Siobhán O'Sullivan's life hasn't gone the way she planned. Instead of attending Trinity College in Dublin, she finds herself running the local bistro her parents owned while caring for her five siblings. The unexpected death of her parents turned their lives upside down. Unfortunately, the brother of the drunk driver convicted for the accident that killed Siobhán's parents is in town and stirring up a hornet's death. When a murder occurs, Siobhán finds herself and the rest of the O'Sullivans on the hot seat. Can she help solve the crime before her family suffers even more losses?

Ireland is a beautiful setting for any story and Carlene O'Connor utilizes it well in MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE. I love how Carlene O'Connor catches the inflections of speech (with a handy pronunciation and glossary at the very beginning) as it made me feel like I was back in Ireland. We get immersed in the village life of Kilbane in County Cork and it's almost a disappointment to come to the end of our journey, even as we know the identity of the murderer must be uncovered.

The characters in MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE are quirky, fun, and downright entertaining! I can't help but love Siobhán and all of the other O'Sullivans who have dealt with one of the most painful of losses, and yet they stick together and keep their heads held high. However, it is the town of Kilbane itself that truly captured my imagination in MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE. The town with all its little idiosyncrasies is practically a character itself.

MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE kicks off a new series in splendid fashion! If you love cozy mysteries and traveling, then give MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE a try. You'll feel like you've stepped into Ireland as you turn the pages.

Book Summary

A little slice of Heaven on the Emerald Isle…

In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Natalie's Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O'Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.

It's been a rough year for the O'Sullivans, but it's about to get rougher. One morning, as they're opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.

With the local garda suspecting the O'Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned--murder tends to spoil the appetite--it's up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.