Murder in an Irish Churchyard by Carlene O’Connor #BookReview #ReadingIrelandMonth26

An Irish Village Mystery Book 3

Book Blurb:

After joining the police force of her small Irish village, a local woman must investigate the murder of a stranger in this cozy mystery novel.

After solving two murders in the County Cork village of Kilbane, Siobhán O’Sullivan has accepted her calling and decided to join the Garda Síochána. The O’Sullivan clan couldn’t be prouder, but there’s no time to celebrate as she’s already on another case, summoned by the local priest who just found a dead man in the St. Mary’s graveyard—aboveground.

He’s a stranger, but the priest has heard talk of an American tourist in town, searching for his Irish ancestor. As Siobhán begins to dig for a motive among the gnarled roots of the victim’s family tree, she will need to stay two steps ahead of the killer or end up with more than one foot in the grave.

I am reviewing this book for Reading Ireland Month, one of my go-to authors for the occasion. It is hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. Please use the hashtags #readingirelandmonth26 or #begorrathon if you choose to participate.

My Review:

Yes, a favorite series (and I’ve read a number of her other series as well) I like the newly minted Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan (shi-vawn). In my typical fashion, out of the twelve in this series, I’ve managed to jump all over the place and in this episode back to Book 3, prior to Garda O’Sullivan and DS Macdara Flannery getting together…permanently. My last Murder at an Irish Bakery from October 2022.

Before the shine is off the uniform, Garda O’Sullivan is called out to a body found in the churchyard on top of the ground—not underneath it. The storyline kicks off quite a rant against Americans. Those searching for their roots (an old story). The group presents quite a wide variety of characters, some sympathetic, some not.

I was a bit surprised to read the vitriol, surprising because I understood the author divides her time between both countries. While the Americans are presented with a typically perceived boorishness, they also presented an interesting cross-section of personalities.

I like the character of Siobhán, who is smart, albeit a bit lacking in confidence right now—given her lack of experience in her new role, but she uses her intuition and gains ground where even the grudging Macdara has to acknowledge her growth as a Garda.

Following the protocol of a cozy, there is lovely, cold atmosphere, wise-cracking and polite drinking, lots of food, and freshly baked brown bread—I could almost smell it. The Irish sense of humor does manifest often.

“He was a bullet of a man, with all gun and no powder.”

I’m not sure I enjoyed the role of the brutish, ignorant Americans, but I did enjoy the growth of Siobhán and thought the plot moved along at a decent pace, well-plotted.

“When around Americans, the Irish accent was a weaponizable trait.”

Yeah, gotta admit that much is true. I hear my grandfather when I hear that lilt.

And, I do appreciate the little quotables:

“Entitlement should be one of the seven deadly sins.”

If you’re a fan of this author, you may enjoy this one, as did I (although admittedly wasn’t thrilled with the depiction of Americans) but will continue reading her books. They are clean and clever, fast and easy reads.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

 

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: February 27, 2018

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK   |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

 

 

The Author: USA Today bestselling author Carlene O’Connor comes from a long line of Irish storytellers. Her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland to America and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places across the pond she’s wandered, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork. She writes the bestselling IRISH VILLAGE MYSTERIES, the HOME TO IRELAND series, and the new COUNTY KERRY MYSTERIES. Her books have been translated into numerous languages, and optioned for television. Readers can find her at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086525205106 or through her website: http://www.carleneoconnor.net

©2026 V Williams