I've been reading this series for years. It started off really strong and then kind of lost some of the magic along the way. I hope the author rediscovers their love for these characters; I would love to see a comeback!

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

This is one of my top 5 books series of all time. The writing and plotting is done with the perfect combination of mystery and wit.

This installment takes Molly back to where her life changed forever, Ellis Island. With a murder suspect that could be Molly's doppelganger, she is on the case to save this young woman from being wrongly accused.


This is a series that I hope never ends!

Note, this is pretty far into the series and I recommend starting from the beginning to get a grasp of the setting, characters and story telling. These authors write beautifully and some very interesting stories.

Spunky Molly Murphy returns at last! I have long been a fan of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy mysteries, and this is the first co-written with Rhys Bowen’s daughter Clare, following about a 5 year hiatus. At first I found the writing a bit stilted (particularly the dialogue) and the story a bit slow to sink into. Fairly swiftly, however, I was transported to 1907 New York City, fondly remembering past times spent admiring Molly’s gumption and delighting in becoming reacquainted with her handsome police captain husband Daniel, ward and fellow Irish immigrant Bridie, and dear friends, neighbors and suffragists Gus and Sid. Longtime fellow fans of Molly will likely find this well-researched tale immensely entertaining and cheer on Molly as she pushes boundaries, rebels against societal norms of her time, and uses her intellect, intuition and wit for good. First time readers of the 18-volume series may find Daniel and his mother a tad underdeveloped as characters and not fully understand Molly’s other friendships or her passion for investigating and figuring out whodunit. And many readers might, like me, find the violence witnessed by a child to be entirely unnecessary and disappointing. That said, particularly for readers of Rhys Bowen’s previous Molly stories, this is a rollicking read and I suggest you give it a lash. One star deducted for the gratuitous violence; two added for the themes of equality and diversity and for the fine research. Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books / St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

What a great book...fast moving from page one till the end. Her characters are well developed. There are always enough twists and turns to keep you interested. I love reading Rhys Bowen novels.

Molly tries to prove the innocence of Rose MacSweeny, an Irish Immigrant suspected of murder and finds herself on a wild goose chase.

I really enjoyed this book! I really liked Molly's character because she cares about people and she is very good at getting them to talk. I liked how Molly related to Rose's character because she was in the same situation only a few years ago herself. I also liked how the author gave lots of background at the beginning of the book for new readers of the series to get caught up. The ending was a total shocker which made the storyline so much more interesting. I can't wait to read more books in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wild Irish Rose is a wonderful mystery in the Molly Murphy series. Molly is on the case to help an immigrant who was accused of murder after arriving to Ellis Island. This long awaited installment was written by Rhys Bowen, but her daughter Clare Broyles co-authored the book. Often when a new writer contributes to an existing series, it can feel a bit “off” as different writers have distinct styles. That was not the case with this book. Clare stepped in and didn't miss a beat. The atmosphere, plot, character development. etc. seemed just like the other books in this series. Well done!

This book is set in New York in 1907. Not only was this a great book woth a great mystery in it, but it kept me turning the pages. It had a great synamic in it surrounding Molly. It showed that even in the wasrly 1900'a a woman could be more than a house wife. SHe had an amazing life with a greathusband and children that wer suppotive of her. Her mother-in law not so much. SHe had a great group of friends that wer willing to help her figure out the mystery that revolved around Ellis Ialand. In the ens when she realized instincts are not always correct. SHe still went out on her own to solve this case, against her husbands advice.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of the books in the series.

** I received this book in exchange for a honest freview from Netgalley**

Another well written engrossing story from Ms Bowen that I couldn't put down. I was pulled in right away and just kept reading til late in the night. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!!!

The Molly Murphy series is a good series to recommend to those who like a little bit of history, a strong female lead, a spot of danger, and a lot of justice being served. The only issue is at times I have to suspend my disbelief, a touch of melodrama, and minor consistency issues.

Molly is enjoying her life in New York with her Police Captain husband,Daniel and their small son Liam. Her house is full with her ward and her Mother in law living with the little family. The only regret she has is not being able to use her sleuthing skills having been a Private Eye.
When two of her eccentric neighbors enlist her help to hand out warm clothes to immigrants on Ellis island Molly jumps at the chance. Just as they were about the leave a man is found in a small room murdered. Who is he and who would want him silenced?
Molly’s detective skills are on high alert. The main suspect is a red headed woman from Ireland.
Molly is trying to convince her husband that this woman had nothing to do with the tragedy.
This is a good fast moving story with captivating characters and an engaging plot.

I must start this review with a huge cavate, prior to reading this advanced reader copy of Wild Irish Rose, which is number 18 in the Molly Murphy Series, I had only read the first book in the series. I read the first book in the series a month earlier than reading this new release. I got way to excited when I saw a Rhys Bowen book become available on NetGalley and did not pay attention to the fact it was number 18 in a series I had only just begun.

Ironically, the story line relies on the fact that the two books (no. 1 and no. 18) are very similar. So, it was interesting reading this immediately following the first book in the series. I decided that reviewing this would be important because I was reading them out of order. Often when people talk about series, the question arises – does it need to be read in sequence? I can tell you this series does in fact need to be read in order. Wild Irish Rose references many aspects of the first book in the series but more than that it mentions numerous key plots and character narratives multiple times in the story. I am reading this series with a book club and I feel like I have cheated and know several plot lines. During our most recent book discussion for the second one in the series, I realized that my knowledge of plot lines in future books influenced how I viewed certain characters and their motivations.

Now, if you have read the series or are presently somewhere in the series, I will tell you that Wild Irish Rose is full of previously met characters, a return to Molly’s story, and the overall feel of the story felt very familiar. If you like Molly and her sassiness and method of detecting, this book stays true to her.

So, do I recommend this book or not? Honestly, I don’t feel that I can recommend or not recommend, how is that for a definite answer? I don’t recommend this book you have not read books number 1-17. I do recommend this book if you have read books number 1-17 and enjoyed them. I cannot believe Wild Irish Rose would disappoint if you already loved spending time with Molly and her story. Now on to number 3 in the series for me and the promise to pay closer attention to what I am requesting from NetGalley.

Over the years I have enjoyed the Molly Murphy mysteries, but the series has gotten too similar in plots for me to enjoy. Even though Molly is married and has a child, she still hungers for the excitement of detective work. Of course her mother-in-law hates that she is involved and her husband police detective Daniel Sullivan tries to keep her out of harm's way. I think this series should gracefully make and exit.

Molly is helping deliver coats to new arrivals at Ellis Island. A murder occurs of an unknown man, but who among the 100s of people did it? Rose, a new arrival, is accused by another man who saw her come out of the room where the murdered man was found. Molly is sure Rose is innocent and proceeds to find the person who did it. She asks her husband, police captain, if she might play a part in the investigation. She says I would be able to get information from Rose--woman to woman.
Various adventures occur during the telling of this tale. See if you are able to gues who did it.

"Wild Irish Rose" by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles
Release Date: 3.1.2022
☆☆☆☆

□■□■□■□■

Molly Murphy Sullivan is a wife to Daniel, mother to Bridie and Liam, and daughter-in-law to live-in Mrs. Sullivan. She's not an official private investigator, so she is keeping busy with family and friends. She decides to accompany Sid and Gus and the other Vassar ladies in distributing clothing to newly arrived immigrants at Ellis Island. She sees someone that looks exactly like her!

When her husband, a NYC police captain, returns home that evening, he shares that there was a murder on Ellis Island, and the main suspect is the woman who loos like Molly!

I was so excited that Daniel finally included Molly in the investigation! His mother is unlikable as ever. Bridie is a sweet girl, and Liam is adorable!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #historicalfiction #2022bookrelease #wildirishrose #mollymurphy #rhysbowen #clarebroyles

Rhys Bowen involves Molly Murphy with a Wild Irish Rose. Molly's husband is now Captain Murphy in the NYPD. As Molly goes with her friends to give out charity clothing to the immigrants on Ellis Island, she is mistaken for an Irish immigrant who is suspected of murdering a gentleman. Rose is sure her lookalike is innocent and starts investigating. Her husband is not pleased. What could go wrong in 1907 New York? Excellent cozy. i

Wild Irish Rose
by: Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books

I was delighted to read my first book by Rhys Bowen, writing with her daughter Clare Broyles on Wild Irish Rose. This novel is the eighteenth novel in the Molly Murphy Series of mysteries. With the large number of readers who adore this series, I knew that it had to be good, and it was! Even though I was new to the series, it was easy to pick right up with the story.

Set in New York in 1907, the narrative is about Molly Sullivan and her post-detective life. She learns about a murder that has taken place at Ellis Island on a day that she was there doing volunteer work for the needy. I was quickly immersed in the story, with good descriptions of characters and well- paced sequence of the plot. There is adventure as well as history about the culture of New York in early 1900s. Lovers of historical fiction and mystery should really consider this book.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

I love Bowen's historical fiction and Her Royal Spyness Mysteries. I've only read one other book in her Molly Murphy series which was a Christmas book published in 2017. While this is book 18 in the series, it isn't necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this one.

The story is set in the early 1900 and Molly is a relatively recent Irish immigrant. She is married to Daniel who is now a police captain and has two children - a little boy and a teenage girl who Molly had escorted to America when she immigrated. We get a good deal of Molly's past in this book as a murder has occurred on Ellis Island and a newly arrived Irish woman is the prime suspect. It brings back a lot of memories for Molly as she arrived under similar circumstances.

There is a lot of repetitiveness in the story. Sometimes it was something mentioned early on and then again towards the end, but other times information was given and then a few pages later it was repeated with no real reason. I can see this useful if you only get to read a couple of pages at a time, but for me it just felt like filler.

I liked all the characters in this book. I had an inkling as to who the murderer was from almost the start but the mystery still unfolded in a satisfying manner.

If you are looking for a lighter mystery for your weekend reading, then this is the book to get.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday, March 11 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/03/2-mysteries-perfect-for-weekend-reading.html

Once again, I bit on a book well into the series with the 18th book. With some books it makes no difference. I suspicion this is not one of those.

Molly was on Ellis island to help disseminate warm clothing to immigrants not prepared for the cold weather of New York. She is a former private detective, now married and a mother, but as she watches Daniel (her police hubby) put the puzzle pieces together of the murder mystery, she is drawn into the investigation sure that Rose McSweeney is an innocent pawn. Molly identifies with Rose and is sure she can do a better job of teasing clues from Rose and the others in attendance the day of the murder than could Daniel.

Here’s where I have a problem: Molly can be caustic. She has a quick temper and seldom kind or thoughtful--to anyone. Being a mother is okay--but she misses the old (exciting) life and is quick to delegate childcare when and where she can get it so she can be free to be off, which seems most of the time.

So I had a problem engaging with the protagonist, with the support characters, and felt sorry for Daniel, who had my sympathy while wondering why he didn’t step up appropriately. There were a few twists and red herrings but I also had a problem with the pace, my attention often waning—just could not stay with it! Don’t think this one was right for me, though the author certainly has fans of this successful series. 3.5 stars rounded down