A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

I loved the first few books in this series but this one was another disappointment. Even though a year has passed since Maura arrived in Ireland everyone is stuck in the same place. A lot of the same ground is covered. We finally get a little backstory on Mick but it is too little too late. The mystery in the book is really no mystery. There is one pleasant surprise. The author does a good job with the Irish background I just wish there was more story. If you have been reading this series from the beginning you may enjoy this one.

Another book in the Cork County Mystery series. We meet Maura's mother who has been out of her life since infancy. While Maura is dealing with this another murder is uncovered and she is afraid that the company her mother works for might be involved.
Satisfying read making me want to visit Ireland even more.

This is the sixth book in the County Cork Mystery series and Maura is still trying to figure out if she wants to stay in Ireland and run the pub. Is she going to update and serve food, does she need an internet presence and what about Mick? In this story, a large company has bought the local hotel and is trying to get local businesses on board as other experiences for their guests. Maura is not sure about whether she wants to do this as they are trying to change them. She does not really like the man who is representing the company. When he ends up dead at the bottom of a cliff, the local guarda first have to determine if this was a murder, then who did it. When they are getting ready to question a woman who also works for the same company, she requests to talk to Maura first. Why? Who is this person and what does she want with Maura?

Sheila Connolly is a great writer and her books flow very nicely, however, I found this book very slow. It was very descriptive and I love learning about the area and the people, but it seemed the book was more about the characters than the mystery. Maura has also gotten a bit annoying to me. She needs to make up her mind and stop dithering about. She is a nice person for the most part, but some of the things she did and said in this book were a bit harsh. It was also nice getting to know more about Mick and his backstory. I still enjoy Billy and his crew at the pub. I love their betting pool and how they came around to help someone who needed it, even if Maura had to threaten them a bit. There was a new guarda in this story who came from a large city and he was not very likeable, but he also comes around in the end. I recommend this book to those who like cozy mysteries that are more character driven than totally about the mystery.

I really enjoy this unique cozy series set I Ireland. The characters seem authentic and well developed and with each book I look forward to seeing the progression of relationships between the characters. This book had a major twist in the beginning as well as the end which kept me guessing. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. A, because I love Ireland and B, because the characters are just so darn likable! This entry into the series is delightful and makes me want to pack my bags and go work at a pub in Ireland.

I like the visuals presented but really didn't care for the characters...tough to get to the end. I normally read a book a day but this one took me several weeks to force myself to read it all. I wanted to like it, after all it is IRELAND but it just turned me off.

Connolly adds new dimension to this series by introducing Maura's long-estranged mother, and then having her be a suspect in a murder. While Maura isn't sure what kind of relationship she wants with her mother, she doesn't want to see her in jail and resolves to investigate. Connolly does an excellent job rendering the Irish landscape and people and weaving them into her stories.

“Many a Twist” earns 5/5 Pints of Green Ale…Delightfully Entertaining!
I am a newbie turned fan of Sheila Connolly’s County Cork series. First, we have my favorite setting…Ireland and a pub! Just perfect for my St. Patrick’s Day weekend entertainment. I started with the most recent book number six, “Many a Twist,” and yes, there has to have been the natural evolvement of situations (some resolved, some ongoing) and characters (some that come and some that go), so I'm eager to go back and read how these characters got from there to here, but there was enough references to background and character connections to keep me engaged. Maura Donovan is the owner of an Irish pub and her newest dilemma and subsequent murder investigations relates to her estranged mother. She hasn't had contact with her for over twenty years, and when she reveals her identity in the wake of a body’s discovery, Maura is confronted by secrets, secrets, and more secrets from various directions. The title warns readers of “many” and “twists,” and in that Connolly doesn't disappoint. She has made an intriguing page-turner that is sprinkled with delightful dialogue that illustrates well the various personalities and motives along with descriptions of the Irish community that bring the land and the people to life. The suspects have their interesting connections to the victim which makes the murder investigation intriguing, but Maura has a full plate with her best friend preparing to give birth and the continued exploration of her relationship with Mick...he, too, has things to share. All in all…the mystery, the characters, the look at Ireland add up to a marvelous book!

I've read this series from the beginning and I continue with it because, well...Ireland. Who doesn't have dreams of the Emerald Isle of one sort or another? Despite missing the previous installment, all the characters in this are more or less the same, although it's less a mystery in this one than some revelations and resolutions of previous (and continuing) storylines.

Maura has FINALLY chilled out in this book, after a year in her adopted country. She's taking time away from the pub, leaving it to her employees to run; she's shocked when her mother reappears in her life; she and Mick finally 'have a conversation' (although I didn't get the impression until this book that anything was actually happening. Maybe that was the point?); she gets the locals to help prepare a house for a pregnant friend; and, she helps the Gardai solve another death. My biggest complaint up to now has been Maura, which is tricky as she's the MC! But I warmed to her a bit more in this one as she started to let her guard down and to ask for advice from people, involve herself in the community more and overall just be a bit nicer.

The 'mystery' isn't as apparent in this book and it wraps up very quickly at the end - not entirely satisfactorily - but I think this book is the one that ties up a few loose ends, leaving the next one(s?) open to more 'proper' mysteries and/or murders.

Four stars from me because, well...Ireland, and I enjoyed the tying up of loose threads.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I have enjoyed the adventures of Maura as she rebuilds the business she unexpectedly was bequeathed and learns to live in the small Irish village where everyone either knows or is related to everybody else. The characters are colourful and rich and the reader can well understand why Maura is still there and likely to remain so.
When she is approached with a business proposition by a hotel chain, she does not know what to make of it. Then when the head of that chain is murdered, things become even more confusing. However, when one of the man’s associate’s confesses that she is Maura’s mother who abandoned her as a child, things turn chaotic. Maura, who has kept herself isolated, now must decide whether to let this woman in. There are others as well with whom she must decide whether she will open up or remain closed. All the while, she is asked by the local Garda if she will help uncover information as people talk to her.
There is one newbie on the force who seems hell-bent on being the bull in the china shop both to Maura and any suspects. He makes the fine tightrope she walks even chancier. Maura has a lot on her mind as she tries to find out whodunit.
It is a good book with a mystery with a strong emotional thread. As a reader, I am swept along enjoying every revelation.
I give this four purrs and two paws up.

I enjoy reading this series, County Cork. This is book 6 set in the lovely Irish village of Skibbereen and Maura's pub. When a rundown hotel is bought and plans to refinish and make it a tourist destination the town is talking. The owner is soon found dead and the main suspect is Maura's mother who is the dead owner's assistant. They haven't seen each other since Maura was dropped off at her grandmother's when she was two years old. All the regulars of the pub have opinions and Maura and Mick need to help out the new local police sergeant. A good tale with a glimpse of a very different way of life.

<http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64748>

Dollycas’s Thoughts

What a story! Maura Donovan’s mother left her with her grandmother when she was just 2 years old. Now after all these years she shows up in Ireland working on the acquisition of a local hotel. When the head of the company ends up dead Maura’s mother has to tell her who she is before she reveals it to the police. The death has yet to be labeled as a murder but after Maura’s previous relationship with the local garda, she is looped right into the investigation. She also has her hands full helping her best friend get ready for the birth of her baby, and Mick reveals something about his past that Maura never expected. Family secrets play a major part in this book and as they are revealed things could get dangerous.

Many A Twist is the perfect title for this story. There were twists on top of twists and a few turns thrown in as well. The main plot and the subplots twist up to create a very entertaining story. One that is very hard to put down.

The character development over the span of this series is excellent. Just a year ago Maura arrived in Leap unsure of herself and unsure if she was going to stay in Ireland. Since that time she has made many friends, has expanded her business, and helped out with several police investigations. She has made herself at home in her little cottage too and learns more about the area every day.

The supporting cast has also grown and changed since the beginning. Their relationships with Maura are stronger but they are also dealing with their own issues. A marriage pending, a young woman looking toward her future, a couple learning all about raising their son, and a man coming to terms with his past. Several more characters round out the cast too.

I have never been to Ireland but the way this author describes the setting of the stories in this series, I can picture it very clearly. The pub, Maura’s cottage, the countryside, a bog or two, and added in this story the Crann Mor hotel and its garden paths.

I have enjoyed this series from the start. I am excited when a new story comes out and sad when it ends much too soon. These literary trips to Ireland remind me of my own little bit of Irish heritage and I can’t wait for my next visit.

You can’t go wrong with a story penned by Sheila Connolly. She is an awesome storyteller.

Sheila Connolly has a hit series with County Cork . I love the elaborate descriptions of Ireland and the cozy pub where the protagonist works. Each book is a delight as are the mystery which deepens in this next in series. I adore the characters who all fit the book perfectly and add to the story. Maura is deep into a family mystery in this next in series which sets the stage for the next book. The sleuth is brilliant and has a fun ending .
I highly recommend this series. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.

I'd read the first book in this series years ago so I was a little worried about jumping in several books later. However, there really weren't any problems getting caught up in what Maura's been up to in the time between the books. She owns the pub she worked in and has become much more involved in life in the little Irish town. However, she still has a bit of an edge to her and is resistant to really letting people into her life or asking for help from those around her. She's also not looking to change the pub and is highly resistant to working with Crann Mor, a fancy hotel that doesn't seem to have much in common with her pub.

The mystery kept me hooked. While the victim, John Byrne, wasn't the most liked person it doesn't seem like anyone hated him either. There is lots of gossip collecting and brain storming and I really enjoyed seeing the motive and killer become clear.

I can never resist a book with an Irish setting and I really loved the descriptions of the world that Maura inhabits. It makes me want to go visit Cork ASAP!

Maura Donovan owns a pub in Leap, County Cork, Ireland. She inherited the pub from Mick, a trusted friend of her grandmother. Maura is shocked when a woman enters her pub and informs her she is her mother. Maura’s mother left the family twenty years ago and Maura is angry. In a nearby town, a gentleman by the name of John Byrne is found dead in the gardens at the Crann Mor Hotel. He just happens to be her mother’s boss. Maura has to put her anger aside to protect her mother, who is the prime suspect in John’s death, and help find the real killer. After that, she’ll decide if she’ll let her mother back into her life. The plot of this story was very enjoyable. A fast read mystery that will keep your interest throughout. Sheila Connolly fans will enjoy another great book which takes place in the beautiful country of Ireland. Many thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

4+ stars!
Maura Donovan is approached by the new owner, John Byrne, and his management team of Crann Mor hotel to provide an excursion for their guests to visit a local pub. Her pub appears to be preferred because of the reputation for the local band entertainment the pub has been attracting.
After the owner of of Crann Mor is found dead on the grounds, Maura is summoned to the garda (police) station. She is asked by one of the managers she met, Helen Jenkins, for a private discussion before being interviewed by the police. Helen explains that before being interviewed by the police, she wants to tell Maura that she is her long, lost mother. Maura hasn’t seen her mother since she left her with her grandmother at the age of 2 in Boston.
The story revolves around Maura and the internal conflicts she has with being reunited with her mother as well as the investigation into the death of John Byrne. Maura also is juggling trying to help her friend Gillian with getting her new home in order before the birth of her child as well as a the mysterious behavior of her bartender.
I found this cozy mystery to be jammed packed. A good balance of mystery, personal relationships and interesting characters along with a couple twists and turns. Sheilla Connolly did a good of explaining the background, but I did at times feel I had missed out in jumping into this series at this point.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What a delight and refreshing treat it was to have Many a Twist by Sheila Connolly on my table this week. A few years back I learned of my own Irish heritage and shortly after, I found this series. I quickly fell in love with the series and found connections to main character Maura right from book one. The title Many A Twist does this book justice in so many ways. I loved the many twists, all of them in the most simplest of ways satisfied and added special elements to this story. This is an incredibly revealing cozy mystery, balanced with just the right amount of suspicion, deception and a tiny sprinkling of romance and enough hope to leave you with the coziest of feelings. It was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Out now Many A Twist is out now from Crooked Lane Books and it is the sixth book in the series.

When Maura's mom pops up out of the blue after twenty years she isn't sure how she should react. Is this a good thing or is it going to end up being a bad experience? Maura decides she wants to make a go of having a relationship with her mom but when her moms boss is found murdered things take a huge turn. Will she be able to build something with her mom and at the same time figure out who the killer is? Connolly leads you on a merry chase with so many twists and turns that you won't know if you've figured it all out until the end. Follow along and uncover all the secrets that are being kept and you just may figure it out. The telling of the mystery is wonderful and the scenery that fills the book is breath taking. I can't wait to see what happens next with Maura and the lovely village that she has made her home.