is pretty negative about collaborating with them in any way.

Then, John’s dead body is discovered by the groundskeeper at Crann Mor. Is the death a murder or an accident? Things get even more intense when you add a new Garda member who is neither polished nor friendly. He’s bent on proving that it was murder and he’ll brow-beat everyone involved until he can find a murderer.

A call comes in for Maura, asking her to immediately come to the Garda station in Skibbereen. She doesn’t know what to expect, but what she hears when she gets there stuns her. The woman, Helen Jenkins is her mother. The reason Maura is there is that Helen wanted to tell Maura before she told the Gardaí.

While Maura isn’t sure what she wants to do with/about her mother, she can’t let her be accused of murder – unless, of course, she did it. So, Maura sets off to discover what she can and solve the death. Murder? Accident? Maura will ask questions until she finds the answer. Along the way, Maura comes to believe that she wants to learn more about her mother and maybe have a bit of a relationship with her. Her relationship with Mick also deepens and she learns some of his secrets.

This is a wonderfully written series and this book just adds to that. I hope you’ll give all the books a read. While you don’t just have to read the series in order, I would suggest doing so. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the great character and relationship growth. Great read!

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