3 Wine Glass #Review of Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor

Title: MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE
Series: Irish Village Mystery series #1
Author: Carlene O'Connor
Narrator: Caroline Lennon
Format: Unabridged Audiobook, 10 hours and 3 minutes
Published: Dreamscape Media; Unabridged edition (February 23, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1520000634
ISBN-13: 978-1520000633
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible
Reviewer: Linda
Source: AudioBook JukeBox
Rating: 3 out of 5 Wine Glasses

A little slice of Heaven on the Emerald Isle…

In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’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.

Linda's Thoughts:
"I thought the butler always did it," someone remarked under their breath.

MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE by Carlene O'Connor is an enjoyable cozy mystery set in Kilbane, a small village in Ireland's County Cork, populated with a colorful cast. I listened to the audio edition. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Siobhán O'Sullivan, who runs her family's bistro. Siobhán is burdened with a full plate taking care of her four younger siblings and her older brother, James, who has a drinking problem. Siobhán's plans to study at the University of Dublin have been put on permanent hold since her parents were tragically killed by a drunk driver.

As if her year hasn't been bad enough, Niall, the brother of the man who killed her parents, is found murdered with a pair of pink scissors in the bistro and James is arrested for the crime. The police seem to think it's an open-and-shut case, but Siobhán strongly believes in her brother's innocence. So... Siobhán sets about turning the town and it's residents upside-down in her quest to find the real murderer and free her brother. Siobhán has her work cut out for her as there's a plethora of suspects with plausible motives. Readers can expect a smidgen of romance and I wanted to give the evil eye to the despicable landlord of her bistro!

Both this author and the narrator are new to me. The story was ably narrated by Caroline Lennon. Her voice was clear. Her brogue seemed authentic and was not so heavy that I couldn't understand what she was saying. She differentiated between the characters of which there were plenty - so that's quite an accomplishment. I would not hesitate to listen to her again and hope that she continues to narrate this series.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this audio:

"She was daft. That's what she was. Completely mental. There was no other explanation for why she was lurking in the back of Butler's Undertaker Lounge and Pub while her siblings were about to go in the front so they could distract him.
---

"What do we know about the Yank?"
"The one you were flirting with in there?"
"I was not flirting."
"You were flirting."
"You catch more flies with honey."
"Yeah? Well why in the heck would you want to catch flies in the first place?"
He had her there.
---

When she wasn't at Courtney's, she was perched on top of a stationary bike at spinning class. Siobhán would much rather ride a scooter. It never made sense to her why anyone would want to pedal like mad on top of something that was never going to go anywhere.
---

"You would do the same thing if a dead body turned up in your home."
Siobhán stopped when she remembered who she was talking to. "I mean, if you weren't an undertaker like."

MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE is well-plotted with a multitude of twists and turns. I enjoyed the mystery element and the interactions between the characters, but the story dragged in parts for me especially where Siobhán pondered over possibilities and plotted her next plan of action. I just wanted her to get on with it! The humor was excellent! I found myself laughing-out-loud during some of her antics. The scene in which she and her siblings infiltrate the morgue was hilarious. The Irish historical aspects garner an A+. This series debut shows a lot of promise and I'm thinking the series will get stronger. The title of the next book, MURDER AT AN IRISH WEDDING, certainly stokes my interest! I'm going to have to check it out. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with just a hint of romance, I would encourage you to check out MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE.


Suggested Reading Order: 
Murder in an Irish Village (Book #1)
Murder at an Irish Wedding (Book #2)