Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Doyle & Acton Mystery #17
Publication Date: 9/24/23
Period: Contemporary – Dublin
Number of Pages: 218
I am totally bewitched by this quirky series with such flawed, yet endearing characters. The strait-laced, fey, Irish Roman Catholic, Doyle is tasked with keeping her brilliant, scorched-earth, vigilante husband, Acton, under control by tempering his edges and keeping him on the straight-and-narrow. You’ll never meet a more mismatched pair, yet they work perfectly together.
Acton, Doyle, the children, their security, and staff are all in Dublin for the groundbreaking ceremony of a science lab they are donating to the school Doyle attended when growing up – St. Brigid’s School for Girls. This was all Acton’s idea and Doyle knows he’s up to something – she just has to figure out what that is – and put a stop to it. Whatever it is surely won’t be good – donating the science lab is good, but the ulterior motive won’t be.
At first, Doyle is sure Acton’s plot must have something to do with Sir Stephen, Acton’s distant cousin. Acton knows Sir Stephen plotted the death of a priest in order to gain control of the man’s family money – but – Acton is steering well away from all of that and allowing justice to take its course properly. That is so unlike him! Yet, while she’s sure there is a plot, she absolutely cannot find any evidence of one. She even employs her fey powers of being able to tell when someone is lying – and he’s not lying. So – what can he be up to?
When they discover a body beneath a tree where Doyle is giving her speech during the groundbreaking ceremony, Doyle wonders if this relates to whatever Acton is up to. No, he’s as surprised as everyone else is – and the body turns out to have been in the ground for a really long time.
If not Sir Stephen, and not the dead body, then what is Acton up to? Perhaps he really isn’t up to anything at all other than trying to give back to a place that means a lot to his wife. Perhaps it relates to their last ill-fated trip to Dublin. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. You’ll just have to read this very entertaining fast-paced story to find out if Acton is up to something – and if he is, can Doyle put a wrench in the works?
I can recommend this book, this series, and this author, and I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did should you choose to read it. Happy Reading!
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