Dead in Dublin

The Dublin Driver Mysteries #1

by Catie Murphy

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, murder occurs at the feet of sweet Molly Malone . . .

Ferrying tourists around Dublin for the Leprechaun Limo Service makes quite a change after years in the military. Still, Megan Malone is enjoying her life in Ireland. She likes the scenery, the easy pace, the quirky, quick-witted locals. Everything--except having one of her clients drop dead at the statue of fabled fishmonger, Molly Malone.

Most restaurant critics notch up their share of enemies. Elizabeth Darr, however, was a well-loved international star. She and her husband, Simon, had just had dinner when Elizabeth collapsed, and spoiled seafood is the first suspect. The restaurant's owner, worried her business is doomed, begs Megan to look into it. Between her irate boss and a handsome Garda who's both amused and annoyed by her persistence, Megan has her hands full even before she's cajoled into taking care of two adorable Jack Russell puppies (which she is almost definitely not keeping). But if cockles and mussels aren't to blame, can Megan find the real culprit . . .before another fishy death occurs?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Ireland, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime

292 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 31, 2019

About the author

This is a pen name for author C.E. Murphy. C.E. Murphy was born and raised in Alaska and has since moved to her ancestral homeland of Ireland. She lives there with her family and writes as much as she can. She also writes "action-adventure romance" novels under the pseudonym Cate Dermody, which was her grandmother's maiden name.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is the first book in the new cozy The Dublin Driver Mysteries series. As with most cozy series this first book contains it’s own mystery that is solved within so readers could only read the one and not worry about cliffhangers.

Megan Malone is originally from the US but after her years in the military as an Army combat medic she decided she would move to Dublin. Making her new life in a new country Megan took on a job at the Leprechaun Limo Service where she drove other tourists and regulars around the town.

One day Megan is driving one of her regular customers around town when they stop at a restaurant owned my one of Megan’s friends. However, Elizabeth Darr, Megan’s customer, ends up dropping over dead at the restaurant. Megan feels for her husband just losing his wife and also for her friend who’s restaurant will be in danger due to the suspicious death so Megan decides to look into the murder herself.

Dead in Dublin is a solid start to a new cozy series. There are the usual quirky characters and some cute critters in the mix along with the mystery. This one did seem a bit more complex and dare I say darker than what the normal cozy brings on the mystery side so I will be interested to see what book two might bring. For me I would rate this opener at 3 1/2 stars for now though.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Natalia R · Rating 4 out of 5]

After retiring from the US military, Megan Malone moved to Dublin, Ireland for a fresh start. She loves her new home and is enjoying her job as a driver for the Leprechaun Limo Service. When one of her regular clients, popular food blogger, Elizabeth Darr, dies after eating at her friend's restaurant, Megan does everything she can to help Elizabeth's grieving husband Simon and her chef friend. As she digs deeper into Elizabeth's life, she uncovers some shocking secrets about Simon and her friend's business partner.

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is a promising start to new series. The plot is original, complex, and moves at a steady pace. Megan is an intelligent and relatable main character. I enjoyed getting to know her and found her career to be a refreshing change from the traditional cozy mysteries. I loved the chemistry between her and Detective Bourke and look forward to seeing what the author has in store for their characters. The murder mystery was a lot darker than I was expecting. It definitely kept me guessing and the culprit was a complete surprise to me. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to spending more time in Dublin with Megan and her adorable dogs.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Catie Murphy for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Gail C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in a new series that will be going on my list to follow. This was a thoroughly engaging mystery novel taking place in Dublin. The characters in the book are well crafted with lots of quirks and personalities that help create three dimensional people. Megan Malone is an American who moved to Ireland after retiring as an Army Medic. Now she drives a limo in Dublin which positions her perfectly to meet new people and become intrigued in their situations.
In this inaugural book in the series, one of Megan’s repeat couples is dining at a restaurant owned by one of Megan’s friends when the wife drops dead. Megan is concerned, both because 1)she has developed an interest in her clients and 2) her friend is worried her restaurant might fail as a result of a death on her doorstep. Megan springs into action, trying to help her friend Fionn save her restaurant as well as offer aid to her former rider, now a widower.
As Megan moves through Dublin she finds herself occasionally running into Detective Inspector Paul Burke, a ginger haired police detective. Initially he learns some information from her which has been given to her by another friend, Niamh, a beautiful woman who has a thriving career on stage and is well known to many in Ireland. Rounding out the cast of characters who might continue in the series are Megan’s uncle, Robbie and a neighbor Brian. All these characters are well developed and interesting enough to want to get to know them better. They provide a good circle of friends to round out Megan’s world with enough interesting personalities to make the reader want to know more.
The author has also provided a pronunciation guide for some of the lesser known Irish names and places. This, coupled with the occasional phrase with a distinct Irish turn help create a more “Irish” atmosphere for the reader without causing them to interrupt their reading while they attempt to figure out how to say something, even if it’s just in th
There may be a couple of places within the book that stretch credulity, but the mystery is so well written they are easy to gloss over. For example, it’s hard to believe someone who was visiting Ireland would trust their chauffeur so fully that they turned to them for help in solving the mystery of the murderer’s identity. It also stretches the imagination just a bit to believe that a retired Army Medic could have the computer skills to hack an account using hacking software she “Googled’ on the internet.
There are two mysteries here, one is the murder and the other is some other illegal activity that is uncovered through the reseach into the woman’s death. In both instances, I was able to figure out the basic premises as to motive, which lead to suspicions of the correct people involved in the crimes. The book was so well written my suspicions only served to make me that much more interested in finishing the book to discover if I was right.
I’m putting this on my lists of new series to watch, as I would love to spend more time with Megan and her friends. My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Digital Read Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. I would recommend this to anyone who was looking for a new series that is basically a cozy, but with a few elements of detective/classic fiction included.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she finished up her military career, Megan Malone relocated to Dublin, Ireland. She works for Leprechaun Limos, driving tourists all over the city. It's about as far from her former military skills as she can get...but she loves it. Most days it's pretty routine....driving people here and there, giving a bit of touristy color and history to her clients. Until the day one of her passengers drops dead. A well-known restaurant and food critic, Elizabeth Darr, dies....after eating at a local restaurant. With the police investigating the eatery to rule out food poisoning, Megan is concerned. The restaurant is owned by a friend, and she doesn't want its reputation ruined. She finds herself doing a bit of sleuthing to find out what actually happened to Elizabeth Darr. Who wanted the popular food critic dead??

I love this new series! The characters and setting are just fun and entertaining! Despite the fact that I can't properly pronounce any of the Irish names....I enjoyed this book! Megan is an interesting and intelligent main character. The side characters are quirky and entertaining. I'm not sure I would enjoy being a limo driver, but it might be a bit of fun to drive tourists around a city with such an interesting history and folklore behind it. I would definitely not want one of my passengers to drop dead before my very eyes though. Megan did a lot better job handling that situation than I would!

Great start to a new series! I will definitely be reading more! The second book in the Dublin Driver Mystery series, Death on the Green, will be out in September 2020.

**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun, charming, cozy and immersive mystery set in Dublin, with a heroine I loved (a 40-year-old American immigrant, ex-military, infinitely generous, practical, and a hopeless sucker for any human or animal in need), an expansive friends-group for the heroine that I ADORED, and a setting so vividly described and so enticing that I wished I could hop on a plane and visit straightaway! The author is an American immigrant to Ireland herself, so unsurprisingly, not only did the (realistically diverse) setting feel real, but the American-immigrant-in-a-country-with-the-same-language-but-SO-many-different-connotations! experience resonated a LOT for me, an American immigrant to the UK.

And there are puppies! Adorable puppies!

So.

Obviously, I now want to read Book 2 IMMEDIATELY. :)

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ = Average.
Paperback.
This was okay although I was expecting to enjoy this a lot more than I did.
The plot was decent enough but the writing was a little too wordy…if this makes sense. Quite a lot of rambling.
An easy read.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan Malone former US Army combat medic, is now a limo driver in Dublin for Lucky Leprechaun Limousines. One of her customers, Liz, dies suddenly after dining at her friend Fionn's restaurant, but the autopsy reveals something much worse than a bad meal. Is Liz's husband really as devastated as he seems? And then there's a second murder, and Megan wonders if they are connected. I liked the Dublin setting for this cozy mystery, and Megan is an appealing protagonist. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quando ho visto che la serie era ambientata a Dublino e dintorni e avrebbe potuto avere accenni a luoghi turistici, non ho resistito e ho comprato la versione cartacea di questo libro. Non me ne pento perché mi è piaciuto davvero tanto! Ed effettivamente ci sono dei riferimenti a luoghi di Dublino ed essendoci stata due anni fa, mi è sembrato di tornare là mentre leggevo. Megan è un'ottima protagonista e mi piace il rapporto che si instaura col detective. La storia è ben congegnata e piena di suspense. Non riesco a trovare una pecca: promosso a pieni voti! E comprerò la versione cartacea dei libri a seguire, che spero saranno molti.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good first book in a new series. I liked the main character. I loved the Dublin setting. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

[JoAn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy was an excellent beginning to a new cozy mystery series. Ms. Murphy is a "new to me" author who did not disappoint.

Megan Malone is an American expat living in Dublin and driving limos and town cars for Leprechaun Limo Service. She loves her job and has made several friends in Dublin since moving here. She's older than most of the current cozy mystery sleuths so I enjoyed "meeting" her. The story is well crafted with a quickly paced plot, twists, turns, red herrings and few suspects for the Garda and Megan to investigate. The actual culprit was a finale shocker for me as I never guessed who might have killed the restaurant critic, Elizabeth Darr. Well done, Ms. Murphy! I look forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at The Power of Words: https://bit.ly/2Rcwub2

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is a refreshing addition to the cozy mystery field and I enjoyed it very much overall. Several things set it apart from other cozy mysteries … The setting, for one. What’s not to like about an Irish setting? And then there’s the lead character, Megan Malone, whose very name alludes to the legendary Molly Malone of Dublin fame. Megan is an appealing and original character, with her Army medic background and totally unrelated current job of driving for the Leprechaun Limo Service.

Megan’s job seems interesting, but pretty routine – until one of her repeat customers drops dead after eating at a friend’s restaurant. Molly is intelligent and caring, qualities that compel her to ask questions. The mystery is well crafted, complex, and flows steadily with a few twists and surprises along the way. There’s some good chemistry between Megan and DI Paul Bourke with the Dublin Garda, so I hope for further development between the two. And a few canine characters steal hearts, a Jack Russell terrier and two pups, born in a restaurant kitchen.

The only real negative for me was the totally unnecessary use of profanity. I enjoy clean reads and did not expect to find this in a cozy mystery.

I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is the beginning of A Dublin Driver Mystery series. Megan Malone retired from the military after twenty years and relocated to Dublin, Ireland where she works as a driver for Leprechaun Limo Service. Megan is shocked when Elizabeth “Liz” Darr collapses at the base of the Molly Malone statue and passes away. Liz Darr was a renowned restaurant critic and food blogger who had been traveling for the last year around Europe with her husband Simon. Megan had been ferrying them around the last three months whenever they were in town. When food poisoning is suspected, Megan’s friend, Fionnuala Canan comes under suspicion as the chef from Canan’s where Liz had her last meal. Both Fionnuala and her boss, Orla Keegan ask (beg) Megan to investigate. Detective Paul Bourke admires Megan’s tenacity, but he would rather she keep her nose out of the investigation and stick to driving. Megan has no intention of giving up especially after the victim’s parents also ask her to get them answers. Megan has her hands full between her driving duties, sleuthing and taking care of a Jack Russell terrier along with her two pups that were discovered in the kitchen of Canan’s. When another death occurs at Canan’s, Megan is sure they are connected. Can Megan steer the investigation towards the killer? Dead in Dublin takes readers to Dublin, Ireland with her vivid descriptions of this charming city. Megan lives just outside Dublin in an apartment in Rathmines where she must make sure her landlord and boss, Orla does not discover the mama dog and her two puppies (which Megan keeps saying she has no intention of keeping). I appreciated the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book for the various characters names (Niamh is pronounced Neev). It was very helpful. Megan is a Houston native who wanted a fresh start after retiring from a twenty year career in the military. She enjoys ferrying people around the city, though, she is not fond of her boss, Orla Keegan. I like that Megan is intelligent as well as friendly with a unique profession for a cozy mystery. Detective Paul Bourke is in charge of the case, and he likes that Megan is determined (though he does wish she will quit meddling). There is definite chemistry between them. There are a variety of eccentric characters from Niamh O’Sullivan who is an actress and activist to Megan’s Uncle Rabbie with his varied connections. The mystery was multifaceted and suited the Irish setting. We follow Megan as she questions various people searching for answers. I believe readers will enjoy this challenging whodunit. I was surprised by the foul language present in Dead in Dublin since it is not normal for it to be present in cozy mysteries. Dead in Dublin is a stimulating new cozy mystery with darling dogs, ineffable Irish charm, a dashing detective, a rash of rumors, and one determined driver.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly Malone is ex-military and a current limo driver to the wealthy in Dublin, Ireland. When a client, a well known food critic is murdered, Molly decides to investigate to clear the woman’s husband and also the proprietors of her favorite restaurant. The mystery was well done, Molly is an interesting protagonist and has a friendly relationship with the detective investigating the case. Overall, not bad.

[Genres and Journals *Tia* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edit: Back a day later to add some thoughts cause I’ve been thinking about this one …trying to put my finger on why it didn’t feel like a cozy to me…and I think I finally figured it out.
There isn’t a small town community here - the book is set in Dublin which is fine but since Dublin is rather large there needed to be an effort put in to form a smaller community around Meg. Like at her Limo place or at that restaurant where her friend works or maybe in her neighborhood…anywhere at all would have worked. But instead, we get Meg talking to a lot of people individually- calling and texting friends and such here and there throughout the whole book - but there is no set community were we see her and her friends meeting up and interacting with and supporting each other. She has one friend at work, one in her neighborhood, one back in America, one at a restaurant, etc, but there is no tie to bring them altogether ever - no small cozy community feeling ever throughout the entire book.

Now back to my previously posted thoughts…
I struggled to finish this one. I found the writing hard to sink into. I had to continuously reread sentences in order to catch what the heck the author was saying. The characters were bland and their connections were dubious. It is never explained why this American woman has moved to Ireland, how she befriended these random people (except for the actress), or what her military background entails.
Also, why in the world would you ask your limo driver to solve your wife’s murder?? Literally the most unrealistic sleuth situation I’ve ever read not to mention just all around BORING. Will definitely not be continuing this series.

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and plotted mystery set in Dublin, Ireland with a Texan limo driver made for a really interesting and intriguing read. I fell in love with the little Jack Russell who had two puppies. Meg was babysitting them, and as she kept telling them that she wasn't keeping them but was growing closer and closer to the little dog family, I was hoping she'd weaken. I sure didn't like her boss much. That lady needs an attitude adjustment lol. Meg's friends were fun, but she was more of a loner while investigating the murder of her limo client's wife. She was ex-military, so it wasn't like she was unaware of danger and couldn't handle herself. A couple of friends and her uncle did some consulting for her. Uncle Rabbie was quite the character!

Meg proved herself during the showdown with the killer, and it was awesome! I'll be interested in seeing if Meg has to move in the next book due to her little dog family that she "wasn't adopting." ;)

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book!

This was a fantastic start to a cozy series with a whole lot of promise, It has a unique setting, character and situation, and thus made it all the more enjoyable. Megan was a really good sleuth, and had some great leads and sources to untilize. Ultimately we're led in such an unexpected direction for the murderer that I was both shocked and impressed. I read so many of these that it's usually hard to get one past me, but this one did!

A really great book, and I'm so glad to have found another brilliant author to look out for in the future. Five stars.

[The Cozy Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: The Dublin Driver Mysteries – Book 1
Author: Catie Murphy
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Exotic Location
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 304

Publishing Date: December 31, 2019

From Kensington Books comes the new cozy series “The Dublin Driver Mysteries” by Catie Murphy and the debut book, Dead In Dublin. It is a fun, entertaining, traditional mystery with offbeat characters with a great location.

Megan is an original character, ex-military, American, and a limo driver. She cares about her passengers, her friends, and the people she works with. Having a character that is as put together as Megan is in the first book in a new cozy series, is unusual, but nothing less would be expected from a writer with Ms. Murphy’s talent.

Other characters have quirks that help in aiding Megan’s progress through the story and make her a person readers will enjoy getting to know. The location of Dublin is detailed enough to make it interesting without being boring. Suspects and clues in this new cozy series abound, which keeps readers flipping the page while trying to figure out who the culprit is and maintaining a high degree of charm. The murder is not predictable, and neither is the killer or the motive. I think most people will be surprised by the unveiling of the murderer and how Megan solves the mystery.

Dead In Dublin is a wonderful first book in a new cozy series, and I am happy to recommend it to readers who like adventure, exotic locations, and a murder that will keep them guessing until the final reveal.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this cozy mystery while looking for a new audio series to start and I am thrilled that I did! Megan is a wonderful main character, the plot is amazingly twisted and entertaining, the other characters are well fleshed out and puppies!!!! Set in Ireland and delightfully written, I can't wait to start the next audiobook in the series!

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead in Dublin is a good start to a new cozy mystery series.
Set in Dublin, the story is well written and fast paced.I’m looking forward to reading more.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This is the first book in the Dublin Driver mystery series by Catie Murphy.

There was quite a lot of build-up in this story. I had a hard time grasping the entire scenario. It wasn’t until the halfway point I had my feet under me and was understanding the concept of this book. I am not certain what had me stymied.

I didn’t get the lush sense of Dublin like I thought I would and I understand that you can’t do that constantly. I probably missed all the Ireland-esque build-up when I was so baffled at the beginning. Bummer on my part. I think a re-read might be in order now that I know what is going on. I might do that before book two comes out.

I had a hard time liking the main character since she went out of her way to hit a man when he was down. She didn’t know the entire circumstances of Simon’s life. He had already been arrested for his wife’s death (he was only a suspect at this point) and Megan went and threw him under the bus with a suspected drug selling idea she had. It was all heresay at that point and I think she should have let the police leap to their own conclusions in that aspect.

I enjoyed the last fourth of the book much more than the rest. The author really seemed to have a handle on their characters by that point and had related enough info to us that we could enjoy it too. I can’t imagine what a grand undertaking it must be to create a mystery world from nothing but your imagination. I believe the books after this one will be a much better representation of this author’s work. The world is now created and established. I will look forward to see how she plays in it.

If you love a good cozy mystery, check this one out and decide for yourself.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I really like the main character and all of her friends. I also really enjoy the Irish setting and am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

[Linniegayl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in a mystery series featuring an American woman who drives a limo for tourists in Dublin, and based on the first book will solve mysteries on the side. As the book opens, one of Megan's clients has been found dead close to one of her friend's restaurant. Megan decides to investigate the death to help her friend -- and hopefully prove it wasn't food poisoning.

The opening sections were slow-going for me. I checked several times to make certain this really was the first in a series. It felt as if a lot about Megan -- and her many friends -- went unexplained. How did this 20-year military person end up driving in Dublin? How did she get a visa? Is she part irish? We're introduced to a lot of friends and acquaintances of Megan within a relatively short amount of time, as well as to a darling mother dog and her two puppies that Megan decides to foster for a week.

I gradually became interested in the mystery itself and was curious as to why Megan's client was murdered. We're thrown a lot of possible suspects, but the ending seemed a bit out of left-field. Yes, Megan does careful research to figure out who might be involved in the crime, but it felt as if most of the book was a teaser that went nowhere.

So, this definitely wasn't my favorite new mystery, but I liked the setting, and liked some of the characters (and the dogs), so will probably eventually read the second in the series.

[Ren Puspita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Dead in Dublin is the first of Dublin Driver Mysteries series, however Catie Murphy already published before under name C.E.Murphy who primarily published urban fantasy title. No wonder that the vibe of Dead in Dublin, rather than cozy tend more to a little bit dark and sinister.

While I like Megan Malone as a character, I feel that her motivation to solve the murder of the victim, a famous food vlogger kinda convoluted. It will be believable and make sense to me if she did it because the murder affect her friend's restaurant since there's a possibility the murder happen because of food poisoning. But Megan do the sleuthing because she think her customers as best friend. Um, yeah, right. It's just didn't sit well to me. Especially the scene when the victim's parent believe fully to Megan to solve the case but they are barely meeting.

The ending is nice but kinda rushed. The culprit is totally not what I think at first and while their motive is clear, how they do the evil deeds is not that clear. Not only that, since the murder happen twice, the second murder also seems random while hints to a grander scheme like money laundering. The vibe of Dublin and Ireland in general is written nicely and Murphy also provide how to pronounce the Irish name. It's just if you think Dead in Dublin will be like your traditional cozy, you might be a little bit disappointed. I do enjoy Megan's sleuthing, but the story is just okay so I don't think I will read the next book.

[Fee (Ebook Addicts) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Malone is an American expat living in Dublin and drives limos and town cars for Leprechaun Limo Service, her current charge is food blogger Elizabeth Darr and her husband Simon. When Elizabeth drops dead shortly after dining at a local restaurant, owned by Megan's friend who is not only distraught that someone has died after eating at her restaurant but also worried how it will impact her business, she begs Megan to look into Elizabeth's death. Was it food poisoning or something more sinister as murder?

Megan has spent a lot of time with Liz and her husband Simon and she offers to help him as best she can to find out what happened to his wife, and when Megan discovers it was being treated as murder she wonders if Simon has something to do with it, but why? what would be his motivation to kill her? Megan uncovers a host of suspects and to be honest I had no idea who it was going to end up being. Catie Murphy did a great job of keeping Megan and the reader on their toes trying to work out the who and the why.

Dead in Dublin was a great start to this series and I loved all the colour cast of characters we meet in this book and hope we meet some again in the next one, this series is off great start and I cant wait to see what is in store for Megan Malone next.

5 stars.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHEW! I thought this was going to be a gentle read over a couple of evenings, at 02.00 hours I turned the last page and wanted more!

Megan Malone did 20 years in the US military and she has now ended up in Dublin, renting an apartment and being a driver for the Leprechaun Limo Service and is working one day when she sees one of her clients collapse under the bronze statue of Molly Malone, the client's husband is frantically doing CPR when Megan comes to assist (she was a Medic whilst in service), regrettably they are unable to save Elizabeth and it is now that the story really takes hold.  One of Megan's friends is the chef in the restaurant Elisabeth and Simon Darr had just been eating in and Fionnalla is worried that the restaurant (and more to the point herself!) will be blamed, then there is another death, which is without a doubt murder, and Megan finds herself trying to help Simon Darr, and Elizabeth's parents make sense of what is happening.  Can she do this without stepping on the toes of the Garda (and one Gardai in particular), look after a mama dog and two brand new puppies, oh and keep on the right side of her boss!  Read this and enjoy it, I certainly did!

[Kav · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to love about this new series (and new-to-me author.) Love the Dublin setting, the unusual occupation for a cozy mystery heroine, Megan's larger than life friends and the subtle hints at something developing between Meg and a certain garda detective. And there's puppies!!!!

The mystery is a bit darker than the usual cozy fare but very cleverly developed with plenty of surprising twists. Love Megan's dogged determination to make sense out of the chaos. Her army medic background stands her in good stead and she's also a people person which helps as well.

I listened to the audible edition and Lucy Rayner's narration made me positively giddy with delight! Sheer brilliance, enhancing my enjoyment of the story all the more.

Please note: there are some profanity issues -- I prefer clean reads so I've knocked my rating down a star, but otherwise, this is an excellent start to a captivating new series.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is the 1st book in the Dublin Driver Mystery series, and my first book by this author. Megan Malone recently retired from the military, and moved to Dublin. She has a duel citizenship with US and Ireland. Megan is working for Leprechaun Limo driving tourist around, and enjoys it. When one of Megan's regular customers, a restaurant critic, dies suddenly on the sidewalk after eating at her friends restaurant, Megan is determined to find the truth. I really wanted to like this book, but it took me forever to get into it, I can not pin point my reason why. I plan on reading the next book in the series, and giving this author another shot. A lot of people enjoyed this book, so if you love cozy mysteries, decide for yourself.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 bk 37. A new author for me and a new mystery series. Set in Dublin, ex-pat Megan Malone is a hired driver for tourists, her latest charges being food critic sensation, Elizabeth Darr and her husband. When Elizabeth dies, Megan promises to help her husband and later his in-laws, despite orders to the contrary from her boss. A lovely mystery with the clues bunched up more at the end rather than spread out. The early part, however, does a terrific job at introducing the characters who will be central to series and in introducing the city of Dublin to the readers.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I needed right now. I picked this up on a friend's recommendation, and I'm so glad I did because it was engaging, a bit funny, and an extra pleasant cozy mystery escape. I loved the main character and her friends, and while I made a few correct guesses about the mystery along the way it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. The audio was really enjoyable too, so I'm eagerly waiting for the next book from the library.

[Sandra Berryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a series of cozy mysteries, I hope, with interesting characters and a solid plot line. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in this series.