Very enjoyable well woven murder mystery.
Carlene O’Connor has a very engaging writing style.
Good for sitting in front of the fire over Christmas.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Kensington Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Eighth in the series, you don’t have to read the others first to follow along- I didn’t. Fast paced and enjoyable a delightful cozy mystery fun story with warm characters.

Murder on an Irish Farm is the eighth of An Irish Village Series. I have read all of them. This book was really enjoyable with all it's twists and turns. The book takes place in Kilbane, County Cork. The main character, Siobhan O'Sullivan, along with her family, is the main character of this story. She is a Garda and her fiancé, Macdara Flannery is her boss. The other supporting characters add to the suspense of the story. The story opens with the marriage of Siobhan and Macdara. It is interrupted when her brother James runs into the church telling them that he has found a body in a slurry pit in a dairy barn on the farm that Macdara has brought as a surprise for Siobhan. This announcement postpones the continuation of the service. They go to the farm to investigate. The body of Tommy Caffrey, who disappeared 50 years ago and was to marry Gladys has been found. Gladys always believed that Tommy had decided not to marry her and ran away. There is also the mystery of the disappearance of a satchel of money at the time Tommy disappeared. Gladys has married Benji Burns, Tommy's best friend. They along with the rest of their family live under one roof. As you get to know these characters the story line takes the reader to wondering who in this family killed Tommy and why. The reader does not know who the killer is until the end of the story. Siobhan and Macdara do finally marry with much celebration and the knowledge that the family will continue to stay together on the farm.

I look forward to the next of the series with the rebuilding of the barn which Eoin wants to have a Farm to Table restaurant there as well as Siobhan and Macdara's next adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for this ARC.

It's the day we've all been waiting for. Siobhan and Macdara are finally saying I Do, well, maybe in a typical book, but not in Murder on an Irish Farm.
Sadly, Siobhan and Dara have to postpone their nuptials, after all, a dead body requires immediate attention.
This book is fantastic and I love the relationships among all the characters in the story.
This one is a real whodunit and I found myself shocked at the reveal. The story is cunning and as the mystery unravels, we find out the shocking truth.
I am happy to recommend this book to all readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#MurderonanIrishFarm #NetGalley

A fun and well paced cozy. This is the eighth book however I was able to follow without issues. Siobhán and Macdara are about to be married when her brother runs in to say he found remains. This is based in Ireland which I love. Overall a great cozy that I will definitely go back and catch up.
#MurderonanIrishFarm #NetGalley

Detective Sergeant Macdara Flannery and Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan are about to get married when they are interrupted by Siobhán’s brother James who informs them that he’s just discovered skeletal remains in an outbuilding in the slurry pit in an outbuilding on a farmhouse the soon-to-be-married couple had just bought.

When they both head to the dairy barn to investigate, they learn from their neighbor Gladys Burns that the skeleton belongs to a man named Tommy Caffrey. A man she was supposed to marry fifty years ago today. So who killed him?

An interesting cozy mystery, fast-paced, and has great characters. Would recommend.

Thank you to Carlene O’Connor, NetGalley, and Kensington for the ARC of this book.

This is the eighth in the “Irish Village Mystery” cozy mystery series that features Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan and Detective Sergeant Macdara Flannery in the village of Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland.

Just as Siobhán and Macdara are ready to be married - standing in front of the priest even - Siobhán’s brother James comes racing into the church to announce he has just found a dead body in the slurry pit at the farmhouse. James was cleaning it up to ready it for Macdara’s surprise for Siobhán - he bought it for them as a wedding gift. Needless to say, the wedding had to be postponed, and the gardas began investigating.

There was only a small circle of suspects for the killing of Tommy Caffrey, who disappeared exactly fifty years earlier on the day of his supposed wedding to Gladys Burns. Gladys, now married to Benji Burns for these past fifty years, are the closest neighbors to the farm.

Thirty thousand quid disappeared along with Tommy, and it was assumed that Tommy just took the money and ran. But he apparently didn’t run very far, and the money was not in the slurry pit along with his body.

Siobhán, Macdara, and their newest partner, Garda Aretta Dabiri interview the small pool of possible suspects, complicated by the fact that a second body soon turns up on top of the first.

As the secrets and lies of the past come tumbling out, albeit gradually, it becomes clear who the actual killer is, but not before the gardas themselves are in life-threatening danger.

Evaluation: I had not read any of the previous books in the series, but had no trouble figuring out who everyone was and what were the relationships among them. This was a pleasing story, with an endearing set of characters, although I thought the author went a bit overboard in what seemed like efforts to appeal to a sentimental fondness for all things and stereotypes Irish.

as a wedding is about to take place, the brides brother shows up covered in dirt, saying he has found a skelton. they put the wedding on hold while they investigate. another body is found the next day. very interesting story of 2 dead bodies killed 50 years apart. it keeps you wondering who did it.

I just loved the setting of Murder on an Irish Farm, and the characters and storyline were executed flawlessly.

A great cozy mystery I quite enjoyed reading.

Siobhán O'Sullivan is preparing for her wedding to fellow garda Detective Macdara Flannery. But her brother James, who is to give her away, is missing. After learning that they must be married soon, she proceeds down the aisle with her brother Eoin at her arm. Yet before the ceremony begins, James enters, covered in mud, and, knowing it's important or he wouldn't show up that way, the wedding is postponed. Now the two have a major problem: there's a skeleton in the slurry pit of the farm that Macdara had purchased as a wedding surprise.

But when it's discovered that the body is Tommy Caffrey, who was thought to have run away the day of his own wedding fifty years before -- to the day -- along with thirty thousand quid, the two garda have a mystery to solve. Who killed Tommy? And when they arrive the next morning at the farm to further investigate, there is a crowd gathered and the once-jilted bride is crying, because now her own brother Alan lies on top of the skeleton.

With two bodies, and two murders, and many more suspects, how are they supposed to figure out if it's one murderer or two? But Siobhán has her own methods of looking at cases, as does Macdara, and together they vow to find out the truth. Unless, of course, the murderer decides to continue killing...

Siobhán is finally marrying her own one true love, Macdara, and is just as nervous as any bride would be. But it's not to be on this day, because she discovers something more important, in the form of finding out who wanted to kill Tommy Caffrey and why. But when she starts asking questions and digging into the murder, she discovers Tommy wasn't the saint his would-be bride, now married to his best friend, made him out to be.

She discovers secrets, lies, and treachery, things which may be common in a murder investigation; but how have they been held all of these fifty years? Someone isn't telling the truth, and it's her job to find out who. But what she doesn't count on is that more than one person is is lying, and it might put her in danger to keep on.

Still, as a garda, she needs to do so. But there is more afoot when she's informed by the parish priest of another issue that might change the lives of all the O'Sullivans. This she needs to put on the back burner while she tries to find a killer, but it nonetheless wears on her. Meanwhile, her fiancé Madara is trying to eat his way through Ireland and cracking jokes every chance he gets to lighten her mood. But is it going to be enough? And will she be able to figure out the case using her instincts, which have not failed her thus far?

This is the eighth book in the series, and can be read as a standalone. The books keep getting better, and while I will admit that I did struggle a bit through the first one (sometimes I have that problem with the first in a series) I am glad that I stuck with it. I had a suspicion of who the murderer was the minute that person stepped onto the page, and I am glad that I was right; but then again, I read a lot of mysteries so I am pretty good at picking up clues early on. Still, for the most part, there were plenty of red herrings, and if you haven't read a lot of mysteries, you might be steered into another direction, which is what mysteries do best.

Keep on with the book as the ending might surprise you, and Ms. O'Connor is such a delightful writer that I also read another series she authors; she has a way with descriptions and words that draw you into the story and the pictures fly right off the page. The books stay with you awhile, and that is exactly what they are supposed to do.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, the reasons why they killed are very sad as well as being twisted, but it all comes together nicely and the final pages are enjoyable and give us something to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

Birds of Prey

I love this series! This is the eighth book in the Irish Village Mystery series and it was awesome. I love Siobhan and Macdara, but my favorite character this book was Liam from the hardware store. Maybe it’s because I love biscuits and sweets as much as Macdara, but the interaction between the two was funny. Anyway, back to the mystery part of the book, it’s a whodunit to its core. I had an inkling throughout the entire book about who the killer was, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly who it was until the very end. I love books that make you keep guessing and trying to solve right along with the main characters. Carlene O’Connor knows mystery! And best of all, she knows her characters and how to flow them into a great story. It’s a must read! Well done!

Siobhan and Macdara are finally heading to the alter. But before they can say I do, they find out a body was discovered on the land that Macdara bought to surprise his new bride. This news puts the wedding on hold for awhile. When a second body is found in the same spot, they really need to ramp things up because they won’t get married until this case is solved. But will they say I do, or will the killer prevent the marriage from taking place?

I adore this series. From the characters to the setting to the mysteries, nothing that I do not love. Even better is seeing the characters progress in each new entry. I hope this isn’t the end for this series, but just the beginning of new adventures and mysteries for the couple and their kin.

Gardas Siobhán and Macdara are finally getting married in book 8 of this wonderful cozy series. The wedding is in the beautiful village church, the reception in the picturesque Abbey ruins, both places we’ve come to know in previous books. Before the ‘I Do’s’ can be said though, the wedding is interrupted and the pair of police officers must get to work to solve the murder so they can marry in peace. As always, the characters are well written and true to life. Siobhán has 5 siblings, I’ve liked seeing them grow and their stories evolve. One murder becomes two, and with a number of viable culprits the ending was a surprise. I like that the author also threw in a second surprise involving the future of the whole family. With great descriptions, new characters being introduced, and a new twist in the future, I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves mysteries and Ireland.

Murder on an Irish Farm by Carlene O’Connor is an excellent cozy mystery that is the 8th book in one of my favorite series ever: Irish Village Mystery.

I have read every book in this series, and I truly still feel as if they keep getting better and better. I always love visiting the small, quirky, and endearing village of Kilbane in County Cork. The full cast of characters make it feel like home. I also adore Siobhan O’ Sullivan and her partner in crime (or in this case law enforcement and fiancé as well ) Macdara Flannery. The chemistry is there, they work so well together, and the one-liners are entertaining.

This time Dara and Siobhan are finally going to get married (Yay!!!!!). But of course before they can say their vows, James ends up being late for the event due to finding a deceased person on what is to be the property of a surprise for Siobhan. ( I will leave it there detail wise so as not spoil anything for others.)

Their detective drive is too much to continue the day and the investigation has begun. The following murder/mystery plot is complicated by twists, turns, and arson. I enjoyed following along as the duo (along with their family and colleagues) get down to business to solve the crime before they become the next victims themselves.

As always, I loved everything about this book, and I also loved the last chapter, the reveals, and the ending. It was so sweet and I really like where this series is now going. It is going to be good!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/22/22.