An Irish Bookshop Murder is the first book in the new Mercy McCarthy series by Lucy Connelly, a cozy mystery set in the small, charming town of Shamrock Cove, Ireland.
Title: An Irish Bookshop Murder
Author: Lucy Connelly
Series: Mercy McCarthy #1
First Published: August 22, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
*** Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for inviting me on this book tour and for providing me with an e-copy of this book for review purposes
After receiving an unexpected inheritance from her grandfather, Mercy and her twin sister Lizzie are now the proud owners of a charming antique bookshop in the tiny Irish village of Shamrock Cove. But before they can take in the beautiful view of the sea, one of their neighbours drops dead!
Mercy finds the Judge, a well-respected man who lives next door, dying on his own doorstep. She rushes to help, but with his final words, he accuses Mercy of murder! Most of their new neighbours hear his words and, with suspicion pointing at Mercy, she decides to investigate the case to clear her name. Searching amongst the Judge’s old books, Mercy uncovers letters proving several of the townsfolk had reason to dislike the older man—but was it the local pub landlord, the kindly cook or neighbourly knitter who killed him?
Then Mercy’s chief suspect turns up dead and she receives a threatening note, typed on paper from her own bookstore… Ireland was supposed to be a fresh start for Mercy and Lizzie, but dead bodies keep turning up.
Does Mercy have what it takes to nail the culprit or will the killer close the book on her time in this charming Irish village?
What a great way to start a new cozy mystery series!
What a fantastic start to what promises to become a favourite series! I absolutely loved Mercy and her sister Lizzie immediately – even though they are twins, they have such distinct personalities and love and support each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And the fact that they are looking for a fresh start in their grandfather’s home and bookshop is a great beginning.
Mercy really comes into her own – as a successful mystery writer it isn’t hard to see why she would want to get involved to clear her name and protect herself and her sister, especially when the murderer seems to be too close for comfort. And Lizzie is just charming as the more laid-back, outgoing twin, albeit with a tragic trauma in her past.
Mercy and Lizzie aren’t the only characters who I fell in love with. The twins live in a cute ‘enclosed’ neighbourhood where the houses must be inherited and the new owners approved by the other inhabitants. It sounds weird, but trust me, it works here. Their neighbours are all wonderful and varied and I can’t wait to learn even more about each of them in future books.
The mystery was really well done and kept me guessing. I had a good idea who the killer was pretty early on but still continued to doubt my choice until the reveal. There were lots of fun twists and red herrings which made me want to keep reading.
Alongside the main mysteries of this book there was a bit of set up for a plot that I expect will take a bit longer to unravel – the girls know almost nothing of their grandfather and I think discovering more about him, and their father (who they also didn’t know), will be a sub-plot we’ll see again. I can’t wait and am already eagerly anticipating the next book!
About the Author, Lucy Connelly (aka Candace Havens)
Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.
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Quote from An Irish Bookshop Murder
Great book!