Murder in Reproach by Anne Cleeland

Murder in ReproachBarbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Series: A Doyle & Acton Mystery #19 (I think)
Publication Date: 2/21/24
Period: Contemporary London
Number of Pages: 220

I have come to realize that I really like reading books with quirky characters – even when those quirks might not be ‘lovable’ quirks. Go figure. This series is filled with quirky characters – some lovable quirks – some not. If you like quirky adventures, this book and this series might be for you.

Doyle and the newly promoted Munoz have been called to the scene of what would appear to be a cut-and-dried suicide. Except, there is a strange item at the scene and the housekeeper insists the victim would never, ever take her own life. So, is there more to it than meets the eye? Hmmm. They decide to leave it open for the moment and will try to gather a bit more information before they close the case.

With further investigation, they discover another suicide with the same item left at the scene – and that victim had a tie-in with a highly publicized public-servant scandal. Could this new case also have a tie-in? Are there more public-servants left who were involved in the scandal, but didn’t get rooted out? Could it be revenge someone is after?

The tension steps up when there is yet another murder and then more when Doyle, her family, and several friends, including children, are all put in harm’s way. How can they all escape – or can they? You’ll just have to read this fun, entertaining book to see what everyone is up to this time.

View all my reviews

Murder at an Irish Chipper by Carlene O’Connor

Murder at an Irish Chipper (An Irish Village Mystery)Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Irish Village Mystery #10
Publication Date: 2/20/24
Period: Contemporary Ireland
Number of Pages: 286

Vera Cowley – or Mrs. Chips as everyone in town calls her – has not been having an easy time lately. Sadly, that time has passed, and she’s no longer a part of this world. She was found, murdered, in her fish-and-chips shop. Oh! My! Who could have done such an awful thing? Was it her ex-husband? Perhaps it was her ex-best friend. Or, was it the vegetable oil salesman – or the bakery owner – or the slimy banker – or the fisherwoman – or the food critic? Or is it somebody totally different? Mmmmm – so many suspects – so little time.

Garda Siobhan O’Sullivan and her husband, Detective Sargeant Macdara Flannery, delayed their honeymoon – for a very long time. However, with Siobhan’s brother, Eoin’s, tensions running high and dementing everyone, Macdara thinks taking a belated honeymoon by the sea would be an excellent idea to relieve the tensions and relax a bit. So, the seven of them head off on a holiday trip.

Within a short time of arriving in the lovely seaside village of Lahinch, they were staring at a dead body. OOPS! Can the ever-curious Siobhan let it go and allow the local garda to handle the investigation? Of course not! She sees a loose end and she has to pull on it until it unravels. As she freely admits, she does not know how to Holiday.

With more threats and more bodies turning up, Macdara and Siobhan haven’t any choice but to openly step up and help investigate. Will you solve the case before they do?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book – as I have all of the other books in the series. I have become attached to each member of the family and always look forward to seeing what has happened off-page in their lives. Of course, I love the mysteries they solve as well, and this one was one with lots of twists and lots of suspects.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews