Two murders set in the same small village in Ireland,one in the past ,one in the present. A lot of unresolved issues confuse things but we get there in the end. A good read.

I have a fair few memories of time spent in small towns in Southern Ireland so the location of Sheila Bugler's twisty tale was familiar to me - although I'd yet to witness a murder in one (time still allows!) Here the fictional town juts against the sweep of the Atlantic and has that dark brooding foreboding that instils fear.
Here Leah Ryan returns from her high earning high life in Sydney Australia after many years to her ill mother and despairing brother Frank She immediately finds herself transported to a traumatic childhood and friends who have not moved on in revenge and resentment. It took a little time to line up all the characters but once a murder took place we were propelled as readers into a scary journey with lies and deception. There was light relief for Leah in an evolving romance with Gerry Spillane the well named Garda detective, as the various twists of family ties and identities unravel.
Overall a great thriller that elevates itself from many an angst ridden Irish novel, although without that typical funerial and religious overtones of sin. Real terror in a real world. Beware those who may be friends.

Fabulous mystery set in the fictional town of Dungarry on the west coast of Ireland. The story of historical unsolved murders is told through the voice of Leah in dual timelines. Secrets and complex relationships keep on unfolding and telling the reader just little bit more to keep on guessing. The characters of Leah and Frank are troubled through their traumatic childhood so there are strong themes if family and friendships throughout. The deacriptio s of the weather and particularly the sunrises are glorious and add to the mood of the story. I loved it.

Well Executed..
When Leah Ryan makes a return to her small home town in Ireland after twenty years she knows that nothing will be straightforward, that her reception may be less than joyous. What she doesn’t expect is a murder that is way too close to home. Long held secrets and lies may well out. Well executed suspense with many intertwining threads, a deftly drawn cast, a well imagined sense of place and a slow burn plot populated with unexpected twists.

I love stories where the protagonist has to return to her small hometown and deal with some drama or a mystery. This one starts out with the crisis immediately when Leah comes home after 18 years abroad. She basically abandoned her mom and brother. Her mom was injured in a hit and run before she left and suffered brain damage. Her brother is the caregiver.
So she comes back and the first item on her agenda is to meet her former best friends.
But oh no. Her bestie isn't there! Her bestie's twin just died. Also her is married to the friend who did show up. Now Leah has to break the news. like "hi I haven't been home in 18 years. Your husband is dead. How about some wine?"
Awkward. No wonder she hasn't been home.
Anyway she has a lot of weird stuff to deal with and it was fun being along for the ride. I loved the setting.

This was my first Sheila Bugler and it definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed this Irish mystery thriller and it held my interest at a fast pace. I liked that it was written in both before and after, I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out who was responsible for the past events which shaped the futures. Thank you NetGalley and Canelo

Second book I have read from this author. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

A quick read with two threads. An historical disappearance meaning that two families have been at odds for decades. A marriage should be bringing them together but the old story is brought to the fore and a murder occurs. Everyone has something to hide and everyone is a suspect. Descriptions of an Irish small town are spot on. 3.5* rounded up.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I raced through this book which was very easy to read,

I needed to get to the end to find out what had happened to Eamon and who was responsible for Mary's accident.

4 stars

thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

A very interesting book. Different then most thrillers but not a bad thing. Not too long, and a easy read. Id say this one was a more of a psychological and how you perseve it all. Try it out for yourself you'll see. Hopefully you enjoy it also!

Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler is set in County Clare in Ireland. Leah Ryan has lived the past 18 years in Australia, working as a corporate lawyer. Leah’s Mum, Mary, was injured in a car accident about 20 years ago, the same night a murder was carried out. It is thought the murderer was Seamus O’Malley until his body was found at a later time. Leah returns to Ireland only to find her friend Coco’s husband, Seamus, has been murdered the night she arrives. Chapters are split before and after and I liked this. There is so much tension and so many secrets that slowly start coming to the surface. Until towards the end, I had no idea what was going on, and who was responsible, with the secrets and clues being drip-fed. The characters, with all their insecurities, add so much to the tension too. There are a few heart in the mouth moments and it is a bit sad at times as we see the lives that are destroyed. A fabulous read.

A very good, well written thriller set in Ireland, which was like a bit of a rollercoaster in that once I started reading, I wanted to keep going right until the very end. Written from two points of view, before and after, this worked really well. I loved Leah's character as she returns home from Australia after an 18 year absence. With interesting, clever plotting, this is an excellent thriller which I would recommend to lovers of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo Crime for a copy of "Dark Road Home" in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story is told in two voices one "Before" and the other in the "current" time. An unnamed narrator starts the story with a hit and run of Mary Ryan and the possible killing/disappearance of Seamus O'Malley.

Leah Ryan returns to Dungarry, Ireland - a place she left 18 years ago and has never returned since. Her brother Frank has been carrying for their mother who was left with brain damage when she was hit by a car and left there. Leah is supposed to meet her friend Aisling in Dublin but when she can't find her she learns that tragedy has struck Aisling's twin brother Eamon Lonergan. Leah has to tell her childhood friend Coco that her husband has been murdered.

Coco was the new girl in school and was very good at getting her own way. Driving a wedge between friends, being very sly about what she was doing.

DI Peter Cahill and DS Gerry Spillane are assigned the case. When Frank is arrested Leah steps in as his lawyer and vows to find out who really killed Eamon and why. There are a many characters to keep straight in the story and the two different timelines. It takes a while for the story to get going but once it does, it becomes a thrill ride to see if Leah will be able to help her brother and her friend Aisling. More people lose their lives as the killer tries to cover their tracks and prevent Leah from uncovering the connection between the past and the present. When the reader learns what actually happened and who the guilty party is it will come as an unexpected surprise. All the story threads are woven together neatly and we learn what happened in the past and how it changed the present.

3.5 🌟

I flew through this.
It was SO readable.
A smallish cast of characters that meant at some point I could suspect everyone and still be right.
Good twists and turns.
An enjoyable few hours were spent here.