In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors and share a cup o’ tea. But murder has a way of killing business . . .
Nowadays Siobhán O’Sullivan, along with her five siblings, runs the family bistro named for their mother. It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table with a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest. With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned, it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.
“If Janet Evanovich and Maeve Binchy wrote a book together, Murder in an Irish Village would be the result. This one is delicious fun.”—Laurien Berenson, author of Live and Let Growl
“A smart whodunnit in an idyllic locale. I dare you not to be charmed by sleuth Siobhán and her siblings, the O’Sullivan Six.”—Barbara Ross, author of Fogged Inn
I read this one for the r/CozyMystery Discord book club read, and I thought it was just....okay. A lot of the book was laying out the backstory for the characters, which is appreciated but rather than being woven into the story, it was more or less all dumped in the first 10 chapters or so before getting into the mystery part of the plot. The downside is that the mystery part of the plot was overshadowed by the plethora of intimate details of the family, making this feel less like a mystery and more like just plain fiction. Other reviewers commented that they felt the pace was too slow in the book and I agree completely. I skipped several chapters here and there when the story wasn't advancing and didn't miss much.
Overall, not a bad read but not good enough to want to continue in the series.
Reading updates
-
Started reading
-
25 March, 2021:
Finished reading
-
25 March, 2021:
Reviewed
-
Started reading
-
25 March, 2021:
Finished reading
-
25 March, 2021:
Reviewed