After twenty years in the US Army as a driver and a combat medic, Megan Malone is settling into the quiet life as a driver for a luxury car service in Dublin, Ireland. When a client unexpectedly drops dead just outside her car, her own empathy for the deceased’s husband means she can’t just walk away, and she’s drawn into the police investigation by insatiable curiosity.

Dublin’s a fascinating setting for a cozy mystery series, with its old-world architecture and atmosphere combined with the cosmopolitan realities of life in a capital city. Megan has a wonderful network of friends, a delightfully diverse one with Niamh the leading actress who’s black and still proudly Irish, Fionnula the chef, Brian the small publisher and Orla, Megan’s nightmare of a boss. Some animal colour is added with the stray Jack Russell and two newborn puppies Megan ends up taking in ‘just until a rescue can take them’ which, somehow, I can see evolving into a much longer-term relationship than Megan currently anticipates. There’s maaaybe just the hint of romantic interest between Megan and a detective, even though she tries to set him up with Niamh at one point, I think I detected a few sparks and I’d really like to see how that plays out.

One murder turns into two and Megan develops an impending sense of urgency when her client is arrested for a murder she’s pretty sure he didn’t commit. She’s tenacious and refuses to give in, which leads her eventually into danger when someone decides she’s too close to the truth. I didn’t see the eventual solution coming at all, but it absolutely made logical sense considering everything Megan learns throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this first in a new series. Dublin makes a really nice change of pace from the mostly-American set cozy mysteries I’ve read to date, and Megan’s a really interesting heroine. There’s obviously a lot more backstory to be revealed about her; we learn just enough about her here to want to know more. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next in the series! Five stars for a great addition to the genre.

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is the perfect debut to a fascinating fun cozy series. The author has all the perfect elements we love in cozy mysteries in this series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

We meet a new protagonist Megan Malone. She is an American. retired army medic who has now moved to Ireland and has the unique job of driving a limo in Dublin. Right away I love that we have a new setting of Dublin so richly described by the author. Megan is a independent savvy woman on her own enjoying her new life in a new city. When one of her regular clients, a food critic drops dead at her friend's restaurant Megan does not hesitate to assist her friend in finding out the truth behind the murder in order to help save her friend's business. Along with the murder of her client she finds out information on the victim's background that may have led to her death. Megan has a talent for talking to people and finding out information that the police cannot . She is soon on the right track to find the true killer and save her friend's restaurant .

This is a delightful first in series. I love the setting of Dublin, the smart savvy protagonist and reading how an American is adjusting to life in Dublin and all the city offers. The Irish culture is fun to read about and I love the Irish references to food, speech and the people. A fun well crafted sleuth and great charcters round out this entertaining first in series. I look forward to the next in series being released in September 2020.

Dead in Dublin is such an adorable start to what I’m hoping will be a super amazing series! I’m already counting down the days until the next one comes out.

After retiring from the US Army, Megan Malone moved to Dublin and has now been a limo driver for 3 years. When one of her loyal clients drops dead, can Megan help wade through all the confusion to help solve the case?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters and the story. Sometimes I get annoyed with amateur sleuths, but with Megan I didn’t. I really enjoyed getting to know her and getting to see Dublin through her eyes.

I loved that this book is set in Dublin from an American perspective but doesn’t take away the Irish charm. It left in the Irish dialect and slang and then explained to the reader in a way that didn’t feel belittling.

Throughout this story, I absolutely fell in love with Megan. She’s really relatable and really cares about those around her. I loved getting to know all of her friends. I also enjoyed the hint of the beginning of a maybe romance. (I’m mostly a romance reader, I live for those little glimpses!)

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to see what comes next from Catie Murphy.

Main character in this new cozy mystery series is Megan Malone, an american living in Dublin, Ireland. She’s a retired member of the military which gives her an interesting background. She now works as a driver for a limo service for tourists and as an American, she’s often requested by fellow Americans to be their driver. It’s when one of her client, food critic Liz Darr, is found dead that Megan is trust into the whirlwind of investigation that amateur sleuths often find themselves in those cozy mysteries.

She ends up getting the charge of a mama Jack Russell and her two newly born puppies. While they are note a very big part of the story, we can feel that even though Megan is trying to make it clear she is not keeping them, she seems to enjoy being around them. I personally would have liked the dogs to be a bigger part of the story but hey, that’s me, I love doggiebooks!

One thing I really liked about the book is the whole feeling you get as if you really are in Ireland, complete with a name pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book. Maybe it’s my French speaking background but for once, I was very happy to have the incorporated dictionnary in my Kindle as there were many Irish terms in the book. I actually loved that, well played!

Even with the lack of doggie interaction I’d say it’s a recommended read. I’ll have to read the summary of book #2 (to come in September 2020) to see if the dogs will be a bigger part of it though.

This is a promising start to the Dublin Driver cozy series, which features American Megan Malone, a driver for the Leprechaun Limo Service in Dublin, who finds herself embroiled in a mystery (naturally). While this one started slowly for me, it picked up and, by the end, I was eager to read more from this author.

The plot is interesting and the secondary characters are terrific.

Here's a mystery I would recommend to those who like cozies.

Dead in Dublin is an entertaining cozy mystery. Great plot, quirky characters and beautiful setting. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Dead in Dublin is a good start to a new cozy mystery series.
Set in Dublin, the story is well written and fast paced.I’m looking forward to reading more.

This is the first time I have read this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The sleuth ,driver for the person murdered sure did get into her job. She was very supportive of the husband. Her boss wanted her done with it. A good read.

Oh what a FUN series! I can't wait to read more Megan Malone books! Megan is spunky, charming, and loyal, making for a lead character you love from chapter one! Add in a mystery that keeps evolving, as more bodies line up, and you have a book that you'll be speed reading through long into the night! Add in some history and you'll be wanting to book the first flight for Dublin too! Sure to erase the winter blues, don't miss this cozy mystery!

Megan Malone former US Army combat medic, is now a limo driver in Dublin for Lucky Leprechaun Limousines. One of her customers, Liz, dies suddenly after dining at her friend Fionn's restaurant, but the autopsy reveals something much worse than a bad meal. Is Liz's husband really as devastated as he seems? And then there's a second murder, and Megan wonders if they are connected. I liked the Dublin setting for this cozy mystery, and Megan is an appealing protagonist. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is the first book in a new series The Dublin Driver Mysteries.

The name alone piqued my interest as so far I haven't read a book where a sleuth was a limo driver and I decided to give it a go.

Megan Malone has moved to Ireland after her military career and found a job driving limos. For days she has been driving around a well know food critic and her husband, when after dinner in Megan's friend's restaurant her client drops dead.
Shaken by what happened and really worried that it will reflect badly on her friend's career, Megan decides to see if she can discover what happened.

Well written and a realistic mystery with believable and well nicely developed characters. Main protagonist is likable, smart and someone read can relate to.
Some parts of the book really stretch imagination but other than that the story has a nice pace and a steady rhythm.
Looking forward to reading new installments.

This new series is off to a great start. The setting was the first thing to catch my interest. Set in Dublin, one of my favorite cities and then to have a very believable character and a engrossing mystery, well it wasn't hard to find a place for this series on my must read list.
Megan Malone moved to Dublin three years ago when she left her military life as a medic after putting in twenty years, It was time for a change and as her family roots are there, she headed for Dublin. Taking a job as a driver for a limo/town car service also gave her an apartment as her boss also became her landlady. As Megan is an American, she finds herself driving lots of American tourists around town. She has made many friends, one who is a chef and part owner of a restaurant. After one of her regular customers has eaten at her friends restaurant, preparing to write it up in her well known blog, the woman suddenly dies, right there at the foot of the Molly Malone statue. Her husband can't believe what just happened and neither can Megan. the first thought is food poisoning but, as both husband and wife ate the same thing, that means murder. When a second death occurs, also tied to the same restaurant, Megan and the local Garda are wondering if the two cases are somehow connected. The dead woman's husband was connected to both people.
I enjoyed everything about this mystery, beyond the lovely setting. Megan is 40ish and she is very intelligent. She investigates but doesn't withhold any information from the Garda. The puzzle kept my attention from beginning to end. The supporting cast were characters I would like to meet again in the next mystery. Now I have to be patient and wait to read the next installment, Death on the Green, coming out in September 2020. It already has a spot on my to be read list.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

C.E. Murphy is one of my favorite urban fantasy writer and I was more than happy to get this ARC because I was really curious to read her writing a cosy mystery.
I can say it worked quite well and I read this book in one setting.
The descriptions of Dublin are realistic and I loved how she described the life and the places.
Megan is likeable and unusual characters, different from the average cozy characters, she's a professional driver, and well thought.
The rest of the characters are well thought and likeable.
The mystery was solid and the solution came as a surprise after a breathtaking ending.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It's a rare limo driver in Dublin, Ireland who sounds like an American, but Megan Malone does. In Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy, Megan loves the relaxed vibe of Dublin although her boss is a bit of a harpy.. She has been driving American restaurant critic and food blogger Elizabeth Darr and her husband Simon around Dublin. They stop for dinner at a restaurant owned by one of Megan's friends and seem to enjoy themselves. As soon as they walk outside, Elizabeth collapses in front of the fabled Molly Malone statue and dies.

First, so you know, I got Dead in Dublin from Netgalley. Also, Catie's a friend and I love her books in general, and pounced on this one super fast because it sounded so good and did I say I love her books? She's an amazing writer.

Now, onto the book. Here's the backcover copy:



In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, murder occurs at the feet of sweet Molly Malone . . .

Ferrying tourists around Dublin for the Leprechaun Limo Service makes quite a change after years in the military. Still, Megan Malone is enjoying her life in Ireland. She likes the scenery, the easy pace, the quirky, quick-witted locals. Everything—except having one of her clients drop dead at the statue of fabled fishmonger, Molly Malone.

Most restaurant critics notch up their share of enemies. Elizabeth Darr, however, was a well-loved international star. She and her husband, Simon, had just had dinner when Elizabeth collapsed, and spoiled seafood is the first suspect. The restaurant’s owner, worried her business is doomed, begs Megan to look into it. Between her irate boss and a handsome Garda who’s both amused and annoyed by her persistence, Megan has her hands full even before she’s cajoled into taking care of two adorable Jack Russell puppies (which she is almost definitely not keeping). But if cockles and mussels aren’t to blame, can Megan find the real culprit . . .before another fishy death occurs?

I'm going to start with why I wanted to read this book. Catie lives in Dublin. Having her character be an American living in Ireland really grabbed me, because I felt like it would give me a really good sense of the place from an American perspective, but without any obnoxious judginess. Megan appreciates Dublin and the Irish people and culture. Her point of view makes it so an American reader can easily understand the differences and sometimes quirkiness of Ireland, but without it being condescending and obnoxious.  I felt like I was in Dublin and I could almost hear people speaking.

This is a cozy mystery, so it moves at a slower pace than other mysteries, and yet this one felt like it moved at a quick clip. I was hooked by the mystery and hated having to set the book down to do anything else. I appreciated that Megan's involvement in the mystery happened so organically, and that she wasn't looking to horn in at all. She was a fresh take on the amateur sleuth. But then between her boss and the grieving relatives, she feels compelled to help solve Elizabeth's murder. The little bits of information she tracks down for them pull her deeper and deeper into the mystery.

I really liked her developing friendship with Detective Bourke. He's very real and takes the information she gives him without a lot of bitching about how she shouldn't be involved. He points out she shouldn't be, but he's the type of detective who wants to solve a case and so the clues she finds are useful. Also, she doesn't get in the way or 't withhold information from him, or treat the Gardai like an enemy.

Megan is a really likeable character. She's good at her job, reasonable, thoughtful, generous, and a good friend. She cares about people, even strangers, and she's smart. I really loved this book and I strongly recommend it. It's perfect for a rainy day by the fire. By way of teasing me, the first chapter of the next book was included, and I was very very very disappointed that I couldn't get it right now.  Sigh.

Dead in Dublin
(The Dublin Driver Mysteries #1)
by Catie Murphy

Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: December 31st 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation


Goodreads synopsis:
In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, murder occurs at the feet of sweet Molly Malone . . .

Ferrying tourists around Dublin for the Leprechaun Limo Service makes quite a change after years in the military. Still, Megan Malone is enjoying her life in Ireland. She likes the scenery, the easy pace, the quirky, quick-witted locals. Everything--except having one of her clients drop dead at the statue of fabled fishmonger, Molly Malone.

Most restaurant critics notch up their share of enemies. Elizabeth Darr, however, was a well-loved international star. She and her husband, Simon, had just had dinner when Elizabeth collapsed, and spoiled seafood is the first suspect. The restaurant's owner, worried her business is doomed, begs Megan to look into it. Between her irate boss and a handsome Garda who's both amused and annoyed by her persistence, Megan has her hands full even before she's cajoled into taking care of two adorable Jack Russell puppies (which she is almost definitely not keeping). But if cockles and mussels aren't to blame, can Megan find the real culprit . . .before another fishy death occurs?

***

3.5 Stars

This is the first book in the Dublin Driver mystery series by Catie Murphy.

There was quite a lot of build-up in this story. I had a hard time grasping the entire scenario. It wasn’t until the halfway point I had my feet under me and was understanding the concept of this book. I am not certain what had me stymied.

I didn’t get the lush sense of Dublin like I thought I would and I understand that you can’t do that constantly. I probably missed all the Ireland-esque build-up when I was so baffled at the beginning. Bummer on my part. I think a re-read might be in order now that I know what is going on. I might do that before book two comes out.

I had a hard time liking the main character since she went out of her way to hit a man when he was down. She didn’t know the entire circumstances of Simon’s life. He had already been arrested for his wife’s death (he was only a suspect at this point) and Megan went and threw him under the bus with a suspected drug selling idea she had. It was all heresay at that point and I think she should have let the police leap to their own conclusions in that aspect.

I enjoyed the last fourth of the book much more than the rest. The author really seemed to have a handle on their characters by that point and had related enough info to us that we could enjoy it too. I can’t imagine what a grand undertaking it must be to create a mystery world from nothing but your imagination. I believe the books after this one will be a much better representation of this author’s work. The world is now created and established. I will look forward to see how she plays in it.

If you love a good cozy mystery, check this one out and decide for yourself.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

The first in a new series that will be going on my list to follow. This was a thoroughly engaging mystery novel taking place in Dublin. The characters in the book are well crafted with lots of quirks and personalities that help create three dimensional people. Megan Malone is an American who moved to Ireland after retiring as an Army Medic. Now she drives a limo in Dublin which positions her perfectly to meet new people and become intrigued in their situations.
In this inaugural book in the series, one of Megan’s repeat couples is dining at a restaurant owned by one of Megan’s friends when the wife drops dead. Megan is concerned, both because 1)she has developed an interest in her clients and 2) her friend is worried her restaurant might fail as a result of a death on her doorstep. Megan springs into action, trying to help her friend Fionn save her restaurant as well as offer aid to her former rider, now a widower.
As Megan moves through Dublin she finds herself occasionally running into Detective Inspector Paul Burke, a ginger haired police detective. Initially he learns some information from her which has been given to her by another friend, Niamh, a beautiful woman who has a thriving career on stage and is well known to many in Ireland. Rounding out the cast of characters who might continue in the series are Megan’s uncle, Robbie and a neighbor Brian. All these characters are well developed and interesting enough to want to get to know them better. They provide a good circle of friends to round out Megan’s world with enough interesting personalities to make the reader want to know more.
The author has also provided a pronunciation guide for some of the lesser known Irish names and places. This, coupled with the occasional phrase with a distinct Irish turn help create a more “Irish” atmosphere for the reader without causing them to interrupt their reading while they attempt to figure out how to say something, even if it’s just in th
There may be a couple of places within the book that stretch credulity, but the mystery is so well written they are easy to gloss over. For example, it’s hard to believe someone who was visiting Ireland would trust their chauffeur so fully that they turned to them for help in solving the mystery of the murderer’s identity. It also stretches the imagination just a bit to believe that a retired Army Medic could have the computer skills to hack an account using hacking software she “Googled’ on the internet.
There are two mysteries here, one is the murder and the other is some other illegal activity that is uncovered through the reseach into the woman’s death. In both instances, I was able to figure out the basic premises as to motive, which lead to suspicions of the correct people involved in the crimes. The book was so well written my suspicions only served to make me that much more interested in finishing the book to discover if I was right.
I’m putting this on my lists of new series to watch, as I would love to spend more time with Megan and her friends. My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Digital Read Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. I would recommend this to anyone who was looking for a new series that is basically a cozy, but with a few elements of detective/classic fiction included.

This was a really enjoyable cozy. I loved all the twists and turns that take you through the story.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

After retiring from the US military, Megan Malone moved to Dublin, Ireland for a fresh start. She loves her new home and is enjoying her job as a driver for the Leprechaun Limo Service. When one of her regular clients, popular food blogger, Elizabeth Darr, dies after eating at her friend's restaurant, Megan does everything she can to help Elizabeth's grieving husband Simon and her chef friend. As she digs deeper into Elizabeth's life, she uncovers some shocking secrets about Simon and her friend's business partner.

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is a promising start to new series. The plot is unique, complex, and moves at a steady pace. Megan is an intelligent and relatable main character. I enjoyed getting to know her and found her career to be a refreshing change from the traditional cozy mysteries. I loved the chemistry between her and Detective Bourke and look forward to seeing what the author has in store for their characters. The murder mystery was a lot darker than I was expecting. It definitely kept me guessing and the culprit was a complete surprise to me. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to spending more time in Dublin with Megan and her adorable dogs.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Catie Murphy for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I discovered the author of this series is CE Murphy (The Walker Papers, The Negotiator series), writing as Caite Murphy, I was Instantly excited and intrigued. And knew I had to read her first cozy mystery.

I was intrigued by the main character, Meg Malone, an American ex-pat living in Dublin who drives a limo for a living (which would be an interesting job.....without the dead bodies, of course). Overall, I enjoyed all the characters and the storyline. And I was completely surprised at whodunit.

There is some stronger language not usually found in a cozy which surprised me a little...but did not distract me or put me off the story. I definitely look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.