Margaret Kelleher

Chips in a Bag: Classy Mr. Murray by Margaret Kelleher
Rating: 2.5*

This story follows various threads in the lives of people tied to Brandon Lodge, an old hotel in rural Ireland that is about to undergo a renovation to become an Enterprise Park and Conference Center. The central characters are Clodagh Kenny and James Murray, who had an ill-fated youthful love affair over 30 years ago that had its start at Brandon Lodge and are now drawn back to it through the business venture.

The premise was show more promising. There are multiple stories weaving in and out of the plot, in a Maeve Binchy style, but the plot turns into a soap opera fairly quickly. Everything seems to hark back to this old romance, yet in flashbacks we only see the first meeting, and the breakup. Everyone talks about how much in love they were, but it’s difficult to feel it, since nothing really show it beyond the fact that neither party ever moved on with their love lives. Somehow, this feels more pathetic than romantic. The author also has a tendency to have the characters go on drinking binges to explain their doing or saying things out of character that are necessary to move the plot along. The ending, as well, is quite abrupt, with several threads just dropped.

I believe this is the author’s first book, and there is promise here. The lore about yarn and knitting was interesting as a side note (the main character’s shop is devoted to yarn, knitting supplies and knit wear.) Occasional scenes show charm. It’s not bad for a quick diversion when you are in the mood for a bit of melodrama. But overall, it’s not quite ready for prime time, in my opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. show less

Plot:
Brandon Lodge holds a special place in Clodagh's heart, even though she hasn't been back there for many, many years. It was there that she fell in love with James. Not that things ended well for them - ultimately, Clodagh left for London. But now Brandon Lodge is getting revived and Clodagh, a successful knitwear designer, is part of that revival. Coming back to Ireland with her daughter Beth does bring back memories good and bad. But whether it's a fresh start or a way back to old show more paths remains to be seen.

Chips in a Bag does have potential, but it would have needed a lot more work to really fulfill it. I found myself often annoyed at both the writing style and some of the tropes, so the book never really got past okay for me.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2018/12/30/chips-in-a-bag-margaret-kelleher/ show less

Oh my goodness, a romantic suspense. What a great crafted debut novel. Very frustrating to read- in a good way-I think! You kind of know how the story will finish but how it gets there with twists and turns had me reading at the fastest pace with a physical gut sensation every time! Exhausting! Well,done Ms Kelleher!

I can only say that I am glad it was an Ebook, therefor easily deleted. The blurb promised much, but the book delivered very little.
There was much repetition, which assumes the reader can't remember what was said a few pages back and a great deal of the dialogue was irrelevant to the story. I gave up reading Mills and Boons many years ago because of their simplicity and predictability, but this book took me right back to that sort of writing.
All of the characters – and there are many - show more ended up living happily ever after except one who we have no idea about. It is insulting to readers that the only complex character, Pamela, is described as having psychiatric issues and obsessive behaviour - and yet she seems to accept her fate after having her lies discovered, being dumped by the man she loved and having her face slapped in the pub by her best friend. This is the person who the author has led us to believe could be dangerous physically and yet she simply disappears from the book after the public humiliation. Please!! show less