This mystery got off to a good start, and the main characters have chemistry and humor. However, the mystery itself is a hot mess, and I couldn't keep track of all the different directions it was going in. By the end, the resolution mostly made sense, but I had lost interest in the mystery. This book had promise, but the mystery itself was a disappointment.

Book 5 in the series. I've read the others but don't think you would be lost reading this one. Getting to know her fiance's family, Siohban goes with Macdara to help when his cousin asks for help. Dealing with superstitions and fairy stories it gets complex trying to find out how his aunt dies. Good story, and interesting perspective from another country POV. Really enjoy this series and would highly recommend.

On the advice of a reviewer I admire I requested this book. Her five star review swayed me. As I began to read I realized that this book may have been great for her but was not for me.. My policy is to avoid coming into series further in than book two or three and perhaps that is why I could not get into the story? thank you for the opportunity to try a new author. As I did not finish the book I do not feel I can leave a comprehensive review.

Murder in an Irish Cottage is the 5th book in the Irish Village Mystery and I am still enjoying this series. Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan is the oldest of 6 siblings and took over raising them when their parents were killed. There is a lot that has happened since the first book, so I do recommend that you read them in order, but if you want to start with this one, the mystery is self-contained. Siobhán has just started her much deserved 10-day vacation. Siobhán and her secret fiance, Macdara Flannery (Dara) also a Garda, end up in a small village where his aunt and cousin live. She calls with an emergency, so they all, including Siobhán's siblings, head off. When they arrive they find that Dara's aunt is dead and his cousin is the prime suspect, that is if you ignore the locals who are adamant that it is the fairies.

With this series set in Ireland, I was not surprised to find a book that is full of superstition and the belief that the cottage is cursed and that the fairies are angry. Of course Siobhán and Macdara follow the clues to prove that it was a human that was responsible, and it wasn't Susan. There are many suspects, clues and red herrings to sort out and even some misdirection. The mystery is well-written and drives the story. I really enjoy Siobhán's character and how much she has grown since the first book. She is one smart cookie and is able to put things together. Her skills of deduction would make Sherlock Holmes proud. Of course they are not the official investigators, but are able to ferret out information and assist the local Garda in sorting this one out. I did not know who the culprit was, nor the motivation until just before the reveal, but it was a good ending and fit the story well. If you are looking for a light story set in the beautiful countryside of Ireland with some Irish lore included, then this mystery is for you.

Can faeries kill? That's the question when a cranky woman is found dead in her cottage. The local villagers blame faeries & insist that the cottage must be destroyed, but Irish Garda Siobhan O' Sullivan believes that the murderer of her fiance's estranged aunt is flesh and blood. The case may be out of her jurisdiction, but that won't stop her from winding her way through the tales of a cat of characters who all seem to have something to hide. A fun, mystical romp through the Irish countryside!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The mystery itself was interesting and the characters engaging. I recommend for cozy mystery lovers

Murder in an Irish Cottage by Carlene O’Connor is the 5th installment in the Irish Village Mystery Series. If you like to read about life in Ireland and especially fairies, you’ll like this book. You won’t find out until the end if the killer is fairy or human. Well-written, good plot. Very enjoyable read. Thank you to Net Galley for sending an advance reader’s copy for review.

Family is everything to Siobhán: her five siblings; her dear departed mother for whom the family business, Naomi's Bistro, is named; and now her fiancé, Macdara Flannery. So precious is her engagement that Siobhán wants to keep it just between the two of them for a little longer.

But Macdara is her family, which is why when his cousin Jane frantically calls for his help, Siobhán is at his side as the two garda rush from Kilbane to the rural village where Jane and her mother have recently moved. Unfortunately, tragedy awaits them. They find Jane, who is blind, outside the cottage, in a state. Inside, Aunt Ellen lies on her bed in a fancy red dress, no longer breathing. A pillow on the floor and a nearby teacup suggest the mode of death to their trained eyes: the woman has been poisoned and smothered. Someone wanted to make sure she was dead. But who?

Devout believers in Irish folklore, the villagers insist the cottage is cursed—built on a fairy path. It turns out Ellen Delaney was not the first to die mysteriously in this cottage. Although the townsfolk blame malevolent fairies, Siobhán and Macdara must follow the path of a murderer all too human—but just as evil . . .

The 5th is a wonderful series finds Siobhán, now a Garda (police officer) helping her fellow officer and fiancé solve the murder of his Aunt.
Irish fairy legends abound but Siobhán is determined to find the human killer. I’ve read these books in order and have loved seeing the main character grow, reading about the beautiful descriptions of the Irish countryside, and learning about Irish folktales, As one of my favorite places to visit these books give me a taste of Ireland until I can return again. I highly recommend them, and thank NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 / 4.0 stars

Don't we all love a good fairy tale. That is until, it causes someone to wind up dead!

Our beloved protagonist, Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan, has just started her much deserved 10-day vacation. She and detective Macdara have recently become secretly engaged. Secretly! - lest the family and the entire village get hold of that information, plan the nuptials, and push them down the aisle before they're good and ready.

While they're chatting, Macdara gets a distressed call from his blind cousin Jane and would he please come to their small cottage in Ballysiogdun to help sort matters out. (So much for Siobhán's well-deserved rest.) When Macdara and Siobhán arrive at Ballysiogdun, they're affronted by a crowd demanding the bulldozing of the cottage in which his aunt and cousin reside. The cottage had been erected between two fairy rings on the edge of town. The superstitious townsfolk believe that the "Good Folk" (fairies) have shown their displeasure by causing the deaths of the cottage's residents and the townsfolk now want the building razed and the curse on their village lifted. When Siobhán and Macdara finally make it to the cottage, they find Jane unsettled, the front window smashed and a corpse in the cottage. Even though, they have no jurisdiction in this village, you can bet that they'll get to the bottom of this mystery. It does involve family, after all.

This fifth book of the Irish Village Mystery series, is a charming cozy mystery, set in and drawing upon the rich cultural folk heritage of Ireland. Author Carlene O'Connor has done her folk tale research well and carefully incorporated it into this delightful story. The writing flows well; the dialogue is at times amusing yet also endearing; and the characters are well developed -each with their own demons and virtues. The best character of them all is that of Siobhán. She's bright, intelligent, plucky, caring and highly intuitive. Nothing gets past her. There are also a fair number of red herrings planted throughout. It's a well spun yarn which all comes to a satisfying conclusion. It's definitely among the better cozies I've read.

Although this fifth book in series can stand on its own, the series is perhaps best enjoyed starting from the beginning as each book builds upon the last. If you enjoy a good cozy mysteries, then this is a series which I commend to you. It's an excellent palate cleanser after heavy reading yet it still has meat on its bones and brings "edutainment" to the reader.

I am grateful to author Carlene O'Connor and her publisher Kensington Books for having provided a free e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Description
In a remote—and superstitious—village in County Cork, Ireland, Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan must solve a murder where the prime suspects are fairies . . .Family is everything to Siobhán: her five siblings; her dear departed mother for whom the family business, Naomi's Bistro, is named; and now her fiancé, Macdara Flannery. So precious is her engagement that Siobhán wants to keep it just between the two of them for a little longer. But Macdara is her family, which is why when his cousin Jane frantically calls for his help, Siobhán is at his side as the two garda rush from Kilbane to the rural village where Jane and her mother have recently moved. Unfortunately, tragedy awaits them. They find Jane, who is blind, outside the cottage, in a state. Inside, Aunt Ellen lies on her bed in a fancy red dress, no longer breathing. A pillow on the floor and a nearby teacup suggest the mode of death to their trained eyes: the woman has been poisoned and smothered. Someone wanted to make sure she was dead. But who? Devout believers in Irish folklore, the villagers insist the cottage is cursed—built on a fairy path. It turns out Ellen Delaney was not the first to die mysteriously in this cottage. Although the townsfolk blame malevolent fairies, Siobhán and Macdara must follow the path of a murderer all too human—but just as evil . . .

My Review:
Book 5 - Murder in an Irish Cottage is just what I expected. It was filled with well-crafted characters, believable setting and just the right ingredients to make this a great cozy note.

If you enjoy reading about folks in an Irish village then grab your copy today. Filled with suspense and just the right amount of tragedy to keep you interested until the very end.

I highly recommend Murder in an Irish Cottage.

An Irish cozy mystery that is perfect for any true cozy mystery lover. It has all the charm with all the mystery we know and love

Princess Fuzzypants here: This story started out with a bang. A woman is determined to prove there is no such thing as fairies to stop the villagers from wanting to tear down her home. She decides to sleep out in the meadow but ends up running screaming back to her home. The next morning she is found dead in some bizarre circumstances. It turns out she is Macdara’s aunt and he enlists Siobhan, his new fiancée, to go with him to calm his cousin and help bring the killer to justice..
While the story builds slowly, with tons of quirky characters and lots of myths and superstitions, it does have an exciting ending where the reader goes from suspect to suspect trying to figure out who did it and why. There are some odd pairings and lots of secrets, lies and twists. There also might be treasure involved in all of this. And the fairies had nothing to do with it.
Four purrs and one paw up.

Part of long running series. Set in small village in Ireland.
Cozy mystery., Good chance to visit old.charactes.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I mostly liked it.

Book 5 in the series.

I'd read the first two books, and the novella in Christmas Cocoa Murder and man, there's a huge jump in relationships from 4.5 to book 5! To the point where I was a bit baffled, because I'm obviously missing a whole heck of a lot of the story.


The story itself was fun, and I enjoyed the mystery, but I really wish there'd been another book or at least another novella in between to explain how we got here, unless something else is explained in books 3 or 4. Anyway, I'm going to go back and read them, in case I missed something.

Do yourself a favor, and don't start here! There's a lot of characters to keep straight, and some back story that left me feeling a bit lost.

This is the fifth entry into the Irish Village mysteries by O’Connor. I would say if you liked the others (and you should start from the beginning), you’ll enjoy this one as well. A few too many references to the main character’s “brood,” but a comforting read nonetheless.

Fiancés, Family, and Fairies, and all at the same time. Oh my! Macdara is called in by his blind cousin to investigate the death of her Mom. That same death is being blamed on the fair folk rather than a person of flesh and bone easily found in the village near where the incident took place. Such superstitious beliefs are why cousin Jane does not even trust the local police force to get to the bottom of this mystery. Shiobhan, being the excellent guarda that she is will not hesitate to help Macdara as well as keeping an open mind about who or why the killing took place regardless of the ties that bind and sometimes blind. One does not have to be familiar with this storyline to be able to enjoin this next installment. I have only read the previous book in the series and it has no bearing on this one other than the engagement proposal. In addition to giving this Yank a look into the country Irish ways it also inspired me to make several Irish dishes to enjoy while reading the book. There are several possible suspects from the neighbors to a town councilman. Was it unhappy fairies or a greedy horde hunter?

Murder in an Irish Cottage is the fifth installment of The Irish Village Mysteries by Carlene O’Connor. Siobhán is secretly engaged to the dashing Macdara Flannery, and wants to keep it under wraps for a while longer. However, somehow word gets out and her family – five siblings – learn of the engagement, which causes some problems. Since Macdara will soon be family, and Siobhán is a good detective in her own right, she travels to a neighboring village with him to solve the murder of his Aunt, Ellen Delaney. Aunt Ellen’s cottage is the talk of the village; most inhabitants believe in Irish folklore, and it is said that it cursed because it was built on the fairy path. Others, previous to Aunt Ellen have died mysteriously in the cottage due to the fairies. But Cousin Jane, who is blind, is distraught and, along with Siobhán believes that it is an evil human, rather than evil fairies who killed her mother.

Anyone familiar with The Irish Village Mysteries, knows that the characters are very Irish, the setting is very Irish, and the scenarios are very Irish. This makes for fun reading, and something a little different. The character’s names are Irish, and readers will have to look up the pronunciation of them to read the story properly. The story flows well, and the suspense builds, in this cozy mystery. Siobhán is a good protagonist, and she is likeable and believable. This novel illustrates the importance of family in Irish culture and is a nice change.

Siobhán is famous around her area for her delicious Irish brown bread, but none of the books include the recipe, and it is frustrating to those of us who would like to sample brown bread while reading the mysteries. All told, however, this is a fun cozy mystery and also a fast read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I LOVE this series! Not only does it bring small town Ireland into your home, it reminds us that it doesn't matter where you live, small towns have quirky characters! in time for 'Irish month', this book adds in some Irish lore about the 'wee folk' and how superstitions still abound, and can be found in modern life. In this village however, things are not what they seem- from Siobhán and Macdara, to his relatives, to the townsfolk. Unraveling the red herrings, may just cost someone they love harm, so time is of the essence in this story! It's a quick read and so cahrming, if you haven't read the other book sin the series, you'll be rushing to do so! In fact, I'll make that suggestion- consider this series for YOUR 'irish month' reading!

When Macdara gets a call from his cousin saying she and his aunt need help, he and Siobhan head to the town where they are. When they arrive, they find Macdara's has died and the townsfolk are blaming it on the fairy-folk. Can Siobhan and Macdara weed through the untruths and the superstitions to get to the truth?

Love this series! Siobhan, Macdara, and all of Siobhan's siblings make this a fun and entertaining cozy mystery 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.

Murder in an Irish Cottage is the 5th instalment in the Irish Village Mysteries by Carlene O'Connor.

In a remote—and superstitious—village in County Cork, Ireland, Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan must solve a murder where the prime suspects are fairies . . .

Family is everything to Siobhán: her five siblings; her dear departed mother for whom the family business, Naomi's Bistro, is named; and now her fiancé, Macdara Flannery. So precious is her engagement that Siobhán wants to keep it just between the two of them for a little longer.

But Macdara is her family, which is why when his cousin Jane frantically calls for his help, Siobhán is at his side as the two garda rush from Kilbane to the rural village where Jane and her mother have recently moved. Unfortunately, tragedy awaits them. They find Jane, who is blind, outside the cottage, in a state. Inside, Aunt Ellen lies on her bed in a fancy red dress, no longer breathing. A pillow on the floor and a nearby teacup suggest the mode of death to their trained eyes: the woman has been poisoned and smothered. Someone wanted to make sure she was dead. But who?

Devout believers in Irish folklore, the villagers insist the cottage is cursed—built on a fairy path. It turns out Ellen Delaney was not the first to die mysteriously in this cottage. Although the townsfolk blame malevolent fairies, Siobhán and Macdara must follow the path of a murderer all too human—but just as evil . . .

I really enjoy books set in Ireland and this doesn’t disappoint with the setting and descriptions drawing you in (making you want to fly off to the Emerald Isle). The story was well written and I really liked the main character, Siobhán. She's smart, easy to relate to, and I enjoyed getting to know her and her siblings along with Dara and his family.

The mystery was entertaining with all the fairy lore and full of twists, turns and red herrings galore that I found I couldn’t put it down.

I highly recommend this series to all my friends who love cozies set in Ireland.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.