Mercy and Lizzie are still getting used to life in Ireland. A large book festival is being held in town and both women are busy with the happenings. When an author is murdered and then his agent, Mercy begins asking questions. This second book does not disappoint! The characters continue to evolve and the mystery is centered around men who were buddies throughout their school years. The pace of the book was perfect with the least likely person ending up as the killer.
I received an ARC of this book in return for a review.

A great cozy mystery! Second book in the series, it picks up after the first book with Mercy and twin sister adjusting to life in Ireland. With lots of characters that were suspects, it kept me reading and wanting Mercy to solve the mystery once again. I look forward to the next book!

I like the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing. I look forward to what will happen next.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Irish scones, shamrock shortbread, a local literary festival… and a rather dead author? Join Mercy McCarthy on her next case!

Well, with that blurb, I dove straight in!

Mercy and Lizzie are working at a book festival that Lizzie has organized in the delightful village of Shamrock Cove, on the west coast in Ireland. Just that much should have you grabbing a cuppa and a comfy chair to curl up in.

When the brash, rude, and otherwise pompous author, James Brandt is found dead in his cottage. Under a bookshelf….hmmm.

Of course it’s murder. No matter what the police think. But the busybodies of the village are pointing fingers at Mercy herself. And when the next body is found, she is going to have to work to get herself out of a fix.

This is such a great cozy! All of the ingredients are there. Books, Bookstores, Murder, Ireland…this is a hit.


NetGalley/ Bookouture November 12, 2024

When diva author James Brandt returns home to Shamrock Cove for the first time in years to take part in the towns 10 day literary festival he and his agent quickly get under the skin of both mystery writer Mercy McCarthy and her twin sister Lizzie (the owner of the local bookstore where many of the festival events are taking place). When Mercy finds James dead no one seems to mourn his passing much, but Mercy just isn’t comfortable with it letting it go. When a second death happens soon after, this time in her sister’s shop, she becomes determined to clear themselves of any suspicion. Book two of this series has Mercy collaborating with Detective Inspector Kieran again, and getting help in sorting out the dead author’s troublesome past from her friends and neighbors in this charming coastal Irish village, Pub scenes with the twins enjoying a pint with their freshly baked pot pies, dinners with their gourmet chef neighbor in his thatched roof cottage, and seaside walks set the scene perfectly, and now they’ve adopted a dog, the author certainly made me enjoy being in Mercy and Lizzie’s world despite the murders. The ongoing mystery of their grandfathers treasure, their missing father and Mercy’s feeling of being watched sometimes add another dimension to her story, we’ll see where that takes us in book 3! There were just enough suspects, and questions about possible motives to keep me guessing while I read this enjoyable book. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, a charming Irish setting and bookstores this is definitely a series for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy, I’ve already begun to follow the author since I look forward to the next book to see where Mercy’s penchant for finding dead bodies leads to next!

Continue to enjoy this series about two sisters who inherit a book store in England. The gals are hosting an author event complete with book signings in this village. When one of the authors become rude and cantankerous toward both locals and the other authors, we know that something is up. The author originally is from the little town and perhaps there is someone from the past who wants to get even! The author turns up dead and the sleuthing beings. A very fun read! Thanks to NetGalley!

The sisters stumble upon the dead body of a not so nice author. Mercy can't resist to poke her nose into the investigation. I loved this book. Nice writing style, easy to read, a good story, a nice setting and likeable characters. This is a very good sequel. I'm already looking forward to the next story and I'm sure it will be another fun read.
I received an advance review copy via NetGalley/ and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.

This book was amazing. I loved book one and getting to meet the characters. Loved seeing the next part of Mercy and Lizzie's journey in Ireland. I've been so slow reading other books, but this book drew me on and I read it so quickly. Highly recommend.

I really enjoy a good cozy mystery, and this is one of the best I've discovered this year. While it is the second book in the series, I can honestly say it works well as a standalone since I have not read the first book yet, and I was easily able to pick up where the characters lives were currently.

Moreover, i did enjoy the interesting mix of characters with many different personalities. I also thought the mystery itself was well done with a few hints thrown out there and enough red herrings to keep me guessing.

A plus plus--5 STARS.

"Death by the Book (Mercy McCarthy Mystery #2)" by Lucy Connelly takes place when Mercy's new hometown in Ireland is hosting a 9 day book festival. Each day seems to be dedicated to a different genre of books. Another mystery writer is there to sign and talk about his books. He is also from the town, so a bit of a homecoming for him. Too bad he, and his manager, are total jerks.

We all know what that means. At least one of them ends up dead. Mercy actually gets included in some of the investigation. The detective figures that if he includes her then she'll be less likely to go off on her own and get into trouble. This mostly works, until it doesn't. In the end, the culprit wasn't exactly who I was expecting it to be but they were in the realm of possibility.

Death by the book is the second book in the Mercy McCarthy Mystery series. Although I enjoyed the first one, I felt that this book was even better and I really got into it. Of course, a big part of that is that I now know the characters, which always helps.
This time Mercy finds herself investigating the death of a fellow author. Unlike Mercy though, this author isn't particularly well-liked and thinks an awful lot of himself. His equally awful agent doesn't help matters causing problems at the literary festival that Mercy and her sister are involved in organising.
I enjoyed the mystery here and although it wasn't one that I managed to solve, I could follow most of the clues and hints and almost reach the right conclusion.
The setting of these books is a small town in Ireland and the bookshop that Mercy and her sister have inherited from their grandfather. There is a mystery here as well, as neith fo them knew their father or his family and hints seem to be appearing slowly as we move through each book. I don't know when we'll find out more about this particular mystery, but I'm enjoying the way that it's unfolding as each book comes along. This is a great new series and one I'm glad that I started.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

So admittedly, I do love Lucy Connelly books. I make it a habit to buy and read every one of them, and I did enjoy Death By the Book, a Mercy McCarthy Mystery, Book 2. This was a fun addition to this new series, which is set in Shamrock Cove, in small town Ireland. These mysteries are enjoyable, with well-defined characters, and a terrific dog, Mr. Poe. The setting in a literary festival, largely held in Lizzie's book store. Mercy is on hand to help her twin sister, Mercy. Both are able to judge people and so solving a murder is easy for them.

Death By the Book is clever, with good clues, and plenty of red Herrings, and several villains, whom readers will love to hate. Although Death By the Book is Book 2 in this series, it could stand alone if necessary. But I do encourage readers to read book 1, An Irish Bookshop Murder, which provides a great crime, and an introduction to Shamrock Cove and all the essential characters. I am a sucker for a cozy mystery set in Ireland (or Scotland or anywhere in the UK), and the literary festival was the perfect setting. I am definitely looking forward to Book 3!

Thanks you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. Obviously, I am recommending Death By the Book.

Literary British Cozy Mystery features an American crime writer who helps her twin sister run their Irish antique bookshop turns sleuth after a literary festival's star author's killed.

5/5 stars: This is the second entry in Connelly's Mercy McCarthy Mystery series which is a Literary British Cozy Mystery set in Ireland and features an American crime writer who helps her identical twin sister run their Irish antique bookshop. When the rude star author of the local literary festival is killed and her dog finds another body in the storeroom of their bookstore, she knows she must act fast to clear her and her sister's names. With too many suspects and only a tatty old photograph for a clue can she play this case by the book or will she be the next to die? With plenty of twists and turns, Connelly has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Connelly's writing and character work are brilliant; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's great to catch up with Mercy, her sister Lizzie, the townsfolk of Shamrock Cove and their neighbors on the court. Mercy's a tough lady and I really love how she and her sister Lizzie take care of each other, especially as Lizzie's still dealing with the loss of her fiance and his child and suffers panic attacks. Additionally, it's great to see the growth of Mercy's relationship with Kieran, the local detective inspector. Oh and one mustn't forget Mercy and Lizzie's adorably intuitive dog, Mr Poe. Connelly touches on some sensitive topics, so take care and the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, An Irish Bookshop Murder.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

An absolute page turner. The curiosity keeps you hooked on to the book. The twists are awesome and the story unique. Characters are awesome and pace is fast of the story. Loved this book.

Mercy and Lizzie, American transplants to Ireland, are tripping over dead bodies again. This time the are involved in a really long book festival and the star author of the event is found dead. This is book 2 of the series and we sadly don’t see as much of their interesting neighbors in this one, but Mr. Poe the dog does a lot of the detecting. A very complicated plot with lots of suspects and a backstory going back to the dead author’s childhood made this a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this DRC.
#DeathbytheBook #NetGalley

“Death by the Book ” by Lucy Connelly the 2nd instalment in the " A Mercy McCarthy Mystery" series. I enjoyed this book and think it’s a great sequel to this series. Irish scones, shamrock shortbread, a local literary festival… and a rather dead author?

I really enjoyed visiting Shamrock Cove, Ireland again and the cottages on the court. I enjoy the relationship between Mercy and Lizzie, although I noted some repetitive themes, such as Mercy's concerns about Lizzie's fragility (also present in book 1). Thankfully, this didn't detract from my enjoyment. I loved watching the sisters embrace their new life in Ireland and become integral to the 'Court' family.

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Mercy did.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 3 to come out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

This was a strong sequel in the Mercy McCarthy Mystery series, it had that element that I wanted from the first book. The characters had that overall feel that I was looking for and worked with solving this mystery element. I enjoyed getting to read this as the plot was wonderfully done. Lucy Connelly was able to create a great story and left me wanting more.

It was definitely fun to go back to Ireland to spend time with the McCarthy twins. Mercy and Lizzie are in the middle of a big literary festival in their adopted home of Shamrock Cove. Mercy as a guest author and panelist and Lizzie's bookstore as the center of a lot of events. The guest of honor is a local who has become an Irish author of some note, but James Brandt had never returned home until now. Determined to be disagreeable and better than the rest, it is still surprising when Mercy and Lizzie find him dead in the guest cottage he had been assigned after he failed to show up for a signing. When his agent shows up dead in the bookstore the next day, you know Mercy's curiosity and concern for her sister will lead her to assist her friend Kieran, the local Detective Inspector in finding out what is going on. Unfortunately, digging into the author's past also includes stirring up some things on prominent citizens, including the current major, who may not be too happy about that. It's definitely a twisty, turny tale that will keep the pages flipping! Thanks to #Netgally, #Bookouture, and the author for a chance to read! #DeathbytheBook #MercyMcCarthyMystery #LucyConnelly #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Death by the Book, the second in Lucy Connelly's Mercy McCarthy Mysteries, is a captivating cozy mystery that delivers on all fronts. Set during a book festival in the charming Irish village of Shamrock Cove, the story follows identical twins - one of whom is a mystery author - as they get entangled in a murder investigation. With a prima donna author, a furry companion named Mr. Poe, and plenty of twists, it’s a delight for cozy mystery lovers.

Though the first victim is easy to predict, the discovery of mysterious manuscripts and another murder within the publishing world add layers of intrigue. Mercy’s fear that her New York stalker has followed her to Ireland brings a gripping sense of suspense, making the mystery even more thrilling.

As the investigation unfolds, suspects range from a reclusive professor to the town’s mayor, with plot twists keeping the pages turning. Connelly’s storytelling is superb, with excellent pacing and a richly atmospheric setting. If you're seeking an engaging, Irish-set cozy, this book is a must-read!

Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are enjoying living in Shamrock Cove in Ireland. Lizzie runs the bookshop and is organizing a book festival and Mercy is a published author. But when the event’s main speaker is found dead the town thinks that Mercy is the killer. Fun new mystery series!