Oh, how I love Maggie D'arcy.

The Mountains Wild and A Distant Grave are two of my favorite reads of the last few years. I love Maggie D'arcy, her deductive reasoning and logical attitude, her unwavering love for her daughter and the desire to do what's right. The Irish backdrop doesn't hurt either, so when I saw The Drowning Sea was available, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

While vacationing with her daughter and boyfriend Conor and contemplating a permanent move to Ireland, Maggie D'arcy becomes involved in an investigation when human remains are discovered near the cliffs at Ross Head. Getting to know the residents, Maggie learns not only the rich, troubled history of Ross Head and the town, but also of a criminal underbelly and potential ties to a much larger trouble than an untimely death.

I loved this book so much.

Taylor's writing is lyrical and engaging, so make sure you clear your schedule because once you pick this up, you won't want to put it down. Through Maggie, we get a slow-burning atmospheric build as she journeys through Ireland, testing out the proverbial waters and giving us, the readers, a first-hand look at the town and its mysteries. Hidden grudges, Buried secrets. All the components you want in a mystery--but there's also the kindness of strangers and the charming night life, a combination that shows you there's more at stake in this situation for Maggie than she ever could have anticipated. I loved how she meticulously works through her feelings, balancing this transitional time in both her personal and professional lives, while giving us a reason to believe that there is still some good in the world. Maggie doesn't race to action; she's not impulsive or reckless, and in a genre dominated by tempestuous detectives and do-or-die heroes, this was a breath of fresh air.

Overall, The Drowning Sea is a beautiful adventure wrapped in mysterious histories that you don't want to miss.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

This is the 3rd in the Maggie D"Arcy series, and the first that I've read.
Maggie is was a Police Detective before she moved from Long Island to a small village in Ireland, with her daughter Lilly, her boyfriend Conor and his son Adrien. Shortly after they arrive a body washes ashore, She's not part of this investigation, as she is trying to help her landlord solve a bit of a mystery from years before. Plus help her daughter deal with the move to Ireland after her father death.
The author did a great job bringing the countryside and the people to life. I could easily visualize the country side, the little village and the people that lived there.
The downside was as part of a series, it was a bit difficult to follow parts of the book with out the background of the first 2. That being said, I'd recommend this book, and encourage the reader to start with the 1st in the series, and enjoy a well written and fun book

No longer a Boston homicide detective Maggie is spending the summer on the Irish coast with her fiance and daughter Lily. She is torn between moving permanently, training to join the Garda or resuming her old life in Boston and hopes the holiday will make the decision clear. A body is discovered on the shore and shortly after a young woman disappears. Maggie can't resist nosing around. The author made the setting a character in the book with vivid descriptions of the landscape and history. The characters were engaging and likeable. The plot was slow to develop yet held my interest. .The abandoned manor house and backstory of the former owners lent a gothic element to the contemporary story. This is the third in the series and I liked Maggie well enough to seek out the first two entries. There is a good balance between the domestic details and the investigation. A good choice for those who enjoy women detective novels and a strong sense of place.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy o f this title.
This third entry in the Maggie D'arcy finds Maggie back in Ireland. She has resigned from her position as homicide detective with the Long Island Police and is spending the summer in a small a village on the coast of Ireland with daughter Lilly, lover Conor and his son, Adrien, Maggie hopes to use the time to decide if a permanent move to Ireland will work for her and her daughter.
The village residents have differing opinions about the proposed conversion of a former manor house into a hotel. The house formerly belonged to the family of Maggies's landlord, Lissa.
When the body of a Polish construction worker is found at the bottom of a cliff followed soon after by another, Maggie is drawn into the investigation.
At the same time she is trying to solve Lissa's mystery that occurred many years ago.
While there are some interesting plot threads and colorful characters the story seemed jumbled with too much going on. The biggest weakness is that if you haven't read the two previous titles in the series you will be at a loss to understand important references.

The Drowning Sea is the third in the Maggie D’Arcy series. And while I enjoyed the prior two, when Maggie was a police detective, this one was lacking something. Maggie has retired and come to Ireland to spend the summer with her boyfriend and decide if she wants to move with her daughter there permanently. They’re renting a lovely cottage in a small atmospheric town when a body washes ashore. Maggie is curious, but she’s not part of the active investigation. She’s also trying to help her landlord with a mystery from 1973, when the woman lived with her family in the manor house.
There’s a decided division in the town regarding the proposed development of the old manor house, which has been abandoned for decades.
Stewart does an excellent job painting the town and the cliffs. She doesn’t do nearly as good a job giving the reader a sense of the characters, of which there are a lot. And Maggie seems to float through the first half of the book, not really learning much about either mystery. We also hear from the local detective, Griz, as she investigates, which provides the reader with background on a prior murder as well as what’s happening with the active investigation. But there was a disjointed feeling to the story and I had trouble envisioning some of the scenes, especially as the book reached its climax. At times, the writing just felt clunky.
This would not work well as a stand alone. It’s important to have Maggie and Lily’s background from the prior books.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Loved this book. The author did a masterful job of drawing me into the atmosphere of the Irish coastline. She drew such a vivid picture that I could close my eyes and be transported to that place. She also did an excellent job of showing the transition needed for an American police officer to become an Irish Garda.

The story was well written and the characters multifaceted. The mystery was well plotted. When I say mystery I am actually referring to the deaths that occurred. There was a peripheral mystery spanning historical time periods. An excellent read!

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

This is an interesting book about a former police detective and her family, healing from recents traumas and trying to rebuild, stumbling into a town with lots of mysteries both current and many years ago. >|Likeable main characters, a little slow at first with so many characters and history of the town to be described but it picked up and resolved all the loose ends.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was good, and the mystery was also very well done--I did not figure it out ahead of time, and I usually do. Maggie is a retired policeman, spending the summer in Ireland with her daughter Lilly, her significant other Conor, and his son Adrian. There are murders and the small village has lots of secrets that make discovering the murderer very complicated. I liked all the characters, and most of them were well developed. The problem is that this is the first book in the series I read, and I believe one needs to have read the previous books to know all of the back stories of the characters. That said, I would still recommend this book, but it would be better if you started with the first two in the series. I will probably look for them myself to get some background. I received an ARC, but was under not influenced to write a positive review.

Crime follows Maggie D'Arcy, no matter how far away she goes.

In this third book of Sarah Stewart Taylor's series, Maggie has left Long Island and her job as a detective to try to form a family with her teenage daughter, her lover and his teenage son. They have rented a cottage in the rural southwest of Ireland.

A plan to turn a grand old estate into a luxury hotel has the townspeople divided. When two young Polish workers drown in the surf, enmity grows. Without police credentials, Maggie still investigates the deaths and rumors of drug running.

Taylor's love of Ireland and its people shines.

If you like mysteries set in locations that feel like home and an exotic land at the same time, this book is for you.

The Drowning Sea has many of the things I love- a beautiful setting on the Irish coast, a small town mystery where everyone knows each other and keeps their secrets, generations of families with secrets...I could go on but you get the idea.

I enjoyed the characters and especially the budding romance between two young characters, Lilly and Alex. The way Sarah Stewart Taylor built their relationship felt true and real for teenagers who are discovering love for the first time.

The back story on the townies and their ancestors was one of my favorite parts. I loved learning more about Lissa's family and what truly happened at Rosscliffe House.

The ending was partially a surprise. One part was obvious but the other was a shock. I read a lot of mysteries so it's nice when the answer takes me by surprise. I liked the different perspectives and the writing was well done. I will be reading more of Taylor's books in the near future!

Captivating mystery set in the Irish countryside. Slowly the many secrets of the town, which stands in the shadow of a cliffside crumbling mansion, are revealed. New arrivals and generations-long folks are equally suspect in a multitude of crimes, both new and old, small and large. From suspicious deaths to drug trafficking, the questioning summer visitor (unemployed detective) is determined to understand the strange happenings. Setting made me yearn to visit Ireland. This is #3 in the "Maggie D'Arcy" series. I hope the author writes more. Reviewed from ARC.

I was very pleased to receive this book via NetGalley & St. Martin's Press as prior books were so well received. I really wish I had read the first two books. There were so many characters to get to know that I had to double back and check things. I may try to do that now.

It had a lot of atmosphere and Ireland is an entrancing setting for any book. There seemed to be a lot of quick scene changes that I was not prepared for unfortunately.

It ended on a very positive note which definitely is a good thing. I am glad to have been given the opportunity to read such a popular series. Thanks to the author for this e-arc and the opportunity to read this thrid in series.

suspense, mental-health-issues, grieving, relocating, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, detective, Ireland, professor, expats, small-town*****

A cop who left Long Island, NY to be with her fiancé who is a professor of Irish history and hopes to join up with the Gardai, her teenage daughter who is still a mess following her father's suicide by the sea, and now a battered corpse on the beach. Was this man murdered, victim of an accident, or a suicide? It's a dangerous area and accidents or suicides are less than uncommon. There is a lot more to the current and history of the area, which also has a history of smuggling. Slow and steady investigation complete with a steady addition of deaths and suspects, plot twists, and red herrings. It is also a love letter to the beauty of the West Irish coast with exquisite imagery. A fine read!
I requested and received a temporary e-book from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This story is set in Ireland and is dramatic but lacks action. It is told as a story rather then an active adventure. The characters are flawed but they are not dynamic. I recommend this book to readers who love to read anything about Ireland.

I loved this book. Reading the description of the west coast of Ireland made me long to go back and visit again. This book is book 3 in a series called Maggie D'arcy. I had not read the first two books yet (Oh but I will). I had no problem following the story if anything the references to the other books just made me want to read them more. A huge thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Stewart Taylor and St. Martins Press for the ARC copy. This review is my personal opinion.

Not as good as the first two installments in this series but still a very enjoyable read. The mystery wasn't as compelling. At times it felt disjointed and choppy. However the setting was wonderful and I love the main character, Maggie D'arcy. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

For anyone who wants to visit Ireland but can't, this is a great book vacation. Nice suspenseful gothic-ish story. I was hoping this would be a standalone story since this is number 3 in the series and I haven't read the other two, definitely works as a standalone, yay! Unfortunately also added to my miles long to be read list because now I want to read the whole Maggie D'arcy series.

This fast-paced mystery grabbed me from the first pages. The writer beautifully evokes the atmosphere of a coastal village on a remote peninsula in West Cork, Ireland. The dilapidated former "big house" of the village, now fallen to ruin and rumored to be haunted, gives a gothic feel to the novel, and the tensions amongst the village families run like a strong undertow under seemingly peaceful waters. Newcomers Maggie, an Irish-American former cop, and her daughter Lilly have come for a two-month visit to recuperate after a traumatic experience. Maggie's boyfriend Conor, an Irish history professor, and his son Adrien make up the rest of their party. They are soon plunged into mystery and danger after the body of a Polish immigrant worker washes up on the shore nearby. Before long, they realize that his death is only the beginning of a tangled web of conspiracy, drug-running, and murder.
The authenticity of the characters, both main and secondary, adds to the story's appeal, and the suspense builds
at a perfect pitch as the novel reaches its climax and the various threads of the mystery come together. The relationships between Maggie, Conor, Lilly, and Adrien develop believably, as does Lilly's romance with a local musician. Though The Drowning Sea is number three in a series, it can be read as a stand-alone with no problem, however, I will definitely be searching out the first two books in the series now!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Press for the eARC.
This is the third in the Maggie Darcy mysteries. I hadn't read the two first in the series, but found it easy to read this as a standalone.
Maggie, her daughter and her boyfriend and his son have rented a cottage on an Peninsula, when the body of a young Polish worker is found on the beach. He had been missing for about three months and was presumed to have gone home. A young Polish woman is found dead shortly after that. Maggie is trying to find out where a woman disappeared to in the 1970's and solves that riddle.
Her daughter starts to sing with a local band and is in love. Maggie is hoping she can talk her into moving to Dublin and leave Long Island behind.
The descriptions of Ireland is wonderful, I loved it!
The ending was a surprise and so was the identity of the killer, I did not see that coming...
I enjoyed this read and definitely recommend it!

#Netgalley #TheDrowningSea

Gorgeous and atmospheric murder mystery! If you love Ireland, you will enjoy this read immensely, as the setting is well depicted. Highly recommend for lovers of female detectives, gothic novels, and slow-burning suspense.