The follow up to O’Connor’s County Kerry series debut, No Strangers Here, avoids any tinge of sophomore slump. Her thoughtful, well plotted, richly charactered series is set in tiny Dingle, Ireland. The series heroine, Dimpna Wilde, is a vet whose work insinuates itself into the plots in the best possible way. Not only does her work temper some of the gruesomeness O’Connor writes about, it also grounds Dimpna in the community. As the book opens she’s been called to the scene of a hit and run – there’s a baby fox trapped under the body, and the mother fox is giving all the emergency workers on the scene a death stare.

That’s the initial set up. The next thing: Dimpna discovers the dead body of a beautiful young woman who had been living in a trailer in a car park, gruesomely murdered. While the young woman appears to have been problematic, the disruption she’s caused to the Dingle community is not worthy of death, and her murder looks like the work of a particularly sick mind.

Because of an indiscretion, the other series mainstay, Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien, is kept to the sidelines of the case. He’s also mourning the very recent death of his mother. O’Brien is still working the case, however, with his Sergeant, Barbara Neely. While O’Brien is new to Dingle, Neely is a local. That sets the stage. The detectives are trying to untangle a case that seems drenched in myth (of the creepiest sort) and there are outbreaks of a 1944 story of a dead girl in a Wych Elm all over town.

The dead woman’s trailer mates (or the purposes of this novel, caravan mates) are confused, angry, and grieving, all at once. Their dogs and a parrot belonging to one of them have been confiscated and they are hindering rather than helping the investigation into the death of their friend. They are the noise and distraction on top of a complicated puzzle.

Some of the puzzle involves animals, especially the fox, and that brings Dimpna into the picture. She and Detective O’Brien have also struck up a very new friendship and possibly something more. The layers of character and behavior in this novel are sensitively drawn and feel true as the author creates portraits of real humans with messy lives who are nevertheless trying to do the right thing.

The mystery part is also well handled, which is no surprise, as O’Connor is a veteran with over a dozen books to her credit. What surprised me with the first book is that most of her work has been straight up cozy. These novels aren’t cozy. While they don’t wallow in darkness, they also don’t avoid complex issues which in this book include a past rape, the death of a parent, a parent with dementia, and the inevitable trouble that comes from murder.

The ultimate ending of the book, however, is mostly optimistic. There’s a belief in the ultimate strength of the human spirit. Dimpna herself is a wonderful personality, and I love the parts that take her to her veterinary practice. As I finished the novel, I completed, in my head, the title of the book: “Some of us are looking at the stars.” Complicated, intelligent, and well written – I hope this series is around for a long time.

Dimpna and Cormac work to find the person who did a hit and run on a local. Is the meteor storm a sign of trouble to come? A young woman goes to Dimpnals clinic with an injured hare, her clothes all bloody. Later she is found murdered in the woods. Are these two murders related? Between taking care of the animals and looking for clues, Dimpna has no time to lose in solving these cases.
Goodreads

Some of Us Are Looking by Carlene O'Connor is the second book in the County Kerry Series. Like the first book in the series it is a little less cozy and a little more haunting. Strange deaths and animals in danger because of old superstitions. The second murder is macabre with Dr. Dimpna Wilde at a loss in the beginning. She had contact with the victims, but this vet finds that the clues are just as strange as the deaths. The others involved in solving the deaths are just as baffled by the events too.

Some of Us Are Looking takes place in the beautiful Kerry area which seems to my mind make the deaths look even more brutal. So much beauty and such a second gruesome death. Added to this, there is a meteor shower predicted so everyone’s focus is on being able to observe the shower. Twisty turns add to this gripping if curious mystery. A story that kept me guessing until a very surprising conclusion.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is book 2 in the County Kerry series (No Strangers Here was the first). Dimpa is settling in, in her new job and dealing with her dad's dimensia, and sorting out her feelings for O'Brien. Then a matter of coincidences occure with a murder, and suddenly everyone she knows and loves is somehow involved in the case at hand, and Dimpa could loose more than her relationship with her son, when the truth of his parents relationship comes out. A fast paced cozy, this is a quick read, that will have you thrilled with this new series from Carlene, and waiting for the next one!

3.75 stars

Atmospheric mystery set in Dingle, Ireland featuring veterinarian Dimpna Wilde and crew. This is the series second and I can't think it would make much sense without having read the first book which sets up the complex back story.

Dimpna has had a lot of misfortune in her life, including rape, her husband's suicide, the loss of her business and a lot of family dysfunction. She is starting over again the in the town where she grew up, partly to be closer to her father who is declining with Alzheimer's.

A caravan of young people has caused a lot of consternation in the community. A local man is found dead by hit and run, and then the grisly murdered body of one of the caravan women is discovered. The plot is elaborate with lots of red herrings and suspects.

Dimpna's possibly more than friend police Inspector Cormac O'Brien has been removed from the investigation due to a moment's stupidity. These characters are flawed and burdened with their histories, including Dimpna. They struggle with family, old secrets, and their pasts. Dark, tortured at times, and atmospheric. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

SOME OF US ARE LOOKING is the second book in the County Kerry Mysteries by Carlene O’Connor. Central to the storyline is veterinarian Dimpna Wilde. I love her character and her caring personality, be it for animal or human. That caring personality and inquisitive nature pulls her into the investigation, and with her eye for detail, helps solve the crimes. Ms. O’Connor also captures the voice and temperament of the Irish. Her use of vernacular makes the story more realistic and helps the reader feel like they’re right there alongside Dimpna.

With an attention-grabbing opening line, I was pulled into this suspense novel and held enthralled until the last page. The author knows how to spin an edge-of-your-seat story with wonderful, complex characters, an inviting setting (a meteor shower in the Irish countryside and quaint Irish towns!), and two shocking murders. With a strong descriptive voice, the author brings the story to life and keeps the reader engaged. I’m so glad this is part of a series because I can’t wait to read the next release!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A woman is found murdered, and its Cornac's job to solve the murder. With little to go on, he looks into the deceased wonens past. This book grabbed my attention from the start.

I am a fan of a number of mysteries set in Ireland. Of course, there is Tana French. There are also Dervla McTiernan and Andrea Carter to name just two of my other favorites. Carlene O’Connor is another author whose new series , I am excited to read. This is the second title of those and it is a bit less cozy than some of the author’s other longer running series.

This is a story that can be read for its Irish setting, the characters and the mystery itself. The book opens when meteor showers/shooting stars are coming; some believe that they will bring good luck while others are not so sure. Readers can guess which predictions will be true.

The first victim is an elderly man while the second is a voluptuous young woman. She is camping with a group and the detective, Cormac was involved with one of them. How will that come back to haunt him?

In addition to the mystery there are backstories. Dimpna’s father has Alzheimer’s while Cormac’s mother has motor neuron disease and is failing. These personal situations impact the characters but do not keep these two from figuring out what has transpired.

This is a solid mystery and one that is worth a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Some of Us are Looking is the second book in the County Kerry series featuring the return of Irish vet Dimpna Wilde, Inspector Cormac O'Brian, and Sergeant Barbara Neely. These are characters featured in the first book, No Stranger Here.

Dimpna Wilde is running the veterinary clinic that her father, Eamon Wilde, had made a success of. Her father is no longer able to handle the clinic as he is suffering from Alzheimer's. She has the help of Patrick Kelly, her assistant, and Niamh her receptionist.

There was a hit-and-run at the Camp, injuring Chris Henderson, who eventually passed from his injuries. The black Audi hit him and left a mother fox injured as well. The Garda finds a baby fox in the man's jacket. Dimpna is there to take the baby fox and take it to the clinic.

A young woman, Bridget Sweeney comes into the clinic with a rabbit that she had saved from having its foot cut off. Dimpna takes the rabbit puts it in a cage and then goes off to see the meteor show with Cormac, while there he gets a call that there are two dogs running loose, apparently dangerous as they appear to have been drugged. At the same time, Cormac's mother has passed away.

The dogs are put in cages at the clinic and Cormac finds that they belong to four people in a caravan. Cormac asks her to bring the dogs the next day to the Camp. Dimpna spots something in the woods and discovers the body of Bridget Sweeney, tied to a tree and missing a hand.

There are numerous suspects especially the three people that Bridget was traveling with. So not only does Cormac have a hit and run, but what happened to Bridget, and who would do such a thing. This takes Cormac and Dimpna on a wild chase to figure out who killed these two people and why.

As was the first book in the series, No Stranger Here, the author tells a suspenseful tale. I so enjoy stories that take place in Ireland and Some of Us Are Looking is a great story that is character-driven. I eagerly wait for the next one in the series, but while I am waiting there is the Irish Village Mystery Series and Home to Ireland Series.

I enjoyed the story and I give the book 5 stars.

Some of Us Are Looking
Second book in the County Kerry Series
By Carlene O’Connor

Set in Ireland and Irish culture, O’Connor weaves a tight, tense tale of murder and revenge.

Description
In late summer, the Dingle peninsula is thronged with tourists drawn to County Kerry’s dark mountains and deep, lush valleys. For Irish vet Dimpna Wilde, who has returned to run her family’s practice after years away, home is a beautiful but complicated place—especially when it becomes the setting for a brutal murder . . .

In Dimpna Wilde’s veterinary practice, an imminent meteor shower has elevated the usual gossip to include talk of shooting stars and the watch parties that are planned all over Dingle. But there are also matters nearer at hand to discuss—including the ragtag caravan of young people selling wares by the roadside, and the shocking death of Chris Henderson, an elderly local, in a hit-and-run.

Just hours before his death, Henderson had stormed into the Garda Station, complaining loudly about the caravan’s occupants causing noise and disruption. One of their members is a beautiful young woman named Brigid Sweeney, and Dimpna is shocked when Brigid later turns up at her practice, her clothing splattered in blood and an injured hare tucked into her shirt.

Brigid claims that a mysterious stranger has been trying to obtain a lucky rabbit’s foot. Dimpna is incensed at the thought of anyone mutilating animals, but there is far worse in store. On the night of the meteor shower, Dimpna finds Brigid’s body tied to a tree, her left hand severed. She has bled to death. Wrapped around her wrist is a rabbit’s foot.

Brigid had amassed plenty of admirers, and there were tangled relationships within the group. But perhaps there is something more complex than jealousy at play. The rabbit’s foot, the severed hand, the coinciding meteor shower—the deeper Dimpna and Detective Sargeant Cormac O’Brien investigate, the more ominous the signs seem to be, laced with a warning that Dimpna fears it will prove fatal to overlook.


Some of Us Are Looking-Likes
The characters.
First is Dimpna Wilde. Dimpna is a veterinarian and she’s returned home to take over her ailing father’s practice. Dimpna has had a hard life (the story is in No Strangers Here), but she is well on her way to rebuilding it. Her practice is thriving. She may or may not have a potential relationship in the works with Detective Sargent Cormac O’Brian.

Detective Sargent Cormac O’Brian isn’t sure what to make of his relationship with Dimpna either. There’s an attraction there, he thinks, but he’s not sure. He does know he is attracted to her and really doesn’t want her to find out about his latest indiscretion, one he needs to tell Sargent Barbara Neely about and the sooner the better.

Then there’s Sargent Barbara Neely. Instead of retiring, she transferred to the Tralee Garda Station from Dingle and is now regretting her life choices. Elderly Chris Henderson, on his third visit of the week, barged into her office and announced he caught a pervert. Inspector O’Brian obviously has something he needs to tell her, but Henderson interrupted O’Brian before he had a chance to start, and now she has a circus in her office. All before lunch. She has her hands full at the start of the book, but her life is about to get much more difficult when the murders start.


The Murders
First, Chris Henderson is killed in a hit-and-run and witnesses say he was targeted. Then Dr. Wilde discovers the body of Brigid Sweeny. The beautiful young woman had been in the news and in contact with the police as a member of a caravan. Her death is a gruesome one.
Someone has also vandalized shops in Dingle. They’ve chalked messages across several of the shops referencing a cold case from 1944, in England.
The murders take place against the backdrop of the Perseid meteor shower, giving Dr. Wilde, Sargent Neely, and DS O’Brien an endless pool of suspects and a short time to solve the murders. Once the meteor shower is over, the crowds will disperse all over Ireland, the killer going with them.

I really love the immersion into Irish culture and life.

Dislikes
I didn’t really buy into the gravity of O’Brien’s indiscretion, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying this book.

My Thoughts
If you’re familiar with O’Connor’s writing through her Irish Village cozy mystery series, the County Cork series is not that. Some of Us Are Looking is darker in tone than a cozy; the murders are more brutal and more detail is on the page (but not excessive, just enough to give this reader chills). To me it has more of a traditional mystery/thriller slant, but still has Connor’s distinctive sense of humor and complex characters found in her other books. I fell in love with this series with the first book No Strangers Here, and quickly read this one. Recommended.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensington for providing a copy of #SomeOfUsAreLooking for review.

Publishing Information

Published by: Kensington
Imprint: Kensington
368 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in
ISBN: 9781496737557
ON SALE: 10/24/2023
FICTION / MYSTERY & DETECTIVE / INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY & CRIME

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for the ARC of the 2nd book in the County Kerry series! I've been looking forward to this and happy when I got the ARC after I won the first one in a giveaway last year. Once again, Dimpna and crew didn't disappoint. I love the atmosphere, I love the setting, I love all of the animals involved in the story. If anything, I did think the Caravan campers were treated a little too harshly at one point but thats just me, and I did guess who the real bad guy was right from the beginning. Other than that I still enjoyed the book a lot. I look forward to the next and hopefully a lot more after with Dimpna's adventures, family, and especially the animals!

Dimpna is a veterinarian who somehow manages to get into the middle of some local high drama, the first of which is the hit-and-run of a beloved elderly local.

Dimpna was told about the nearby caravan’s shenanigans. Then here comes Brigid, part of the caravan’s occupants clutching a bloodied hare livid with stories of someone obtaining rabbit’s feet while they are still alive. (Just the visual gave me the willies!)

Events turn even darker upon discovering the woman, herself the victim of someone who would mutilate a bunny.

The storyline gets complex quickly as Dimpna and Detective Sargeant Cormac O’Brien follow the clues. There are twists and red herrings, great support characters as well as peripheral characters that keep the narrative lively and atmospheric. The prose is spirited.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s cozy mysteries, but really liking her turn to the darker, bordering on noir storylines. Love the lore and mystery.

Recommended for those who enjoy stories written by and about Ireland or any mysteries set in an exotic locale.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

“ Some of Us Are Looking” by Carlene O’Connor it's the 2nd instalment in the County Kerry Series, grapples with life, death, friendships, and secrets…

In late summer, the Dingle peninsula is thronged with tourists drawn to County Kerry’s dark mountains and deep, lush valleys. For Irish vet Dimpna Wilde, who has returned to run her family’s practice after years away, home is a beautiful but complicated place—especially when it becomes the setting for a brutal murder . . .

The story is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in Dingle, Ireland. I’m a huge fan of the authors other mystery series set in Ireland , but her more gritty and suspenseful mystery novels are becoming my favorite.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. With so many suspects to follow I was surprised I guessed just before it was revealed.

I highly recommend this book to all my Irish Mystery loving friends. I’m hoping there will be a book three!

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Some of us are Looking by Carlene O’Connor

Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Pace: 4/5
Thriller: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

Ah, the second in the series and just as good if not better than the first. I will say that I can not honestly tell you that it can be read a a stand alone because I felt like there was more information given on Dr Wilde in the first book. But that alone may not be an issue for some readers.
The Dingle peninsula is getting more and more tourists the rocking to County Kerry’s mountains. One reason is because of a meteor shower that everyone is talking about and bringing caravans of people to watch it. However, that is the least of the problems there. A resident Chris Henderson was killed by a hit and run accident. Shortly before his death though, he had complained about a caravan of tourists that were being very loud and obnoxious. One of the occupants of the caravan had gone to Dimpna Wilde’s vet practice covered in blood and hoping to mutilate a bunny rabbit she was holding to get its paw. Of course that was not going to happen in Dr. Wilde’s office. Then on the night that the meteor shower played across the sky, Dr. Wilde finds a body and it turns out that it is the woman, Brigid Sweeney, who wanted the rabbits foot. But she was tied to a tree with her left hand severed, and dead due to loss of blood and a rabbits foot around her wrist. Who would want Ms. Sweeney dead and why? Did the caravan she was in have anything to do with the death of elderly Chris Henderson? This was a brilliant story told with depth and suspense. The characters were well developed and flawed the author was careful enough to not let on too much right away. The suspense built at a great pace that kept me enthralled in the book until the end.

Release date October 24 2023!! This is definitely one to buy.

Thank you to the author and publisher as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Some of Us Are Looking is the second in the County Kerry Novel series. I read the first book, No Stranger Here" and enjoyed it very much. It take place on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland. Dr. Dimpna Wilde is a vet who has come home from Dublin to run his father, Eamon Wilde, clinic as he has dementia. Patrick Kelly is her assistant along with her receptionist, Niamh.

Chris Henderson comes into the Tralee Garda station and complains about a black Audi that a man was peeking through binoculars at Bridget Sweeney a young girl living in the caravan in Camp. Inspector Cormac O'Brian and Sergeant Barbara Neely listen to his story. They get a call that there is a commotion in town because there are sayings written in chalk on buildings saying "Who put Bella in the Witch Elm?" and on another building "The Hand of Glory". Neely remembered that in England there was also the same saying. A woman had been found in a wych tree in Hagley Woods. The Skelton was never identified. The other saying meant the man who did the deed.

After taking care of the shops Neely got a phone call that there was a hit and run at the Camp, Chris Henderson was dead, The witnesses said that there was a black Audi following him and then hit him. When examining Chris they found a bay fox in his shirt. The mother fox was on the other side of the road in shock. They call Dimpna and she comes and takes the foxes to her clinic. She plans to operate on the baby fox as it has broken bones. The mother fox has swelling of the brain but does not make it. The road is known as a fox crossing. What was Chris doing on that road?

Everyone in the town is excited as there is going to be a meteor shower that night and everyone planned to go.
Just before Dimpna leaves to watch with her associates Bridget Sweeney comes into the clinic carrying a rabbit and carrying a knife. She has a jacket on that is covered in blood. She is telling Dimpna that she found the rabbit with a man trying to cut the foot off. Asked her to call the guards. Dimpna takes the rabbit into the clinic but finds that the cut on the rabbit is not life threatening. Bridget gets upset when talking to Dimpna and leaves. Dimpna puts the rabbit in a cage and goes to meet her associates to watch the meteor. Later Cormac meets Dimpna and sits with her. She tells him about Bridget and the rabbit. While there Comac gets a call that two dogs are chasing cars and seem drunk. He goes and after seeing them calls Dimpna and sends them to her. She suspects that they have been drugged and puts them in the kennel across from the clinic. He tells her that to bring the dogs to the caravan as they belong to the four people in the caravan. He will met her there.

The next day Dimpna brings the dogs but Comac is not there. After waiting awhile she puts the dogs back in her van. She notices a blue spot near the woods and remembers that Bridget wore a blue dress the night before and goes to investigates. She finds her tied to a tree dead with her left hand cut off and a rabbit foot tied to her wrist. She calls 911. She is in shock because of the brutality of Bridget's death.

This is where the story takes off and is too much to put on paper. I will leave the adventure to the reader to enjoy. There is so much suspense of finding who killed both Bridget and Chris with all kinds of twists and turns to the surprising final climax.

I really enjoyed the story. It kept me guessing to the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.

This is the second book in the series. No problem reading it as a stand-alone.
Having read both books I think you might want to read the first book prior to this one. Having knowledge of Dimpna past will make you more interested in the various characters.
Detective Sargeant Cormac O’Brien is dealing with the death of his mother but cannot start the grieving process until his two cases (the hit and run killing of an old man and the brutal murder of a young girl) are solved. If this is not enough, he has a tough time understanding his feelings for Dimpna.
Dimpna herself is not sure how she feels about him. So far, her luck in relationships has not been good so understandable she is hesitant to show her emotions.
Her constant worry about her son, who seems increasingly trying to connect to his father’s family, leaves a bitter taste in her mouth and uncertainty about how to manage the situation.

While I love O'connor's cozy Irish pub series, this darker murder mystery is a great read as well. This series finds the characters in the Dingle pennisula, where villagers and visitors await the spectacular shooting star event. When a local turns up dead, fears mount but then a young, beautiful visitor is found dead too. Detective sergeant Cormac O"Brien must race to solve the murders, before more lives are lost.

This is the first book I read by Carlene and I couldn’t put it down. I never knew what to expect when I turned the page. I didn’t realize this was book number two ,I unfortunately haven’t read the first one but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything but not reading the first book. Thank you NetGalley, Carlene and Kensington Books for the ARC!

The second book in the County Kerry series sees DI Cormac O’Brien sidelined due to an indiscretion and his mam's death when a caravaner turns up dead. Of course, Dr. Dimpna Wilde stumbled over the body and gets pulled into the investigation. And, as if her life weren’t complicated enough, her father has taken to carrying around a stuffed (as in taxidermy) fox that he won’t let out of his sight, and her son has moved into his half-sister’s house. I thought that this wasn’t as strong as the first book in the series (I’m hoping that’s just a sophomore slump), but worth putting on your TBR list!

Thanks to Kensington for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

While I enjoy Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village mysteries, and her last one, Murder at an Irish Bakery, was the best yet, I’m drawn to her darker County Kerry series. Some of Us Are Looking is the second one to feature Irish veterinarian Dimpna Wilde and Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien. Both characters deal with personal problems. There’s a spark between the two of them, but the closest they’ve come to igniting it is at trad performances in local pubs.

But, Bridget Sweeney and her three companions who are staying in a caravan in the small town of Camp have no problem igniting people. Bridget delights in dancing and teasing men. Her companions have two dogs and a parrot, and the locals seem upset with the group. In fact, Chris Henderson complains to the Garda, saying some man is staring at Bridget. The police ignore Henderson as they deal with the vandalism of local shops. But, Henderson may have known more than he said because someone in a black Audi runs him down in the road when he’s trying to protect two foxes.

Cormac’s guilty feelings mean he can’t take the lead in the investigation into Henderson’s death. Before anything occurred, he became involved with one of the women in the caravan. Now, there’s a murder, and they’re suspects. He has to confess what he did to Sergeant Barbara Neely so she’ll take over. And, the entire messy situation just gets worse as Dr. Wilde is dragged into the case. She’s trying to care for the foxes. That night, as she tries to leave to watch the meteor shower, Bridget shows up at the office, with a jacket covered in blood, a knife, and a wild story about a rabbit. When she’s supposed to meet Cormac at the caravan the next day, Dimpna finds a body instead, a body tied to a tree, missing a hand, with a rabbit’s foot in its place.

Cormac tries to play second fiddle to Sergeant Neely, but he’s yearning to step in as lead detective. He believes in evil people, and everything he sees in this case indicates the killer is an evil, brutal murderer. The police face a group of enraged, scared townspeople who want revenge for Henderson’s death. But, they don’t know the terrible things the killer did to the second victim. And, the more Dimpna is dragged into the case to deal with animals and local residents, the worse she feels. It’s a complex case that will only continue to stir up trouble for residents of Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula.

O’Connor is very clever in bringing back an early incident as part of the violent conclusion of the story. I’d forgotten about it. Cormac’s emotional turmoil involving his personal life, and Dimpna’s family issues are just more complications in this dark series. Some of Us Are Looking is tumultuous and violent, and, in the end, satisfying.