Not a realistic espionage novel but more the tale of a marriage. Things have gotten stale for Hollis and Finn, academics who find themselves in Ireland hunting for a mysterious manuscript and dodging others doing the same thing- all thanks to the fact that Hollis went through training for CIA. This is so not how things work but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

First book in a new series. Hollis was trained to be a spy, but left that life before it even began to marry Finn and settle into what has now, in her middle age, become a boring and mundane life with her professor husband. The first few chapters detail how unsatisfied with her life Hollis is, setting the stage for her to be easily swayed to help an old friend and current agent help Interpol track down a missing spy to save his life. I wanted to like Hollis more than I did, but found the discrepancies between her overcommunicated supposed expertise as a trainee spy ("you were the tops in our class." "You were the best one in our group.") wth her naive behavior once she gets to Ireland. This non-spy, never-wanted-to-be-a-spy reader knows that sitting in apub and discussing your mission aloud is a guaranteed way to bring danger to you and the spy you're trying to rescue and a really dumb move for the best spy trainee in class. I appreciated the allusions to and quotes from famous Irish writers (Finn and Hollis are professors, and its Finn's expertise that led David, Hollis' agent friend, to appeal for their help), and the description of Ireland, Dublin and other settings was well done. But the story itself, Hollis' alleged great aptitude for spying (although 20 years in the past and clearly her bungling efforts did not match her supposed reputation), and the relationship with Finn didn't convince me. But it's a pretty fast read, so suitable for upcoming summer vacation travel reading.

In the beginning I was not sure what to expect from the book. It seemed like a writer wannabe crime author, but as the story progressed I was drawn more and more into the story. I love books that draw me in like this, but it takes the reader 40-50 pages to stick with the story -- It is definitely worth it for this book.

Both the main characters progress and grow as the story goes. They progress on their own and as a couple, and they are a very nice couple to rout for. As for the rest of the characters, none of them feel absolute. They are all in the story for a reason, and you are just as confused as the couple of who is the nice guys.

I liked this book. The author made the main characters likable and relatable. The plot was engrossing which made the book hard to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

The back of the book looked really good, and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the story of Hollis and her husband Finn as they went on this adventure in Ireland. It really makes me want to go to Ireland that is for sure. There were lots of twists and turns and I really enjoyed the ending of the book as well. When I started the book I wasn’t sure about Hollis and Finn’s relationship, it didn’t seem like they were going to be redeemable; when we start to grow apart from our partners, sometimes it just takes a small thing to return us together like solving a murder mystery, or finding a hidden manuscript in a foreign country. It was a great book and I would definitely read more from this author.

The story takes you across Ireland as Hollis and Finn run from one location to another either trying to get the manuscript or evade being killed. This became tiresome after a while. The plot was just okay to me, I never felt the urgency over the manuscript which seemed contrived to me. The pacing was fast paced once in Ireland, but again the continual running was wearying and a little disjointed.

The reveal of who was actually the enemy and the final showdown was well done and exciting. The wrap up left it open for further adventures, if both of them can be persuaded.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's a good premise, but I had a hard time with the husband Finn. My impression of Finn is self-centered and jealous of Hollis and her training so he takes some risks and tries to step up when he shouldn't In the beginning it really seems he is probably cheating with his students, but then later in the story he is supposedly so devoted to Hollis. I felt he was so self-involved he couldn't stand Hollis getting any attention. The locations used in the story could have been cut down and I think it would have worked better while still keeping the pace.

Rating: Good - A fun read with solid storyline and a few areas for

Beyond the Pale by Clare O’Donohue is the first book in A World of Spies Mystery series. Hollis and Finn Larsson are professors at a local college who have been married for fifteen years. Hollis feels that Finn does not appreciate her and that their marriage is lacking (stale, dull, predictable). She has been trying to convince him to travel this summer without success (liven things up). Hollis is surprised when she hears from David Agnelli whom she trained at the Farm with many years ago. He needs her help in convincing Finn to do a job. They need Finn and his reputation (credentials) to obtain a rare manuscript in Ireland that could help save an agent. The job should last under twenty minutes and then they can enjoy a vacation in Ireland. The job, though, fails to go as expected. They show up at Byrnes Antiques, but their contact does not. Finn and Hollis have fifty thousand euros (courtesy of David) and a trail of mysterious people following them. They are not the only ones trying to obtain the manuscript. There are other dubious people after it, and they will do whatever it takes to get it. Hollis and Finn need to find the manuscript and the missing agent while staying ahead of their adversaries. Will they make it home alive?

Beyond the Pale sounded like a great fast-paced mystery/suspense novel, and I enjoyed Claire O’Donohue’s A Someday Quilts Mystery series. After I finished Beyond the Pale, I wondered if it was the same author. The best part of the book is the beautiful descriptions of Ireland (the scenery, Trinity College, Book of Kells) and the Irish history. The one thing I kept wondering throughout the whole book was why had Hollis married Finn and why did she stay married to him. Finn is more interested in baseball and his adoring fans than Hollis. The pair seem to have nothing in common. I never felt any passion or emotion between them. I never got into Beyond the Pale. The book starts off with Hollis whining about her marriage (not a good start). She wanted them to travel during the summer and he had already agreed to teach. I thought Hollis should plan her trip and go. I have a feeling Finn would never have noticed she left. Hollis’ backstory seemed slightly farfetched (unbelievable). She finished college and trains for the CIA. She is top of her class, but she gives it up for the love of her life (is anyone buying this) and teaches at a small-town college. I can understand Finn being at a small-town college. It makes him a big fish in a small pond (he likes attention, accolades, and admirers). You knew the mission to Ireland would go sideways, but there seemed to be a bad guy everywhere they turned (who knew them, their names and what they were after). I found the pacing in Beyond the Pale to be slow which made the book seem so very long (360 pages). There were some good elements in the story, but it failed to come together. Identifying the bad guy was child’s play. I kept thinking the author would throw a twist in at the end because the solution could not be that simple. Unfortunately, there was not surprise ending. I am giving Beyond the Pale 2 out of 5 stars. While Beyond the Pale was not for me, I suggest obtaining a sample to see if the story appeals to you.

In Clare O'Donahue's Beyond the Pale, the first installment in the World of Spies mystery series, this tale would leave you at the edge of your seat, clueless, and maybe a bit bewildered. For married couple and college professors, Finn and Hollis Larsson, they lead a very sedentary and normal life. But Hollis wants to travel for their vacation, while Finn prefers to watch baseball. When Hollis's former flame, David Agnelli, who knew her background from Quantico, sent her an email out of the blue, asking to meet him in person, she became curious and brought Finn with her. Later, they found out he wants them to go to Ireland to look for a missing agent and to locate a rare book manuscript. Curious and intrigued, they agreed to go to Ireland and look for clues there. They also ran into some other people who wish to look for the same manuscript, including Interpol, the CIA, MI-6, and a notorious crime organization. Every where they look, they didn't know who to turn or to trust, when they hit some obstacles and death threats along the way. Until they discovered where it was, an unlikely enemy who wishes not to be found out and who would do anything to stop them, it put Finn and Hollis in a precarious situation to set things right and settle the score.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I thought it would be corny and not very accurate but it was really quite entertaining. Hollis and Finn are two middle-aged professors at a Midwestern University. The glow of their relationship is running thin. When Hollis suggests a romantic vacation, Finn suggests a week-end in Chicago watching the Cubs play baseball. Sigh.

Then an old beau of Hollis' drops in. They were in the CIA Academy together and while Hollis didn't pursue that line of work., David did. He wants to use Finn's expertise in English literature to authenticate a newly discovered play by Brendan Behan. They need Hollis' help to persuade to go to Ireland, all expenses paid, and pick up the manuscript. Sounds easy and romantic, doesn't it?

They get dropped into a big mess with missing contacts, people purporting to be Interpol and CIA, and members of a terrorist gang. They are followed everywhere and threatened with death a great deal. People start dropping dead around them and their handler, David, disappears. Still the couple continue their dogged pursuit of the manuscript.

They start in Dublin and visit the Book of Kells, the Beatty Library and Trinity College with such lovely descriptions that it made me long to visit again. They travel to Galway, the Burren, Doolin and the Aran Islands all wonderfully described and made me want to book a flight. As professors they are quite literate and there's a lot of poetry quoted. My favorite was by Yeats, "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy that sustained him through temporary periods of joy."

If you are looking for something fun and entertaining, you can not go wrong with this delightful caper. I am certainly looking forward to a second one if this is going to be a series. Thanks to Net Galley and Clare O'Donohue for a such a good time.

Hollis and Finn have entered the dull and boring stale of their marriage. They are both professors and while Hollis yearns for adventure, some spark, something energizing, her husband Finn seems to be stuck at the start. Then an old flame, David, now an erstwhile agent working for Interpol, who met Hollis while they were both training to be CIA agent, entices her to get her husband on board to accompany her to Ireland where they will get their hands on the manuscript written by an old Irish playwright, Brendan Behan.

The agent, David, proclaims that this should be a quick nothing of a job. First Hollis needs to persuade her husband to verify an old manuscript which is actually a fake. However, it contains information which if gotten into the wrong hands endangers a man's life. Hollis cons her husband into accepting this what is termed a twenty minute job and the couple head off to Ireland all expense paid of course, where an adventure they never dreamed of ensues threatening both their lives. As they race around Ireland trying to find the fake and well hidden manuscript the spies and players in this international game they are engaged in, take risks, chances, and of course threaten the lives of our new and inexperienced agents, Hollis and Finn.

This book while possessing a cute and sassy interplay between Hollis and Finn did not work as well as I wanted it to. It had all the makings of a fine book, with its atmosphere, its daring do, and likeable protagonists, but I had somewhat of a time following the interplay between the supporting characters.

Thank you to Clare O'Donohue, the Publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me a copy of this book.

Beyond the Pale by Clare O'Donohue is a well crafted thriller.
Collage professor Hollis has in her youth trained to become a CIA agent but has abandoned that for an academic career. After 15 years of marriage she feels stuck in a rut and wants to travel and seeks excitment. They are approached by her former CIA colleague to help authenticate an old book. They go to Ireland and that's where the adventure begins. Set up meeting doesn't go as planned, nothing is as it seams and they don't know whom to trust and what to do.
The book starts of slow but picks up pace. It touches on marriages, relationships and love. It is full of twists and turns to make it interesting. I also enjoyed many interesting tidbits about history and literature.
Fun and entertaining, intense and full of suspense.

A fast-paced mystery thriller set in Ireland. I loved the setting and the writing style, and really enjoyed reading this!

This mystery novel set in Ireland was totally engrossing - The characters and the unique mystery made for a book I could not put down. Modern technology played a prominent place in the story despite the fact that much of the time internet and occasionally even cell phones were useless, and it was entertaining to learn how the adage 'beyond the pale', which I have heard all my 70 years and even used occasionally, came about.

The mystery took us across Ireland from Dublin to the Islands of Aran and the descriptions were spectacular. I enjoyed professors Hollis and Finn and their shortcut wordless conversations after many years of marriage. I also very much recognized their way of passing the decision back and forth so no one had to be held responsible if the project fell apart before completion. I was very much surprised at the final resolution. This was an excellent who-done-it that I can happily recommend to friends and family.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Clare O'Donohue, and Midnight Ink Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

I thought this was a great, twisty, fast paced thriller. I read this in mostly one sitting, it really kept me going and I could not figure out who was responsible and behind these shenanigans. I loved the character and relationship development between Hollis and Finn, it was great to watch them each come into their own and solve this crime. What I did not particularly like was the book got a little too twisty and was hard to follow a bit. It became hard for me to keep everyone straight at times and keep up with who was on what side, which took away from the story, in my opinion. Other than that it was a great story and resolved itself well. I really enjoyed it and gave it 3.5 stars.

The introduction of a new husband and wife sleuthing team brought memories of the adventures of Nick & Nora Charles or Mr. & Mrs. North to mind.

While the debut of Clare O’Donohue’s first adventure in her World of Spies Mystery series is a mixed bag, the good does dominate. Unfortunately, the adventure starts off slow and the interaction between Finn and Hollis Larsen reads like two people getting ready to separate. Hollis, who went through CIA training, left to marry Finn and became a professor. Finn, also a professor, is an international expert in European Literature and is approached by David, a former CIA colleague of Hollis, to help retrieve a manuscript, allegedly of great value, in Ireland. The manuscript contains a coded message from an undercover agent that is critical to saving the life of another agent.

Despite their arguing the Larsens agree to travel to Ireland and pick up the manuscript. The discussion between Hollis and Finn as they decide to make the trip marks a turning point in the story. The couple seem to be in a different place and the interplay between the two is more appropriate for a couple falling into to the world of spies. Naturally complications arise as they discover several people are also after the manuscript – and a couple of them are very determined and ruthless.

The story is interesting, the premise appealing but the twists and red herrings tend to be more confusing than diverting. Ms. O’Donohue is a talented writer. Hollis and Finn Larsen are well developed and believable characters that will prove fun to follow.

This book is exceptionally hard to review because while I eventually chose not to finish it, I can appreciate its broad appeal to fans of cozy mysteries. The novel has all of the elements of books I ordinarily devour, but I honestly could not buy Hollis' backstory. I don't want to spoiler it for others, but I had a very hard time suspending belief regarding her governmental training. (I'll leave it at that.) Eventually that inability to buy into Hollis' story lead me to give up on the book.

I really feel like this was more of an issue of my own than the author's, and would encourage cozy mystery fans to give this a shot via a Kindle sample. The only reason I am choosing to leave a review is because I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finn and Hollis are a typical married couple. They are both professor's and teach at the same school. Finn is HAPPY being home, watching tv and teaching summer school. Hollis craves adventure and romance. They get both and so much more. Finn is needed to authenticate a play. So they head off for Ireland. Hollis black belt in martial arts. The things she learned when she almost became an operative for the CIA will come in handy in the adventure of a lifetime. They become entangled with spys and counter spys. They're all trying to find the manuscript first. They don't care who does racing to achieve their goal.
4 Stars

When I think spy mystery type book, I think either something along the lines of John Le Carre or some fast-paced action type thriller. This was neither. I enjoyed it but at the same time I did not love it and I think, that's where the disappointment came from for me. I was expecting to love it. On the tin, this had everything I want in a mystery type adventure, yet in actual fact it did not deliver all of it for me. I enjoyed the descriptions of Ireland, but that's not why I read a spy mystery. I kept wondering why Hollis ever married Finn, but again, maybe not why you pick up that kind of book. Yes, there were some bullets and some chases and the mystery in itself was ok, but overall, it felt like it did not quite know what it wanted to be.

Hollis and Finn Larsson have a good life as college professors at a small Midwestern college. But Hollis is feeling a little disappointed that her life isn't more exciting. Before she married Finn, she was trained at the Farm to become a CIA agent but decided a life with Finn was what she really wanted.

Fifteen years later, a fellow student David Agnelli comes to recruit them to do a simple errand for him. Well, mostly he needs Finn's skills at authenticating works of literature but Finn has already turned him down. Now he plays on his old relationship with Hollis to convince Finn.

The errand should be simple: fly to Ireland, pick up an unknown play by Brendan Behan at an antique dealer, and hand it off to a contact of David's. But things don't work out nearly that easily. The antique dealer is missing as is the manuscript and Finn and Hollis are being followed by three different parties all of whom want the manuscript. They have no one to trust but each other as they race to find the manuscript first.

I loved the scenic tour of Ireland and the warmth and friendliness of the Irish people. I loved the dynamics of Finn and Hollis's marriage. I thought the mystery was nicely twisty. The action was fast-paced. I recommend this mystery for those who ever wished they had become a spy.

Ms O'Donohue gives us a thoroughly delightful tale. And it is quite delightful featuring two charming main characters, a plot that features International criminal activity, murder, mayhem but presented in a slightly tongue in cheek manner blunting any horror. Hollis and Finn Larrson are two married professors with at least Ph.ds teaching at the same university in Michigan. They have arrived at the top of their professions, have academic tenure, great reputations in their subject field, but have reached a point in their married lives in which they may be taking the other partner slightly for granted. Our story begins when Finn proposes a vacation involving a trip to Chicago in which he will go to Wriggly Field to watch baseball with Hollis dutifully tagging along. Hollis is not too thrilled with such a vacation but their marriage is too solid to have a big fight over it.

Right out of the blue Hollis gets a visit from a friend of hers who was a companion during a short period that she actually worked for the CIA, taking the training in preparation for a career with the organization. There are some hints that the "friend" was involved with her until she left the CIA to return to graduate school where she met Finn: they married and several years later both are teachers at the college level. But her friend is there to make an offer to the two which would set a different tone for a getaway. He indicates that the CIA would pay for a trip to Dublin, Ireland if Finn, an expert in the field would pick up a manuscript, quickly authenticate it and if real deliver it as directed. A twenty minute task paying for a priceless trip to Ireland Hollis jumps at the chance, and although Finn is not that thrilled with the idea he goes along with the woman he loves.

The trip starts with a bang. Their contact is not there; they run into various individuals that would love to get their hands on the manuscript, they are forced to run all over the section of Ireland that they have gone to. Their lives are at risk and a twenty minute job turns into a life threatening situation . Needless to say the book is an all nighter with enough suspense to keep one wrapped tightly into it. I can't help but hope that Hollis and Finn can find other non academic adventures to get involved in in the near future.