The O'Brien: A Ballysea Mystery

by Frances Powell

After being betrayed by her cheating husband, Catherine (Cat) Murphy and her Irish Wolfhound, The O'Brien, leave their home in Annapolis, Maryland and escape to a small fishing village on the wild western coast of Ireland hoping to find peace and quiet. But when The O'Brien unearths a small skeleton in their cottage garden with ties to the disappearance of the handsome Lord Granville's young wife, Cat is swept headfirst into a web of mystery and danger. Death stalks Cat as she and her best friend from home, Jeff Hunter, try to unravel the mystery of the missing lady of the manor. Did she just walk away from a loveless marriage as everyone believes or did she suffer a more sinister fate? Will her delving into buried secrets place her in grave danger? Having saved her once will the loyal O'Brien be able to keep her safe from the evil lurking at the manor?

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2016

Reviews

[Frances Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
The O'Brien (A Ballysea Mystery) by Frances Powell is a captivating sleuth mystery. After her life takes an unexpected turn, Catherine Murphy is rescued by two unexpected heroes. One is a larger than life Irish Wolfhound, and the other is Jeff, a lawyer, and her neighbor. Cat keeps the colossal dog and names him O'Brien, and Jeff becomes her closest friend. When Jeff inherits a cottage on the coast of Ireland, Cat, in the process of making a new life for herself, decides it is fate. She packs up her belongings and O'Brien and moves to Ireland, taking possession of the vacant cottage. While getting acquainted with the local villagers, Cat discovers that in the past few years two girls have mysteriously vanished. One of them was married to the eldest son of the Lord of the Manor. Cat is intrigued by the enigma of the missing lady and determines to solve the mystery. The mystery deepens when O'Brien uncovers some remains with questionable origins. Cat delves deeper into the lives of all those who live at the manor. Was one of them responsible for the lady's disappearance? Has the discovery endangered Cat and O'Brien?

The O'Brien (A Ballysea Mystery) by Frances Powell is an intriguing sleuth mystery. The Irish seacoast makes a fantastic backdrop for a murder mystery. The seaside village and surrounding shoreline are enchanting, and the villagers seem friendly and relatable. Cat and Jeff are interesting protagonists and great sleuths, but to me the star of the book was O'Brien. I fell head over heels in love with him. His understanding of a person's distress and his instincts for danger were uncanny. This is a fantastic mystery that has a surprising conclusion, and is a great read for those who are fans of cozy mysteries and great big friendly dogs!

[Christer Tholin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat has to leave a disappointing separation behind her. She decides for a fresh start in a new country. Together with her huge Irish wolfhound she moves from the US to a small fishermen village on the Irish seacoast. She as well as her companion are taken up very positively by the locals and Cat feels soon at home. However, the whole village is dependent on the family living in the manor and this family bears on a secret which Cat is determined to dissolve. A young woman married into that family disappeared a few years ago and now her wolfhound has digged out a skeleton.
A fast read with nice characters whom the reader easily gets friends with. The dog has a major role in the story and becomes the hero of the book, he deserves to give the series the title!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella has likable characters, an awesome dog and a good mystery. The main problem, besides proofreading, is that is reads more like an outline than a fleshed out novel. The author should have put more effort into what could have been a really good tale. My fourth star was for The O'Brien himself.