Review: Murder in an Irish Churchyard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The village of Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland, has a new garda–and her first case is a grave matter indeed . . .

It’s official! Siobhán is now Garda O’Sullivan, and her five siblings couldn’t be prouder. While brother James runs Naomi’s Bistro, Siobhán is doing her part to keep the village safe. Of course, Kilbane is pretty quiet compared to a place like Dublin, where Macdara Flannery has gone to be a detective sergeant.

Then one night the local priest summons Siobhán to the church cemetery. There’s a dead man in the graveyard–aboveground. He lies shot on a blanket of freshly fallen snow, hand stretched out toward a nearby headstone. He’s a stranger, but the priest has heard talk of an American tourist in town, searching for his Irish ancestor.

A detective sergeant is dispatched from Dublin to assist with the case, and as fate would have it, it’s Macdara. After his parting, things are awkward between them, but they have to work together. They learn the victim was from Dublin–Dublin, Ohio, that is. And when his family members are located and told of his murder, the plot thickens. Siobhán begins to dig for a motive among the gnarled roots of the family tree. But as long-buried secrets are unearthed, she and Macdara will need to stay two steps ahead of the killer or end up with more than one foot in the grave.

Rating: 4-.5-stars

Review:

Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O’Connor is the third installment to this enjoyable cozy mystery series. Humor, family drama, and an Irish heritage are woven into this book. Siobhán is the leading protagonist and sleuthing detective. I really like her personality. She’s reliable and well-known for solving crimes. This time, an unknown person ends up dead in the church yard. No one knows who he is. Siobhán gets called in by the priest to check it out. She hasn’t even started her new career officially and yet Father wants her to head this murder case. Father is also another likable character. Easy to love him. Carlene O’Connor heats up the story as Siobhán takes the case. I was hooked. The plot is intriguing and the who done it theme kept going through my mind until the mystery was solved. I had to keep reading! It was fun getting lost within this third novel. I would love to see more of these wonderful characters…overall, I highly recommend this mystery to all readers.

Review: The Children of Manor House

Synopsis:

Mikey and his friends thought they had successfully freed the ghosts of the children in the garden, but they were mistaken. Now faced with a new mystery, Mikey and his friends must enter a haunted mansion, uncover its secrets, and finally bring the killer to justice once and for all in this final book of the Children series. Can Mikey trust a ghost to solve a mystery one last time?

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

R. A. Douthitt’s last novel, The Children of Manor House, in the series is superb. I loved it! Her writing is the best. I found myself pulled into the book. The characters once more were beyond just interesting. I was intrigued. Readers will find humor, ghosts, and danger inside…the danger meter has upped since the last book. Mickey and his friends must s get rid of the evil ghosts forever or else risk others getting hurt again. Lexie, Mickey’s girlfriend and best friend, was taken hostage last time. 

Now, his family is being threatened by past murderers who have died and are now haunting his hometown. Then, there’s the group of mean boy ghosts who take fun in harming people. In order to get rid them, Mickey and his friends will need to get the truth of what happened to Annabelle and others inside of the Manor she calls home. Annabelle is a new ghost readers will meet in this series. Her evil ghost sister along with the other evil ghosts are tormenting her and Mickey. Only time will tell if Mickey and his friends will solve the case once and for all. Overall, I enjoyed reading this new title by R. A. Douthitt. Her writing has a way of coming to life. The Children of Manor House is one thacan be read by children and adults. I highly recommend it to all.