by Sandra Murphy & Cynthia Chow

This week we have a pair of Irish Mysteries just in time for St. Patrick’s Day-Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor and Death of an Irish Druid: A Dublin Driver Mystery by Catie Murphy. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win copies of both books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor
Review by Sandra Murphy

Siobhan is studying for her detective sergeant exams which will put her on the same level as her garda husband, Macdara. In the meantime, he’s quizzing her with questions from the study guide and she’s frustrating him (and herself) by declaring the questions incomplete. The disagreement ends with Macdara sleeping on the couch, a punishment for the both of them but she’s determined not to give in until he apologizes.

Siobhan is close to her brothers and sisters although now that they are grown or mostly so, there’s a physical distance to contend with. Eoin, the brother who is a chef, is opening his own restaurant. The timing works with the Kilbane’s Top Garden contest so Eoin can get free promotion by having one of the gardens on his site. However, the garden’s designer uses help to set up the garden (she only designs) and is the only professional in the group, both against the rules. That makes for bad feelings especially when the other gardeners discover she has an ulterior motive to win.

When a brutal crime is discovered, tongues start to wag as everyone has a favored suspect. Evidence shows each of them has motive and opportunity. How will Siobhan and Macdara solve this case? Will it tarnish and ruin Eoin’s new eatery before the first meal is served? Will Siobhan pass her test? Will Macdara’s exile to the couch ever end?

This is book 11 in the series. I enjoy reading about Ireland, how crimes are handled differently than in the U.S., and the closeness of the family despite their differences. The mysteries are always clever enough to not see the solution but readers can find clues along the way.

O’Connor has also written the Home to Ireland mysteries (two), the County Kerry series (three), plus five books with other authors. Three authors each use their own characters and setting but write on a common theme—Irish soda bread, Irish milkshakes, Christmas cocoa, Christmas scarves, and Halloween cupcakes.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Death of an Irish Druid: A Dublin Driver Mystery by Catie Murphy
Review by Cynthia Chow

Military veteran Megan Malone is taking a break from her job as a limo driver to instead chauffeur her visiting friends around her new home of Dublin, Ireland. Megan is delighted to finally meet the wife of her best friend Rafael Williams, and Sarah is equally charmed to see the old friends turn into affectionate dorks together. One of their first trips is to visit a holy well in the town of Kildare, where Sarah wants to follow the tradition of sitting at Saint Brigid’s well and hoping for blessings of fertility. Unfortunately, as much as Megan wanted to escape her reputation as #MurderDriver, she once again encounters a dead body while driving her limo town car. This time, it seems to be the corpse of Seamus Nolan, known as the Irish Druid by locals for having a huge estate that he’s been giving up in favor of rewilding environmentalism.

The investigating Garda Síochána – Ireland’s national police – are very aware of Megan’s notoriety for being involved in murder investigations, and Detective Sergeant Doyle wants her as far away from this “accident” as possible. An interaction with Seamus’s daughter makes that impossible though, as Megan rescues a sobbing Aisling from reporters by whisking her away in the limo and eventually agreeing to look into the case. What Megan learns is that due to Ireland’s policy of primogeniture, Seamus was contesting the law that would have his uncle Adam Nolan, and not Aisling, inherit the family estate. Aisling’s very estranged mother arrives more to claim her own share rather than console her daughter, adding her to the list of those who wanted the practicing druid dead.

New readers to this series should be able to easily drop into this sixth very entertaining entry. Megan’s propensity for finding corpses and then becoming involved in the official investigations led to a breakup with her girlfriend Jalena, depicting surprisingly realistic repercussions for the life of an amateur detective. Megan’s stalwart friends, the glamorous actress Niamh O’Sullivan and her boyfriend Paul Bourke are themselves vacationing together in Morocco, but Rafael and Sarah prove to be equally entertaining as they assist in Megan’s adventures. New possibilities for them all may lead back to the States and San Francisco, but Megan – and her Texan accent – has adjusted and embraced her life in Dublin.

She is able to share the culture and traditions of Ireland with her friends and with readers, who will learn not just about its food but also its religious festivals and beliefs. Megan proves to be a very engaging and competent heroine when facing off against a dismissive garda or arguing whether Gen X or Gen Z have more trustful attitudes towards the police. Readers will enjoy this fun adventure through Ireland and the admirable woman leading it.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copies of both Irish mysteries, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Irish mysteries” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 15, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.