I'm going through the books on My Shelf, reviewing what I can, and I've been trying to read Declan's Cross but I'm afraid I just can't get into it. There are just too many characters who feel like they're throwing way too much information at me. It may be that I didn't read the previous books in the series, and for that reason, I won't be leaving a review. I'm going to DNF it at 36%. Thank you, though, for giving me the opportunity to read it.

I didn't read the first two books in this series but for the most part that wasn't a problem. I had downloaded the prequel novella when it was a freebie and read that which helped. I wouldn't recommend starting the series with this book though as it would be confusing.

The main characters are Emma Sharpe, and art expert with the FBI, and Colin Donovan, an undercover agent for the FBI. They've been involved for several months and are currently on vacation in Ireland. While there, they run into Julianne Maroney, a marine biologist who recently broke up with Colin's younger brother Andy, a lobster man in their small Maine hometown. There was a lot of overlap in characters; people in Declan's Cross, the Irish town where most of the story took place, had friends and relatives in Rock Point and vice versa as well as everyone in town knowing everyone else. With all the ties between characters, it felt a bit like an incestuous soap opera at times.

The beginning of the book is a bit slow and confusing as everyone seems suspicious of Julianne's trip to Declan's Cross and the marine station that another American, Lindsay Hargreaves, is setting up. Everyone was suspicious and automatically linked current events back to an art theft from ten years ago. Everyone, seemingly, had a 'bad feeling' but it was all very circumstantial, and for me, confusing. The story picks up with an unexpected death and it's possible connection to the earlier art theft.

Officially, Emma and Colin can't do anything as they're out of their jurisdiction but that doesn't stop them from poking around. Emma and Colin have a complicated relationship, as do Julianne and Andy. Apparently the Donovan brothers are difficult and complicated men. :D I liked that we got to see the ups and downs of their relationships, the complications of family, and also that no one recovers immediately from injury, whether emotional or physical. I also appreciated that sometimes, just as in real life, not all cases are solved.

Neggers weaves an intriguing story of families, relationships, and mystery that has a delightful, not too-touristy, taste of Ireland. Although occasionally confusing, I enjoyed the story and will probably be back for more.

Declan’s Cross was somewhat repetitive and the book was stretched where it didn’t need to be. The mystery of the art thief is not resolved by the end, which was a bit frustrating. I liked the characters but the writing style and the plot development were not satisfying. I think another reader may enjoy it more than I did but it was a stretch for me.