"Murder in Connemara" By Carlene O’Connor: Review/Giveaway

  Review by Sandra Murphy

 Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review. This book is a Barnes and Noble exclusive so no Amazon links but you can find it by clicking here at Barnes and Noble.

Tara Meehan used to be an interior designer in New York. Now she has her own shop selling architectural salvage, at least she will, if the city permit ever arrives. In Galway County, Ireland. She was just supposed to come for a visit and to scatter her mother’s ashes but fell in love with the town. Now she has friends, Uncle Johnny, her shop, and Danny, kind of. Theirs is a loosely defined relationship. At the moment, he’s on a salvage buying trip. At loose ends and finding a flyer about an old stone house for sale, Tara decides to go see it.

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It’s a beautiful drive and the house, gutted, is still ripe with potential. A noise inside makes her open the door to find a small dog cowering. A pug named Savage, according to her tag. No wonder the dog is frightened. Her owner is in the yard, dead for at least a day, more than Tara bargained for during a small excursion.

While she’s waiting for the dratted permit, she’s visited by a whirlwind named Veronica O’Ferrell, an heiress and demanding woman who admits she had a drinking problem but is now one year sober. As such, it’s time to make amends to seven people she’s wronged. She wants Tara to find a unique gift for each of them—an ex-husband whose art career she ruined, an employee she accused of theft, a niece by marriage, an old friend, and more. Money is no object in selecting the gifts so Tara is convinced to take the job. Veronica is hosting all seven plus Tara at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel. 

The event doesn’t go as planned, at least not as Veronica planned it. She’s found dead in the ruins of Clifden Castle, stabbed in the heart with a piece of her own jewelry. The amends are not as clearly stated as anyone would want—everything is a puzzle. Tara’s question is, are the puzzles part of Veronica’s plan or the killer’s? 

Tara’s a sensible woman, one who doesn’t take risks, except maybe where Danny is concerned. Readers who like a challenge will enjoy unraveling the puzzles as Tara struggles to make sense of them. This is a series I enjoy and hope to see again and again. 

This is the second book in the series. Murder in Galway was the first and reviewed here. O’Connor also writes the Irish Village mysteries, all five reviewed here and thoroughly enjoyed as well.  

 To enter to win a copy of Murder in Connemara, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "connemara,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 7, 2020. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won't see coming.