An Early Wake (County Cork Mystery, #3)

by Sheila Connolly

Pub owner Maura Donovan may have Irish kin, but she doesn’t seem to have the luck of the Irish. Who could have foreseen that bringing live music back to Sullivan’s Pub would lead to a dead musician?

Summer is ending in County Cork, Ireland, and with it the tourist season. Expat Maura Donovan is determined to keep Sullivan’s Pub in the black as the days grow shorter—but how? When she hears that the place was once a hot spot for Irish musicians who’d come play in the back room, she wonders if bringing back live music might be Sullivan’s salvation.

As word gets out, legendary musicians begin to appear at the pub, and the first impromptu jam session brings in scores of music lovers. But things hit a sour note when Maura finds a dead musician in the back room the next morning. With a slew of potential suspects, it’s going to take more than a pint and a good think to force a murderer to face the music.

• ISBN10: 0425252531
• ISBN13: 9780425252536
• Publish Date: 3 February 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425252536

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

An Early Wake is the third installment of the County Cork mystery series. Although enjoyable, there were aspects I didn't care for and I was a little disappointed.
 
There wasn't much of a plot with this one.  College kid comes to town wanting to know about local music. Suddenly, a concert happens. Someone dies.  Someone is eventually apprehended, although we're just given theories about the murder and motive. No messy confession to bog things down.
 
As with the other books in the series, Maura worries.  A lot.  This hasn't bothered me in the previous books, but this one, it was a little much. She spends most of the book worrying about whether she should offer live music at Sullivans.  Really? Let me get this straight: you're making money hand over fist because a few musicians showed up and you're agonizing over whether it's a good idea? WTF?
 
Also, deducted half a star because there's a god damn love triangle birthed at the end of the book.

Overall, not the best in the series but not terrible.  I look forward to the next in the series.