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County Cork Mystery #1
Buried in a Bog
National bestselling and Agatha Award-nominated author Sheila Connolly introduces a brand-new series set in a small village in County Cork, Ireland, where buried secrets are about to rise to the surface...
Honoring the wish of her late grandmother, Maura Donovan visits the small Irish village where her Gran was born—though she never expected to get bogged down in a murder mystery. Nor had she planned to take a job in one of the local pubs, but she finds herself excited to get to know the people who knew her Gran.
In the pub, she’s swamped with drink orders as everyone in town gathers to talk about the recent discovery of a nearly one-hundred-year-old body in a nearby bog. When Maura realizes she may know something about the dead man—and that the body’s connected to another, more recent, death—she fears she’s about to become mired in a homicide investigation. After she discovers the death is connected to another from almost a century earlier, Maura has a sinking feeling she may really be getting in over her head...
A New York Times bestseller!
Honoring the wish of her late grandmother, Maura Donovan visits the small Irish village where her Gran was born—though she never expected to get bogged down in a murder mystery. Nor had she planned to take a job in one of the local pubs, but she finds herself excited to get to know the people who knew her Gran.
In the pub, she’s swamped with drink orders as everyone in town gathers to talk about the recent discovery of a nearly one-hundred-year-old body in a nearby bog. When Maura realizes she may know something about the dead man—and that the body’s connected to another, more recent, death—she fears she’s about to become mired in a homicide investigation. After she discovers the death is connected to another from almost a century earlier, Maura has a sinking feeling she may really be getting in over her head...
A New York Times bestseller!
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 5, 2013
662 people are currently reading
4354 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Connolly
65 books1,389 followersSheila Connolly taught art history, structured and marketed municipal bonds for major cities, worked as a staff member on two statewide political campaigns, and served as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations. She also managed her own consulting company providing genealogical research services.
She was a member of Sisters in Crime-New England (president 2011), the national Sisters in Crime, and the fabulous on-line SinC chapter, the Guppies. She also belonged to Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Sheila was Regent of her local DAR chapter, and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was also the grandchild of Irish immigrants. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loved restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling.
She was a member of Sisters in Crime-New England (president 2011), the national Sisters in Crime, and the fabulous on-line SinC chapter, the Guppies. She also belonged to Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Sheila was Regent of her local DAR chapter, and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was also the grandchild of Irish immigrants. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loved restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 879 reviews
March 5, 2013
I really wanted to like the main character in this new series, an American girl transplanted to Ireland. To fulfill her beloved grandmother last wishes, she goes to learn about her family's roots and of course has some purely Irish excitement along the way. But I just couldn't get past her constantly negative attitude. Can you really spend your entire life thinking that everyone has an ulterior motive? And I have a feeling that even someone who grew up on the rough streets of South Boston might be a wee bit more shaken up by the violent incidents that befall her. She really gave me no reason to root for her.
The descriptions of the Irish landscape are spot on, as well as those of daily life in the countryside and of Irish traditions. It's pretty much the only reason I kept reading. The door is open for this to be an interesting, unique series. I just hope the heroine becomes more likeable - it will make for a much more enjoyable story.
The descriptions of the Irish landscape are spot on, as well as those of daily life in the countryside and of Irish traditions. It's pretty much the only reason I kept reading. The door is open for this to be an interesting, unique series. I just hope the heroine becomes more likeable - it will make for a much more enjoyable story.
March 7, 2013
A horribly unlikeable protagonist ruins the sometimes lively secondary characters, setting, and mostly engaging though somewhat repetitive and slow plot. At one point Maura, our constantly negative main character, ponders on whether or not she is bitter. The answer is unequivocally yes. The book's narration would have you believe that Boston is a veritable hell on Earth filled with shallow and selfish people prone to criminal acts. Maura would have you believe that she has had the hardest of hard lives that there ever was with little hope for happiness or change. All of the negativity and overreactions on Maura's part were oppressive. There were moments when my mind sighed over her inner monologue and her outward actions. There was also a mystery and Ireland.
January 28, 2019
If you're of Irish descent as I am, this cozy mystery is an extra delight to read. There's lots of Irish culture, lore, and history along with a nifty mystery. Throw in a plucky heroine, and what's there not to like?
October 30, 2019
Last book for Halloween bingo. Not much to say except that this book ended up aggravating me the whole time. The lead in the book, Maura, is nasty to pretty much everyone and sits around judging how small town the village of Leap is and how one of the villagers, a teenager named Rose, needs to do more with her life instead of working in a pub. Throw in a mystery of a young man who seems out to get Maura for no good reason and a body found in a bog, I was just ready to be done with this one. The book felt endless after a while and reading about cleaning, clothes, tea making, and other things in this book just made the overall flow painful. This is the first book in a series I have no intention of continuing.
"Buried in a Bog" follows 25 year old Maura Donovan who returns to Ireland following the wish of her recently deceased grandmother. Maura was born and raised in Boston and after her grandmother's passing realizes she doesn't have anything going on in her own life. She plans on traveling to the village of Leap for just a week to honor her grandmother and return home. Instead, Maura ends up meeting a lot of people who tell her stories of her grandmother, her grandfather, and even her deceased father. She starts working in a local pub and wonders if she should stay. If that's not enough a dead body is found in a bog that may have some connections to those who live nearby. On top of that a mysterious young man seems hellbent on stalking and trying to scare Maura for some reason unknown to her.
So Maura was a piece of work. She herself didn't go to college and is working at bars in Boston, but she sure had time enough to look down upon everyone she meets. She doesn't like the fact that a young man near her age, Mick, is just working at the pub. She wonders why he hasn't moved away and even when he tells her he is there for his grandmother and to keep an eye on her she acts like people don't sometimes delays things to take care of elderly relatives. Maura has the same opinion about a teenager named Rose who has gotten her Leaving Certificate but has no interest in moving away and doing anything else. The character started to put my nose out of joint but it got worse when there's a throwaway line that Maura has about at least the Irish are better than how Americans act since they (Americans) just expect jobs to be given to them by the government along with money.
Moving on. Can't say much about the other characters because except for two of them, Maura is sitting around judging everyone. When she starts getting stalked how she talks to the police in Leap would have had her cursed out if she was a woman of color.
The writing was painful after a while. Connolly stays focused too much on describing every freaking thing that is happening and what Maura is eating, smelling, seeing. Everything became tedious after a while. Also she keeps going on and on about how she needs to get clothes and or wash the clothes she brought for a really long time. I think that's what I should have called the title of this review, "Everything Goes On For A Really Long Time." The flow was awful.
The setting of Leap could have worked if I didn't want to bludgeon the lead.
The ending was a big whatever to me. It made zero freaking sense, but it's a way to keep the character there for the series. This is the second cozy mystery series of Connolly I have read and I swear she must say to herself that cozy mysteries equal unlikable female character cause she did the same thing in her Orchard series which caused me to stop reading that one after a while too.
"Buried in a Bog" follows 25 year old Maura Donovan who returns to Ireland following the wish of her recently deceased grandmother. Maura was born and raised in Boston and after her grandmother's passing realizes she doesn't have anything going on in her own life. She plans on traveling to the village of Leap for just a week to honor her grandmother and return home. Instead, Maura ends up meeting a lot of people who tell her stories of her grandmother, her grandfather, and even her deceased father. She starts working in a local pub and wonders if she should stay. If that's not enough a dead body is found in a bog that may have some connections to those who live nearby. On top of that a mysterious young man seems hellbent on stalking and trying to scare Maura for some reason unknown to her.
So Maura was a piece of work. She herself didn't go to college and is working at bars in Boston, but she sure had time enough to look down upon everyone she meets. She doesn't like the fact that a young man near her age, Mick, is just working at the pub. She wonders why he hasn't moved away and even when he tells her he is there for his grandmother and to keep an eye on her she acts like people don't sometimes delays things to take care of elderly relatives. Maura has the same opinion about a teenager named Rose who has gotten her Leaving Certificate but has no interest in moving away and doing anything else. The character started to put my nose out of joint but it got worse when there's a throwaway line that Maura has about at least the Irish are better than how Americans act since they (Americans) just expect jobs to be given to them by the government along with money.
Moving on. Can't say much about the other characters because except for two of them, Maura is sitting around judging everyone. When she starts getting stalked how she talks to the police in Leap would have had her cursed out if she was a woman of color.
The writing was painful after a while. Connolly stays focused too much on describing every freaking thing that is happening and what Maura is eating, smelling, seeing. Everything became tedious after a while. Also she keeps going on and on about how she needs to get clothes and or wash the clothes she brought for a really long time. I think that's what I should have called the title of this review, "Everything Goes On For A Really Long Time." The flow was awful.
The setting of Leap could have worked if I didn't want to bludgeon the lead.
The ending was a big whatever to me. It made zero freaking sense, but it's a way to keep the character there for the series. This is the second cozy mystery series of Connolly I have read and I swear she must say to herself that cozy mysteries equal unlikable female character cause she did the same thing in her Orchard series which caused me to stop reading that one after a while too.
September 2, 2018
This is the first entry in a new cozy mysteries series. I liked the set up: young Irish-American visits her grandmother's area in Ireland and gets to know the locals quickly. The problem with the book was that it was just too cozy, there wasn't enough action. Hopefully, this will be corrected in future books. I would read the next entry.
April 16, 2013
I found this book exceptionally boring. The characters just didn't invite you to care about them. Not much of a mystery. It seemed more a book on introspection of the main character who couldn't seem to see the good things in life.
July 13, 2013
I was disappointed in this book. I thought it went overboard in the extensive descriptions of the Irish countryside, so much so that it seemed to take over the book. This book should not be called a mystery because it is so incidental to the plot as to almost be non-existent. The author goes into great detail about how Irish farmlands and towns were created and the oppression that the people felt back then and the depression they feel now because of poor economics, that it left me with a feeling of hopelessness for them. It seemed to me as if half-way through the book the author just remembered it was a mystery and threw everything in at the end of the story. It was difficult for me to like the main character, as well. If the author's goal was to create a very insecure and immature character with room to grow and develop through the series, then I'd say she was successful. However, I don't wish to make the journey with her.
March 18, 2014
I really enjoy Sheila Connolly's apple orchard cozies, so I was interested in reading her Irish County Cork Mysteries to see how she would do with an Irish cozy. Well, I'm hooked!
Book one introduces Maura Donovan, who has just come to Ireland to seek out her family after her last relative, her beloved Gran, has died in Boston. Planning to stay a week, she soon gets drawn into the local life when she takes a temporary job in a local pub. Before she can even get oriented, she's part of the local gossip and involved in the mysterious finding of a very old body pulled from the local bog. But why is someone trying to hurt her and run her out of town?
I'm really impressed with Connolly's ability to explain Irish customs, describe the local countryside, and create a distinctly Irish community within a fun cozy. Many people seek to know their past relatives but sometimes that search can be dull. Our heroine's search is anything but dull, as her life is endangered at the same time as most of the community is taking her into their hearts and lives. Perhaps it's the luck of the Irish, but Connolly has definitely created an atmosphere and characters that transported me to the Irish countryside! Mystery was done very well too!
Book one introduces Maura Donovan, who has just come to Ireland to seek out her family after her last relative, her beloved Gran, has died in Boston. Planning to stay a week, she soon gets drawn into the local life when she takes a temporary job in a local pub. Before she can even get oriented, she's part of the local gossip and involved in the mysterious finding of a very old body pulled from the local bog. But why is someone trying to hurt her and run her out of town?
I'm really impressed with Connolly's ability to explain Irish customs, describe the local countryside, and create a distinctly Irish community within a fun cozy. Many people seek to know their past relatives but sometimes that search can be dull. Our heroine's search is anything but dull, as her life is endangered at the same time as most of the community is taking her into their hearts and lives. Perhaps it's the luck of the Irish, but Connolly has definitely created an atmosphere and characters that transported me to the Irish countryside! Mystery was done very well too!
August 11, 2013
My low rating for this book is primarily because this is not a mystery. It is Sheila Connolly's personal love letter to Ireland and more reminiscent of Debbie Macomber than Agatha Christie. If you're looking for women's fiction or like long descriptions of the Irish countryside, you might like this a lot more than I did.
I won't recap the plot because I'm sure other reviewers have done a much better job at that than I could. I will say that it was almost like this was two different books. Novellas, really. The first two hundred pages are about Maura Donovan discovering the village of her ancestors and the surrounding area. The last one hundred pages are where the author appears to have suddenly realized this was supposed to be a mystery.
What was more disconcerting was the change in the main character from the first story to the second. Maura starts out being a nice enough young woman, but rather aimless. She's come to Ireland only because her recently deceased grandmother asked that she go there. She repeats several times the fact that there is nothing back in Boston for her, nothing she would miss. I found this hard to believe. She grew up in Boston, but knows no one she'll miss, no place she'll regret not seeing if she stays in Ireland? I only lived in the Boston area for eight years, but I became a Red Sox fan, still miss the beach in Hull, the Public Garden, the churches I went to, Boston Light, the Freedom Trail, and so many other things. I'm an introvert, but I've kept in touch with people I met there and would like to see again. Surely there would be one friend, one of those new immigrants her gran befriended, a coworker, someone Maura would think about when she was gone.
Sprinkle in a couple of thinly veiled anti-American passages, and it's no wonder so many readers found the MC unlikeable. If you want to have someone like you, don't tell them their house is ugly.
In the last part of the book, Maura is transformed for no discernible reason. The young woman who was so inept and fearful at driving on the left side of the road with a stick shift suddenly decides to take the car down a narrow, rural lane she's never traveled before. As if suddenly remembering she's from Southie, she starts using phrases like "pissed off" and throws in a gratuitous "damn" when she'd never used anything but nice language before. It almost made me laugh. I've known people from Southie and they're much more likely to sprinkle f-bombs throughout their speech than to use mild obscenities. Without giving anything away, Maura also starts acting tough, something she didn't do in the first two-thirds of the book.
Maura isn't an amateur sleuth. She just happens to run across some information she turns over to the police. The killer isn't someone the reader would recognize, even though he does make a brief anonymous appearance early in the book. And the ending is absolutely no surprise whatsoever. Any mystery reader would have guessed what would happen at the end of the book by reading the first few pages.
Yes, I was disappointed in this book. Sorry, Sheila.
I won't recap the plot because I'm sure other reviewers have done a much better job at that than I could. I will say that it was almost like this was two different books. Novellas, really. The first two hundred pages are about Maura Donovan discovering the village of her ancestors and the surrounding area. The last one hundred pages are where the author appears to have suddenly realized this was supposed to be a mystery.
What was more disconcerting was the change in the main character from the first story to the second. Maura starts out being a nice enough young woman, but rather aimless. She's come to Ireland only because her recently deceased grandmother asked that she go there. She repeats several times the fact that there is nothing back in Boston for her, nothing she would miss. I found this hard to believe. She grew up in Boston, but knows no one she'll miss, no place she'll regret not seeing if she stays in Ireland? I only lived in the Boston area for eight years, but I became a Red Sox fan, still miss the beach in Hull, the Public Garden, the churches I went to, Boston Light, the Freedom Trail, and so many other things. I'm an introvert, but I've kept in touch with people I met there and would like to see again. Surely there would be one friend, one of those new immigrants her gran befriended, a coworker, someone Maura would think about when she was gone.
Sprinkle in a couple of thinly veiled anti-American passages, and it's no wonder so many readers found the MC unlikeable. If you want to have someone like you, don't tell them their house is ugly.
In the last part of the book, Maura is transformed for no discernible reason. The young woman who was so inept and fearful at driving on the left side of the road with a stick shift suddenly decides to take the car down a narrow, rural lane she's never traveled before. As if suddenly remembering she's from Southie, she starts using phrases like "pissed off" and throws in a gratuitous "damn" when she'd never used anything but nice language before. It almost made me laugh. I've known people from Southie and they're much more likely to sprinkle f-bombs throughout their speech than to use mild obscenities. Without giving anything away, Maura also starts acting tough, something she didn't do in the first two-thirds of the book.
Maura isn't an amateur sleuth. She just happens to run across some information she turns over to the police. The killer isn't someone the reader would recognize, even though he does make a brief anonymous appearance early in the book. And the ending is absolutely no surprise whatsoever. Any mystery reader would have guessed what would happen at the end of the book by reading the first few pages.
Yes, I was disappointed in this book. Sorry, Sheila.
September 2, 2016
I picked this up because I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and this was available among my library's sparse audio book offerings. It features 20-something Maura, who travels to Ireland to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish for her. When she shows up, bad things start happening as if she were Angela Lansbury.
There's nothing too deep going on here, which was expected and part of the reason I chose it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the fun, light read that I was looking for either. Maura is condescending and rude, assuming that a world-weary American must certainly know better than anyone who has settled for what passes as life in nowheresville, Ireland. This isn't because she is particularly successful either. She flew into Ireland on her last dime and has no home or job to return to, but that doesn't stop her from judging each person she meets and wondering how they can possibly live that way.
The storytelling is bland with eye-glazing details about things like how Maura struggles to drive the stick-shift car she's been given....how many times she stalls....how she has to remember to drive on the left. Yawn. The dialogue is stilted, though the other characters are at least more polite than Maura is.
And the mystery. Meh. Maura keeps saying to herself (she repeats a lot of things) that there's no way these things could be tied together. That's crazy! Yes, it's crazy, implausible, and lazy writing.
Of course, all ends well and she lives happily ever after in Ireland....at least after she cleans up the place a little bit.
There's nothing too deep going on here, which was expected and part of the reason I chose it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the fun, light read that I was looking for either. Maura is condescending and rude, assuming that a world-weary American must certainly know better than anyone who has settled for what passes as life in nowheresville, Ireland. This isn't because she is particularly successful either. She flew into Ireland on her last dime and has no home or job to return to, but that doesn't stop her from judging each person she meets and wondering how they can possibly live that way.
The storytelling is bland with eye-glazing details about things like how Maura struggles to drive the stick-shift car she's been given....how many times she stalls....how she has to remember to drive on the left. Yawn. The dialogue is stilted, though the other characters are at least more polite than Maura is.
And the mystery. Meh. Maura keeps saying to herself (she repeats a lot of things) that there's no way these things could be tied together. That's crazy! Yes, it's crazy, implausible, and lazy writing.
Of course, all ends well and she lives happily ever after in Ireland....at least after she cleans up the place a little bit.
February 16, 2013
I did not like this at all. Very slow moving and did not get the main characters at all
February 23, 2018
A fun new series set in County Cork in Ireland. I love the whole ex-pat undertheme. I am looking forward to seeing where things go.
May 21, 2018
Honoring her granmother’s last wish, Maura journeys to Ireland for a week’s visit. But plans change, and she becomes ensnared in the little community and its friendly people. Trying to figure why Gran would send her to Ireland, Maura researches her roots, as well as looking into the discovery of a body recovered from a bog. Rich in descriptions of the countryside and full of Irish history, this tale is enchanting as well as entertaining, and a good beginning to a promising series.
May 21, 2020
I hadn't known a whole lot about Sheila Connolly aside from liking what I'd read so far in her Orchard series, but when I found out that she was actually living in Ireland in the area she wrote about in this series, I knew I wanted to start the series. It was so much more than figuring out a cold case murder and sending a guy to jail who was harassing someone. I love that it was about family, even though I've never been to Ireland and probably won't ever go, I could almost picture the scenery and cottages as I read. I really like Maura a lot as a main character as well as Mick and his awesome grannie, Bridget Nolan. I've been collecting the series little by little on Kindle and am anxious to read more soon!
September 3, 2017
The only mystery here was why I trudged through such a boring book. This really is not an actual mystery story but more of an attempt for the author to disguise a mix of confusing genealogy and scattered Irish historical data into a premise that would be of interest to mystery book readers. The characters are so uninteresting, I found I could not care less about who was unearthed in the bog nor how they were related to the main character. Sorry I bought more books of this series before reading the first.
May 7, 2020
Wonderful setting with some very warm and likable residents. Next two in series already downloaded.
RIP, Ms. Connolly. You will be missed.
RIP, Ms. Connolly. You will be missed.
January 16, 2016
Honoring her late grandmother’s wish, Maura Donovan sets off on an adventure that could change her life. She travels to the small Irish village where her grandmother was born to connect with one of her grandmother’s friends and maybe learn a bit about her ancestors. The small community welcomes her with open arms and she even start to work in the local pub.
The pub is bursting at the seams as people gather to talk about the body found in a nearby bog. They speculate he may have been in there for more than 50 years. Maura realizes she man know something about the dead man but before she can talk to the authorities her own life is put in jeopardy. She starts to get that sinking feeling she just may be getting in over her head.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
With an Irish grandfather myself that I never was able to meet I was so excited to read this book. It is a delightful debut to a series that I know I will love.
The author lets us escape to the beautiful countrysides of County Cork. Even when it is raining or foggy it sounds like charming place. She also gives us the history of the townlands and the people. She takes the time to explain the traditional naming patterns found in Ireland like the first born son is named for the father’s father. This custom could get quite confusing in large families. It gives an interesting twist to the story.
We are with Maura just as she starts on her journey to discover Ireland and its people. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the characters better in the next installments, especially Rose. She seems to have led a life very similar to Maura’s. Life runs at a much faster speed in Boston than it does in Leap but both stuck pretty close to home and put family needs ahead of their own. I look forward to a time of awakening for both young ladies.
Maura’s adventure to Ireland was quite a treat, the mysteries added were just icing on the cake. I am ready for my trip back to County Cork today. I can’t wait for book #2.
The pub is bursting at the seams as people gather to talk about the body found in a nearby bog. They speculate he may have been in there for more than 50 years. Maura realizes she man know something about the dead man but before she can talk to the authorities her own life is put in jeopardy. She starts to get that sinking feeling she just may be getting in over her head.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
With an Irish grandfather myself that I never was able to meet I was so excited to read this book. It is a delightful debut to a series that I know I will love.
The author lets us escape to the beautiful countrysides of County Cork. Even when it is raining or foggy it sounds like charming place. She also gives us the history of the townlands and the people. She takes the time to explain the traditional naming patterns found in Ireland like the first born son is named for the father’s father. This custom could get quite confusing in large families. It gives an interesting twist to the story.
We are with Maura just as she starts on her journey to discover Ireland and its people. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the characters better in the next installments, especially Rose. She seems to have led a life very similar to Maura’s. Life runs at a much faster speed in Boston than it does in Leap but both stuck pretty close to home and put family needs ahead of their own. I look forward to a time of awakening for both young ladies.
Maura’s adventure to Ireland was quite a treat, the mysteries added were just icing on the cake. I am ready for my trip back to County Cork today. I can’t wait for book #2.
September 27, 2017
Much better than her Orchard series. I really cared about Maura, Mick, Bridget, Rose, and the others I met in the wee township of Leap.
Maura Donovan has just arrived in the village that her Gran had lived. She's honored Gran's wishes. But, now what? She has no family, home, or job in Boston. Her Gran's death took care of those. She's offered a job at the local pub, found a room, and has seen Bridget Nolan - a friend of her Gran's. As she goes back to Leap, she sees a police car blocking the road going the other way she's headed. Curious, Maura stops and learns that a body has been found in the bog.
By the time she gets to Sullivan's, everyone has heard the news. Who and how long has the man been in the bog? A cheerful customer says hello and is dead the next day. Maura finds a letter behind the bar addressed to Mick Sullivan. It's open, so the old man must have read it before he died. The letter may hold a clue to the identity of the body buried in the bog.
Then, several strange things start happening to Maura. Someone wants her gone from Ireland, alive or dead. But what does the body, the dead customer, and and the letter have in common? Maura is determined to find out before she finds herself in the bog too.
The characters are great and the writing is better here in this series. I enjoyed the descriptions of Ireland. The story is well paced and the mystery unravels nicely.
Maura Donovan has just arrived in the village that her Gran had lived. She's honored Gran's wishes. But, now what? She has no family, home, or job in Boston. Her Gran's death took care of those. She's offered a job at the local pub, found a room, and has seen Bridget Nolan - a friend of her Gran's. As she goes back to Leap, she sees a police car blocking the road going the other way she's headed. Curious, Maura stops and learns that a body has been found in the bog.
By the time she gets to Sullivan's, everyone has heard the news. Who and how long has the man been in the bog? A cheerful customer says hello and is dead the next day. Maura finds a letter behind the bar addressed to Mick Sullivan. It's open, so the old man must have read it before he died. The letter may hold a clue to the identity of the body buried in the bog.
Then, several strange things start happening to Maura. Someone wants her gone from Ireland, alive or dead. But what does the body, the dead customer, and and the letter have in common? Maura is determined to find out before she finds herself in the bog too.
The characters are great and the writing is better here in this series. I enjoyed the descriptions of Ireland. The story is well paced and the mystery unravels nicely.
February 23, 2017
This is Ireland in a box..excuse me, Ireland in a book!
I could feel, taste, smell, hear it all in this awesomely written book about a woman with Irish roots, moving to a very small village in Ireland. Pubs await! I have never went through a cozy this fast, I was so entranced with it all. I just want to hop a plane and hang out with the sheep, watching the harbor, sitting inside a dimly lit, cozy fire, while old men talk, pub.
I like how the author brought the main character to her ancestral country, how she weaved the mystery, the ambience of it all. I really felt like I have just come back from over the pond! I am now reading book 2 and I wont stop until Im up to date on all of the books in this series. These books are a real treat to Mystery or Irish lovers!
I could feel, taste, smell, hear it all in this awesomely written book about a woman with Irish roots, moving to a very small village in Ireland. Pubs await! I have never went through a cozy this fast, I was so entranced with it all. I just want to hop a plane and hang out with the sheep, watching the harbor, sitting inside a dimly lit, cozy fire, while old men talk, pub.
I like how the author brought the main character to her ancestral country, how she weaved the mystery, the ambience of it all. I really felt like I have just come back from over the pond! I am now reading book 2 and I wont stop until Im up to date on all of the books in this series. These books are a real treat to Mystery or Irish lovers!
February 11, 2022
Nice story about losing a loved one and finding your roots.
The main character is a single woman who finds herself traveling to Ireland, the last wish from her grandmother.
She grew up with her grandmother after being abandoned by her mother. She didn't know her father.
She finds herself in a small village in County Cork.
And the mysteries begin.
She starts finding she needs to slow down and learn from the people she has found herself living with. This was also her grandmother's wish that she travel to this town.
As she is traveling to an old woman's home, who, again her grandmother told her to find, she sees a body being pulled from the bog. And the mysteries twisting around her finally end with a grand surprise.
A great first novel from Ms. Connolly. Thanks for sharing at Goodreads.
The main character is a single woman who finds herself traveling to Ireland, the last wish from her grandmother.
She grew up with her grandmother after being abandoned by her mother. She didn't know her father.
She finds herself in a small village in County Cork.
And the mysteries begin.
She starts finding she needs to slow down and learn from the people she has found herself living with. This was also her grandmother's wish that she travel to this town.
As she is traveling to an old woman's home, who, again her grandmother told her to find, she sees a body being pulled from the bog. And the mysteries twisting around her finally end with a grand surprise.
A great first novel from Ms. Connolly. Thanks for sharing at Goodreads.
July 1, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, but, frankly, not enough body in the bog and way too much of Maura, who absolutely either lived in a box all her life or was from another planet. I quit after she had no idea how word gets around in society ("but how did you find out that [such and such] happened? What? people TALK to one another?"). Her acerbic reaction to anything that happened, her constant analysis that everyone had ulterior motives, her lack of socialization and empathy, were all so off-putting that I wanted to throw her in the bog myself. I moved on to a much better book.
April 14, 2022
I can definitely see why Sheila is such a popular author! While I enjoyed this book, I felt like there were a lot of names & facts to try to keep up on. I struggled with feeling like the story was choppy. HOWEVER, I would like to point out that I have a 4 year old & a 6 month old, so some of my struggle could be the season I am in. If you are looking for a cozy with more 'meat' this would be a good one for you. I will be trying book 2, but maybe once I have a little more time to sit down & enjoy it.
April 3, 2013
I've enjoyed two other series by Sheila Connolly -- the orchard and the museum series -- so my expectations were high for this one. The heroine is a young American of Irish heritage who goes back to Ireland after the death of her grandmother who raised her. Her fresh perspective on the Irish village and village life was what really drove this story, not so much the mystery. Hopefully, if she continues this series there will be a little more of a mystery to it.
March 29, 2017
More like 2 1/2 stars.
Reasons I selected the book:
- first in new series
- recognized the author
- set in Ireland
Reasons for my rating
- little action or intrigue
- no "spark" between characters
- too much driving around on narrow, rutted, rural roads
No, I will probably not read the next in the series.
Reasons I selected the book:
- first in new series
- recognized the author
- set in Ireland
Reasons for my rating
- little action or intrigue
- no "spark" between characters
- too much driving around on narrow, rutted, rural roads
No, I will probably not read the next in the series.
March 27, 2021
It really makes you feel like you are in Ireland. Good character development.
January 15, 2013
Buried In A bog is the first book in the A County Cork Mystery series by Sheila Connolly.
Sheila Connolly is a wonderful story teller and this is an excellent example of her talent.
Maura Donovan's gran has recently passed and Gran's last request was for Maura's promise to visit the small community of Leap in County Cork. Maura has never been out of Boston is her 20 some years but is off to Ireland to fulfill her Gran's dying wish.
Maura arrives at Sullivan's Pub where she is to meet Bridget Nolan, an old friend of Gran's. Needless to say, there is a big culture difference for Maura. To borrow a line from a TV show set in a bar in Boston, everyone seems to know her name and her family, going back several generations. The next day she visits with Bridget for a little while. Upon leaving from her visit, Maura is told by Bridget's grandson that she wants Maura to use her car while she is visiting.
As she is driving back to the village, she notices some police activity near a bog and soon learns that a body has been discovered. Returning to the village, Maura stop by Sullivan's and business is rather brisk. Since she had bartended, she offers to give Rose, the barmaid a hand serving the customers, which in return becomes a job for as long as she decides to stay in Leap. In the process of cleaning up the pub, Maura finds a letter to Old Mick seeking information about the McCarthy's in the area. The writer of the letter had an uncle go missing in the 1930's. Maura thinks it might be the man found in the bog, but with so many McCarthy's in the area, the locals don't give it second thought.
When another murder happens and then someone attempts to push her car off the road and verbal threats, Maura is beside herself. Soon these things become clearer to her and she is able to present to the police a possible scenario to the police.
Connolly present the reader with well plotted story, interesting character and little history and understanding of Ireland.
Sheila Connolly is a wonderful story teller and this is an excellent example of her talent.
Maura Donovan's gran has recently passed and Gran's last request was for Maura's promise to visit the small community of Leap in County Cork. Maura has never been out of Boston is her 20 some years but is off to Ireland to fulfill her Gran's dying wish.
Maura arrives at Sullivan's Pub where she is to meet Bridget Nolan, an old friend of Gran's. Needless to say, there is a big culture difference for Maura. To borrow a line from a TV show set in a bar in Boston, everyone seems to know her name and her family, going back several generations. The next day she visits with Bridget for a little while. Upon leaving from her visit, Maura is told by Bridget's grandson that she wants Maura to use her car while she is visiting.
As she is driving back to the village, she notices some police activity near a bog and soon learns that a body has been discovered. Returning to the village, Maura stop by Sullivan's and business is rather brisk. Since she had bartended, she offers to give Rose, the barmaid a hand serving the customers, which in return becomes a job for as long as she decides to stay in Leap. In the process of cleaning up the pub, Maura finds a letter to Old Mick seeking information about the McCarthy's in the area. The writer of the letter had an uncle go missing in the 1930's. Maura thinks it might be the man found in the bog, but with so many McCarthy's in the area, the locals don't give it second thought.
When another murder happens and then someone attempts to push her car off the road and verbal threats, Maura is beside herself. Soon these things become clearer to her and she is able to present to the police a possible scenario to the police.
Connolly present the reader with well plotted story, interesting character and little history and understanding of Ireland.
July 4, 2013
I'm a little torn on the rating & review for this. I should probably mention I spent two weeks in Ireland on vacation several years ago. We traveled over a good portion on the island, staying at Bed & Breakfast places. My vacation was fantastic, and the reason I picked up Buried in a bog.
I recognized a number of things Connolly highlighted, like the narrow roads. I also recognized the social nature of pubs and I found most of the Irish I met to be friendly, welcoming, very much a part of their community and not well-traveled by most American's standards. (That's not meant as a judgement. We were just repeatedly surprised that the people we spoke with hadn't visited any of the local sites, some of which were world-famous. They just weren't interested in going places and seeing things.) Many were like Billy, whose "recollection of local events was deep, though their breadth extended no more than ten miles from Leap."
So, I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpses Connolly of the Ireland I experienced. I was less impressed by the mystery itself. I figured out almost everything well before Maura or anyone else did. I also felt the set-up was a bit weak. (And the ending tied up *way* too neatly.)
My biggest issue was the proposal for Buried in a bog as the first in a series. Connolly has set Maura up in a small, rural community. Maybe 3,000 people in the whole area? A murder a book (which is the usual minimum for a cozy mystery) isn't very believable, so I don't see how Connolly can make a series out of this set-up. Even if Maura starts traveling around Ireland, the country's murder rate is much lower than the US's.
Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere Connolly created. Some aspects rang true, and nothing rang false. The characters were interesting. They were pretty well-developed considering the entire book takes place over just a week and it's first-person limited pov.
I recognized a number of things Connolly highlighted, like the narrow roads. I also recognized the social nature of pubs and I found most of the Irish I met to be friendly, welcoming, very much a part of their community and not well-traveled by most American's standards. (That's not meant as a judgement. We were just repeatedly surprised that the people we spoke with hadn't visited any of the local sites, some of which were world-famous. They just weren't interested in going places and seeing things.) Many were like Billy, whose "recollection of local events was deep, though their breadth extended no more than ten miles from Leap."
So, I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpses Connolly of the Ireland I experienced. I was less impressed by the mystery itself. I figured out almost everything well before Maura or anyone else did. I also felt the set-up was a bit weak. (And the ending tied up *way* too neatly.)
My biggest issue was the proposal for Buried in a bog as the first in a series. Connolly has set Maura up in a small, rural community. Maybe 3,000 people in the whole area? A murder a book (which is the usual minimum for a cozy mystery) isn't very believable, so I don't see how Connolly can make a series out of this set-up. Even if Maura starts traveling around Ireland, the country's murder rate is much lower than the US's.
Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere Connolly created. Some aspects rang true, and nothing rang false. The characters were interesting. They were pretty well-developed considering the entire book takes place over just a week and it's first-person limited pov.
May 18, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the writing about Ireland. The setting here is very strong, the descriptions of the world and the people the main character meets in the village comes across very clearly. On the other hand, the main character is more than a little annoying and negative. Plus, the mystery itself and Maura's involvement in it is about as likely as someone building a workable Star ship in his/her basement.
After her grandmother dies, Maura comes from Boston to a village in Ireland to connect with people her Gran told her about. She's talks about her life in Boston and her life in general as if she were coming from a prison, a ghetto. She comes across as very bitter about her life, like she's been cheated of a good life and had to make do with leftovers.
On arriving, she meets up with a whole assortment of people. It's this description of the land, the ways, and the village that makes the reader want to finish the book. If it were just Maura complaining about how hard her life is, it would've ended the story very early.
The plot wasn't much of a mystery. It's pretty obvious what's going on and there's a lot of repetition in the narrative.
Still, I'm interested to see what happens to Maura, if her attitude changes, once she decides to stay in Ireland. I'm hoping the more positive characters in the story rub off on her and she stops being such a grouch.
After her grandmother dies, Maura comes from Boston to a village in Ireland to connect with people her Gran told her about. She's talks about her life in Boston and her life in general as if she were coming from a prison, a ghetto. She comes across as very bitter about her life, like she's been cheated of a good life and had to make do with leftovers.
On arriving, she meets up with a whole assortment of people. It's this description of the land, the ways, and the village that makes the reader want to finish the book. If it were just Maura complaining about how hard her life is, it would've ended the story very early.
The plot wasn't much of a mystery. It's pretty obvious what's going on and there's a lot of repetition in the narrative.
Still, I'm interested to see what happens to Maura, if her attitude changes, once she decides to stay in Ireland. I'm hoping the more positive characters in the story rub off on her and she stops being such a grouch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2017
Maura Donovan's grandmother Nell is left to raise Maura after her father dies and her mother abandons Maura. Her gran decides to emigrate to Boston where she hopes to make a better life for her granddaughter. Life is very hard for them both and when her gran dies Maura is left completely alone in the world. Whilst going through her gran's possessions she discovers an envelope with Maura's Irish passport and enough money to buy a ticket to Ireland. Nell had made Maura promise that she would go back to Ireland and go to Mass in Leap where they had lived. Realising that her gran must have saved for a long time from her meagre income to save enough, Maura decided to take the trip and fulfil her gran's wishes.
When Maura gets to Leap she finds the people welcoming and soon realises that everyone is related to everyone else in the area. She starts to track down any people that may have know her gran and is soon embroiled in the mystery of the body discovered in the local bog and also a much more recent murder.
The way that everything seems to be linked in some mysterious way keeps Maura in Leap for longer than she had intended and she starts to feel at home among the friendly locals.
There are many surprises in store for Maura and the events that unfold over just a week will prove instrumental in changing her life for ever.
A nice cosy mystery set in a village where life is lived at a different pace and there is no crime, usually!
When Maura gets to Leap she finds the people welcoming and soon realises that everyone is related to everyone else in the area. She starts to track down any people that may have know her gran and is soon embroiled in the mystery of the body discovered in the local bog and also a much more recent murder.
The way that everything seems to be linked in some mysterious way keeps Maura in Leap for longer than she had intended and she starts to feel at home among the friendly locals.
There are many surprises in store for Maura and the events that unfold over just a week will prove instrumental in changing her life for ever.
A nice cosy mystery set in a village where life is lived at a different pace and there is no crime, usually!
April 1, 2021
Maura's Irish grandmother has just passed, and Maura discovers her grandmother left her the funds to travel back to Ireland to pay her respects. When she arrives, she has connections on where to go and where to stay, thanks to her grandmother's connections. Since she's got nowhere else to go, she starts to work at the local pub. Meanwhile a body turns up in one of the bogs, and Maura thinks there's a connection to the unknown body, and a missing person she found a letter in regards to.
Okay, this was a completely different kind of cozy and I loved it. Maura isn't a baker, she doesn't have a cheating ex, and she isn't Stickingg her nose into everyone's business to try to solve the murder. So refreshing! Can't wait to read the next in the series, and hope this pattern continues!
Highly, highly recommend!
Okay, this was a completely different kind of cozy and I loved it. Maura isn't a baker, she doesn't have a cheating ex, and she isn't Stickingg her nose into everyone's business to try to solve the murder. So refreshing! Can't wait to read the next in the series, and hope this pattern continues!
Highly, highly recommend!
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