Murder on an Irish Farm: A Charming Irish Cozy Mystery

Carlene O'Connor

Feb 2022 · An Irish Village Mystery Book 8 · Kensington Cozies

About this eBook

In this enchanting new read in the fan-favorite series from a USA Today bestselling author, garda of County Cork, Ireland, Siobhán O’Sullivan and Macdaras Flannery, are about to get married at last. But just as the rowdy O’Sullivan brood and all the regulars of the local bistro have gathered at the church, the nuptials come to an abrupt halt when the discovery of an unidentified skeleton puts the wedding on pause…

If only her mother could be here! The entire O’Sullivan brood—not to mention the regulars from Naomi’s Bistro—have gathered at St. Mary’s Church for the wedding of Siobhán and Macdara. It’s not every day you see two garda marrying each other. Only Siobhán’s brother James is missing. They can’t start without him.
 
But when James finally comes racing in, he’s covered in dirt and babbling he’s found a human skeleton in the old slurry pit at the farmhouse. What farmhouse? Macdara sheepishly admits he was saving it as a wedding surprise: he purchased an abandoned dairy farm. Duty calls, so the engaged garda decide to put the wedding on hold to investigate.
 
James leads them to a skeleton clothed in rags that resemble a tattered tuxedo. As an elderly neighbor approaches, she cries out that these must be the remains of her one true love who never showed up on their wedding day, fifty years ago. The garda have a cold case on their hands, which heats up the following day when a fresh corpse appears on top of the bridegroom’s bones. With a killer at large, they need to watch their backs—or the nearly wedded couple may be parted by death before they’ve even taken their vows. . .
 
“Fans of charming Irish mysteries will delight in the ways this convoluted case ensnares the heroine and her supporting cast.”
—Kirkus Reviews

 

Ratings and reviews

Although I own two books in this cozy mystery series prior to Murder on an Irish Farm, I was able to enjoy this book despite not knowing all of the past history and happenings in the previous seven novels. This book was smartly written by O’Connor. It was well paced and because the protagonist is a Garda, Siobhán was able to circumvent the obstacles a typical amateur sleuth wouldn’t be able to do such as directly asking suspects questions such as their alibis. The red herrings were intertwined and had me guessing right close to the grand reveal of who dun it. What I especially enjoyed was the family aspect, which helped provide the story a little more meaningful depth and I can tell the family is the main thread connecting all the series’ books. Overall, this was a great cozy mystery if you’re looking for a little bit more realism in catching the killer. Thank you Kensington Books for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About the author

Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Irish Village Mysteries, the County Kerry Novels, and the Home to Ireland Mysteries. Born into a long line of Irish storytellers, her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland filled with tales in 1897, and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places she’s wandered across the pond, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork, the setting of her Irish Village Mystery series. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and currently divides her time between New Mexico and the Emerald Isle. Please visit her online at CarleneOConnor.net.