Murder in Connemara by Carlene O'Connor

 Murder in Connemara

Book Summary

Murder in Connemara by Carlene O’Connor has Tara Meehan heading off to check out an old stone cottage for sale after finding a flyer for it on the front door of her shop.  Tara hopes the trip will help keep her mind off the business license that has yet to arrive.  Tara arrives at the old cottage to find a whining puppy named Savage and a dead woman with no identification.  A week or so later, Veronica O’Farrell bursts into Tara’s shop, Renewals to state that she will be holding her “Amends” party there and that Tara is to find a special gift for each guest.  Tara’s objections are overcome when she learns the fee Veronica is willing to pay.  Tara admires a one-of-a-kind brooch Veronica is wearing and even takes a selfie with it posting it online with the hashtag #KillerBrooch. Unfortunately, Veronica is soon found murdered, and the weapon is the antique Tara Brooch.  Tara is a prime suspect which sends her into investigator mode.   Tara intends to uncover the killer and she will not let anyone get in her way.

My Thoughts

Murder in Connemara by Carlene O’Connor is the 2^nd A Home to Ireland Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone, but I believe readers will have a better understanding of Tara if they read Murder in Galway first.  I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of Ireland, the architecture, and the items in Tara’s shop.  The author really brought the Irish countryside to life for me.  Tara Meehan is a character that I am not sure that I like yet.  Tara’s behavior and attitude bothered me at times.  I really did not like her thoughts about the Garda (she thinks they are stupid).  Tara is one of those people who will do what they want even if it gets in the way of others completing their job.  The mystery has quite a few suspects. The author tried to the whodunit complicated, but the resolution was easy to suss out.    The apparent clues made it a cinch to solve.  The why is also not a challenge to figure out.  I did not like Tara mucking up crime scenes (she is giving amateur sleuths a bad name).  I got fed up with suspects arguing (I ended up skimming through some areas).  Tara tended to go off on tangents at times that took her away from her goal.  There are some quirky characters in this series including Tara’s uncle and the psychic, Rose.  I loved little Savage with this adorable collar.  I wanted to like Murder in Connemara, but I just did not find it that appealing.  Murder in Connemara transports readers to Ireland in this cozy mystery with the sweet Savage, amends gone awry, a prophetic psychic, a forceful woman, business license tribulations, and a problematic photo. 

Murder in Connemara can be purchased from Amazon*.  The first book in A Home to Ireland Mystery series is Murder in Galway (which can be borrowed for free if you belong to Kindle Unlimited).  You can find Carlene O'Connor's other novels here.  Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review today.  I will return on Monday with The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong.  I hope that you have a relaxing weekend.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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