Member Reviews

This is a new series by the author set in Ireland and focuses on newly widowed veterinarian who must return to her hometown to help prove that her family was not involved in the murder of the wealthiest man of the town. There are twists and turns as the darkness in each of the characters' lives is revealed. Dimpna, the female vet, faces her own demons as she struggles in telling the truth to her son and also must deal with a father facing dementia. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.

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I am a huge fan of Carlene O'Connor and I sincerely hope that 'No Strangers Here' is the start of a new series for her. Dr. Dimpna Wilde comes home to Dingle, Ireland to help her veterinarian father who is suffering from dementia and is potentially a suspect in the murder of a very prominent member of the community. The p[lot is multilayered, with twists and turns that are fantastic. I could rhapsodize incessantly about how much I like this, but I will just recommend it highly to anyone who would enjoy a deep look into life in an Irish community.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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This novel focuses on Dimpna Wilde, a veterinarian. Her life in Dublin is in shambles after her embezzler husband commits suicide and she has lost her home and practice. She heads to her coastal childhood home of Dingle, which she left long ago and hasn’t been back. Her father, also a veterinarian, is the prime suspect in the death of rich racehorse-owner Jimmy O’Reilly because veterinary medicine is found at the murder scene. I enjoyed the Irish setting of the novel and Dimpna was a likeable protagonist. The story was a little confusing because it seemed stuffed with characters I had a hard time keeping track of.

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*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Very enjoyable mystery - a little short - but entertaining. I would definitely read more books in this new series.

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Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A man is found murdered in Dingle which causes a stir in the small town. Dumpna returns to the small town because someone from her family is under suspicion for the murder. With little to go on, she finds no answers. The police are keeping everything close to the vest. This was another great read by Carlene O'Connor and I cant wait to read the next one in this series.

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Twenty-seven years have passed since Dimpla Wilde visited Dingle. Murder brings her home.

Carlene O'Connor, author of the Irish Village Mysteries and the Home to Ireland Mysteries, offers a County Kerry Mystery with publication of "No Strangers Here."

Murder and bad luck drive her back home. Her father is prime suspect in the death of the richest man in town. Her embezzler husband's suicide has stripped her of home and veterinary practice. She heads west from Dublin with one cat and two dogs riding in her vintage van.

As usual, O'Connor has created endearing, intriguing characters. The officer in charge of the murder investigation enjoys nothing more than sharing the latest clues with his ailing mother. His assistant's father was a policeman so she provides background.

Horses and tarot cards and dementia draw the reader into a dense story that does not unravel until the final pages.

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3.5 stars rounded up.
I have read several of this author's Irish Village series. This is the first in a new series for the author. It was a decent mystery. Based on this one book, I prefer the other series. This book was darker and more packed with characters to the point that it felt confusing in places rather than interesting. it felt as though the author was trying too hard to create a more complex and gritty mystery. It came off as a bit of a mess. The same clues and evidence were rehashed over and over, or so it seemed. As the series progresses, maybe the main character and her relatives and relationships will become better defined. I would read another book in this series, because it does seem promising.
Toward the end of the book, the mystery appeared to be solved, but it wasn't. There was another twist, which made the plot more exciting.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for a copy of No Strangers Here in exchange for my honest review.

The story takes place in Dingle, County Kerry. Johnny O'Reilly a 69 year old racehorse owner is found dead on the beach. DI Cormac O'Brien is assigned the case. Dr. Wilde a vet comes into his orbit. O'Reilly was the grandfather of her son, but the O'Reilly family never knew this as she didn't tell them. Her father, also a vet is the prime suspect according to the O'Reilly family. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and stories to keep straight.

I very much enjoy Carlene O'Connor's books but I prefer the "Murder in an Irish Village" series.

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Dingle is a peninsula in Ireland where the wealthy, like all cream, rise to the top, and the O’Reilly family was the cream. They owned a good part of the peninsula and had many of the residents working for them. The patriarch of the family was Jimmy O’Reilly. Well dressed, he is found dragged up on a beach from the ocean and very dead!

Cormac O’Brien is assigned to the case. The tie around Jimmy’s neck is tied correctly and looks almost new. A tarot card and vial of a strong sedative is found on the body indicating a veterinarian may be involved. Why would one of the wealthiest men in Dingle wind up on the shores of the sound murdered?

The local veterinarian is Dr. Wilde. He is well known throughout the community and everyone is concerned because he exhibits signs of advancing dementia, which has left him befuddled and confused. His practice is suffering and his daughter, Dr. Dimpna Wilde, also a very good veterinarian, decides to return to her hometown. The death of Mr. O’Reilly was presumed to be by someone with access to veterinary medications.

The author weaves a very fascinating tale of duplicity, jealousy, and avarice. I found myself glued to the dialogue which shifted around identifying many suspects. But could the vet have been the perpetrator? 5 stars – CE Williams

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This is a terrific standalone mystery by 0'connor.
A female veterinarian created a new life in Dublin but her husband turned out to be a thief and she loses everything.
She heads back to her small village just in time for a murder that her family becomes implicated in.
Each character is complex and walk off the pages into your life.
So much conflict and love and drama make this mystery a must read.
Thanks to netgalley for the arc

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I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

When a rich, dead man is found on a beach with his body staged in such a way to provide clues as to why he was killed, the Garda are faced with a tricky situation. Meanwhile, Dimpna Wilde, also a vet, also needs to come back to the town after her practice in Dublin is in ruins, finding her veterinarian father with a developing case of dementia. Unfortunately, some clues from the murder lead the police to her family and her past relationship with the dead man’s family.

I have some other books from Carlene O’Connor and have enjoyed the settings and characters. This new series showcases a new setting with new characters, the usual amount of mystery and intrigue, and the frustration on the part of the local police force when trying to find a killer. This story has the usual dramatic ending, where some people do not live ‘happily ever after’.

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I have enjoyed the cozy mysteries from this author, so I was intrigued to see she had written a mystery thriller. It was great to be back in Ireland with this story. This had a mystery with a lot of twists and turns.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Carlene O'Connor came very recommended to me; my mother has read her Irish Village mystery series and loves it. So when I saw this, what appears to be the first in a new series, I was anxious to check it out.

The setting is wonderful; we're taken to the coastal community of Dingle, Ireland. I enjoyed everything about this. I felt like I was really there and not that the author was just hitting a few high-points so she could say the book was set in Ireland. And I was also very intrigued as the mystery started; the murder--which opens the first couple of chapters of the book--was eerily reminiscent to the Tamam Shud (Somerton Man) murder from 1940s Australia. However, while I can't imagine the similarity wasn't intentional, there was no reference at all to the real, earlier case nor an afterword to make the connection clear for us. I was hoping that would somehow be a part of the narrative.

As for the story itself, it was hard for me to get into it. I felt like it was a bit slow and I, at first, wasn't sure if there was a protagonist I should be rooting for or if this was just a book with multiple POVS (there is a protagonist--it becomes clear at the book progresses that Dimpna Wilde is the primary character). I think, too, that the author has some fabulous depth to her characters, but . . . I didn't feel like those depths were fully explored; I was told about those pasts in brief summary rather than shown those pasts.

At about the 70% point, the plot did pick up for me, and I finally was anxious to get back to the story to see how things would resolve. And the novel concludes with lots of tangling ends from the past so I suspect we'll see more character development and back story in another book. The bottom line is that while this wasn't a book that grabbed me from the get-g0, it did grow on me and I'll be interested to see where the story goes next in a second installment.

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This book was sent to me by. Netgalley for review…family dynamics…so many characters that it is a little difficult keeping track…that being said, this author has woven a story that is difficult to put down…love and romance…family…friendship…enjoy 5is book.

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I would like to thank the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have read a few books by this author. I didn’t enjoy it as much as those. This book was good. I enjoyed the murder mystery part. At first, I thought the book would follow the investigator. We only got his view a few times in the book. It was mostly about Dr. Wilde, the veterinarian. The book went on too much about her life and about the clinic. I didn’t really connect with her. I wanted more about the investigation. The murder was finally dealt with in the last chapters. It was like it was an afterthought. I was disappointed in this book since I really enjoyed other books by this author.

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I really really loved this book! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time. Well done!

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