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Castlefreke #1
No Comfort for the Dead
After witnessing a murder, a small-town librarian is forced to act when the local police arrest the wrong man, perfect for fans of Dervla McTiernan and Carlene O’Connor.
1988, West Cork, Ireland. Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke, a small and peaceful village where everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and is trying not to think about the scandal she left behind in the city. But when the richest man in the village is murdered and the main suspect is the mysterious son of a local family, her charming small-town life is turned upside down.
Emma knows for a fact that there is more to the story, and when the family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Teaming up with a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac, and her high school sweetheart, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.
1988, West Cork, Ireland. Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke, a small and peaceful village where everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and is trying not to think about the scandal she left behind in the city. But when the richest man in the village is murdered and the main suspect is the mysterious son of a local family, her charming small-town life is turned upside down.
Emma knows for a fact that there is more to the story, and when the family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Teaming up with a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac, and her high school sweetheart, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.
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Published February 11, 2025
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March 4, 2025
ABOUT 'NO COMFORT FOR THE DEAD': 1988, West Cork, Ireland. Emma Daly has returned to her tiny little village in Ireland, a quaint and peaceful town where everybody knows everybody. She’s looking to escape a devastating love affair and the subsequent scandal that prevented her from becoming a cop by single handedly revitalizing her local library. But when the richest man in town is murdered and the culprit seems to be the long-lost son of a local family, Colm, her charming small-town life is turned upside down.
Emma knows there is more to the story. She watched a third man flee from the scene of the crime, but the cops don’t believe her. When Colm’s family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands and clear Colm’s name, who hasn’t been able to give a statement since he was wounded the night of the crime and is now in a coma.
Teaming up with her high school sweetheart, Colm’s nephew, Charley, and the secretary of a lawyer who works for the cops, Mary, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.
MY THOUGHTS: What a lovely debut novel! No Comfort for the Dead is a character driven mystery set in the era before computers and mobile phones. The village pub (Nolan's) is where to go if you want to know something, but information is a valuable commodity to be traded.
Emma has returned home, her dreams of a career in the Garda as shattered as her self-esteem. She takes refuge in the local library, building it up to be an important community asset. But inside, part of her still longs for her Garda career. It seems like fate when Emma stumbles across a crime scene after hearing gunshots, to see a nondescript man fleeing the scene, one dead body and another who may soon be dead.
With the local police wanting to write the crime off as a burglary gone wrong and ignoring Emma's claim of a third man on the scene, she feels bound to undertake an investigation herself. The police warning to keep out of it, and the pleas for help from the injured man's parents only strengthens her resolve.
Although the mystery is a good one, it is the characters who carry the story. In typical Irish fashion the story meanders as we learn about the different characters, their lives, and their relationships with one another. This is not a book to be read in a hurry. It is full of social commentary; the personal problems the individual characters face, and the impending death of a village where the young leave to further their education never to return.
I was a little disappointed that an Irish narrator wasn't used for the audio format. Although narrator Nicola F. Delgado was adept at performing the conversations in an Irish accent, I thought she over-performed the rest of the narration which became irritating at times.
A beautifully written book with charming and entertaining characters.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#NoComfortfortheDead #NetGalley #readingirelandmonth25 #beggorathon25
MEET THE AUTHOR: R. P. O’Donnell was born to an Irish-American family, just south of Boston. After graduating university with a degree in English, he moved to West Cork, where he lives with his family.
No Comfort for the Dead is his first novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for providing an audio e-ARC of No Comfort for the Dead written by R.P. O'Donnell and narrated by Nicola F. Delgado for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Emma knows there is more to the story. She watched a third man flee from the scene of the crime, but the cops don’t believe her. When Colm’s family asks her to investigate, she decides to take matters into her own hands and clear Colm’s name, who hasn’t been able to give a statement since he was wounded the night of the crime and is now in a coma.
Teaming up with her high school sweetheart, Colm’s nephew, Charley, and the secretary of a lawyer who works for the cops, Mary, it is up to Emma to solve the mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.
MY THOUGHTS: What a lovely debut novel! No Comfort for the Dead is a character driven mystery set in the era before computers and mobile phones. The village pub (Nolan's) is where to go if you want to know something, but information is a valuable commodity to be traded.
Emma has returned home, her dreams of a career in the Garda as shattered as her self-esteem. She takes refuge in the local library, building it up to be an important community asset. But inside, part of her still longs for her Garda career. It seems like fate when Emma stumbles across a crime scene after hearing gunshots, to see a nondescript man fleeing the scene, one dead body and another who may soon be dead.
With the local police wanting to write the crime off as a burglary gone wrong and ignoring Emma's claim of a third man on the scene, she feels bound to undertake an investigation herself. The police warning to keep out of it, and the pleas for help from the injured man's parents only strengthens her resolve.
Although the mystery is a good one, it is the characters who carry the story. In typical Irish fashion the story meanders as we learn about the different characters, their lives, and their relationships with one another. This is not a book to be read in a hurry. It is full of social commentary; the personal problems the individual characters face, and the impending death of a village where the young leave to further their education never to return.
I was a little disappointed that an Irish narrator wasn't used for the audio format. Although narrator Nicola F. Delgado was adept at performing the conversations in an Irish accent, I thought she over-performed the rest of the narration which became irritating at times.
A beautifully written book with charming and entertaining characters.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#NoComfortfortheDead #NetGalley #readingirelandmonth25 #beggorathon25
MEET THE AUTHOR: R. P. O’Donnell was born to an Irish-American family, just south of Boston. After graduating university with a degree in English, he moved to West Cork, where he lives with his family.
No Comfort for the Dead is his first novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for providing an audio e-ARC of No Comfort for the Dead written by R.P. O'Donnell and narrated by Nicola F. Delgado for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
dnf
September 16, 2025The opening with the murders was a promising start, but I'm not really jiving with the slow burn character build up, or the police not interested in someone helping them do their job when provided facts, so pulling the plug at 19%, and in the middle of a chapter, too!
What to expect:
~ multiple 3rd person POV
~ Ireland setting
Narration notes:
She sounded fine, and had proper emotions and accents, but she's British and this is an Ireland based book, so why not use an Irish narrator? 🤔
What to expect:
~ multiple 3rd person POV
~ Ireland setting
Narration notes:
She sounded fine, and had proper emotions and accents, but she's British and this is an Ireland based book, so why not use an Irish narrator? 🤔
September 8, 2025
glad i took a chance on this novel, the first in a new series. i enjoyed the slower pace, the characters, and the overall story of a village that, in addition to solving a murder mystery, has to confront inevitable realities of their village’s dwindling economy.
i thoroughly enjoyed the rich and detailed nature of this story! the emotional depth of the characters was evident, and i couldn’t help but become deeply invested in the way things would work out. Emma is a character who is relatable and engaging; i appreciate that she cares about her community and the importance of the library. i hope to get to know her more in future books!! 💞✨
i thoroughly enjoyed the rich and detailed nature of this story! the emotional depth of the characters was evident, and i couldn’t help but become deeply invested in the way things would work out. Emma is a character who is relatable and engaging; i appreciate that she cares about her community and the importance of the library. i hope to get to know her more in future books!! 💞✨
February 5, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely character lead, so it was a bit slow at first setting the scene and introducing a bunch of important people. But the writing is wonderful and you find yourself slowly becoming quite attached to these characters as you learn more about their history and how they tick. It was quite an emotional book and one that definitely takes a slower reading pace to really absorb everything. I loved the varying pace of the chapters, sometimes wandering into memory and sometimes dropping you right into drama or danger. I honestly teared up at one point and that's when I knew I was hooked more by the characters than the mystery, though I did enjoy the reveal! The dash of romance was also lovely and I can't wait for more of this series!
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC; my review and thoughts are my own.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC; my review and thoughts are my own.
December 22, 2025
This historical mystery set in West Cork, Ireland, in 1988 stars a librarian who has come back to her hometown in disgrace. Emma Daly breezed through university and was building a career with the police until an affair with an older officer caused her to be fired and blackballed. She heads home to lick her wounds and winds up running the local library.
When the owner of the Big House is found murdered and the main suspect is a local who left town thirty years earlier, Emma is asked by the man's family to look into the case. Emma's devotion to Sherlock Holmes has fueled her love of mystery but this one is tough. She has no authority and the local police are less than welcoming.
She soon learns that there is more to the crime than a simple burglary gone wrong which is the police's viewpoint. She is assisted in her investigation by a local widow who has been isolated and overlooked most of her life and her former boyfriend who has come back to Castlefreke under mysterious circumstances.
The story sounds straightforward. However, the execution was marred in my opinion by being too "literary" and too introspective. I found myself skimming a lot as I tried to follow the mystery and avoid the social commentary, the characters all falling apart, and the whole issue of dying Irish villages struggling to hold on.
Fans of that sort of wandering, introspective story will enjoy this one. I like a more straight forward story with characters who are less stuck in their own heads.
When the owner of the Big House is found murdered and the main suspect is a local who left town thirty years earlier, Emma is asked by the man's family to look into the case. Emma's devotion to Sherlock Holmes has fueled her love of mystery but this one is tough. She has no authority and the local police are less than welcoming.
She soon learns that there is more to the crime than a simple burglary gone wrong which is the police's viewpoint. She is assisted in her investigation by a local widow who has been isolated and overlooked most of her life and her former boyfriend who has come back to Castlefreke under mysterious circumstances.
The story sounds straightforward. However, the execution was marred in my opinion by being too "literary" and too introspective. I found myself skimming a lot as I tried to follow the mystery and avoid the social commentary, the characters all falling apart, and the whole issue of dying Irish villages struggling to hold on.
Fans of that sort of wandering, introspective story will enjoy this one. I like a more straight forward story with characters who are less stuck in their own heads.
June 7, 2025
I received an ARC of this book.
I think the problem I had with this book is the synopsis/blurb sets it up to be a murder mystery. Maybe a cozy mystery, but a murder mystery, nonetheless. But that is not really what this book is about, and it is not the focus of the narrative.
What this book really is, is a commentary on village life in Ireland in the late 80s; how this village (which I am assuming is a representation of so many others) is dying, full of older people who are perhaps stuck in their ways, who are in danger of being railroaded by corrupt officials and businessmen, how old ideas and preconceived notions can stultify progress and growth--both emotional and physical, and yet there is nothing wrong at all with "staying home." If this book was marketed using those things, I would have had a much more satisfying read. (That is not to say that those themes were impeccably explored; there were quite a few pacing issues and the narrative flow was extremely choppy and stuttering in places.) But If I'd known when I started this book that I was going to read a commentary on life in an Irish village in the late 80s, I wouldn't have been so unsatisfied when I finished.
There is a mystery: an older man, who owns the "big house" in the village, is murdered, a former aspiring Garda is a witness to the crime, and it appears that a man who left the village decades before and was presumed dead has committed the murder. BUT, instead of this instigating a tense chain of events involving the usual themes and aspects you'd expect from a suspense crime novel, OR even the sleuthing attempts you'd expect from a cozy mystery, what follows is how this murder has stirred up old undercurrents in this small village. Events from the past are slowly revealed from the silt, and the residents are forced to deal with them. But many of the "underlying issues" are only touched upon, and many threads are left hanging. Many of those issues seem to be important to those involved, but they are not described and related in a way that fully realizes that importance to the reader. The "big issues" involving family, corruption, and progress are mostly resolved, but again, not in a wholly satisfying manner. That being said, there are some beautifully written scenes and powerful dialogue. But these often occurred in oddly out-of-place vignettes, flashbacks, or odd scenes in the story.
As I mentioned, if I had not been expecting a legitimate murder mystery, and more a social commentary, I would have enjoyed this book more. But I feel like Tana French's The Searcher and The Hunter do a similar thing much better.
I think the problem I had with this book is the synopsis/blurb sets it up to be a murder mystery. Maybe a cozy mystery, but a murder mystery, nonetheless. But that is not really what this book is about, and it is not the focus of the narrative.
What this book really is, is a commentary on village life in Ireland in the late 80s; how this village (which I am assuming is a representation of so many others) is dying, full of older people who are perhaps stuck in their ways, who are in danger of being railroaded by corrupt officials and businessmen, how old ideas and preconceived notions can stultify progress and growth--both emotional and physical, and yet there is nothing wrong at all with "staying home." If this book was marketed using those things, I would have had a much more satisfying read. (That is not to say that those themes were impeccably explored; there were quite a few pacing issues and the narrative flow was extremely choppy and stuttering in places.) But If I'd known when I started this book that I was going to read a commentary on life in an Irish village in the late 80s, I wouldn't have been so unsatisfied when I finished.
There is a mystery: an older man, who owns the "big house" in the village, is murdered, a former aspiring Garda is a witness to the crime, and it appears that a man who left the village decades before and was presumed dead has committed the murder. BUT, instead of this instigating a tense chain of events involving the usual themes and aspects you'd expect from a suspense crime novel, OR even the sleuthing attempts you'd expect from a cozy mystery, what follows is how this murder has stirred up old undercurrents in this small village. Events from the past are slowly revealed from the silt, and the residents are forced to deal with them. But many of the "underlying issues" are only touched upon, and many threads are left hanging. Many of those issues seem to be important to those involved, but they are not described and related in a way that fully realizes that importance to the reader. The "big issues" involving family, corruption, and progress are mostly resolved, but again, not in a wholly satisfying manner. That being said, there are some beautifully written scenes and powerful dialogue. But these often occurred in oddly out-of-place vignettes, flashbacks, or odd scenes in the story.
As I mentioned, if I had not been expecting a legitimate murder mystery, and more a social commentary, I would have enjoyed this book more. But I feel like Tana French's The Searcher and The Hunter do a similar thing much better.
October 20, 2024
An easy 5/5 for me! Castlefreke and its inhabitants are completely alive in this novel — it’s so beautifully written, and the voice feels really original. O’Donnell handles the sentimental and the sombre just perfectly, balancing it with the wit and charm of the characters that is so important to this book.
What I loved most was the rich tapestry of minor characters, each of them so funny and interesting. O’Donnell was able to create an entire personality and backstory for each of these wee characters with just a few sentences. I feel like I’ve been there and met them!
This was a thoroughly entertaining, witty, clever read. I can’t wait for Castlefreke 2 and 3.
What I loved most was the rich tapestry of minor characters, each of them so funny and interesting. O’Donnell was able to create an entire personality and backstory for each of these wee characters with just a few sentences. I feel like I’ve been there and met them!
This was a thoroughly entertaining, witty, clever read. I can’t wait for Castlefreke 2 and 3.
February 21, 2025
Emma, a young woman with a penchant for Sherlock Holmes, moved back to her small Irish seaside town after being dismissed from the Guarde (police). While she’s building a life for herself and resuscitating the village library, there’s still something missing. Then she discovers a body at “the big house” along with an injured man, Collum, someone who has been missing for 30 years. The local police want her as far away from their open-and-shut case as possible, but the elderly parents of Collum want her to help clear his name.
What would Sherlock do? Emma enlists the help of other residents and digs her way to the truth, not without danger.
I liked this cozy mystery with interesting characters and beautiful descriptions of the area’s flora and fauna, including a starving fox kit. Emma describes the “irregulars” with fondness despite them being crotchety pensioners. The mystery is interesting and the narration is outstanding - especially when voicing a character who often talks with boiled sweets in her mouth! Quite enjoyable.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook of #NoComfortfortheDead for review purposes. This book and audiobook are now available.
What would Sherlock do? Emma enlists the help of other residents and digs her way to the truth, not without danger.
I liked this cozy mystery with interesting characters and beautiful descriptions of the area’s flora and fauna, including a starving fox kit. Emma describes the “irregulars” with fondness despite them being crotchety pensioners. The mystery is interesting and the narration is outstanding - especially when voicing a character who often talks with boiled sweets in her mouth! Quite enjoyable.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook of #NoComfortfortheDead for review purposes. This book and audiobook are now available.
Read
March 7, 2025No Comfort For The Dead is an Irish library mystery by RP O’Donnell, Emma is working at the village library despite having big dreams of being an investigative detective in the Garda, but unfortunately do to some thing in her past she has come home to lick her wounds. She now lives with her dad Sam and works at the library. while out for a walk to clear her head and avoid the same discussion with her dad about starting her life again in the big city she hears gunshots. despite being the only witness all she saw was a man in the shadows that ran into the woods when she finally went to investigate the house she saw a priest who eerily look like her ex high school boyfriend Charlie and the dead homeowner Mr. Hollis. The local Garda demean and question her every statement and even bully her about her past with the police department. Although, they say it was a robbery Emma knows better. This is why when Jimmy Thornton asked her to investigate the case at first she doesn’t want to do it but knows if she don’t then no one will. so is not to give anything away there is a lot I left out of the summary but just know there are a lot of good twist and turns in this book and for the most part I really liked the story I just felt there was way too much backstory for everyone involved and that could totally be just a me thing. I want to make it clear I will still read the next book in the series and hope that this first book was just a getting to know everyone book an in the next it will be focused mainly on the mystery because it was really a great awesome mystery. I don’t know if I would call it a cozy mystery because they had some really risqué moments between her and her high school boyfriend. nothing detailed but enough that I felt the need to mention it. I still recommend this book especially if you like great mystery series because if the author focuses on the mystery then the next one should be a great one. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#RPO’Donnell, #NoComfortForTheDead,
February 23, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and R.P O'Donnell for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review!
This story is set in 1988 in a small town in Ireland when the local librarian witnesses a murder, and when the local police arrest the wrong man, she and a motley crew work to get to the truth of the murder.
This was very well-written and had beautiful details and painted a lovely picture for the reader. Not to mention, the audiobook was so fun, who doesn't love a good Irish accent? Fire.
I do think the pacing of this because quite slow at times and I had a hard time staying engaged during those slow parts. I also felt like this lacked the punch and awe-factor that I typically get from true crime books.
Overall, it was an enjoyable listen, but as someone who leans more towards heart-pounding thrillers, this felt too slow for me.
This story is set in 1988 in a small town in Ireland when the local librarian witnesses a murder, and when the local police arrest the wrong man, she and a motley crew work to get to the truth of the murder.
This was very well-written and had beautiful details and painted a lovely picture for the reader. Not to mention, the audiobook was so fun, who doesn't love a good Irish accent? Fire.
I do think the pacing of this because quite slow at times and I had a hard time staying engaged during those slow parts. I also felt like this lacked the punch and awe-factor that I typically get from true crime books.
Overall, it was an enjoyable listen, but as someone who leans more towards heart-pounding thrillers, this felt too slow for me.
October 7, 2025
It’s 1988 in West Cork, Ireland ; in the tiny town of Castlefreke Emma Daly is back home after the fallout from a serious, on her side, romantic relationship, which resulted in scandal and a swift exit from the Garda, something she had wanted to part of for years.
She’s now town librarian, and has revitalized the moldering library, making it a vital and lively part of several families in Castlefreke.
One night on her way home, she discovers a dead man and another seriously injured, with a third fleeing the scene. The dead man was disliked and the wealthiest in town, and injured is Colm, the estranged younger brother of the local doctor Adam Thornton, and the uncle of the man, Charley, whom Emma had been involved with before leaving for university.
Emma had her sights set on detective within the Garda, having grown up a mystery story fan, and when the police fix their attention on Colm and are dismissive of Emma’s information, she decides to clear Colm’s name. Working with the secretary of a lawyer who is involved with the police, and eventually calling on Charley’s help, too, Emma begins sifting through years of secrets, misunderstandings, and corruption to find the truth of what happened in the dead man’s house.
Taking a somewhat meandering approach, author R.P. O'Donnell gives us the complex histories of various residents of Castlefreke, as well as the intentions and hopes that both kept some together while exploding other relationships apart.
Emma navigates these histories, while relying on the knowledge of town stalwarts , including Colm’s parents and brother, none of whom fully understood why Colm fled them and the town.
Though lacking the paciness of a thriller, I loved the author’s slow unfurling of town stories and lovingly rendered character portraits.
This story was a delight, and once I started the story, I could not stop, and want to read more of Emma Daly’s adventures in this small town.
She’s now town librarian, and has revitalized the moldering library, making it a vital and lively part of several families in Castlefreke.
One night on her way home, she discovers a dead man and another seriously injured, with a third fleeing the scene. The dead man was disliked and the wealthiest in town, and injured is Colm, the estranged younger brother of the local doctor Adam Thornton, and the uncle of the man, Charley, whom Emma had been involved with before leaving for university.
Emma had her sights set on detective within the Garda, having grown up a mystery story fan, and when the police fix their attention on Colm and are dismissive of Emma’s information, she decides to clear Colm’s name. Working with the secretary of a lawyer who is involved with the police, and eventually calling on Charley’s help, too, Emma begins sifting through years of secrets, misunderstandings, and corruption to find the truth of what happened in the dead man’s house.
Taking a somewhat meandering approach, author R.P. O'Donnell gives us the complex histories of various residents of Castlefreke, as well as the intentions and hopes that both kept some together while exploding other relationships apart.
Emma navigates these histories, while relying on the knowledge of town stalwarts , including Colm’s parents and brother, none of whom fully understood why Colm fled them and the town.
Though lacking the paciness of a thriller, I loved the author’s slow unfurling of town stories and lovingly rendered character portraits.
This story was a delight, and once I started the story, I could not stop, and want to read more of Emma Daly’s adventures in this small town.
Read
March 19, 2025No Comfort For The Dead is an Irish library mystery by RP O’Donnell, Emma is working at the village library despite having big dreams of being an investigative detective in the Garda, but unfortunately do to some thing in her past she has come home to lick her wounds. She now lives with her dad Sam and works at the library. while out for a walk to clear her head and avoid the same discussion with her dad about starting her life again in the big city she hears gunshots. despite being the only witness all she saw was a man in the shadows that ran into the woods when she finally went to investigate the house she saw a priest who eerily look like her ex high school boyfriend Charlie and the dead homeowner Mr. Hollis. The local Garda demean and question her every statement and even bully her about her past with the police department. Although, they say it was a robbery Emma knows better. This is why when Jimmy Thornton asked her to investigate the case at first she doesn’t want to do it but knows if she don’t then no one will. so is not to give anything away there is a lot I left out of the summary but just know there are a lot of good twist and turns in this book and for the most part I really liked the story I just felt there was way too much backstory for everyone involved and that could totally be just a me thing. I want to make it clear I will still read the next book in the series and hope that this first book was just a getting to know everyone book an in the next it will be focused mainly on the mystery because it was really a great awesome mystery. I don’t know if I would call it a cozy mystery because they had some really risqué moments between her and her high school boyfriend. nothing detailed but enough that I felt the need to mention it. I still recommend this book especially if you like great mystery series because if the author focuses on the mystery then the next one should be a great one. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#RPO’Donnell, #NoComfortForTheDead,
February 7, 2025
No Comfort for the Dead is beautifully written with believable characters and an interesting plot where greed, deceit, prejudice play a big part. Emma is an ex-police officer who faced a major relationship problem and was fired from the force. She then returns to the small village where she was raised, Castlefreke, to live with her father where she becomes responsible for the library and does an outstanding job. Things start to fall apart when an elder, who is not appreciated by the village folks, is found dead and Colm, a long missing member of the community is found shot near the dead man. Emma is asked by Colm's family to investigate the murder as the police seems only interested in convicting Colm. She'll relentlessly search for the truth and for the culprit, and in doing so she'll find unexpected friends, will meet again her long lost boyfriend, and will learn to leave her past behind. Really entertaining!
I thank the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
I thank the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
October 20, 2024
No Comfort for the Dead is captivating read that is well written with a cast of characters you wont forget soon.
The village of Castlefreke is one of those characters and R.P. O'Donnell has brought the village to life.
I felt I was sitting in the pub with the villagers and I too wanted to help solve who really murdered the wealthiest and not the nicest man in town.
Emma the small town librarian (how I would love to visit that library) witnessed the murder and knows they have the wrong man in custody.
She is determined to get to the bottom of what is happening in Castlefreke.
Not all is happy in the village: there is an underlying current of something or someone sinister that is out to create havoc.
I for one cant wait to return to Castlefreke for the next book and all that follow and I will be one of the first in line.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing No Comfort for the Dead.
The village of Castlefreke is one of those characters and R.P. O'Donnell has brought the village to life.
I felt I was sitting in the pub with the villagers and I too wanted to help solve who really murdered the wealthiest and not the nicest man in town.
Emma the small town librarian (how I would love to visit that library) witnessed the murder and knows they have the wrong man in custody.
She is determined to get to the bottom of what is happening in Castlefreke.
Not all is happy in the village: there is an underlying current of something or someone sinister that is out to create havoc.
I for one cant wait to return to Castlefreke for the next book and all that follow and I will be one of the first in line.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing No Comfort for the Dead.
September 16, 2025
No Comfort for the Dead by R. P. O'Donnell is the first book of the Castlefreke mystery series set in 1988 West Cork, Ireland. Emma Daly is home again, living with her father in the tiny village of Castlefreke. She had been a Garda detective, briefly. Now she makes a difference in her hometown as a librarian. She keeps the library open when so many businesses are closing; encourages all to read.
One night walking home, Emma hears shouting followed by shots fired. She recognizes the shots came from two shooters. She sees a man run away in the dark. But the local police don't believe her. They arrest Colm (one of the two victims) for the murder of the homeowner (the second victim).
Emma agrees to conduct her own investigation. Colm and his family deserve justice. She'll prove to them all she is not to be dismissed as just a librarian. She teams up with an unlikely partner: secretary Mary who despises her crooked boss for his shady deals.
Suspense ratchets up moment-by-moment as Mary is stalked by a killer, while Emma (unaware of the danger) is getting plastered in the pub.
The lavish descriptions of the landscape make it feel like another character in the story. This Hoopla Bonus Borrow introduced me to a new author, apparently a debut novel as well as new to me. Narrator Nicola F. Delgado adds tremendous enjoyment with her dramatic pauses, voice modulation and emphasis. I look forward to a sequel.
i
In the Jazz Age, people called it going on a party rather than going to a party.
The gray sky above Castlefreke grew darker and darker. The smoke from the village chimneys moved through the air like ink drops in water. The harbor was still. Across the water, the watch bell on a fishing ship bound for Portugal quietly murmured. A seal's head appeared briefly in a wave like a black shadow then disappeared. The bats in their belfry stirred, shook their wings and let go. Their wings beat against the sky, flying up above the village, far above the beach where Emma and Charley lay tangled up in each other's arms, far above the house where Frances and Jimmy sat wondering about the world, far above the causeway where Sam sat alone crying, and flew toward the black field. Owls shuddered across the sky, and the mice and the rabbits twitched in their sleep, and a small fox cub trembled in its hedge, jumping at every sound, its stomach growling in the dark. Everywhere, the waves mixed with the mist and the shore, and the darkness spread out against the sky then fell. It was night, and the world folded up into a dream.
The night air hung down all around them. It sat on the hedges in great folds and lay across the fields like melted candle wax. They walked up the lane.
"Why me?" Owen asked in resignation. "You could've picked any number of men in this parish, men who would have done anything for a quick buck. Why me?" Ian didn't bother to turn around. "Because I knew that you were a good man," he said simply. "And good men, once they put the goodness down, have much more to lose than men who never had any to begin with."
"I saw what it would look like to run away. To carry the mountain around with you instead of just climbing the damn thing."
In a few more years, Castlefreke might be gone forever. Buried under housing estates and low rise condos. They might be anywhere. But for the rest of their lives they would be right here in this moment in Castlefreke, because Castlefreke wasn't the country lanes or the low fields, it was the hiding places they found in them. It was the call of a share water?, the ballet of a jackdaw, the sound of rain outside a dark window, and the warm stretch of the stove inside. It was a poem the drunk forgot to write down, and in the morning couldn't remember. It was both an accent and a habit. It was just a trick of light. Castlefreke was made for them, broke them, found them, and by morning forgave them, every day of their lives. And when it finally found them frightened at the station, it called them home, all at once, and for forever.
/i
One night walking home, Emma hears shouting followed by shots fired. She recognizes the shots came from two shooters. She sees a man run away in the dark. But the local police don't believe her. They arrest Colm (one of the two victims) for the murder of the homeowner (the second victim).
Emma agrees to conduct her own investigation. Colm and his family deserve justice. She'll prove to them all she is not to be dismissed as just a librarian. She teams up with an unlikely partner: secretary Mary who despises her crooked boss for his shady deals.
Suspense ratchets up moment-by-moment as Mary is stalked by a killer, while Emma (unaware of the danger) is getting plastered in the pub.
The lavish descriptions of the landscape make it feel like another character in the story. This Hoopla Bonus Borrow introduced me to a new author, apparently a debut novel as well as new to me. Narrator Nicola F. Delgado adds tremendous enjoyment with her dramatic pauses, voice modulation and emphasis. I look forward to a sequel.
i
In the Jazz Age, people called it going on a party rather than going to a party.
The gray sky above Castlefreke grew darker and darker. The smoke from the village chimneys moved through the air like ink drops in water. The harbor was still. Across the water, the watch bell on a fishing ship bound for Portugal quietly murmured. A seal's head appeared briefly in a wave like a black shadow then disappeared. The bats in their belfry stirred, shook their wings and let go. Their wings beat against the sky, flying up above the village, far above the beach where Emma and Charley lay tangled up in each other's arms, far above the house where Frances and Jimmy sat wondering about the world, far above the causeway where Sam sat alone crying, and flew toward the black field. Owls shuddered across the sky, and the mice and the rabbits twitched in their sleep, and a small fox cub trembled in its hedge, jumping at every sound, its stomach growling in the dark. Everywhere, the waves mixed with the mist and the shore, and the darkness spread out against the sky then fell. It was night, and the world folded up into a dream.
The night air hung down all around them. It sat on the hedges in great folds and lay across the fields like melted candle wax. They walked up the lane.
"Why me?" Owen asked in resignation. "You could've picked any number of men in this parish, men who would have done anything for a quick buck. Why me?" Ian didn't bother to turn around. "Because I knew that you were a good man," he said simply. "And good men, once they put the goodness down, have much more to lose than men who never had any to begin with."
"I saw what it would look like to run away. To carry the mountain around with you instead of just climbing the damn thing."
In a few more years, Castlefreke might be gone forever. Buried under housing estates and low rise condos. They might be anywhere. But for the rest of their lives they would be right here in this moment in Castlefreke, because Castlefreke wasn't the country lanes or the low fields, it was the hiding places they found in them. It was the call of a share water?, the ballet of a jackdaw, the sound of rain outside a dark window, and the warm stretch of the stove inside. It was a poem the drunk forgot to write down, and in the morning couldn't remember. It was both an accent and a habit. It was just a trick of light. Castlefreke was made for them, broke them, found them, and by morning forgave them, every day of their lives. And when it finally found them frightened at the station, it called them home, all at once, and for forever.
/i
August 1, 2025
I could really tell this was a first book and that the author was really trying, but it really didn't work for me. The characters were not well developed, with the exception of Mary who had only a brief part in the story. If all the characters were drawn as well as she was I would have felt differently. The mystery itself was not compelling and I don't know how to categorize this. It wasn't a "cozy mystery" which you would think from the title, but not really any other category either. I hope the author improves and gives it another try.
July 27, 2025
3.5⭐️
September 3, 2025
Honestly, I stayed very bored throughout this book. It was a mystery but not a great one.
October 16, 2025
I adored this book. Loved the sleepy Irish town setting and characters (especially Jimmy and Frances 🥹🥰) and how the mystery unfolded while we were also always learning so much more about the town and its inhabitants. Will definitely check out the next one when it comes out! The Audiobook narrator was SO good too.
Read
April 22, 2025This had all the ingredients to please my palate, but it was not successful. Dreadful.
October 9, 2025
Absolutely amazing!!! Do not let the amount of time it took me to finish this fool you. I LOOOOOVED it, loved the sub-plots and flashbacks as well as the prose of the book, I wholeheartedly recommend!!
May 17, 2025
This book was a random pick-up for me at the library. I chose it for the fly leaf description alone and I’m so happy I did. It was terrific and is to be a series with the next installment already in the works. Emma, a young and "disgraced" Dublin police detective, returns home and takes over the local library and tries to cope with the turn her life has taken. This is not a text book cozy mystery. The circumstances of Emma’s back story, which unfolds as the current murder plot develops, are infuriating and a bit of a mystery themselves. I was as interested in that as the story of the death of the not much liked local wealthy land owner. There’s a bit of romance between Emma and a former lover. However, they are so battered by life that the resumption of their relationship is cautious, just enough to add a bit of tension. The murder plot is inventive and not easy to pre-solve and don’t we all hate that! I’m really looking forward to the next Emma Daly mystery.
June 1, 2025
No Comfort for the Dead by R.P. O'Donnell was yet another mystery that failed to grab me. I need to care about a character to stay invested in a story. Give me something—depth, charm, a flaw that makes them interesting, anything to make me root for them. The mystery itself? Serviceable. But when there’s no emotional hook, no character that stands out, it’s hard to care about the outcome. I found myself zoning out, barely engaged, and by the end, I was just glad to be done.
December 20, 2024
This is my first book crush of the new year. Set in the late 80’s, tiny Castlefreke in County Cork, Ireland, is experiencing a shrinkage as jobs and humans flee for bigger towns and jobs. It’s the story of Emma, the town librarian, who has returned home after her dream career in the Garda didn’t work out. She’s living with her dad, Sam, who is gently urging her to move on. After just such a nag at dinner, Emma takes off and ends up at the “Big House” in town where she hears shots, sees a man fleeing, and sees the reclusive owner dead and another unknown man injured. She takes off to the town doctor where help is summoned.
So far, so cozy. What makes one book sing a little more than another book? There are many factors, one being prose. O’Donnell writes with a loveliness that’s both sturdy and delicate. He frames the story with a huge storm named Ophelia – who leaves a wake of destruction – and sightings of foxes and bats throughout. Foxes can symbolize many things, but one is “wild loveliness” and another is “mischief”, both of which apply here. Bats can be seen as a symbol of change and rebirth, an apt symbolism for the story in the book. There is indeed a feeling of change coming toward tiny Castlefreke, coming like a freight train, and Ophelia and the murder in the Big House is the kick off.
Symbolism is all well and good, but another element that makes a book sing is character, and O’Donnell appears to understand character and to be able to portray it masterfully. Emma is a person who loves her library but is regretting not only her change in career, but the absence of her long ago boyfriend, Charley. When the identity of the other man who was shot is revealed, his appearance brings Charley back to town. We are with Emma as she travels back through childhood to young adulthood and through the relationships she’s had with her Dad and with Charley, but also to other central characters in the story.
When the injured man’s father asks Emma to use the skills she’s learned in the Garda to investigate and clear his son, Emma steps up. She tries to be guided by Sherlock Holmes but she realizes the details she notices are not as tricky as Sherlock’s. What works for her is knowing everyone in town, including the somewhat skeezy police sergeant Noonan and the local lawyer who seems to operate not on quite the right side of the law. It’s when Emma teams up with the lawyer’s secretary, the lonely yet observant and quietly funny Mary, that the investigation takes off.
There is another pretty heartbreaking death and a bit of danger for Emma, but she’s surrounded by community and loved ones, and that gives her investigation a boost. I never worried that things wouldn’t be set to rights – a cozy/traditional element – but the sensitive writing, character detail and lovely setting for this novel make it a complete standout. I read it with a lump in my throat. This is a spectacular debut.
So far, so cozy. What makes one book sing a little more than another book? There are many factors, one being prose. O’Donnell writes with a loveliness that’s both sturdy and delicate. He frames the story with a huge storm named Ophelia – who leaves a wake of destruction – and sightings of foxes and bats throughout. Foxes can symbolize many things, but one is “wild loveliness” and another is “mischief”, both of which apply here. Bats can be seen as a symbol of change and rebirth, an apt symbolism for the story in the book. There is indeed a feeling of change coming toward tiny Castlefreke, coming like a freight train, and Ophelia and the murder in the Big House is the kick off.
Symbolism is all well and good, but another element that makes a book sing is character, and O’Donnell appears to understand character and to be able to portray it masterfully. Emma is a person who loves her library but is regretting not only her change in career, but the absence of her long ago boyfriend, Charley. When the identity of the other man who was shot is revealed, his appearance brings Charley back to town. We are with Emma as she travels back through childhood to young adulthood and through the relationships she’s had with her Dad and with Charley, but also to other central characters in the story.
When the injured man’s father asks Emma to use the skills she’s learned in the Garda to investigate and clear his son, Emma steps up. She tries to be guided by Sherlock Holmes but she realizes the details she notices are not as tricky as Sherlock’s. What works for her is knowing everyone in town, including the somewhat skeezy police sergeant Noonan and the local lawyer who seems to operate not on quite the right side of the law. It’s when Emma teams up with the lawyer’s secretary, the lonely yet observant and quietly funny Mary, that the investigation takes off.
There is another pretty heartbreaking death and a bit of danger for Emma, but she’s surrounded by community and loved ones, and that gives her investigation a boost. I never worried that things wouldn’t be set to rights – a cozy/traditional element – but the sensitive writing, character detail and lovely setting for this novel make it a complete standout. I read it with a lump in my throat. This is a spectacular debut.
March 5, 2025
It's 1988 in West Cork, Ireland, and Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke. She had been taking the garda courses in the city and something happened that caused a scandal. She quit and returned to the small and peaceful village where everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and trying to forget about what happened. When she witnesses someone leaving the home where the richest man in the village is murdered, she tries to tell the local garda that they have the wrong suspect. They suspect a local man, Colm, who disappeared years ago and has returned, now a priest. The family ask Emma to investigate, knowing that their son is not guilty. She teams up with a stubborn widow, Mary, and her high school sweetheart, Charley, to solve the mystery. The local garda are not happy that she has involved herself and do everything to get her to butt out. Will they be able to find the third man and guilty party before someone else gets hurt?
I enjoyed this character driven mystery set in West Cork. Emma is a smart cookie, and should have been the garda investigating this one. Set in 1988, technology was new and not in common use. Good old fashioned leg work and talking to people was the way to get information. In Castelfreke, that means head to Nolan's Pub. With Colm in a coma after being injured during the shooting, he is the one who cannot give a statement. Emma has tragedy in her past, and she returns home in disgrace, hiding out in the library. Rumors abound and the local garda use that to try and belittle her. This is not an action crime thriller, but a slow building, character driven story. I enjoyed the mystery, but loved getting to know the characters and hope that there will be another story with Emma as protagonist in the future. I listened to this book, narrated by Nicola F. Delgado. She does a nice job, but I'm not sure why an Irish narrator wasn't used. I would have enjoyed hearing an Irish brogue tell me this story. That was a disappointment for me.
I enjoyed this character driven mystery set in West Cork. Emma is a smart cookie, and should have been the garda investigating this one. Set in 1988, technology was new and not in common use. Good old fashioned leg work and talking to people was the way to get information. In Castelfreke, that means head to Nolan's Pub. With Colm in a coma after being injured during the shooting, he is the one who cannot give a statement. Emma has tragedy in her past, and she returns home in disgrace, hiding out in the library. Rumors abound and the local garda use that to try and belittle her. This is not an action crime thriller, but a slow building, character driven story. I enjoyed the mystery, but loved getting to know the characters and hope that there will be another story with Emma as protagonist in the future. I listened to this book, narrated by Nicola F. Delgado. She does a nice job, but I'm not sure why an Irish narrator wasn't used. I would have enjoyed hearing an Irish brogue tell me this story. That was a disappointment for me.
February 28, 2025
No Comfort For The Dead
I can’t believe this is R.P. O’Donnell first published book because it was such a beautifully written book, it was so detailed and that really helps paint a picture while reading. I listened to this on audiobook and I absolutely loved the narrator and their Irish accent. Emma, a former police officer now turned librarian lives in a small quaint town of Castlefreke, a village of West Cork Ireland. I love a good murder mystery and this had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. One thing I did not like was that they smoked in the library, yes different countries have different rules but come on your gonna stain all the books with nicotine and ruin the amazing smell that books give off. R.P. O’Donnell does such an amazing job introducing all the characters and setting the scene. I can totally see this being a start of a series because of all the characters that were introduced. This book gives me vibes from classic mystery books, a mystery that isn’t to gruesome and has a lot of character building.
Tropes:
* Murder Mystery
* Sherlock Holmes
* Cozy Mystery
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this Advance Listening Copy. I wrote this review voluntarily and all words are my own.
I can’t believe this is R.P. O’Donnell first published book because it was such a beautifully written book, it was so detailed and that really helps paint a picture while reading. I listened to this on audiobook and I absolutely loved the narrator and their Irish accent. Emma, a former police officer now turned librarian lives in a small quaint town of Castlefreke, a village of West Cork Ireland. I love a good murder mystery and this had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. One thing I did not like was that they smoked in the library, yes different countries have different rules but come on your gonna stain all the books with nicotine and ruin the amazing smell that books give off. R.P. O’Donnell does such an amazing job introducing all the characters and setting the scene. I can totally see this being a start of a series because of all the characters that were introduced. This book gives me vibes from classic mystery books, a mystery that isn’t to gruesome and has a lot of character building.
Tropes:
* Murder Mystery
* Sherlock Holmes
* Cozy Mystery
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this Advance Listening Copy. I wrote this review voluntarily and all words are my own.
March 25, 2025
A small-town librarian witnesses a murder and sets out to clear the name of the man who was wrongly arrested, in this historical mystery set in Ireland.
I've grown fond of Irish fiction because of the scenery, the folklore, the hardscrabble nature of the people, and their humor. So I looked forward to listening to this book. Unfortunately it dragged quite a bit and I had some trouble keeping track of certain characters. The story felt a bit disjointed at times. A character would be going about his or her day and suddenly jump back to something that happened decades ago, with no warning. However, I liked the main characters and the small town of Castlefreke. There is too much beauty and charm here to dismiss this book altogether. The style of the writing and the amount of introspection by the characters makes it more literary fiction than mystery.
The narration was lovely, but I'm always a sucker for Irish accents.
I received an audio ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've grown fond of Irish fiction because of the scenery, the folklore, the hardscrabble nature of the people, and their humor. So I looked forward to listening to this book. Unfortunately it dragged quite a bit and I had some trouble keeping track of certain characters. The story felt a bit disjointed at times. A character would be going about his or her day and suddenly jump back to something that happened decades ago, with no warning. However, I liked the main characters and the small town of Castlefreke. There is too much beauty and charm here to dismiss this book altogether. The style of the writing and the amount of introspection by the characters makes it more literary fiction than mystery.
The narration was lovely, but I'm always a sucker for Irish accents.
I received an audio ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2024
No Comfort for the Dead is a stunning debut by RP O’Donnell, who quickly draws the reader deep into the quiet, charming eccentricities of a rural West Cork village, and then into the clutches of a murder mystery. The characters are marvelously and seductively well drawn. - the lead investigator Sergeant Noonan was “sleazy. Maybe not fully sinister but he was definitely fully not on the same side of the law as his badge.” The weather and geography are fully characters in their own right, poetically drawn - “ Myross Wood ran down from the left to the water’s edge and collapsed, as if exhausted, into the sea.” The characters, from the most quirky and avuncular to the most disagreeable, will become your pubmates trying to solve this mystery, a ripping good read spiced with judicious pauses for a thoughtful cup of tea. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
February 27, 2025
No Comfort for the Dead takes us to a village community in West Cork, Ireland. This well-paced, cosy crime debut is intriguing and entertaining, and without a doubt, it is the great cast of characters that make this book a success.
Whilst Emma is an extremely likeable main character, I must single out my favourite character, Mary Bennett. An older, witty lady, who is down to earth and won’t stand for any nonsense - her feisty determination certainly gave me a few chuckles!
The audio narration by Nicola F. Delgado is outstanding - complete with Irish accents and an abundance of expression and tone across all the characters. Such skilled voicing and I knew exactly when Mary Bennett was speaking whilst sucking a boiled sweet!
I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher, Dreamscape Media. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Whilst Emma is an extremely likeable main character, I must single out my favourite character, Mary Bennett. An older, witty lady, who is down to earth and won’t stand for any nonsense - her feisty determination certainly gave me a few chuckles!
The audio narration by Nicola F. Delgado is outstanding - complete with Irish accents and an abundance of expression and tone across all the characters. Such skilled voicing and I knew exactly when Mary Bennett was speaking whilst sucking a boiled sweet!
I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher, Dreamscape Media. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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