This was OK, but didn't have the polish of a more experienced author.. It seemed well researched. The story is good. The telling just needs some adjustment to be more effective. I hope the author continues to write.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

The Book Maven’s Journal
Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J.Hunt

STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Keening: A Mystery of Gaelic Ireland
By Anne Emery

Both a Mystery Novel & an Historical Treatise

Author Anne Emery's engrossing new novel, The Keening: A Mystery of Gaelic Ireland, is a dual-timeline “whodunnit” set in both historical Ireland, as well as in the modern era. The interwoven stories revolve predominantly around the Tierney Family, their Guest House and the unsolved murder of Sorcha, a 16th Century seer/prophetess and physician.

Spanning generations, most of the action of The Keening occurs in the historical past and is set mainly on the cusp of the 1600s in Northern Ireland. This is during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, when the travails and insurrections by local Irish Clans and rebels are heightened by the invasion and plantation demands of the British.

The title of the book, The Keening, is a term for extremely woeful mourning lamentations for the dying and the dead that took place at most Gaelic funerals and wakes.

However, in Irish folklore it was believed that the wailing and keening screams of a Banshee (a female phantom of death) were very bad omens and they actually foretold of deaths to come.

“…The wailing cry continued unabated, rising in volume and pitch, a desperate keening that seemed to fill the vault of the heavens, to fill the entire world…” Anne Emery, The Keening

The well-documented historical aspects of The Keening, that Author Anne Emery so brilliantly and easily described and explained in the novel, are what will precipitate a 400+-year-long struggle by Irish nationals for home rule and religious freedoms.

Of Scot-Irish descent myself, I was totally absorbed and mesmerized by this book. The multi-layered mysteries are perplexing and and intriguing. In addition, the historical period, place and action is well presented and woven throughout. I highly commend Emery for her through research-oriented narration and themes of Irish history included in the text.

I have long wanted to understand more about the “Great Plantation of Ulster” and Northern Ireland in a manner that was easy to grasp. Anne Emery achieved this through her majestic storytelling skills. She's an exceptional storyteller and scholar.

Both a thought-provoking mystery, as well as a brilliant HISTORICAL REFERENCE tool, RESEARCH guide and TEACHING PRIMER, The Keening: A Mystery of Gaelic Ireland is an overall enjoyable reading and learning experience.

For those with literacy curiosity and a more studious nature, Author Anne Emery graciously provides a well-documented reference section that she used in preparation of this novel. It can be found at the end of the book.

The Keening: A Mystery of Gaelic Ireland is by Author Anne Emery. This Advanced Readers Copy is made available from ECW Press. Publication Date for the book is scheduled for 21 September 2021. The novel can be found referenced under Historical Fiction / Mysteries / Thrillers.

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A dual timeline novel beginning in late 1500's/early1600's and 2018. There has been a guesthouse belonging to the Tierney family for over 500 years. In 2018 Mick Tierney's hotel is being threatened by American developers so he calls upon an archaeological team to see what the can unearth. In 1575 Sorcha, the local seer and physician is found murdered. Brigit Tierney and her family try to discover who could have killed her. And what did her prophecies mean for the future.
I enjoyed this novel, I have to say I found it quite daunting at the beginning as there is a lot of history spoke about and lots of characters drawn in, I almost didn't persevere but I'm glad that I did
Many thanks to Netgalley and ECW Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
3.5 stars

Enjoyable story set over two time lines.
I got a bit confused back in the 1500s as to who was married to who,and what kids they had,and who owned the land and how many cows as payment for what crime?
It was a learning curve for sure on the laws of old Ireland.
As I said,it was enjoyable,but for me a little lacking in atmosphere.
I'd be passing the book on to friends,but not sure I'll be saying it's a "must read".

Two timelines interweave in this historical fiction tale of a hotel owned by the Tierney's in lush Ireland. In present day the Tierney's are trying to keep an American investor from developing the land behind them into a casino and horrid tourist attractions by having an archaeological dig to find something to stop them. But old Cait is worried that they will find something that will turn the public against them because of the tumultuous past of the family and their land. In the late 1500s there is a string of murders in the town and the Tierney's are in the middle of helping find the murderer while also being careful not to bring the notice of the English to them. How will the past and present handle what's unearthed beneath?

This is a story of Ireland, set both in the early 1600s and present day, following the murder of a seer, Sorcha and the descendants of the Tierney line. Brigid Tierney is Sorchas friend, and is devastated by her murder, especially as someone is trying to implicate her lover Shane, for her murder. Mick Tierney, along with his daughter, run a hotel on the same spot that Brigid did. But their livelihood is threatened by an American with a plan to build around their hotel, robbing it of its views and character.

Both stories are intertwined very well, it’s an atmospheric read, and the troubled history of Ireland and its people at the hands of the English is well told. I initially preferred Brigids story but felt it was a bit too drawn out, making it slightly heavy going at times. Micks storyline was interesting, with Liam, his father being a great story teller, keeping alive their traditions with the telling of them. This took me longer to read than I expected, mainly because some of the historical detail felt too in depth for what is a historical who-dunnit rather than a history text book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Keening is a historical murder mystery novel, situated in 16th century Ireland. The story flips between the 16th century and current day (2017) and is very well researched. How to describe this book without giving away too much? At the heart of it is the murder of Sorcha, the local physician and prophetess. A local man (Shane, partner of Brigid Tierney who runs the local guest house and is best friends with Sorcha) is accused of Sorcha’s murder and what follows is a thorough court scene and the death of Irish culture at the hands of the English. In present day, there’s an archeological dig on the ruins of the original Tierney guesthouse.

This book was a great idea; however, I felt that the execution of it was lack luster. Emery did a fantastic job researching Irish history, but I wish she would have presented in the material in a “show, don’t tell” sort of way. For example, quite a bit of the dialogue between the present day characters involved explaining Irish history, which most likely would not have been necessary for these characters to tell each other. The dialogue was clearly more for the reader than for the plot of the novel. I usually heartily enjoy novels that flip between different times, but the modern day story line had a bit too much going on that didn’t feel necessary and had a ton of characters that weren’t important. I also had a problem with the present day language—was all that cursing necessary for the story? I don’t think so. It felt forced. There are also lots of characters (too many in my humble opinion) and too much history (I love history books, but it was a tad overwhelming). The mystery is revealed in the present day (2018) which diminished the "punch". There are many of red herrings, twists and turns, and sleuthing.

Overall, this was an okay book, but it felt a little bland, I believe due to the way the history was presented. I had trouble connecting to some of the characters in either positive or negative ways—some weren’t very life like. Emery’s court scene was fantastic and it makes complete sense that she’s a lawyer. I think this book would have been better set exclusively in 1595.

This was a solidly written novel that was easy to get hooked into. I looooove when novels have a dual timelines, and as I always do, I found myself way more invested in the past timeline than the present one. However, the plot kind of meandered and the big ‘mystery’ wasn’t even resolved on the page, leaving you to learn about the resolution in a very *balloon deflating noise* way. I think this book could’ve used some tightening up from the editor’s chair, but overall, I enjoyed the journey this book took me on and I was thoroughly impressed with the lengthy list of sources that were used by the author and printed at the end.

I received The Keening as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

In the late 16th century, Protestant England is encroaching on Irish rights, lives, and lands. But in the north of the country, people still keep to the old ways. Brigid Tierney continues the family tradition of running a successful guest house in County Fermanagh. When the physician and prophetess Sorcha O'Cassidy is murdered in cold blood, Shane O'Callaghan, the father of Brigid's children, initially falls under suspicion. But the truth is much more convoluted than appears at first glance, and enormous betrayals--of country, community, and family--will be unveiled--before the real culprit is discovered.

I had mixed feelings about The Keening. I liked the historical story more than the modern one, as I found the modern day characters caricature-like. While I found the subject matter and era interesting, I was disappointed in how the mystery was concluded--it wrapped up very quickly and "off-screen," and years passed before this was unveiled. I think I would have appreciated a bit more of a payoff in real time. It just didn't seem very tightly plotted. I give points for effort, because mysteries are incredibly difficult to write, and I think this was a really interesting period of history to write about, but it didn't quite land for me.