Member Reviews

Wondering setting, and characters. I cannot wait to read more by Sheila Connolly and in this series. Just brilliant!!

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A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

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What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

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Maura’s started her new life in Ireland and as time has progressed there has been successes in business, friendship and even love - but things have been going to smoothly for our leading lady and an Irish curveball is thrown her way.
A brutal murder takes place leaving a faceless victim dumped nearly behind Maura’s pub. The fact that no one knows the murdered man is just one of the mysteries Maura tackles in the seventh installment of the series. A standard cozy “whodoneit” with the luck and charm of the Irish.
It’s not as bang on as some of the earlier installments but still a very much enjoyable continuation of the Emerald Isle investigations and trouble that seem to seek Maura out.

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This was my least favorite book in the series. This book could use an editor. Maura is really whiny and can not seem to make up her mind. She is supposed to be a grown woman but instead acts like a five year old. In this one everyone has to remind her eat. She is worried about slow business but then is worried about too much business and she needs to hire more help. The mystery is very weak and the solution was disappointing. There are plot holes and continuity errors throughout. I stopped reading this series for the mystery but in this one even the characters were unlikable. Since a lot of the book was repetitive I skimmed a lot of it. Even if you are a fan of this series this one can be skipped.

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Another fantastic Irish mystery from Sheila Connolly. I greatly enjoy this series, and this case, featuring an unidentifiable body found near Maura's pub, was full of great mystery mixed with Irish details.

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While I enjoy this series, this book moved a little too slow for me. Sometimes Maura is annoying. But I pushed thru.

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I think I've read all the books in this series. I like the atmosphere and the mysteries are always good even though I'm not a huge fan of the main character of Maura. Solid read overall though.

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Maura Donovan, having been in Ireland for about a year, has had her ups and downs with her new life. Maura’s life seems to be looking up but even in Ireland, your luck can run out. Maura found a body in the ravine behind her pub. No one seems to know who the man is or at least no one will say who the man is. Can Maura find out who this man really is and why he was found behind her pub?

I am a fan of earlier books in this series, however, I have missed a few books. This book Maura doesn’t seem like the Maura of earlier books. Even though life seems to have been looking up for her she seemed less confident than Maura of the past. The mystery has twists and turns because of the secrets everyone is keeping. I plan on reading more of this series, even though this one isn’t my favorite.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.

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I could not finish this book. There wasn't one certain reason. I got about 15% in and I just felt that with the language used it was hard to keep up with. I also felt like I was missing so much back story, my fault for starting a series at the 7th book. I am sorry!

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A delight to read! A mystery I couldn’t put down. I am loving reading books by this author. She has an ability to really build characters that are strong and independent minded to the point that they come alive from the pages.

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There are two mysteries in this book: one, who is the dead man Maura finds on the land behind her pub and, two, the book's title, as it doesn't really have anything to do with the book.

I've read this series from the beginning (because, Ireland) and from the get-go have never been a Maura fan. This installment certainly hasn't changed my opinion of her and I'm not sure I'll continue. When I read a book, part of the enjoyment and purpose is reading about characters in places and situations that are different from your own, to escape a little bit, and a variety of books helps in different ways. In that basic sense, yes, this series fulfills that in that I don't own a pub and don't live in Ireland.

I read/skimmed this to 48% then put it down for a day or so, unsure if I wanted to continue. When I picked it up again, the pace picked up a smidge but I was still more skimming than reading to the end.

Ireland is a magical place. Part of that magic is the Irish people themselves - they have a joie de vivre that can be lacking elsewhere. Their warmth and welcoming spirit, their music, language and history bring people from every corner of the world to visit.

I think part of my continuing frustration with Maura is that she's left somewhere she didn't have much of a life and has moved to another place where she still doesn't have much of a life. To be fair, it's much more than she left behind in that she runs/owns a pub, house and car and actually has some friends, but beyond that she's not a particularly compelling character to read about. She doesn't read, doesn't watch TV, doesn't use the Internet, doesn't cook, barely eats, doesn't go anywhere or do anything, doesn't really know what's in Leap - never mind further afield - spends plenty of time in her head being indecisive about all things pub related, doesn't know anything about her employees, doesn't know the laws or legal requirements of running a pub, doesn't know how to find staff, discusses the same thoughts with everyone endlessly...

Despite all this, people seem to like her. I'm not sure what Mick sees in her, although he doesn't seem to do much of anything outside the pub either, so perhaps they're made for each other. I've gone off him a bit, too. There's a reason young people leave villages like Leap for the bright lights of the cities - opportunity, excitement, jobs. It's a sad but true fact. The slow pace of life in Leap doesn't really lend any excitement to the books because most of the story happens in the pub, with people discussing it over pints.

She spends plenty of time worrying that the body was left on her land for personal reasons and that they're all in danger, but there is no reason to assume this. The Travellers are kind of introduced, as is illegal immigration, but neither is satisfactorily explored. And Maura's forte of Logic Leaping brings her to the only 'obvious' solution as to why the man was killed; Gillian draws a sketch or two of the man based purely on measurements given to her by the police; the new Sergeant immediately recognises him; and then we have the entrance of a gangland boss, who's a decent bloke, really, all things considered.

Anyway. There are a couple of other things: Maura DID NOT ask Rose about childcare for Gillian, just about staff for the pub, and can she please make a freaking decision about the kitchen?!

I just don't know if I want to continue if this series is going to be more of the same, and I have a feeling it will be. Maybe if Rose takes over as the MC.

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Title: The Lost Traveller
Author: Sheila Connolly
Pg: 336
Series: County Cork book 7
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3 stars
The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly is the 7th book in the County Cork series. Boston Ex-Pat Maura Donovan has settled into life in County Cork as a pub owner. The rest of the village is finally seeing her as one of the locals. She may have found romance with a local boy. When another murder lands in her lap when a body is found behind the pub.
I love the Irish village setting as well as the Irish charm of this series. Sheila’s writing makes it feel like you are in Ireland when you are reading the book. Which I enjoyed it’s a bit like armchair traveling.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and books set in Ireland.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

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This review has caused me to start the series from the beginning before feeling comfortable enough to write this review.

Maura Donovan returns in the 7th edition of the County Cork Mysteries, finding a dead body that everyone claims not to know. This seems to be the main premise.
Descriptively, this book is a solid addition to the series. Characteristically, I don't feel it's a credit. I personally, didn't like Maura in this book, she simply didn't connect with me as she has in previous books. I realize reading an arc means sometimes things aren't fully finished but there were some big inconsistencies that I simply couldn't overlook.
Would I recommend buying this to a friend? If it's on a good sale, yes. Would I recommend someone new jumps into the series starting here? Absolutely not! This series has much better books that truly showcase Ms. Connolly's writing talent. Rating 2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

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I have only read a couple of the books in this series so I can't tell where this entry falls on the "best/worst" scale. For myself, I found the pace too slow and that males me put it in the middle range of my scale. I love the setting and Maura is an enjoyable character even though, in this story she seems to be less focused than I was comfortable with - she can't decide about adding a kitchen to her pub, she doesn't seem to assert herself regarding her employees and running her pub.
Maura has been in Leap long enough to have made friends, found some romance and now is trying to figure out what to do next to increase her business. While sitting outside, eating her lunch, enjoying the view of the river behind her pub, she sees what she thinks is dumped trash. Upon investigation, she finds not trash but a dead body, its face mutilated to make identification very difficult. What might be the connection to her pub and its previous owner and will it damage her future business prospects?
Setting aside my issues with the slower pace and Maura's issues, I think I will read the next book to see if Maura finds more direction in her life. I like visiting Leap.

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Sheila Connolly continues the Count Cork cozy mysteries with The Lost Traveller. Maura Donovan's manages Sullivan's pub and while on a break she spotted a dead man down a ravine. Maura, a Bostonian, inherited the pub and is fitting in with the County Cork crowd. No one knows the dead man and there are strangers in the area. Meanwhile Maura needs help to keep the busy pub running. Whodunit? Gangsters from Limerick? Friends in the area? Visitors? Read and find out.

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This is book 7 in the County Cork series and it is getting better and better. Maura is settling into Leap, Ireland very well and the pub is actually making a profit. While thinking of ways to get more help Maura is eating her lunch out back and finds a body in the ravine. No one recognizes the man and the gardai finally discover he is a local mobster from the city. Many in County Cork worry that there will be retaliation for him dying in Leap. Good story and mystery, I like that Maura is finally ready for a little romance and making her business better in every book. A little more suspenseful than a cozy it's a great story. Can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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I unabashedly love this series. I love Ireland, and I love Maura's journey into becoming a successful Irish Pub owner. I don't have a ton to say about this, other than it was another good addition to the County Cork mysteries. Shelia really captures the feel of Ireland (at least the same feel I got when I went for a week), and it makes me want to chuck it all and work in an Irish pub too!

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Princess Fuzzypants here: I have liked each of the County Cork series. Maura, the outsider who has been embraced by the village of Leap, understands what it means not to belong. In Leap, everyone, if not related to each other, knows everyone else. So in previous books, the victim of the murder was not a stranger. This time Maura discovers a body of a young man in the ravine behind her pub. No one recognizes him- partly because he isn’t a member of the community and partly because his face has been damaged beyond recognition.
As in the previous mysteries, Maura and the staff and customers of the pub help the Garda with their enquiries. But this death feels more personal to Maura and she suspects it will damage her business. She needs no more challenges. She is sorely in new of additional staff but quickly learns there are no young locals left to hire. The search for employees leads her to look at immigrants, both legal and not, Travellers who have stopped in Leap as they do annually and other businesses for leads or suggestions.
These books are always interesting because with the character development, there is always a look into something historical or social that is impacting not just Leap but the world in general. It is never “preachy” but it does make the reader think. And it always makes this reader feel that if I was passing through, I would enjoy a stop at Sullivan’s.
Four purrs and two paws up.

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The Lost Traveller is the second book by Sheila Connolly that I have read. Maura, the transplant from the US has settle into life in County Cork. She seems content and happy even though her business takes a big hit as a body is found on her property. There is even a bit of romance in her life now.

It has been a year since she has bought her pub. The fact that things are going well for her was a plus in the beginning. Of course, finding the mutilated body would be a streak of bad luck that she did not need. Maura, the pub employees and the regulars are all involved in finding the solution. Village life just as I would imagine. Always believable, it makes you want to book a flight to Ireland.

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