Audiobook Review: A Distant Grave (Maggie D'arcy #2) by Sarah Stewart Taylor
Marisa Calin (Narrator)
(A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books, June 22, 2021)

"A Distant Grave", Maggie D'arcy #2, Audiobook rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0 Stars)
"The Mountains High", Maggie D'arcy #1, eBook: ★★★★☆ (4.25 Stars)

Book 2 Audiobook production and narration:

Terrific job by the narrator seamlessly switching between American and Irish accents, giving voice to a "strong female protagonist" policewoman at work and in love, and counterparts.

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// "The Mountains High", Maggie D'arcy Book 1.
★★★★☆ (4.25 Stars)

A Star is Born!

Maggie D'arcy is introduced in a complex international police procedural spanning the Pond, right up there with the best of the rest. Author Sarah Stewart Taylor's creation of a strong female protagonist in a riveting thriller is complemented by a narrative which regales the reader with the beauty and splendor of the Irish countryside and the uplands of the Wicklow Mountains just south of Dublin, along with the commonly-known amiability and good-naturedness of the Irish.

(See full review at Goodreads.) //

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"A Distant Grave", Maggie D'arcy Book 2.
Audiobook: ★★★★☆ (4.0 Stars)

Long Island, New York, February, 2017.

Loose immigration policies leave L.I. residents terrorized by swarms of vicious Mara Salvatrucha gangsters, commonly known as MS-13. Suffolk County police officers have their hands full with multiple murder and assault investigations.

When a body is found slain on the sands of Bay Shore, L.I. facing the Atlantic, the readily tailored investigative conclusion is "MS-13". The victim, shot several times, is identified as Gabriel Treacy, spelled the Irish way. Severe knife wound scars on his back indicate he'd been tortured in the past.

Country Clare, Munster, Ireland.

Eight months removed from the events concerning her late cousin, Erin, and from the tragic suicide of her ex-, Brian Lombardy (Book 1), Suffolk County PD Lieutenant Detective Maggie D'arcy and daughter Lily, are on their way to Ireland, this time to southwest Ireland, to equally charming County Clare (sic) in Munster province, home to the town of Sixmilebridge and the cities of Ennis and Limerick.

Maggie is on leave. She and Lily have a rendezvous with Conor Kearney, divorced, and his son Adrian to see where the parents' love and romance could possibly take the lives of both families.

Mixing pleasure with business to pursue the Bay Shore, L.I. victim's Irish angle, she also meets with her old friend Detective Inspector Roly Byrnes of the Garda. Gabriel Treacy of Sixmilebridge, County Clare appears to have been an enigmatic, well-traveled Humanitarian Aid Organization executive.

Fortunately, this time, Maggie doesn't have to deal with a serial killer.

Unfortunately, she has to go mano-a-mano with a trained assassin...

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With Lieutenant Detective Maggie D'arcy, strong female protagonist, falling in love, vulnerable, in a quandary whether to spend the rest of her life in Ireland or to remain in her job, her homeland, Book 2 veers a bit into the "roman d'amour" genre.

Nonetheless, a compelling police procedural.

Review based on an audiobook galley from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

Home from an investigation in Ireland, and on the verge of returning for a needed vacation, Maggie D'Arcy is dealing with her teen age daughter's grief over losing her dad, and the demands of a job that's turning tricky due to internal politics. Then a murdered Irish national is discovered on the beach of her Long Island community and Maggie, lead detective, seems needed in two places at once. Upon arriving in Ireland to mix personal life with some background checking on the Long Island victim, a murder in Ireland appears linked. This mystery, although starting slow, takes off like gangbusters., with a twisty red herring filled plot. Interesting characters, good use of setting, nice comparison of police techniques on two sides of the Atlantic, and plenty of suspense. While not quite as strong as Taylor's first entry in this series, "The Mountains Wild," this is still an excellent listen, and a promising second episode. The award nominated narrator, Marisa Calin, has a pleasing alto tone and having lived in both the US and the UK, has mastery of a number of accents that add to her performance. Her reading of Maggie's viewpoint sometimes sets up a less than likable cadence, likely due to the abrupt speech patterns of the main character.

This book was hard for me to stay in. I kept losing interest and losing pace with what was going on. I did finish the book but for me, it was not memorable and I can not really recommend it.

A Distant Grave is the follow up to The Mountains Wild - both featuring Detective Maggie D’Arcy investigating cases that occur in NY and Ireland. While you could jump in here, I recommend reading them in order and think it adds to the experience to have all the backstory.

Maggie and her daughter are home in Long Island and getting ready to return to Ireland on vacation when an unidentified body is found on the beach. From there, Maggie is pulled into a new case that will pull her in many directions.

One of my favorite things in both books in the series is how completely I found myself pulled into the world of the book. There are a lot of twists and turns and I kept needing to see what would happen next. There are a few moments where I found myself holding my breath.

I listened to the audiobook which was great - with one exception being the narrator’s Long Island accent was sometimes a little too much and pulled me out of the story. This may just be a case of my own knowledge - the Irish accents could be off too but I would never know so that wouldn’t bother me. I still loved the audio experience as a way to get really lost in the story.

Thank you to Minotaur, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advance reading/listening copies.

I have a lot of the same thoughts towards this book that I did for the first book in the series. Just like the first book I had a hard time remembering and keeping straight the characters in the story. I think this has to do with a lack of individuality. A lot of the people show up very quickly and then disappear, so when they come up again I completely forget everything surrounding that character.

Not knowing the characters and not caring or becoming attached to the characters made the ending lacking in the needed sock factor. It was like, oh okay, that person did it… so what? So I'm sad to say this made the ending very disappointing because I had no idea who had done the murder. I now know the name but can’t remember what the person was within the story. The ending was not only a letdown from the first book for this reason but because it lacked the suspense you want from an ending. The first book did a lot better at having us on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens next but this book was a pretty average criminal case ending. There was nothing special or shocking.

The book also takes us on a lot of random leads that end up nowhere. This made it very hard to figure out what really mattered. I know this is used to make it harder to figure out who had done it but in my opinion, it made the book boring and made it drag on because a lot of the book really doesn’t matter and is just them following random clues leading them down rabbit wholes that end in a dead-end.

One thing I did enjoy in this book, actually even more than the investigation, was the story of the continuation of Maggie’s personal life. A lot of this connects with the ending of the first book so people who haven’t read the first one will likely not care one bit and find it confusing. But since I did read the first book I did find myself caring about what happened with Maggie’s daughter and the whole situation that Maggie is internally struggling with. I really enjoyed these parts of the book. These were the parts where I cared what happened and wanted to read. They were written very well to add suspense and having the readers rooting for the characters.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for people who haven’t read the first book. Like I said there are a lot of references to the first book. Don’t expect to read this book and then go back to the first because the ending isn’t kept secret. You might be able to piece information together enough to understand the idea of what is happening in this book but you will miss out on a lot. The information is somewhat explained in this book but for the most part, you are expected to know what happened in the first book.

I liked the narration of this book. She changed her voice so it was easy to differentiate when the chapter would switch to a point of view from the character who died past. There was no other indication of this switch except for the voice. I also liked the narration because it made the character come to life because she used the accent Maggie would have.

Overall the first book was better than this book. But both had similar problems. I found that in both books I had a hard time remembering the characters. Both had so many random leads that the detective follows it was hard to piece together the events. Even when it was explained I still found it hard to follow along with Maggie’s line of thought when solving the case. There were also a lot of useless details. This book did better than the last in emitting random details, like the name of the street they were on (and no this has no relevance to the case) but I still found this book has a lot of these details that just make the book drag-on.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Last year I read, and loved, The Mountains Wild, and have been waiting for the next book in this series. And I was so torn when I had the option of reading or listening to it…so I did both. And I loved it…both the story itself and both formats!

I cannot tell you how much I love this series! I will just say that while this book does stand on it’s own, I strongly urge you to read the first book before picking this one up. You will have a much better appreciation for what Maggie has already been through and her connection with Ireland. Yes, the author does give some backstory, but in my opinion, it’s always better to read the series in order if you can.

Once again, we have another completely atmospheric, engaging read that pulls you in right from the start. This time, the murder mystery starts on Long Island – not too far from where I live, incidentally!!! – and I love that there is such a strong sense of place throughout this entire book, whether it be on Long Island or in Ireland.

While this one starts off slow, it ramps up the pace to as things come to a stunning conclusion and I loved the way this worked because there were a lot of moving parts. I had no idea where this was heading, and the twists and turns were so expertly placed that it really kept me guessing.

I loved the balance of police work and character development. Sarah Stewart Taylor has managed to find the sweet spot with this and I am totally here for it. I was totally immersed in the case of why the murder mystery but I also loved getting that deep dive into our characters. There is a focus on the relationship between Maggie and Lilly that will tug at your heartstrings and of course there is focus on Maggie’s long-distance relationship with Conor and where that is heading.

I love this series and after that ending, I need book 3 right away! There are so many possibilities of what can happen next and I need to know right now! If you haven’t started reading this series, do yourself a favor and pick up these books now…I highly recommend them!



Audio thoughts: As I mentioned, I toggled back and forth with the audio and print for this book. The audio is narrated by Marisa Calin and she’s a new narrator to me. Overall, I thought she did a good job with the audio, though as a Long Islander, I will say she did sometimes over-do the Long Island accent on a few words – coffee in particular. And it wasn’t consistent, but as I’m very conscious of my accent, it’s something I’m aware of. Other than that, it was a good audio to listen to.

Maggie D’arcy is back in the A Distant Grave. This is the sequel to the 2020 release The Mountains Wild, which I loved last year. Detective mystery series are my bread and butter. When I’m stuck in a reading rut, they’re my go too, so I was very excited when my friends over at Minotaur Books, sent me a copy of A Distant Grave.

In Taylor’s newest installment, we pick back up where we left off. Detective Maggie D’arcy and her daughter Lilly are still recovering from the events of book 1. In an effort to get away from it all, D’arcy and Lilly are set to vacation back in Ireland, that is until a Irish national is found murdered on a Long Island Beach. The case may take D’arcy away from vacation but it’s putting her right in the middle of another murder that has taken place across the pond, in Ireland. As she follows the case, D’arcy stumbles the hidden adoption of Irish children and begins to understand the dangers humanitarian aid workers can sometimes face.

Once again I really enjoy this series and just like the first book, this is a great atmospheric novel. The research that Taylor must do to prepare for these stories is intense and it really make me interested in looking more into a few different areas.

The characters in these books are rich and deeply human. I enjoy the relationships that D’arcy builds not only with her family and partners but also to the victims. Her compassion is really a stand out quality for the character. She’s determined, smart, and has all the realistic struggles of a single parent.

This books has a ton of layers and while murder is the central plot point, I really enjoyed how Taylor tied everything together while also educating the readers on some lesser known topics.

I highly recommend this series to my fellow mystery lovers and I can’t wait for the next book!

A Distant Grave is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur books for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

We are reunited with detective D'arcy who I previously loved in The Mountains Wild. However this book didn't work for me I had a hard time feeling engaged in the story and I felt like it was just dragging. I also found that a lot was going on and I had a hard time keeping everything straight.

I found the narrator super slow and they made me want to fall asleep while listening

I was very excited to receive „A Distant Grave“ as both an ARC and an ALC. I enjoyed the first Maggy D’Arcy mystery „The Mountains Wild“ in 2020 a lot- and this one is a fabulous follow up, that can be enjoyed on ist own. Reading the first one after the second may be a tad less enjoyable since the final twist in the first book has of course already happened in book 2 and is referenced back to. I highly recommend just reading both and reading them in order.
Stewart Taylor’s books are thoughtful slow burns, and they are also expertly plotted. She combines a police procedural with a very real sense of place (in both books Long Island and Ireland and the connections between the two are explored) and a deep dive into the characters.
In this book her dive takes her into Maggie’s personal life as she struggles with the balance of raising a teenager as a single mother after a traumatic event and hoping for some kind of (maybe long distance) relationship in Ireland with her old/new flame. These issues are complex and they are told in a real and relatable way – they do not just dissolve into thin air because that just does not tend to happen.

As for the case, this time the murder happens almost right on Maggy’s doorstep in Long Island but the victim is an Irish national, Gabriel Tracy, a foreign aid worker who had, it turned out, spent time in different troubled areas all over the world. Maggy gets to investigate in Ireland because a possibly related murder happens there and back on Long Island with her colleagues as well.
Stewart Taylor manages to balance Maggie’s struggles as a career mom invested in her job and a sense of purpose in her job as a police detective with a possible new life in Ireland.
The characters in the book, from Maggie herself, to the dead man, to Maggie’s fellow police officers, to Maggie’s daughter, uncle and boyfriend, are all vividly drawn, and they determine the story. The mystery elements exist because of the characters and the choices they’ve made in life.

The prose is lovely and as the plot begins to accelerate towards the end of the book, when all the plot threads come together, it really explodes – it’s hard to put down. This is another spectacular listen from an extremely gifted writer.

The narration was wonderful and contributed to the experience the different accents Ireland - Long Island were very well done !

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review !!

Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced ecopy of A Distant Grave by Sarah Stewart Taylor. This was a follow up book to The Mountains Wild, which I read last fall. I listened to the audiobook version of the novel and the narration was really good. The only aspect I was not a fan of was the narrator's "Long Island Accent". It sounded really fake and was a bit distracting. I would so much rather someone not attempt an accent than to do it poorly.

The story was engaging. It was another mystery that ties together Maggy D'Arcy's life in New York and her relationships in Ireland. The Mountains Wild had a bit more of a sense of place than A Distant Grave did, but I do love the country spanning storylines. The mystery in A Distant Grave was very engaging and I will definitely be reading follow-ups in this series. They are a bit grittier than a cozy mystery, but still are just comfortable mysteries.

4.08 stars
Enjoyability 6/10

A body is found on a Long Island beach, killed with a single shot. D'arcy is called to investigate the case and hopes to have it solved before her scheduled vacation. As luck has it, John Doe turns out to be Irish, and D'arcy takes advantage of her planned vacation to Ireland to further the investigation, hopefully finding out who the victim is will take one step closer to solving the mystery of his murder.

I read A Distant Grave as an audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio and Narrated by Marisa Calin. Although I enjoyed her performance, I couldn't get into the pacing. I appreciated the different accents and the care with which Calin brought D'arcy to life, though.

As for the book in general, I couldn't quite get into it. I wanted more of Ireland, and I don't really like international intrigue and espionage books, and even though this isn't quite that, it had the same vibes. My lack of enjoyment has nothing to do with Taylor's writing - I wouldn't say I like that vibe even when it's written by my favourite author of all time, Agatha Christie.

That being said, Taylor's character development was fantastic. A Distant Grave is the second book in a series. I felt like I had a fair chance of getting to know the protagonist and understanding who she is as a person; New characters were introduced organically at moments of importance to the plot. I was transported to Ireland and back in time through her beautiful prose. If you like this subgenre of mystery, I think you will love this book.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sarah Stewart Taylor for providing me with a copy of A Distant Grave.

Some books come alive in the audiobook format. This one did not. The narrator’s depiction of male characters was off, whether the accent was New York or Irish. Some voices even sounded like crime show reporters from the 1950s. Main character/ detective, Maggie D’Arcy, alternated between a pleasant female voice (higher range) and I’m-tough-cop voice in the lower range. I felt that Maggie complained/ apologized about the guilt she had working on a case too often.

An Irish national is murdered in New York. Detectives try to figure out why he was in the US. Maggie feels like she is being watched. Other than that, the action is slow. The last 25% of the book is action packed, as all the leads finally come together. There is some mystery-genre violence, but nothing overly graphic.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The second installment in the Maggie D'arcy series follows Dectective Maggie D'arcy as she investigates an Irishman who is found in her jurisdiction in New York. Dective D'arcy is surprised when she has to follow a lead on her vacation in Ireland when visiting her boyfriend Connor. Will she be able to solve the case?

This one was a good follow up to The Mountains Wild. I do feel like this one was lacking some in regards to being a page-turner. I just don't feel it quite lived up to my expectations after reading The Mountains Wild, but it was still an enjoyable read. I will definitely continue with this series.

This book switches back and forth from Long Island to Ireland, which makes the audiobook all the more unique. This is the second book in the Maggie D’arcy series, and though I have not read the first, I was still very much able to pick up and enjoy the storyline. I fully intend to go back and read the first after listening to this audiobook. This novel features a strong female police protagonist and not only does it keep you guessing, but it also tugs at all of your heartstrings. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

This was a good police prodcedurial. Very interesting and was able to follow along easier. I didn’t read the first book, but I know my friend Lora enjoyed it, and had me dreaming of Ireland from her review! You don’t need to read book 1 to read A Distant Grave, but I’m sure it will help. Plus, it’s good, so, you should. Ya know?

I really enjoyed the story and all of its complexities. There was a lot going on on different continents, but I was tracking and loved it. Usually, I would get lost and be so confused, but I was so deep into this story, I got it.

As a police procedural, I was not expecting to cry. Yet, there I was shedding a tear or five for the end. Also, there was a brief mention of Sligo (where our Sligh family hails from) so that was really neat. My husband always says Sligo this and that, but I’ve never heard other people talk about it.

Overall, I loved this book. I was sad D’Arcy had to go back to the US, I’m glad at the same time there were both countries and stories. Thank you so much Minotaur for the gifted copy!

This was the second book following Long Island police detective Maggie D’arcy. This one again takes place in Long Island and Ireland, though less Ireland this time. Maggie got a bit on my nerves a bit in the first half of this book, as it felt like she wasn’t making good decisions and didn’t know really what she wanted. However, I did enjoy the mystery of this story, and did like how it wrapped up. This is definitely an author and series I will continue to follow. Thanks to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I did not read the first introductory book about the main character detective Maggie D’ Arcy so I met her as a new crime occurs in her precinct and she is part of the investigative team.  
   You learn that she was/is romantically involved w an Irish Garda who she met in the first book and this new crime has her returning to Ireland with her daughter on part vacation and part work detail because the victim is from Ireland.
   There was so much information infused throughout the book about the Magdalene laundries that existed there for the “fallen women” of Ireland. It described how babies were separated from their moms and sent off for adoption often to America.
   That is one of subplots that runs simultaneously: past histories coming back to haunt you, wars and exploiters of war, power struggles within the police department, teenage angst, long distance relationships it’s all here.
   The descriptions of Ireland by the author were enticing and allowed your imagination to wander through those fields with Maggie.

Detective Maggie Darcy is struggling to find balance between work, motherhood, and a new relationship. When her current case takes her to Ireland and back again, she’s not quite sure who is in control. I enjoyed this second in a series, and really enjoyed the narrator. It definitely kept me coming back and finding excuses (like laundry!) to make time to listen!

I enjoyed The Mountains Wild, the first in the Maggie D’Arcy series. But this one never engaged me. In truth, it was a bit of a drag and could have benefitted from a better editing job. Maggie is lead detective on a case of an unidentified man found with a gunshot to the head on a beach in her Long Island community. A man who turns out to be an Irish native. What was meant to be a vacation in Ireland turns into a continuation of the murder investigation. There are way too many moving parts to this story and it was hard to keep everything straight. Maybe that was just me. Or maybe reading this would have worked better than listening. Taylor does tie all the moving parts up at the end, but it was not a satisfying book. I’ll give her one more chance since I really enjoyed the first book in the series.
This story wasn’t helped by the lackluster narration by Marisa Calvin. Her Irish accents were positively cringeworthy and at times, sounded like she was talking with marbles in her mouth.

Narration: The narration style of this book was a bit too much ‘noir detective film’ for me, especially in the beginning. I did get used to it after a while and was able to enjoy the book. Narration Rating: 3.5/5

Story: This was an entertaining second book in the gripping mystery series by Sarah Stewart Taylor. I have loved both books in this series because they are well written and have interesting characters. Sarah Stewart Taylor writes her mystery plots so well that it is impossible to figure out the murderer. I also enjoyed the way she conveyed the sense of silent menace/being watched throughout the book. The book culminated in an exciting finish! Story Rating: 5/5