Murder in an Irish village

Film and theater actress Lennon has a thick, musical brogue that she uses to great advantage reading this whodunit set in the village of Kilbane in County Cork. The Irish cozy's heroine, Siobhan O'Sullivan, and her five siblings were orphaned a year ago when their parents died in a car crash blamed on drunken driver Billy Murphy. Billy was sent to prison, and Siobhan was forced to forgo college to run the family bistro. Shortly after Billy's brother, Niall, returns to town claiming to have proof of Billy's innocence, he is found dead in a booth at the bistro. When James, Siobhan's hot-tempered brother, is arrested for the crime, she decides to find the real murderer, much to the dismay of her potential love interest, handsome local copper Macdara Flannery. Lennon crafts vocal personalities for each character-gruff Niall; bellicose food market manager Mike Grainger; Siobhan's angry brothers, James and Kieran; fast-talking, genial bicycle shop owner Seamus Sheedy; his chirpy wife, Bridie; and Sheila Mahoney, a local beautician with a chip on her shoulder. Lennon is so perfectly tuned to the protagonist that you can almost hear Siobhan's flame-red hair being wind-tossed as she races from neighbor to neighbor, interrogating them with vigor and determination. A Kensington hardcover. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

After their parents were killed by a drunk driver, the O'Sullivan Six-Siobhán, James, Ciarán, Eoin, Ann, and Craic-were left to run Naomi's Bistro in tiny Kilbane, County Cork. Niall, the driver's older brother, soon returns from Dublin to blackmail Siobhán in regards to a secret about her parents' deaths. No one is terribly upset when Niall is discovered dead in the bistro until James is charged with his murder and another body turns up. The headstrong Siobhán decides to investigate, even though Macdara Flannery, the handsome Garda sergeant, tells her to keep out of it. VERDICT This entertaining combination of Maeve Binchy's old-world Irish charm and Janet Evanovich's roguish humor is a smart, fast-paced read. The complex Siobhán is a singular character who struggles with her new role as guardian to her younger siblings. The Irish dialect feels authentic, and a handy glossary is useful for learning the local lingo. Devotees of the -Hibernian mysteries of Dicey Deere and M.C. Beaton will toast this debut with a pint of Guinness. Sláinte! © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.