Sheila Connolly (1950–2020)

Maura Donovan is a young American woman who inherits an Irish pub and a cottage in County Cork. This is the 6th book in the series, and the first one I've read, but the author skillfully brings readers along so there is no feeling of having missed something from an earlier book.

There were many things I liked about this book that set it a couple of notches above the usual cozy: the Irish setting, the authentic-sounding rhythm and word choice of the dialogue, the main characters and their show more relationships, and the set-up for the mystery. What was especially engaging were the personal issues of the main character. In addition to trying to solve the murder, Maura is surprised by the arrival of her mother, whom she hasn't seen in 20 years. Maura is also dealing with a possible romance (of course), as well as the responsibilities of being a business owner.

I really enjoyed this book, and thank the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Since the last book, things are moving right along in the tiny Maryland village of Asheboro. After the sizable donation from Mid-Atlantic Power, Kate and her board have been able to start work on restoring Henry Barton’s shovel factory and have even begun planning for the restoration of the Barton’s Victorian mansion. If all continue to move forward, they should be able to begin work on Main Street before too long. Kate and the town’s, dream of creating an authentic Victorian Village show more – complete with downtown area, mansion, and factory will save the town from totally disappearing. So much is riding on the success of this project, and then … they find a body hidden in a closed-up stairwell. Why is the 100-year-old body in the stairwell? What happened to the man? Was he murdered? Did he fall down the stairs and die? Why would anyone wall him in? Since the house has been closed up for over a hundred years, they’ll probably never know the answer. But when another body is found – a very recent death – also having fallen down a stairway – well – things get curioser and curioser.

Kate vacillates between feeling positive about the project and apprehensive about it. Has she bitten off more than she can chew? The publicity around finding not one, but two dead bodies at the Victorian mansion could very well keep donors from contributing to the project, so Kate, Josh, and Carroll know they have to pull out all of the stops to learn the personal history of the reclusive Henry and Mary Barton. Learning that may help them solve the mystery behind the 100-year-old corpse. Is the second body related to the first in some way? Is it some weird family feud? The victim wasn’t a very pleasant fellow, so who did he anger enough to kill him?

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story. The mystery (both of them) was intriguing and the solution unexpected. There were lots of clues to follow and lots of suspects to clear before we finally have solutions. I also love following along with the overarching story of Kate leading the charge to turn Asheboro, Maryland into a vintage Victorian Village similar to Williamsburg, VA. I hope you’ll give this book a try and love it as much as I did. I definitely miss this author and all of her lovely series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

To start bluntly: this author's writing irritates me. I've started and discarded two of her other series, because her MCs always come across belligerent and acerbic. This series is sadly no different, but I keep sticking with them because she so perfectly captures all the ins and outs of running a museum (at least, it seems so to a reader who has never actually run a museum). The stories are always interesting; enough to overcome my desire to throttle the MC.

Dead End Street, however, was show more not as good as the others. It's aim is to tackle a concept, rather than a specific object or setting in history. That concept is urban blight, neighbourhoods in decline, and neighbourhoods that have become urban war zones. Lofty subject matter, and she handles it pretty well, I think. Her approach from the standpoint of what role an historical society can play in rebuilding these neighbourhoods has a lot of merit. Unfortunately, Nell is abrasive and almost unlikeable, and she kept saying her desire to help was white man's guilt. Maybe her motivation is white man's guilt, but if so, it just makes her even less likeable - why can't she just want to participate in building up her city without the guilt? Anyway, ignore me, it was just one more thing I found irritating.

These aren't typical mysteries; they seldom revolve around dead bodies, and when they do - as this one does - Nell doesn't investigate or figure much out. Mostly it's about her being in the wrong place at the right time or vice versa, and putting facts together that make events clearer, although resolution usually comes of its own accord.

I say every time I read one of these books that I won't read any more of them, but then the next one comes out and I get sucked into wanting to spend time i the museum. So - who knows? show less

At loose ends after her grandmother's death, Maura Donnelly decides to honor her grandmother's wishes and use her small inheritance to visit the small Irish village where her grandmother was born. Her grandmother never talked much about her life before emigrating; she was too busy working multiple jobs and taking care of Maura after Maura's father's death and her mother's desertion.

Maura finds that there are a number of people in Leap who knew her grandmother and a number of relatives she show more didn't know she had. She'd barely arrived when a man's body was discovered in a local bog and she discovers a letter in a pub where she is temporarily working which might point to the identity of the man. But a new murder of a man who had just been in the pub takes over the time of the local police before they can see the letter Maura found.

Then Maura finds herself the target of a stalker who runs her off the road, harasses her when she's visiting her grandfather's grave, and breaks into her room at a local B&B. Neither she nor the police can understand why this is happening to a woman who's been in Ireland less than a week.

I enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator made Maura come to life. I could understand her new feelings of rootlessness and her bewilderment as she learns about the things her grandmother hadn't told her about Ireland. I liked the descriptions of the people and countryside. The mystery was well done.

I'm eager to read more of Maura's adventures as she begins her new life in Ireland. show less