It seems strange to describe a mystery as sweet but the author has done such a lovely job of creating a place and people that are appealing and, well, sweet. The mystery is a strong one and draws on some classic tropes but it is the context created around it which makes this such a strong addition to the cozy mystery library. Great to see it is part of a series as I a, now heavily invested!

Murder in an Irish Bookshop is the 7th book in the Irish Village Mystery series and Carlene O'Connor is still giving us great stories and mysteries set in Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland. A new bookshop is opening in the village and Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan is looking forward to visiting. What she finds is a store with only what the eccentric owner thinks of as real Literature. Although there is a limited clientele, the owner is still hosting a reading and autographing event featuring up and coming Irish writers who will be taking up residency in Kilbane for a month. Among them is indie author Deirdre Walsh, who spends more time complaining about the unfairness of the publishing industry and megastar bestsellers. The next day, Deirdre is found dead, with pages from another of the author's books in her mouth. Did one of the visiting authors kill Deirdre or was it someone else who is using the event as cover. Along with Siobhán and her fiancé, DS Macdara Flannery, there is a new member of the team, Garda Aretta Dabiri who Siobhán is training. Can they find the killer before they all leave town?

I enjoyed this outing in Kilbane and was happy to be back. The addition of Garda Aretta Dabiri added another great character to the story. She is a bit hesitant, but Siobhán is able to draw her out and convince her to use her gut and feelings as well as the evidence to investigate. As always, this was a well plotted mystery with several suspects and a few motives. The reader gets to watch the team sift through misdirection, lies, omissions, and more to solve the crime. When a second murder is unveiled, it makes it more urgent to catch this killer. On the personal front Siobhán and Macdara are trying to pick a wedding date and make some plans. The story has a family element, a great mystery, some humor, wonderful characters and a community feel. I have read this series from the beginning and there is a lot of growth and character development that you will miss if you have not read previous books in this series, but the mystery is a standalone that is committed and solved within these pages. I recommend this series if you enjoy a good cozy mystery, especially one set in Ireland.

I am so happy to have read another installment in the Siobhan O’Sullivan, Murder in an Irish…series! I am transported instantly to Ireland and feel like one of the O’Sullivan brood instantly! The characters are like able and sympathetic, the mysteries light and fun to solve, and it feels like a vacation with good friends with each new book! Enjoy!

I'm sorry, I loved your book, I've tried, but I could not finish the review on time due to corona.
I hope to get another chance

As a self-proclaimed hibernophile (someone in love with Irish culture and the land), I really was looking forward to diving into this cozy. Bookshop cozies are usually a favorite and this one hit the mark. The first name of the main character may be a challenge for some but fortunately for me, a local newscaster shares that name so I was excited to see it in print. Having a female garda (law enforcement) lead is different from most of the cozies I read so I was happy to see that but none of the typical cozy romantic comedy is missing in this one either. Overall I'm looking forward to reading more of this series now that I've dipped a toe in the water and hope others will find it as delightful as I did.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This is the first book I’ve read in the Irish Village series. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was familiar with the characters from the beginning. I did not connect with the characters or the story. I enjoy cozy mysteries, books set in bookstores, and especially ones that introduce me to new places where I can learn about new traditions and a new culture. There are plenty of positive reviews for this book. So perhaps the issue is me and the fact I haven’t read earlier books. I would suggest you try to read the book to see if it appeals to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Siobhán O'Sullivan is busy training a new town garda and planning her wedding. She is looking forward to the grand opening of a new bookstore in town. She would like to curl up with a new cozy mystery and relax. However, the bookstore only carries Literature...no mysteries. The grand opening is a grand affair until an author is killed. Join Siobhan for a fun read in the Irish countryside.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this opportunity to review the book.

What a great cozi mystery! I loved it!

I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly wasn't for me and did not finish.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The writing style of this series is great. This series is fast paced and keeps your attention from the first page. Every character in this series is entertaining and enjoyable. You never guessed who did it. This book is in stores for $26.00 (USD).

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 7th book in the An Irish Village Mystery series. I found this book just ok. I could not make myself care about the characters, and I do not think the characters where super developed. The mystery part was good, and I enjoyed that part of the book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Books) or author (Carlene O'Connor) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Spending time with Siobhan O'Sullivan, her family, and fiance Dara is always enjoyable! In this book, a new bookstore is opening in Kilbane and the owners have arranged for several authors and a literary agent to be present at the opening. The evening of a special event at the bookstore, which also happens to be when Siobhan's family has arranged a surprise birthday party for her, one of the authors is found murdered. Siobhan must delay her birthday celebrations, and she and Dara, along with the newly arrived Garda, must figure out who murdered this not-so-well-liked author.

Murder in an Irish Bookshop is the 7th in the Irish Village series and it contains all the humor, engaging dialogue, local dialect, and of course an intriguing mystery, as all the others. Ms. O'Connor's writing always takes you to Ireland and quickly draws you in engaging the reader from page 1. The characters are well-developed - from Siobhan's relationship with her siblings, the squabbling that occurs, the differences in personalities of the O'Sullivan six, to the real yet different 'crises' they all face. The banter between Siobhan and Dara is engaging and entertaining! The crime is puzzling and the suspects are many, clues are 'dropped' along the way but only the astute reader will be able to figure out who committed the murder.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next in the series.

The mystery is intriguing, well-plotted, and full of surprises. The characters are well-developed and entertaining. I look forward to reading more in this series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan is working on planning her wedding date, managing her large family of siblings, and is excited that a new bookshop is opening in the town, in the seventh installment of The Irish Village Mysteries, Murder in an Irish Bookshop by Carlene O’Connor The owners of the bookshop, however, are limiting the types of books they stock, and refuse to stock certain genres such as romance, mysteries, or science fiction. Literature is the only type of book stocked, and guests must answer questions regarding classic Irish authors to enter. The owners are hosting several famous Irish writers for a reading and autograph event; the writers are fighting among themselves, and criticizing each other. When one of the writers is found murdered at the back of the store, Siobhán and her finance, Macdara Flannery, must work quickly to solve the murder and save the bookstore.

Readers who are familiar with this series know that the characters are well-developed and most are likeable. Most readers know people who are just like them, with a bit of Irish added in. One of the things that makes these cozy mysteries fun and readable is the Irish atmosphere along with a big amount of Irish culture which is charming. The storyline is organized and easy-to-follow, with ups and downs and building suspense.

For readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with a cultural twist, this is a good series to read. Although this can be read as a standalone novel, it is nice to read the earlier novels in the series to fully understand the characters and the small Irish town. As is true with any cozy, there is no blatant sex, language, or violence, making this novel suitable for all ages.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Siobhan O’Sullivan is thrilled to see a new bookstore come to town. She loves to read although she does tend to fall asleep when she does. And who could blame her? She’s up early to bake brown bread for her family’s bistro, then off to her duties as a garda (police officer), working with her fiancé, Macdara Flannery. There’s a new garda to train and her brothers and sisters to watch over, enough to keep anyone on their toes.

The owners of the bookstore have an odd marketing plan—they sell only literature, no best sellers. Customers have to figure out a quote to get in the door. It’s frustrating to those who looked forward to browsing at their leisure. One highlight is an open house featuring a panel of three writers to discuss their works. An agent is on hand as well—at the end of two weeks, he’ll announce which of the three will be his new client.

When one of the writers turns up dead under truly unusual circumstances, it’s up to Siobhan, Mac, and the new garda to solve the crime. While a number of people were on hand at the time, the actual suspect list is small, limited to the two surviving writers, the agent, and the booksellers. What could be the motive and how in the world was the deed done?

This is book seven in the series. Siobhan is becoming a fine detective, ready to share responsibilities with the new garda. She and Mac work well together and, off duty, are making plans for their wedding. For an enjoyable visit to Kilbane, this is the perfect read.

This was a great little cozy mystery, I really enjoyed reading a mystery from a police officers point of view. I had also never read anything set in Ireland so I liked learning all the slang. It was a it predictable but that's just how cozy mysteries tend to be. I enjoyed the bookstore setting and of course it wouldn't be a cozy mystery if it weren't set in a small town and didn't involve food somehow so Sioban and her family own the town bistro. It was also really refreshing that Sioban wasn't a damsel in distress of course her colleagues and family helped her figure out who the killer was but she was also perfectly capable of taking care of her self and didn't find herself alone with the killer as the women in these books often do. Although things couldn't have gotten a whole lot worse than finding a murder victim at your own birthday party and having to work on your birthday. Anyway I liked the book and I would love to read the rest of the series.

Siobhán O'Sullivan is a Garda in Kilbane in County Cork, as well as oldest sibling in the O'Sullivan brood and manager of Naomi's Bistro (along with her siblings).
Siobhán's small town is finally getting a bookshop. Everyone's excited about the grand opening as well as the authors that will be signing books. That is until one of the authors is murdered.
This is my second book by this author and I hope to enjoy more

Mystery | Adult
<image>Murder in an Irish Bookshop (Irish Village Mysteries, #7), by Carlene O'Connor (2021)
Irish village police officer Siobhan O’Sullivan is excited that a bookshop is setting up in her little town, but when two people die within hours of its opening, she must determine who is the author of their demise (oh dear, I am sorry!). She’s already pretty busy preparing for her wedding, and training a new garda (the local term for a cop), as well as keeping her big brood of siblings on track. But death takes priority, and Siobhan (pronounced sha-VAHN) must get to work. Who could have wanted both a harmless retired innkeeper and an irritating author dead? I learned after requesting this title that it’s the seventh in a bestselling series. I sense an interesting backstory to her engagement to another garda, and a few other references to past plotlines, but overall this mystery stands on its own. It should appeal to fans of the cosy mystery genre, especially those who like the intricacies of small-town relationships. The setting is completely Irish, making it a delightful bit of armchair travelling. Rather unusually for a cosy mystery, it’s the police doing the work rather a nosy villager. Which is why Siobhan gets the bulk of the author’s attention, to the overall detriment of the story, I’d say. None of the other characters feels particularly well developed; even Siobhan’s story needs further attention. She’s delighted to have a bookshop but doesn’t seem to be a reader, focused more on food than on fiction, even at the book club meeting. The mystery was interesting, and it was not easy to solve as a reader, but the lightness of the story disappointed me. It’s possible the rest of the series is stronger, but I won’t be finding out. My thanks to Kensington Books for the digital reading copy provided in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53930351

This is book 7 in the Irish Village Mystery series and it could be read as a stand alone but I think you'll enjoy it more with background from some of the previous books.. Siobhán is busy planning her wedding and training the new garda assigned to their small Irish village. She is looking forward to the new bookshop opening and the round table of some famous authors coming to visit. She is dismayed to learn the shop is only stocking "literature", no romance, mysteries or women's fiction. When one of the authors is murdered it might mean the end of the shop before anyone has time to shop. I love Siobhan and her family. It's great to see them taking more of a role in the books. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Murder in an Irish Bookshop: A Cozy Irish Murder Mystery by Carlene O'Connor
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: February 23, 2021

Murder at an Irish Christmas is the seventh book in the Irish Village Mystery series by Carlene O'Connor. I did the previous book in the series (the first five are on my to-be read list), but this book can easily be read as a standalone mystery.

This was such a fun cozy mystery. I love the setting in an Irish Village and the inclusion of Gaelic throughout the book. I loved the characters in the story, especially Siobhan! She is such a powerhouse! The murder mystery was great, especially since there was police perspective added into the investigation.

I look forward to reading the other books in the series (especially the ones to come!).

I'm so grateful to Carlene O'Connor, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.