A Plot to Die For: Small town Ireland. Big town murder.

by Ardal O'Hanlon

The first in a mystery series from the much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian, for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of Death in Paradise , all wrapped up in one small Irish town.

When beloved celebrity gardener Finn O’Leary returns to his hometown of Abbeyford in Ireland to care for his aging mother, he is naturally roped into the Tidy Towns committee.
The Tidy Towns is a competition fanatically fought over by every town and village in the land. And for his best friend’s sister, Aoife, it’s a competition she’s determined to win. With everyone’s favourite gardener on board, she is sure that this year Abbeyford will take home the prize.  
But Finn’s only been back a week when an alto-baritone at his mother’s choir practice drops dead during a rendition of ‘What the World Needs Now’.  
With more at stake than just winning Tidy Towns, Finn soon finds himself trying to solve a murder – or two. For one of his many qualities is that people tend to confide in him…
With his mother, her Nigerian carer and Aoife in tow, Finn sets out to discover just who has brought murder to Abbeyford.

And so it begins.
 

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2026

About the author

Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian, actor, and author. He played Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted (1995–1998), George Sunday/Thermoman in My Hero (2000–2006), and DI Jack Mooney in Death in Paradise (2017–2020). His novel, The Talk of the Town (renamed Knick Knack Paddy Whack in the USA) was published in 1998.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book and it was good, the ending was a bit short and underwhelming. But I really enjoyed the characters.