Murder On The Rocks!

by Sherry Marie Gallagher

It's Felly van Vliet’s inquisitive nature that involves her in the unravelling of a double murder, and she finds herself under the spell of a colourful set of locals as she tries to make sense of it all. Crime, romance, a taste of culture and character of native Ireland are woven throughout this fun and enjoyable read. Good craic!

290 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2010

About the author

Born into post-WWII affluence and brought up on-stage, I ended my youthful dreaming by living in communes and artists' colonies before returning to university where I went on to teach in the alternative school system before entering graduate school and then teaching at university level.
Before meeting and marrying a Netherlander, I was thrilled to be asked to teach at Russia's Moscow State University. I was afterwards asked to join an international program at the Agricultural University in Beijing, China and then later as foreign faculty at Beijing's Language and Cultural University.
These experiences have inspired me to create fictional setting for the rich cultural experiences I've been privileged to have while living and working among the locals inhabitants.

'Boulder Blues' is my first novel to receive any kind of critical acclaim. I then wrote 'Dancing Spoons and Khachapuri', which about the struggle into adulthood of a Russian youth whose mother dies and leaves her with an expat professor father and babushka who holds keys to family secrets in a changing Russia. Themes explored and addressed are fragmented Eastern family relationships in a surreal world of modern economic collapse.

The Felly van Vliet mysteries comprise a four-part mystery series, which begins in Ireland where an amateur sleuthing Dutch professor invited to lecture at a faculty seminar falls in love with a member of the local Garda. With Kieran now on board, Felly ends up entangling him in all sorts of mishaps. In 'Death By Chopstick', protagonist Felly travels to Beijing, China and looks into the suspicious death of an expat colleague. 'The Poisoned Tree' and 'Betrayal Of Bosch' are written after Felly returns to the Netherlands. With the continued aid of Kieran, she and her students investigate mishaps and mysteries as the reader is immersed in the descriptive landscapes and cultures of the differing Dutch provinces.

'Uncommon Boundaries' and 'Beyond Uncommon Boundaries' are composites of short stories, poetry and song put together during a time struggling with a terminal illness no longer present.

Neither fame nor fortune can buy the joy of living life with each day a gift to wake up with a smile at still being here - alive and well on this pretty blue rock we call Earth.
I can honestly say that after living over two decades as a European citizen, I enjoy all the precious moments spent with family, friends ...and a special British Shorthair cat, Mr Bernie.

As for current projects, a memoir is in the works!

Reviews

[Douglas Noakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the inaugural Felly Van Vilet mystery in Sherry Marie Gallegher's series of books about a language professor who has a definite aptitude for getting to the bottom of dirty dealings. The Dutch academic/sleuth finds herself in Youghal, Ireland, in the southern coastal part of the Republic. She is trying to undo the arrest of a local man picked up for strangling a young woman he once had a romance with, and also solve a second mysterious death of a rather unpleasant university administrator known to the Irish faculty (for which Felly is a visiting prof) as "The Cockroach."

Felly is a smart, beautiful Dutch woman (from the University of Leiden) and only there for a semester so she has to solve the case as an outsider by carefully questioning her colleagues at the school--navigating the usual office back-biting and half-truthing that goes on among adults in a professional job site. There is also an insular clan of mistrusting and potentially dangerous locals who don't take to strangers much (some of whom know more about the deaths than they will admit).

Along the way she finds herself falling in love with a Kiernan, a detective inspector in the Irish Guard, and they pursue leads to the case that take them from the backstreet nightlife of Dublin to the pubs of Killarney and other environs. The school itself has students from all over Europe and shows how cosmopolitan Ireland is, even outside the major cities.

One of the best features of MURDER ON THE ROCKS is how much material there is on the modern customs and social life of young Irish folks. A mystery wouldn't be a mystery of course without some danger and shady customers who are not what they pose to be. All in all, this is a novel rich in authentic details and procedures that will keep readers guessing throughout this delightful journey.

[Sherry Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felly van Vliet is a twin who becomes unwittingly involved in a crime scene when invited as a guest lecturer at a college in Youghal, Ireland, a sleep harbour town of County Cork. She follows her curiosity to unravel the mystery of, not one, but two murders. It doesn’t take long to find herself under the spell of the colourful locals where one, in particular has caught her eye, a handsome local Garda.

[Sherry Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the sleepy harbour village of Youghal, Ireland - a puzzling murder involves a young Dutch professor who's been invited to a local community college as guest lecturer. She is taken instead on an adventure, caught up in the unravelling of a double murder while under the spell of a colourful set of locals. Crime, romance, a taste of culture and character of native Ireland are woven throughout this fun and enjoyable read. Good craic!

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining fun read about a Maine island innkeeper who solves mysteries when she's not baking yummy goodies!