Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Irish Village Mystery #7
Publication Date: 2/23/21
Number of Pages: 258

The small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland is buzzing with excitement over the opening of a new bookstore along with a number of visiting Irish authors. This is their first bookstore and Siobhan O’Sullivan, oldest sibling of the O’Sullivan six, is hoping to encourage her siblings to become readers – and she’d kind of like to kindle a spark for reading within herself as well. Of course, there is a damper on those high spirits when a body is found near the bookshop – and later, a second one inside the bookshop. Oh! My! Goodness! It looks as if Detective Sergeant Macdara Flannery and Gardai Siobhan O’Sullivan will be doing a lot more than training new Gardai Aretta Dabiri.

There are a lot of suspects – The new bookshop owners, Padraig and Oran McCarthy, any of the Irish authors and agent attending the opening, any number of townspeople who had access, or even a mysterious stranger who has been lurking about town. Clues are aplenty, but none seem to lead anywhere except in circles. Everybody seems to be keeping secrets and pointing fingers. With the case awash in red herrings, twists, and turns, the garda definitely has their work cut out for them. I’m sure you’ll figure out the name of the murderous villain before it is revealed – but – the method is totally unique and unexpected.

I have loved this series from the first book, and this is a lovely addition to it. It is so much fun to come to know all of the shops and inhabitants of Kilbane as we have over the last six books. Seeing the growth of Siobhan and her siblings has been particularly delightful, but seeing the relationship between Siobhan and Macdara develop has been heartwarming. The wedding plans are moving along and maybe we’ll have a wedding in the next book.

I can definitely recommend this read and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. The mystery is a good one, the clues are excellently handled, the villain is just dastardly enough to make you thoroughly dislike him/her, and the added romance is lovely. You just can’t go wrong with all of that.

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

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Irish Village Mystery #6
Publication Date: 10/27/20
Number of Pages: 304

Siobhan (shi-vawn) O’Sullivan and her family, known as the O’Sullivan Six, are in action again as they visit a colorful village in West Cork. Christmas is near and they will be spending time with the family of James’ fiancé, Elise. Siobhan is a bit apprehensive about her older brother’s engagement, but the rest of her brood of brothers and sisters, Grainne (Grawn-ya), Ann, Eoin (Owen), and Ciaran (Keeran) seem just fine with it. They are all looking forward to a peaceful Christmas with all of them together just enjoying each other. Of course, wherever Siobhan goes, a dead body soon follows – even at Christmas.

The village is hosting a concert, conducted by Enda Elliott, who is the Conductor for the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. The aging Enda lives in the village and is its most renowned citizen. To say Enda is eccentric would be putting it mildly, but everybody seems to love him – so – imagine the shock when the entire village shows up at the old mill to decorate it for the concert – and they find a very deceased Enda sprawled in the middle of the musicians seating. Oh! My! At first glance, it appears to be an accident, but as a Garda, Siobhan has to secure the scene and await the arrival of the local Garda. It soon becomes evident that it wasn’t an accident. Oh! My!

With suspects galore and red herrings aplenty, you’ll have a time unraveling this mystery right along with Siobhan and her fiancé Detective Sergeant Macdara Flannery. What could the motive be? Who hated Enda enough to murder him? Could it be his son Jason? His second wife Faye? His third, and current, wife Leah? His daughter Moira? One of his grandchildren – Elise, Paul, or Orla? The harpist, Ruth? The artist, Catherine? The artist’s lover, Theodore Baskins? The venue owner? His rival, Harry Williams? Oh! My! Too many suspects to count.

As everyone’s secrets are revealed (including Enda’s) – like peeling an onion – and Siobhan is attacked – the solution is still not evident. Will they find the murderer before another death occurs? You’ll just have to read this delightful story to find out.

This is one of my favorite series and I really love all of the characters. It is well-written, the mystery is well-plotted and well-delivered, the characters are robust, likable, and well developed. I mean – what else could you possibly want. Goodness – there is even an excellent Irish Brown Bread recipe in the back!

I loved the book and can’t wait for the next one.

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