Murder Most Irish

by Various (Editor), Larry Segriff (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor)

Murder Most series...
Murder by any other name is still murder, unless it has an Irish flavor. Then `tis Murder Most IRISH, a bold anthology of short stories... of Irish crime and detective fiction. A favorite Irish song begins: "When Irish eyes are smiling, sure t'is like a morn in spring." For many Americans, Ireland is still most closely associated with the movies of Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, the warblings of John McCormack and Carmel Quinn, and a host of other sentimental images--from St. Patrick's Day parades to bawdy limericks and buoyant blessings and ballads. But there are two sides to the Irish soul: the light and the dark. And the dark side takes no truer or more brilliant form than in these 17 deft stories from Irish literature. A mix of classic and modern works.
Contents:
* Hemlock at Vespers / Peter Tremayne;
* A Gift of Friendship / Morris Hershman;
* A Study in White / Nicholas Blake;
* Blood is Thicker / Ann C. Fallon;
* East Wind / Freeman Wills Crofts;
* The Tinker's Revenge / D.M. O'Reilly;
* Jerry Grogan and the Kilkenny Cats /Jon L. Breen;
* The Goodly Race / Robert J. Randisi;
* Jeremiah's Lily / Mary Ryan;
* A Stone of the Heart / John Brady;
* The Rose of Tralee / Bill Crider;
* The Hanging of Myles Joyce / James Joyce;
* Murder at Cobbler's Hulk / Sean O'Faolain;
* Soft Day / Wendi Lee;
* All in the Way You Look At It / Edmund Crispin;
* A Couple of Acres and a Few Wee Beasts / Michael Jahn;
* The Dublin Eye / Clark Howard.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

596 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Karen Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rationed the stories because I wanted them to last forever. The selections were deeply affecting, no lightweight reading here. The longer pieces never fell into the sentimental view of Ireland, and in fact, taught me a lot about my own ancestral home. I highly recommend the book. But don't expect rainbows and wee folk.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It took me quite a while to slog through this one--it contains 15 short stories and 2 novels! Okay, so some of the stories were quite short (Joyce=<2 pages) but still... And I did stop to read another book while in the middle of this one. Taken as a whole this is a very entertaining and wildly diverse compilation of tales. I completely enjoyed it. If pressed, I would choose the first (Hemlock at Vespers) and the last (The Dublin Eye) as my favorites, the settings of which are separated by hundreds of years, maybe lightyears.

[Steph (loves water) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed this, love the authors!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed. I love murder mysteries as a form of relaxation. Yes, I know how that sounds. But it's a puzzle. And I also love Ireland. So a book of Irish murder mysteries was up my alley. It was almost all short stories, but there were two that were longer.

The majority of the stories were from the late 80's and 90's, but there were a few from the early 1900's. The nice thing is that if a story wasn't very good, which there were a couple I didn't love, they ended quickly.

And some of them really make you think. "Jeremiah's Lily" is still haunting me and I'm thinking about the emotions of the characters. I also really enjoyed "Blood is Thicker" with it's very unforgiving characters. So much so, that I even looked the author up!

So don't be daunted by the size of the book, remember it's short stories and you can take as many breaks as you need.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of stories, all having to do with murder and Ireland. There is a lot of rain, and mist, and the differences between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and this was a great book to read for my nightly bedtime reading.

The first story in the book is from the Sister Fidelma Mysteries written by Peter Tremayne, and set in early medieval Ireland. There are two full books in this collection: Blood is Thicker by Ann C. Fallon, and A Stone of the Heart by John Brady. There is a very short story by James Joyce, and Americans come in quite often, either as former immigrants from Ireland who came back, or as travelers through Ireland.

This was a great collection to have for my bedtime reading, and I very much enjoyed this book.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember when there were magazines of mystery short stories? Classy short stories? This anthology is reminiscent of those magazines. (Apparently the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is still available, but it's been decades since I've seen it for sale at a corner store.) All the stories have Irish characters, settings or authors. A thick book with skinny pages, it manages to include two novels: Blood is Thicker by Anne C. Fallon and A Stone of the Heart by John Brady. Each are the first volume in series featuring James Fleming and Matt Minogue, respectively. I'd love to get my hands on more of those!

[Jay Hess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of what I read. There were decent stories but nothing spectacular or groundbreaking. I’ll probably forget about most of them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through the second novel and had to stop reading it altogether because I was frustrated with it.

[Andrea Elkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I finished a number of the short stories and one novelette. Couldn't force myself to complete the first novel and abandoned the collection at a campground library.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection of stories.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Barnes and Noble book edited by Ed Gorman, Larry Segriff, and Martin H. Greenberg that I picked up for next to nothing at the Animal Humane Society book sale. The editors brought together a range of different Irish authors with stories from several different decades and provides a diverse Ireland: north and south, rural and urban, older and modern. Unfortunately, the stories are uneven and because of this, the collection is a little disappointing. James Joyce is the first author listed on the cover but his contribution, The Hanging of Myles Joyce is a two page nonfiction recounting of the details of a murder by someone sharing his last name. There were a few standouts, though. Peter Tremayne's "Hemlock at Vespers," while too brief to really have much story or character development, gave an intriguing enough glimpse at Ireland near the beginning of the Christian era that I will be looking into his other Sister Fidelma mysteries. Also satisfying were the longest works in the anthology, Ann C. Fallon's convoluted but compelling "Blood is Thicker," and John Brady's heart breaking "A Stone of the Heart" which features characters wrestling with the effects and politics of a divided Ireland.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good collection of mystery/suspense/detective fiction, ranging from the very short story (a couple of pages) to the short novel. Some of the stories are set in modern times but far enough back that "The Troubles" are a major consideration in the storyline. Despite the murder theme, I enjoyed most of the stories. There were good characters and plot twists that kept me reading. Many of the stories were set in Dublin or the north, neither of which I visited, but a few were set in parts of Ireland that I did travel through, making it easier to envision the settings.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of short stories (mostly murder mysteries), written by the Irish, about the Irish. Some were better, some were worse. My favorite was one with a love quadrangle. Brother and sister live together. Brother and friend both pursue the same woman, sister loves the friend. Brother ends up dead, with his plan to kill his friend gone awry. What with one thing and another, the killer escapes man's justice, but cosmic justice wins out in the end (you just have to read it).

[Beth in SF · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big book of short stories ranging from bad to mediocre, all set in Ireland. One story, by Peter Tremayne, had practically every character biting their lip. "She bit her lip"..."as he bit his lip"..."Mother Superior bit her lip as she..." When I start yelling at a book, you know it's bad.

[anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent collection of stories by authors like joyce, fallon, o'failain....