Buried in a Bog
County Cork Mystery, Book #1By Sheila Connolly ISBN# 9780425251898 Author’s Website: http://www.sheilaconnolly.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Dawn
Synopsis:
National bestselling and Agatha Award-nominated author Sheila Connolly introduces a brand-new series set in a small village in County Cork, Ireland, where buried secrets are about to rise to the surface…
Honoring the wish of her late grandmother, Maura Donovan visits the small Irish village where her Gran was born—though she never expected to get bogged down in a murder mystery. Nor had she planned to take a job in one of the local pubs, but she finds herself excited to get to know the people who knew her Gran.
In the pub, she’s swamped with drink orders as everyone in town gathers to talk about the recent discovery of a nearly one-hundred-year-old body in a nearby bog. When Maura realizes she may know something about the dead man—and that the body’s connected to another, more recent, death—she fears she’s about to become mired in a homicide investigation. After she discovers the death is connected to another from almost a century earlier, Maura has a sinking feeling she may really be getting in over her head…
Review:
This is the second series I’ve begun from Penguin. I am impressed with their authors. The books are well written and very enjoyable. Buried in a Bog is another book I recommend you read sitting by a cozy fireplace in a huge comfy armchair.
Maura’s trip to Ireland to honor her grandmother turns into a longer stay than anticipated. She gets settled and meets her Gran’s old friend, Bridget Nolan. Bridget has an arsenal of old stories to entertain Maura. She also teaches her a bit of old Irish. I have ancestors from Ireland and Connelly gives me a glimpse into the land, people and customs of Ireland.
The towns-people welcome Maura with open arms. They’re friendly and quirky. She makes new friends quickly. I like the way Maura’s mind works. She is not afraid of much. She’s pretty rational and she handles each thing thrown her way with intelligence and honesty. I would have been freaking out in Maura’s position, but she is able to figure it all out before anyone else does.
Connelly also goes into great detail about Irish land rights. It is complicated but fascinating. I had no idea how poorly the people were treated by English landowners. They were oppressed and treated like slaves. Therefore, land rights mean a lot to them.
I laughed out loud when Maura is able to figure out the bath/shower; she was so proud of herself as I would be.
The book has a bit of a lull in the middle, but not enough for me to lose interest. I recommend this book to everyone including young adults. There’s no gratuitous sex. There is a lot of character development wrapped around a good solid story.
