The jig is up

A return to her hometown plunges a woman into a murder investigation. A cryptic request from her sister, Colleen, takes accountant Katie Buckley from Brooklyn, where she lives with her two daughters, back to Shamrock, Massachusetts. The town, devoted to all things Irish, has been dressed up to look like an Irish village. Katie's father, the former police chief, still has some influence on the force; her mother has turned their house into a not-very-successful B & B. Colleen is strangely reluctant to tell Katie why she asked her to rush home. On the way to pick up some food for the family, the two women and Katie's oldest daughter, Maeve, stop at Our Lady of Angels, where Colleen's best friend, successful step dancer Deidre Donnelly, gives Irish dance classes, only to find her in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, near death. Despite the heroic attempts of Katie's police officer brother, Frank, to perform CPR, she does not survive. Katie and Maeve are questioned by the police, who include Katie's former boyfriend Garrett McGavin. Perhaps because of the law enforcement genes in her family, Katie gets more involved in the case after a young man she and Maeve saw lurking in the bushes near the church is identified as Conor Murphy. Deidre's success had engendered jealousy, especially from Moira McShane Kelly, a less talented dancer who stands to gain by her death. After it's revealed that Colleen had a fight with Deidre over money, she becomes a suspect. Even though Colleen still refuses to reveal her secrets, Katie digs in and risks her life to defend her sister. Rich with family angst, romance, and murder, this Irish charmer is a fun read. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.