Irish garda Siobhán O'Sullivan is back in the Irish Village mysteries' seventh installment. The villagers are aflutter with excitement when a new bookshop opens in Kilbane. Everyone is eager to get inside and purchase their latest reads until they learn the shop solely stocks works of literature. The snobbish bookseller looks down on anything but the classics, even requiring customers to quote James Joyce before entering the shop. Somehow the store manages to stay open, even hosting three visiting authors and a literary agent. But not all is well among said writers; a confluence of competition, envy, backbiting, and self-inflated egos soon leads to murder.

I am a fan of this series, enjoy the author's writing style, and this book joined two of my favorite things: bookshops and mysteries. The plot provides an intricate puzzle for readers to solve, filled with an abundance of clues, red herrings, classic mystery tropes, and a most unusual and interesting murder weapon. The mystery is not easily solved, and the little gray cells will be working overtime by the end.

Another great addition to the series and I'm very much looking forward to the next!

This Irish cozy mystery series never disappoints. As a new bookshop opens in town, three famous authors are coming to compete for signing up with a famous publisher. During the book talk, a storm causes a lighting outage, and when lights come on, one of the authors has been murdered. Siobhan is a Garda, and the main character in this series, along with her six siblings and her fiancée, MacDara. Their interactions always add to the flavor of the story. I recommend this series, and of course, any mystery set in a bookshop is welcomed. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Murder in an Irish Bookshop is the 7th book in this series. It works as a stand-alone too, but you miss a little background on the two main characters. I enjoy books set in Ireland and murder mysteries, this series always provides both. The main characters are well developed and fun. They are both Garda, which is the Irish police. A couple murders, the grand opening of a bookshop in their village and plenty of quirky authors rounds out the story. There are plenty of twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing who the murder or murderers are until the very end. It’s another great one in the series and I recommend it. .

Murder in an Irish Bookshop
Carlene O’Connor
February 23, 2021


In the 7th book of O’Connor’s Irish Murder Myseries we are back in Cork County, Ireland. The small town of Kilbane to be exact. The townsfolk are buzzing about the opening of a bookstore. It will be the only one for the area. The book club is looking to have their meeting at the Grand Opening. The McCarthy’s, new owners, have invited three celebrated authors to speak. Local Garda, Siobh’an O’Sullivan is thrilled to participate. She has much to celebrate with spring blooming; she has her 29th birthday two days from Turn The Page store opening. Her family has been quiet about the celebration and her fiance, Macdara Flannery has not said a word about pressies or invites. After her morning run, Siobh’an had showered and readied herself for Garda duty when she heard shouting and pounding on the bistro back door. She found a neighbor, Bridie disheveled and upset. Bridie had found dear old Margaret O’Shea lying dead next to her walker on the footpath near the bookshop.
This mystery would be what readers would assume to be the latest demise that needs to be settled in the plot. Not so. We find the arrival of the authors, book club, and the lot of characters involved in solving this episode’s finish. Kilbane is full of fun villagers that keep us involved in the current mystery as well as their haphazard daily lives. The script is always full of Celtic descriptions making the reading witty and a bit tough to translate.
Murder in an Irish Bookshop by Carlene O’Connor is published by Kensington Publishing and will be available on February 23, 2021 for purchase. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review the ARC of the Bookshop Mystery. When I picked up her first in the series, Murder in an Irish Villiage, I became captivated by her work. If you have not read O’Connor’s novels try this one or any in the series. Once you become acquainted with her writing, you will want to read them all. Do enjoy!

(Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC.) This was my first experience with Carlene O'Connor's Irish Village Mystery series - and what a delightful one! Even as someone who hasn't read any previous books, I felt right at home with the characters and storyline.

Garda Siobhan O'Sullivan is excited for the opening of a new bookshop in her village of Kilbane. A seemingly natural death of an elderly villager is only the first sign that not all will be well, when the opening day brings even more murder to town.

This book brought together all the things I love best about cozy mysteries: humorous dialogue, brisk plot, quirky characters, and traditional clues with plenty of red herrings. This book in particular is fun for book lovers, as it centers around a new bookshop and competitive animosity between writers and agents. Even with multiple murders on board and scandal in sight, the novel stayed clean and non-graphic (without feeling bland). And as an American, I loved the Irish humor and colloquialisms that peppered the dialogue, making me feel like I was back in Ireland.

A few of the procedural points felt a bit unusual or inauthentic to me; I don't know if it's because of a difference in Irish police procedures or that my previous mystery books have simply set up unrealistic expectations for me. But overall, it did not detract from the story.

I recommend this for cozy mystery readers who need a light hearted but satisfying read set in the Emerald Isle, with lovable characters.

I can't enthuse enough about how much I love Carlene O'Connor's An Irish Village Mystery series. I am so invested in the lives of Siobhan and Dara, and those of the entire village. Each time a book comes out it is a cherished visit I enjoy taking. The latest in the series has a complex mystery that kept me guessing. I also felt a continued 'angst' about Siobhan's inability to choose a wedding date with Dara. Every aspect of the book is dealt with a perfect touch by the author and I literally can't wait for more. I highly recommend this entire series and can guarantee one won't be disappointed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

My first book by this author although it is seventh in a series.

I enjoy books set in Ireland and I enjoy books set in bookshops so this one could have been written just for me. It is a cosy with a difference in that the main characters are police or Garda as they are known there. No nosy Miss Marple wannabes in this one! There are two murders, performed in a quite remarkable way, lots of possibilities for the culprit and a surprise at the end.

I enjoyed the characters, the setting and the mystery. One tiny criticism - I wondered why the author occasionally spelled that as dat and think as tink. I suppose she was trying to get some sense of the Irish accent into the dialogue but there was no consistency and it was irritating. A minor issue though and it was still a good book.

I shared my review in an email and posted my review to Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads and I posted my review to my library site.

Main character garda Siobhan investigates a death near the newly opened bookshop and another death of an author who dies during a gathering at the bookshop. There are lots of details and false leads that pop up during the investigation that keep the answer to the murder inquiry from being easily solved. I enjoyed the portrayal of Siobhan as multi dimensional with her siblings entering the story, her romantic life including the wedding or no wedding question that keeps getting asked., her relationship with the person she is training all gathered together make her interesting and real. The Irish setting and character quirkiness make this an enjoyable read. There is a lot of detail setting the story up that made the beginning start a little slow but that might be because I haven't read any other books in this series.

This is the seventh book in the series and it just keeps getting better!
Irish village life and its inhabitants are a pleasure to read about.
The whodunit was well written and kept me guessing right until the reveal.
The relationship between Siobhan and her siblings and their personalities ring true to life for me.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Another intriguing start to a story.

You do know that the Garda will have joined all the dots by the end of the novel, but it certainly took some time.

I love books and book shops so that was definitely in the story's favour.. Then there were some interesting facts to discover along the way: most enjoyable. I also appreciated the plot being directly linked to the murder mystery, it wasn't just a back drop to the story. Once again, patience and enquiring minds eventually resulted in the mystery being solved.

I particularly enjoyed the relationships amongst the main characters. The complex nature of family is evident throughout and yet this dimension moved along most satisfactorily in this episode.

I will be on the look out for the next one.

With thanks to #Netgalley, Kensington Books and the author for my advanced reader copy.

Garda Siobhan O'Sullivan is excitedly waiting for the new bookshop to open. What she finds is a strange pair of owners, one of which states they will only carry Literature; no other genres. At a celabration of authors and a surprise birthday for Siobhan, they find one of the authors murdered; one day after a local woman is found dead, Are they connected? That's what the gardas need to discover and why.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for a copy of "Murder in an Irish Bookshop" in exchange for an honest review.

This book was our 7th visit to Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland and the O'Sullivan Six. Siobhán O'Sullivan is a Garda and she also owns Naomi's Bistro with her siblings - James, Eoin, Gráinne, Ann and Ciarán. Her fiancé is Detective Sergeant Macdara Flannery, whom she has been actively avoiding setting a wedding date with.

Oran and Padraig McCarthy have moved from Galway to open their bookshop Turn The Page in Kilbane. Before the shop even has a chance to open the body of Margaret O'Shea is found on a footpath near the shop. She wasn't robbed, there were no signs of foul play, her walker was clean even though the path was muddy. Did she die of natural causes? Everyone who knows Margaret - the former owner of the Kilbane Inn (now known as the Twins' Inn), knows that she never leaves the Inn, where she still lives.

Joining the Kilbane An Garda Síochána is Aretta Dabbiri, Ireland's first female Garda of African descent. Her father moved to Ireland from Nigeria. She is a great addition to the team and she is mysterious so there will be more to share in upcoming books. Like why she never joins anyone when they are eating, she says she packs a lunch but no one has ever seen her eating.

There is a slow point in the book when during an Author's Night there is way too much bickering between the authors - Deidre Walsh, Nessa Lamb and Lorcan Murphy. Agent Darren Kilroy (who in a misprint is identified as Darren Walsh in the 2nd last chapter) advertises that he will be choosing one of the authors to be represented by him.

One of the author's claims to be writing an "explosive memoir" and is found dead during a power blackout from a storm while everyone has gathered at Turn The Page for Siobhán's 29th birthday celebration.

Everyone is a suspect because everyone is acting weird. Breaking into rooms at the Inn, disappearing and then reappearing items (laptop, notebooks, biros and books) in the dead author's room, the Gardaí wondering if perhaps the wrong person was killed in the dark? There are so many red herrings in this book that it keeps you guessing until the very end.

A touching part of the book is when the O'Sullivan siblings go to the cemetery on what would have been their parent's 37th wedding anniversary. From previous books we know that the parents were killed by a drunk driver. They each tell their parents what is going on in their lives. We learn that James has found his calling to renovate older Irish houses and that Eoin has a crush on Garda Dabiri.

There are several cryptic messages found by the Gardaí. Once they figure out who wrote which note, who was the recipient of them and more importantly what they all mean.

From the ending of the book we can be certain that there will be a couple of O'Sullivan weddings in future books. Personally I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.

Written by Carlene O'Connor, this story follows guards and bistro owner Siobhan as the former inn owner shows up dead on the bookstores back step on their opening day. Now, they have to solve the murder!

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is probably worth a try for you - but if you don't, I wouldn't read this. This actually had a slower start than I am used to in cozies, which might have something to do with all the references that I only mostly understood...

If you are looking for an Irish mystery that is an easy read, this is just the thing for you.

This cozy series takes me right back to rural Ireland. Book 7 in the series begins with the death of an elderly local woman near a new bookstore that is opening soon. Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan thinks it’s a natural death, but the old woman had not been going very far afield as of late, so why had she now? When another death, definitely a murder takes place, it’s up to Siobhán, her fiancé and fellow Garda Macdara, and their new trainee to try to put the pieces together. With a wide array of suspects, from the local florist to visiting authors, I was kept guessing as I happily enjoyed this book. Siobháns’ siblings and their family cafe don’t play quite as large a part in this book as they have in others, but are present enough to add plenty of charm and the feeling of a loving family.
Please read the whole series so you can follow Siobhán as she grows and finds her way, you won’t be sorry.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy.

This series are fun to read.
These books can be read as a standalone. I have been reading them out of order but feel you get the most enjoyment if you read them sequentially.
The two main characters Macdara and his fiancée Siobhán are both Garda in a small Irish village. We see the arrival of a new Garda trainee that has a bit of a critical look of her boss and his fiancée relationship in a work environment but is anxious to learn from them and only time will tell how it all works out. Siobhán is a bit stressed feeling Macdara is pushing to firm up the wedding date. Then we have her siblings which add some interesting tidbits. The story is an easy read with plenty of the small village charms and drawbacks. Plenty of clues are given to try to uncover the murderer but you really don't know for sure till the end. I highly recommend getting your favorite beverage, relax in an easy chair and start reading.

MURDER IN AN IRISH BOOKSHOP, by Carlene O’Connor, is the seventh book in the Irish Village Mysteries. While I haven’t had the time to keep up with the entire series, I have read several. Without a doubt, each new book keeps getting better than the last… which is hard to do since I think they’ve all been terrific reads from the very first! Protagonist, Siobhán O’Sullivan, isn’t your typical cozy mystery heroine either. Over the course of the series she’s gone from an amateur sleuth trying to run her family’s Irish restaurant (while raising her younger siblings after the untimely death of their parents), to becoming a professional garda, aka The Guardian of the Peace. It’s been a particularly satisfying character arc to watch as Siobhán, along with the supporting characters, grows both personally and professionally. I had the good fortune to visit Ireland last year and I appreciate how Ms. O’Connor captures the setting of Ireland along with the words and mannerisms of the citizens. It made me feel like I was still there, experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this endearing country, especially as she portrays the small Irish village where Siobhán resides.

Ms. O’Connor sets up the mystery to capture the imagination of the reader and the intrigue starts from the very beginning. I was charmed by the new bookstore in town and how the owners showcase Irish writers. The author does an admirable job weaving several mentions of notable authors and their works into the plot without detracting from the pacing. When one of the visiting authors is murdered in the bookshop, surrounded by a group of people, Siobhán and her fiancé, Macdara Flannery find they have a complex mystery to solve. Ms. O’Connor’s attention to detail and the multifaceted clues that were revealed as the story progressed, had me glued to the pages from the very start of the book until I’d read the last word. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and the opportunity to be transported to the Emerald Isle for another captivating mystery!

This is the 7th installment in the Cozy Irish Murder mystery series. Siobhan O’Sullivan is a garda (police officer in Ireland) in her hometown of Kilbane and trying to begin arrangements for her marriage to Macdara Flannery. She is training a new garda Aretta and is getting stressed out and excited about the new bookstore in the town although the owner is a literary snob and does not want to allow anyone who cannot quote James Joyce and other famous literary authors. The bookstore is hosting an author event with the goal of one being signed by a literary agent and on the day of the opening an elderly neighbor who was delivering a welcome basket to the store was found dead. Since she was elderly not much is suspected until one of the authors is found dead and Siobhan must find out if the two are related and who could have done this is her town. I really love Siobhan and her family and how they get along and the whole setting in this town. I love the Irish setting and enjoy the dynamics of the family, townspeople and Macdara. This is a good series and mystery. I really enjoyed it.

This is a charming cozy series and although this is only the third book I've read, I highly recommend it (and have to my friends). I think it would work well as a standalone.
It is springtime in Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland and our protagonist Siobhan O'Sullivan is excited about the opening of a bookstore in town. Unfortunately, the owner is a literary snob and doesn't stock anything other than literary fiction .and won't let you into the store unless you quote a few famous Irish poets/playwrights. However, they are hosting an Irish author night featuring a literary agent who will sign a contract with one of them.

On the day of the opening, a neighbor of Siobhan stumbles across the body of an elder townswoman on her way to drop off a welcoming basket to the bookstore. She comes to get Siobhan who is a garda (police officer) in the town. Margaret rarely left her home so they were surprised to find her by the bookstore, but she was elderly so it was no surprise--.but when one of the visiting authors is murdered, they realize there is a connection as well as a second murder.

What follows is a well drawn out mystery with twists and turns that keep you engaged.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

The opening of a delightful new bookshop brings murder and intrigue to Garda O'Sullivan's sleepy village once again! The Garda and her vibrant cast of friends and family are once again in the spotlight as she tries to figure out who is causing the carnage! An excellent plot ripe with multiple potential villains with a few plot twists to keep you guessing will keep you happily turning pages for hours! If you haven't read the entire series, you can still enjoy the book however I must say that you are missing out on loads of entertainment and backstory by not reading the entire series!