By book 4 you know you are going to love the characters and the Irish idioms and culture. The O'Sullivan family are a blessing and a burden to their eldest sister Siobhan especially now that she has joined the Garda (Police). If you are new to this series I suggest you start at book 1 to understand the background of this family and their village.

Hosting a poker tournament is supposed to be beneficial for tourism, not murder. When Eamon is found hanging from the rafters in a room locked from the inside the initial ruling is suicide, but Siobhan is sure he was murdered. Being a new garda and female, she has a lot of prejudicial overcoming to tackle. Macdara Flannery is not only her supervisor but also her boyfriend and being both is against the rules.

Constantly changing theories and a multitude of suspects kept this reader turning pages in a who-done-it that kept up a fast pace with lots of action.

Irish idioms & speech patterns are plentiful. I give this a 4 1/2 or of 5 stars.

3.75 stars

The fun further adventures of Siobhan O'Sullivan, proud member of the Irish Garda police force and stern older sister to her five orphaned siblings.

The beauty of this cozy series is the distinct Irish feeling and locale. In this outing, a high stakes poker tournament in their small village creates a lot of hubbub and some ill will. When one of the three finalists is found dead, the big question is murder or suicide?

Siobhan enjoys and has a bent for police work, but her job has a cost. She feels a bit estranged from family and friends at times when they want to gossip about certain events and she feels bound to keep details confidential. She is involved in a serious relationship with longtime boyfriend Macdara Flannery. Since he is technically her supervisor, they know they must keep things secret but they suspect their bond is no surprise to anyone. She is headstrong and intelligent and believes solving the case is more important than following the rules, which leads to some interesting situations.

The mystery itself is intriguing with the normal cast of village regulars plus the dead man's pregnant wife and the other two poker contestants. Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story quickly unfolds in the opening pages as a classic whodunnit / whydunnit. The national poker tournament has drawn a strange and interesting crowd to the country town of Kilbane, Co Cork where there are already a few suspicious individuals from around the town. We get to know more about these characters as the main character, Siobhan O'Sullivan investigates until she finally uncovers the guilty murderer.

I had to keep reading as the tension and suspense increased and I finally discovered who had committed the deadly act. Great twist in the tail!

When a Poker tournament comes to town Kilbane’s Garda is busy with the crowds, both at the tournament in a local pub, and the crowds as the festival. Siobhan O’Sullivan, big sister, head of her family of siblings, and newest garda, is juggling work, family, and romance.

The first night of the poker tournament has the crowds out in full force at the pub to see the top three seeded players. After a rare hand is dealt and he hotshot number one seed player wins that evening, he is accused of cheating when a cold deck is found next to him. The Poker official will have to make a decision by morning as to whether “The Octopus” will be allowed to continue or eliminated for cheating.

That doesn’t stop the festivities and town moves to another local pub for more festivities and poker. The Octopus is on a roll and wins several large bets from locals who should never have been playing against the pros. But it’s a party and everyone has a little too much to drink that evening, including The Octopus so the pub owners lets him sleep it off in his storage room so he doesn’t go back to the inn and wake his very pregnant wife.

Early the next morning, Siobhan is making her garda rounds and discovers the man dead in the storage room. Was it suicide or murder? That is question the small garda force and towns people have. Can Siobhan and Macdara solve it before everyone leaves town, that is the challenge.

Enjoyable whodunit with characters that pop from the pages. The ending took a clue from Clue and assembles all of the suspects in one room for the final reveal. While this is the fourth book in the series, it is the first I have read and there were no major gaps from not having read the first three. A good standalone, but you will want to read the first three, like I do now.

A great story line with brilliant main characters.. I read this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.

When competing card sharps stir up Siobhán O'Sullivan’s quiet Irish village, a poker tournament turns into a game of Hangman . . .

Kilbane is a small village in County Cork. Hardly a place one would hold an International Poker Tournament, but the people of Kilbane will take the tourists and players if it brings business to the town.

Siobhan O'Sullivan, now a garda, and her off the record boyfriend, Macdara Flannery and their small force are going to be very busy. As are Siobhan's brothers and sisters working the tent for their own Naomi's Bistro.

With the tournament barely started, one of the most popular players is accused of cheating. And winning with the Deadman's hand. As things get rowdy they all are kicked out of the pub and continue their drinking and gambling at Sharkey's. With the understanding that a decision on the cheating will be delivered in the morning.

Early the next morning finds Siobhan walking to work and noticing Sharkey's door is ajar. What she sees through the storage room window will shock everyone. 

This is the fourth in this series and the characters are so real they could be your neighbors. All the earmarks of a great cozy series are here! Great characters, even the sketchy ones, a real mystery and a surprise ending!

Very Well Done!

Netgalley/ February 26th 2019 by Kensington