- this book supplied by my local library
- #2 in the County Kerry Mysteries
- published 2023 by Kensington Books
- ISBN 978-1-4967-3755-7
- 330 pages
Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)
In the powerful tradition of Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny, USA Today bestselling author Carlene O'Connor’s new Ireland-set series continues, bringing together complex characters with a focus on a female vet who returns home to the village where she grew up and must reckon with her past while untangling mysteries in the present.
In Dimpna Wilde’s veterinary practice, an imminent meteor shower has elevated the usual gossip to include talk of shooting stars and the watch parties that are planned all over Dingle. But there are also matters nearer at hand to discuss—including the ragtag caravan of young people selling wares by the roadside, and the shocking death of Chris Henderson, an elderly local, in a hit-and-run.
Just hours before his death, Henderson had stormed into the Garda Station, complaining loudly about the caravan’s occupants causing noise and disruption. One of their members is a beautiful young woman named Brigid Sweeney, and Dimpna is shocked when Brigid later turns up at her practice, her clothing splattered in blood and an injured hare tucked into her shirt.
Brigid claims that a mysterious stranger has been trying to obtain a lucky rabbit’s foot. Dimpna is incensed at the thought of anyone mutilating animals, but there is far worse in store. On the night of the meteor shower, Dimpna finds Brigid’s body tied to a tree, her left hand severed. She has bled to death. Wrapped around her wrist is a rabbit’s foot.
Brigid had amassed plenty of admirers, and there were tangled relationships within the group. But perhaps there is something more complex than jealousy at play. The rabbit’s foot, the severed hand, the coinciding meteor shower—the deeper Dimpna and Detective Sergeant Cormac O’Brien investigate, the more ominous the signs seem to be, laced with a warning that Dimpna fears it will prove fatal to overlook.
My Take
I feel that I should point out that the books in this series are not cosies, but quite noir police procedurals. They are built around the town of Dingle and involve a veterinarian Dimpna Wilde, recently returned from Dublin to take over her father's practice, and Detective Sergeant Cormac O’Brien. They are an unlikely couple, in their middle years.
Both the books that I have read so far in this series have been well plotted, and I would advise starting with the first in the series NO STRANGERS HERE to make sure you pick up on character development and other plot lines.
There were plenty of clues in this one about who the murderer was, but also plenty of enticing red herrings. The next in the series, due to be published later this year is YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR.
My rating: 4.6
I've also read
County Kerry Mystery series
- 4.5, NO STRANGERS HERE - #1 Kerry Mystery series
Irish Village Mystery series
- 4.4, MURDER IN AN IRISH CHURCHYARD - Irish Village Mystery #3
- 4.4, MURDER ON AN IRISH FARM - Irish Village Mystery #8
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