I seriously love this series. This is everything I love about cozy mysteries, done absolutely perfectly. And it’s FUNNY. Megan, as an American who’s lived in Ireland for a while, is self-aware enough to be amused by both the American tourists getting things horribly wrong and the quirks of the locals.
If you’ve been following the series thus far, you’ll be pleased that Megan finally manages to get the upper hand over her toxic boss Orla. There’s also a fascinating dynamic between Megan and her Garda detective friend Paul Bourke, who is both disbelieving and exasperated that Megan has once again managed to stumble over a dead body (though that’s nothing compared to his boss who frankly wants her arrested). I do think you could probably step in here if you haven’t read either of the previous books, however, and not have missed too much. Megan’s backstory is neatly summed up and it informs her actions throughout in a logical way, and the other primary characters - the murder victim, her three daughters and a couple of assorted hangers-on - are all new in this book.
If you don’t know much about the history of Ireland and the fraught relationship with the English, you might learn just enough here to make you interested enough to go look up some more. Megan has to explain it to three Americans who might be the descendants of an earl, a large landowner who is definitely not fondly remembered by the locals… but was it really a motive for murder? Megan’s sure there’s more to the story, and she’s going to help the girls figure it out.
So good and so funny; can’t wait for the next in the series!
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.