JANUARY 2023 - AudioFile
After 27 years, veterinarian Dimpna Wilde comes back to the Irish village of Dingle to help clear her parents, who have been accused of murdering the village’s wealthiest man, Johnny O’Reilly. Narrator Emily O’Mahony portrays many characters, all of whom have motives. She is at her best as Dimpna and as Cormac O’Brien, the detective who is investigating the case. Her rich Irish accent gives the story more depth, especially in the flashbacks, which describe Dimpna’s childhood connection to Johnny. Her children’s voices are filled with excitement and fear as she enacts the prank played on Dimpna, which relates to the murder. This first installment in the Irish Vet Mysteries is a clever mix of suspense, charm, and love. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Praise for No Strangers Here
“This solid series launch from O’Connor takes a more somber approach to crime solving than her Irish Village mysteries…O’Connor adds plot twists that many won’t anticipate. Judicious use of Irishisms (“I swear to ye”) adds color. Readers will eagerly await what happens next in County Kerry.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Exciting, convoluted, and rich with compelling characters, this is the best of O’Connor’s Irish mysteries to date.” —Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
“Known for her cozies, O’Connor moves into darker territory here. For fans of Louise Penny.”
—Library Journal
Praise for Carlene O’Connor
“Outstanding…O’Connor reinforces her place as the queen of the cozy police procedural.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW for Murder in An Irish Bookshop
“Murder at an Irish Christmas has elements of a police procedural that add more detail, atmosphere, and humor than are often found in the cozy subgenre.” —Christian Science Monitor on Murder at An Irish Christmas
“Fully realized characters enhance this skillfully plotted tale as it builds to a twist ending.” —Publishers Weekly on Murder at An Irish Christmas
“Exceptional… readers will have a hard time putting this one down.” —Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW for Murder in An Irish Cottage
“[An] atmospheric story filled with Irish superstitions, legends, and colorful characters. Vivid descriptions of the countryside will appeal to lovers of Ireland.” —Library Journal on Murder in An Irish Cottage
“The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series’ best to date.” —Kirkus Reviews on Murder in An Irish Pub
“A delightful read that put me right into the atmosphere and locale.” —Criminal Element on Murder in An Irish Pub
“Carlene O’Connor is a wonderful storyteller.” —Newport Plain Talk on Murder in An Irish Pub
Library Journal
08/01/2022
In a tightknit Irish town, the body of Johnny O'Reilly, the town's richest man, is found staged on a local beach. The only clues are black stones spelling out "Last Dance," a tarot card, a syringe containing veterinary euthanasia medication, and small footprints leading away from the scene. Recently transferred DI Cormac O'Brien, ignorant of the local lore and characters, is dependent upon longtime DS Neely for context. The O'Reilly family is determined to point O'Brien in the direction of local veterinarian Dr. Wilde, due to longstanding family grudges. Alerted to the situation by a friend and former police officer, Wilde's daughter Dimpna, also a veterinarian, reluctantly returns home after a long absence to find her father not only a suspect in a murder, but also sadly losing his memory and incapable of maintaining his practice. She steps into his practice and the murder investigation. Cormac and Dimpna navigate the clues and uncover answers to long held secrets. VERDICT Known for her cozies, O'Connor ("Home to Ireland" and "Irish Village" series) moves into darker territory here. For fans of Louise Penny.—Susan Santa
JANUARY 2023 - AudioFile
After 27 years, veterinarian Dimpna Wilde comes back to the Irish village of Dingle to help clear her parents, who have been accused of murdering the village’s wealthiest man, Johnny O’Reilly. Narrator Emily O’Mahony portrays many characters, all of whom have motives. She is at her best as Dimpna and as Cormac O’Brien, the detective who is investigating the case. Her rich Irish accent gives the story more depth, especially in the flashbacks, which describe Dimpna’s childhood connection to Johnny. Her children’s voices are filled with excitement and fear as she enacts the prank played on Dimpna, which relates to the murder. This first installment in the Irish Vet Mysteries is a clever mix of suspense, charm, and love. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-08-31
Ireland's County Kerry provides the backdrop for O’Connor’s compelling series kickoff.
DI Cormac O’Brien, who’s new to Dingle, must depend on the locals for insight when the body of racehorse owner Johnny O’Reilly is found on a beach along with 69 black stones spelling out the words "Last Dance." O'Reilly was 69 years old, too. DS Neely provides Cormac with background on Last Dance, one of O’Reilly’s horses that was killed in a road accident more than 25 years earlier. It's clear that O’Reilly was murdered elsewhere and his body brought to the beach in a boat. Only a child’s footprints are found nearby. Bucking the powers that be to work the case, Cormac learns that the O’Reillys and the family of Eamon Wilde, their veterinarian, have a complex history that could have led to murder. Eamon shows signs of dementia; his wife, Maeve, who used to go dancing with O'Reilly, reads tarot cards. Their son, Donnecha, who serves as caretaker of O’Reilly’s yachts, is a bit of a wild one. But it’s their daughter, Dr. Dimpna Wilde, that Cormac finds most fascinating. A talented veterinarian, tiny and beautiful, she’s the widow of a man who killed himself after swindling hundreds of Dubliners out of their life savings. Unable to pay her bills when her assets are seized, she returns to Dingle to help her father’s practice and try to extricate her family from a murder charge. Dimpna’s past is about to be torn wide open, revealing various crimes, including her rape by Johnny’s son Sean O’Reilly, and the revelation that what she remembers is not always the truth.
Exciting, convoluted, and rich with compelling characters, this is the best of O’Connor’s Irish mysteries to date.
