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Home to Ireland Mystery #1
Murder in Galway
New Yorker Tara Meehan's first trip to Galway may be her last . . .
Tara never imagined her introduction to Ireland like this—carrying her mam’s ashes to honor her final request: “Tell Johnny I’m sorry . . . Take me home.” She’s never met her mam's estranged brother, Johnny Meehan, who owns an architectural salvage business in Galway. Although Tara is immediately charmed by the medieval city, the locals seem wary of strangers and a gypsy warns her that death is all around.
When Tara arrives at her uncle’s stone cottage, the prophesy seems true. A dead man lies sprawled over the threshold in a pool of blood. The victim turns out to be Johnny’s wealthiest client, and her missing uncle is the garda’s number-one suspect. In trying to find Johnny and solve the crime, Tara uncovers her mam and uncle’s troubled past. But with a desperate killer about, she had better mind herself, or they’ll be tossing her ashes in Galway Bay . . .
Tara never imagined her introduction to Ireland like this—carrying her mam’s ashes to honor her final request: “Tell Johnny I’m sorry . . . Take me home.” She’s never met her mam's estranged brother, Johnny Meehan, who owns an architectural salvage business in Galway. Although Tara is immediately charmed by the medieval city, the locals seem wary of strangers and a gypsy warns her that death is all around.
When Tara arrives at her uncle’s stone cottage, the prophesy seems true. A dead man lies sprawled over the threshold in a pool of blood. The victim turns out to be Johnny’s wealthiest client, and her missing uncle is the garda’s number-one suspect. In trying to find Johnny and solve the crime, Tara uncovers her mam and uncle’s troubled past. But with a desperate killer about, she had better mind herself, or they’ll be tossing her ashes in Galway Bay . . .
439 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2020
451 people are currently reading
5508 people want to read
About the author
Carlene O'Connor
35 books2,582 followersCarlene O’Connor is the USA Today Bestselling author of The Irish Village Mystery Series, The Home to Ireland Series and the County Kerry Mystery series. The first in the County Kerry Series, NO STRANGERS HERE received a starred review from Kirkus and was the Mystery Pick of the Month at Barnes and Noble in September of 2023. Of all the places across the pond she’s wandered, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork. She currently lives in New Mexico.
https://carleneoconnor.net/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
March 20, 2022
The first part of this book was very standard cosy. The characters all did what you would expect and events were easy to guess. However the main character, Tara Meehan, started to grow on me and then things began to really look up.
Tara is feisty, stubborn and sensible and she will not be deterred by anything. She has a very sad history behind her which includes the loss of her child. The mystery is very involved and there are many characters. I did guess the main culprit quite early despite the author's attempts to direct suspicion to others.
The ending was exciting and set things up for another book with the same main characters. I look forward to reading it!
Tara is feisty, stubborn and sensible and she will not be deterred by anything. She has a very sad history behind her which includes the loss of her child. The mystery is very involved and there are many characters. I did guess the main culprit quite early despite the author's attempts to direct suspicion to others.
The ending was exciting and set things up for another book with the same main characters. I look forward to reading it!
August 1, 2020
I'm a big fan of Carlene O'Connor's Irish Village series, so I was looking forward to starting this new series of hers. Unfortunately I didn't like it as much.
Tara Meehan, a New Yorker, has traveled to Ireland with her mother's ashes to honor her mother's request to "take me home" and find her mother's estranged brother to tell him "I'm sorry." Tara finds her uncle's cottage only to discover a body over the threshold. She has never met her uncle, so she assumes the body is his. After sounding the alarm, she finds that it is actually the body of his best client, and her uncle is missing, presumed by almost everyone to be the killer.
Tara doesn't believe her uncle, Johnny Meehan, to be guilty, so she sets out to find the real murderer. There is no shortage of suspects, and almost everyone in town is shown in a bad light. This made me find very few characters to like, including Tara herself.
I realize that it is unfair of me to judge one series by comparing it to another, but I like the warmth and light humor of the Irish Village series, and I didn't feel that with this book.
Nevertheless, I do plan to continue the series, with the hope that I will warm up to the continuing characters.
Tara Meehan, a New Yorker, has traveled to Ireland with her mother's ashes to honor her mother's request to "take me home" and find her mother's estranged brother to tell him "I'm sorry." Tara finds her uncle's cottage only to discover a body over the threshold. She has never met her uncle, so she assumes the body is his. After sounding the alarm, she finds that it is actually the body of his best client, and her uncle is missing, presumed by almost everyone to be the killer.
Tara doesn't believe her uncle, Johnny Meehan, to be guilty, so she sets out to find the real murderer. There is no shortage of suspects, and almost everyone in town is shown in a bad light. This made me find very few characters to like, including Tara herself.
I realize that it is unfair of me to judge one series by comparing it to another, but I like the warmth and light humor of the Irish Village series, and I didn't feel that with this book.
Nevertheless, I do plan to continue the series, with the hope that I will warm up to the continuing characters.
July 19, 2020
Murder in Galway by Carlene O'Connor was an engaging introduction to this new cozy mystery series. I liked Tara Meehan at first but her pushy attitude toward people she had barely met began to feel forced to me. I can understand why many of the Galway inhabitants and the guards wanted her to go home. The mystery was good and swiftly paced with just enough twists to keep me guessing until the reveal. I loved the descriptive writing of Galway and the surrounding area as it made Ireland come to life throughout the book.
I received a copy of this book from my local library.
I received a copy of this book from my local library.
October 5, 2023
Series: Home to Ireland Mystery #1
Publication Date: 4/28/20
Period: Contemporary – Galway, Ireland
Number of Pages:336
** Maybe 3.5 Stars **
I am an avid reader of this author’s Irish Village Mystery series and was very excited to see she has started this new series – also based in Ireland. I believe the author splits her year between living in Ireland and living in the United States.
Tara Meehan has come to Galway, Ireland to spread her mother’s ashes and to carry a message from her mother to Johnny Meehan, her mother’s estranged brother. Tara doesn’t even know if her uncle Johnny is alive. She’s never met him, never corresponded with him – no contact, ever. She has no idea what caused the rift between her mother and her uncle, so she has no idea what kind of reception she’ll get from him. Almost as soon as she arrived, the box containing her mother’s ashes was ripped from her hand by a street juggler and ended up opened and covering a stranger who had tried to retrieve it for her – then, directly on the heels of that, she discovered a dead body in the doorway of her uncle’s cottage. What a way to begin her stay in Galway!
Believing the body belonged to her uncle Johnny, she called the Garda (Irish police) and told them she’d found the body of Johnny Meehan. She also told others that she’d found Johnny’s body and nobody seemed surprised. Evidently, her uncle wasn’t an esteemed member of the community. When the body is officially identified, it isn’t Johnny Meehan but his best customer, Emmett Walsh, and her uncle Johnny is the suspect in the murder. With Uncle Johnny missing and the police not looking for other suspects, Tara believes it is her family duty to show that her uncle isn’t guilty – or – if he is, to help find him and turn him in.
The mystery is a good one with lots of potential suspects and victims. I was pretty sure who the culprit was almost as soon as they graced the page, but I certainly had no clue why that would be the case. There are many red herrings, many possible scenarios for the murder to have happened, and some really strange happenings going on in Johnny’s life. Tara finds yet another body, and this one had her uncle’s business card lying right there in the blood. Goodness wasn’t that convenient. The Garda doubles down on Johnny as the prime suspect and tells Tara to leave Ireland immediately – for her own safety of course. Can Tara and her uncle’s employee, Danny O’Donnell, solve the mystery before Detective Sergeant Gable finds and arrests her uncle? Danny is not a willing participant in the investigation, but he does what he can to help Tara.
This book just didn’t reach right out and pull me into the story. I didn’t care for any of the characters other than perhaps Danny. I also didn’t care for the anti-American sentiments which seemed to be espoused by the residents of Galway. I’m sure there are probably those with the anti-American sentiments in the real Galway, but I’d wager it isn’t as prevalent as the author intimated it was. With so many suspects, red-herrings, and things going on I would have thought the book would be fast-paced and suspenseful, but I actually found parts of it a bit dull.
While I wasn’t in love with this first offering, I’ll definitely try the next book in the series to see where things go. The first book in a series often isn’t the best the series has to offer because it has to fill so many functions – such as introducing us to the characters, setting up the series's premise, etc., and providing a compelling story. If the second book is like this one, I’ll probably not follow the series, but I’m sure I’ll become a series fan if it picks up the pace.
Publication Date: 4/28/20
Period: Contemporary – Galway, Ireland
Number of Pages:336
** Maybe 3.5 Stars **
I am an avid reader of this author’s Irish Village Mystery series and was very excited to see she has started this new series – also based in Ireland. I believe the author splits her year between living in Ireland and living in the United States.
Tara Meehan has come to Galway, Ireland to spread her mother’s ashes and to carry a message from her mother to Johnny Meehan, her mother’s estranged brother. Tara doesn’t even know if her uncle Johnny is alive. She’s never met him, never corresponded with him – no contact, ever. She has no idea what caused the rift between her mother and her uncle, so she has no idea what kind of reception she’ll get from him. Almost as soon as she arrived, the box containing her mother’s ashes was ripped from her hand by a street juggler and ended up opened and covering a stranger who had tried to retrieve it for her – then, directly on the heels of that, she discovered a dead body in the doorway of her uncle’s cottage. What a way to begin her stay in Galway!
Believing the body belonged to her uncle Johnny, she called the Garda (Irish police) and told them she’d found the body of Johnny Meehan. She also told others that she’d found Johnny’s body and nobody seemed surprised. Evidently, her uncle wasn’t an esteemed member of the community. When the body is officially identified, it isn’t Johnny Meehan but his best customer, Emmett Walsh, and her uncle Johnny is the suspect in the murder. With Uncle Johnny missing and the police not looking for other suspects, Tara believes it is her family duty to show that her uncle isn’t guilty – or – if he is, to help find him and turn him in.
The mystery is a good one with lots of potential suspects and victims. I was pretty sure who the culprit was almost as soon as they graced the page, but I certainly had no clue why that would be the case. There are many red herrings, many possible scenarios for the murder to have happened, and some really strange happenings going on in Johnny’s life. Tara finds yet another body, and this one had her uncle’s business card lying right there in the blood. Goodness wasn’t that convenient. The Garda doubles down on Johnny as the prime suspect and tells Tara to leave Ireland immediately – for her own safety of course. Can Tara and her uncle’s employee, Danny O’Donnell, solve the mystery before Detective Sergeant Gable finds and arrests her uncle? Danny is not a willing participant in the investigation, but he does what he can to help Tara.
This book just didn’t reach right out and pull me into the story. I didn’t care for any of the characters other than perhaps Danny. I also didn’t care for the anti-American sentiments which seemed to be espoused by the residents of Galway. I’m sure there are probably those with the anti-American sentiments in the real Galway, but I’d wager it isn’t as prevalent as the author intimated it was. With so many suspects, red-herrings, and things going on I would have thought the book would be fast-paced and suspenseful, but I actually found parts of it a bit dull.
While I wasn’t in love with this first offering, I’ll definitely try the next book in the series to see where things go. The first book in a series often isn’t the best the series has to offer because it has to fill so many functions – such as introducing us to the characters, setting up the series's premise, etc., and providing a compelling story. If the second book is like this one, I’ll probably not follow the series, but I’m sure I’ll become a series fan if it picks up the pace.
October 7, 2021
a. There was a constant "go back to New York, you Yankee" refrain that was so tiresome.
b. But I couldn't blame anybody, because Tara kept getting in people's faces and asking for their alibis when random bloke was offed. Umm, Tara, who died and made you inquisitor?
c. She refuses to believe that her uncle could have murdered anyone, even though she didn't know the man, just that her mother was so estranged that Tara didn't even know what the man looked like. But, he couldn't have killed anyone, because "family!!"
d. There's a woman who seems psychotically in love with this one guy who seems oblivious.
I have the next one on my TBR but I don't know if I really want to read it.
b. But I couldn't blame anybody, because Tara kept getting in people's faces and asking for their alibis when random bloke was offed. Umm, Tara, who died and made you inquisitor?
c. She refuses to believe that her uncle could have murdered anyone, even though she didn't know the man, just that her mother was so estranged that Tara didn't even know what the man looked like. But, he couldn't have killed anyone, because "family!!"
d. There's a woman who seems psychotically in love with this one guy who seems oblivious.
I have the next one on my TBR but I don't know if I really want to read it.
January 6, 2021
3.5 STARS
I am a huge fan of O'Connor's Irish Village Mysteries and couldn't wait to start her new series. While I liked this first installment, it was not quite what I had anticipated. This book had a more serious tone, and lacked the wit and humor of Siobhán and the crazy O'Sullivans from IVM. However, there was plenty of Irish culture/settings that I loved.
It was difficult not to constantly compare the two series, and I will definitely read the next installment.
I am a huge fan of O'Connor's Irish Village Mysteries and couldn't wait to start her new series. While I liked this first installment, it was not quite what I had anticipated. This book had a more serious tone, and lacked the wit and humor of Siobhán and the crazy O'Sullivans from IVM. However, there was plenty of Irish culture/settings that I loved.
It was difficult not to constantly compare the two series, and I will definitely read the next installment.
September 25, 2021
Outstanding audio! Tara has come to Galway to spread her mother's ashes and deliver a message to an Uncle she didn't even know that she had. However, upon arriving she stumbles into a mess of lies and secrets that is leading the local police to think that her Uncle is a murderer. Not knowing who she can trust, she sets out to unravel the mysteries that surround her family and in the process will either lose her life or find it! An excellent plot with a fabulous strong female sleuth who navigates life in a foreign country as well as untangling a web of lies in an intelligent albeit imperfect way. I really can't wait for the next book to be available as I can't wait to see what path Tara takes in the next book.
May 18, 2020
Eeeeepppp!! Just discovered a new-to-me mystery writer in this first book of a new series. Happily I have some catching up to do on her previous books so I'll be a contented listener for a while yet.
This mystery is spellbinding. Love the Irish locale and the way O'Connor brings it to life with her words. I felt like I could see every scene playing out before me. So many suspects among the intriguing characters Tara gets to know. At one point I figured the whole town had to be in on the murder. lol There's the beginning of a romance, I think, which I always love to see in a mystery. And so many clues to chase down that I was on the edge of my seat the right to the very end. Brilliantly done.
Heather O'Niell's narration enhanced my 'reading' pleasure. Totally captivating.
This mystery is spellbinding. Love the Irish locale and the way O'Connor brings it to life with her words. I felt like I could see every scene playing out before me. So many suspects among the intriguing characters Tara gets to know. At one point I figured the whole town had to be in on the murder. lol There's the beginning of a romance, I think, which I always love to see in a mystery. And so many clues to chase down that I was on the edge of my seat the right to the very end. Brilliantly done.
Heather O'Niell's narration enhanced my 'reading' pleasure. Totally captivating.
July 3, 2020
Tara is taking her mom's ashes to her birthplace, Galway, Ireland. She has hardly arrived, when the urn with the ashes is opened, she receives a warning to leave, and finds a dead body in the home of her Uncle John. With her uncle's assistant, Danny O'Donnell, Tara tries to find out where her uncle is, why someone would kill a person at her uncle's house, and her growing feelings for Danny.
Not so great. It took me forever to get into the story, and most of the action was in the last 1/3rd of the book. Not anywhere near as good as her other series, Irish Village Mysteries.
Not so great. It took me forever to get into the story, and most of the action was in the last 1/3rd of the book. Not anywhere near as good as her other series, Irish Village Mysteries.
August 24, 2020
2020 bk 275. Another American in Ireland mystery. While I've enjoyed O'Connor's other Irish mystery series, this did not hold the same enchantment for me. It is a good cozy for a rainy day, but there were sections that just bogged down for me. This was an okay read for one time, but not for re-reads. I was just disappointed.
September 30, 2020
Emmet Walsh never thought he's find himself in the middle of a fairy tale, but if Johnny Meehan didn't answer his door and produce Emmet's prized pig, he was going to huff, and puff, and most definitely blow something down.
Tara arrives in Galway with her mother's ashes to meet the uncle she never knew. Upon arriving at his cottage she discovers a body which she assumes is her uncle and creates quite a stir in the town of Galway.
I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. The characters were engaging and I loved the setting. There was just something that was a little off about it. I put it down several times before I was able to finish it. I think one thing that bothered me was the number of people that kept telling Tara to leave Ireland and go back to the US. I have not been to Galway but I did visit Larne years ago and found the people to be very friendly and welcoming.
There was an array of odd characters including a troupe of female Shakespearean actors. This was just one of the twists to the mystery.
The plot was good. I enjoyed learning a bit about the salvage business and how important provenance. I found it interesting that Tara stepped right into her uncle's business without knowing a lot about it.
I knew who the culprit was early on in the story. It seemed like it took quite a bit to reveal the identity.
Perhaps I need to go back and read the previous series by this author. I'm not sure I will continue with this one.
Tara arrives in Galway with her mother's ashes to meet the uncle she never knew. Upon arriving at his cottage she discovers a body which she assumes is her uncle and creates quite a stir in the town of Galway.
I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. The characters were engaging and I loved the setting. There was just something that was a little off about it. I put it down several times before I was able to finish it. I think one thing that bothered me was the number of people that kept telling Tara to leave Ireland and go back to the US. I have not been to Galway but I did visit Larne years ago and found the people to be very friendly and welcoming.
There was an array of odd characters including a troupe of female Shakespearean actors. This was just one of the twists to the mystery.
The plot was good. I enjoyed learning a bit about the salvage business and how important provenance. I found it interesting that Tara stepped right into her uncle's business without knowing a lot about it.
I knew who the culprit was early on in the story. It seemed like it took quite a bit to reveal the identity.
Perhaps I need to go back and read the previous series by this author. I'm not sure I will continue with this one.
June 27, 2021
This made me want to hop on a plane and see Galway, Ireland.
New Yorker Tara Meehan, 33, is taking her mother's ashes home to Galway, Ireland to be scattered into the Bay waters. When she arrives to meet the Uncle she's never known she stumbles across a body in the doorway of his cottage.
The cast of characters is quite an varied collection. The descriptions of the city of Galway is a lovely travelogue of the area. Solving the 'who-done-it' is full of plot twists and redirections coming to a happy conclusion.
Book 2 in this series is due to be released July 27, 2021 (Murder in Connemara)
New Yorker Tara Meehan, 33, is taking her mother's ashes home to Galway, Ireland to be scattered into the Bay waters. When she arrives to meet the Uncle she's never known she stumbles across a body in the doorway of his cottage.
The cast of characters is quite an varied collection. The descriptions of the city of Galway is a lovely travelogue of the area. Solving the 'who-done-it' is full of plot twists and redirections coming to a happy conclusion.
Book 2 in this series is due to be released July 27, 2021 (Murder in Connemara)
September 27, 2021
Un'altra serie ambientata in Irlanda... Le descrizione dei posti sono meravigliose, mi è venuta voglia di salire sul primo aereo! Il giallo da risolvere è complicato, con tanti possibili colpevoli: praticamente tutti i personaggi incontrati, o quasi, potevano esserlo e forse questo è un po' troppo esagerato, come anche il fatto che tutti mentissero o avessero qualcosa da nascondere prima o poi. Comunque, alla fine avevo capito chi fosse l'assassino, ma ormai mancavano pochi capitoli alla fine del libro. Non so cosa pensare della protagonista: a volte mi è piaciuta, altre volte non sono stata d'accordo con il suo modo di agire... vedremo come evolverà col proseguo della serie.
November 25, 2020
3.5 stars. As a big fan of Carlene O'Connor's other Irish murder series, I went into this one hoping for the perfect easy cozy mystery that transported me to Ireland. And it did just that. I liked the characters, though it was lacking for the vibrancy of the O'Sullivan clan, it was still enjoyable nonetheless. I look forward to seeing how the series progresses.
March 30, 2021
Great little mystery
I enjoyed the story line, the characters, and the great description of the town in Ireland. Fun read with a mystery twist at the end. Great storytelling. Look forward to the next Galway mystery by Ms. O'Conner.
I enjoyed the story line, the characters, and the great description of the town in Ireland. Fun read with a mystery twist at the end. Great storytelling. Look forward to the next Galway mystery by Ms. O'Conner.
May 26, 2024
3.5 stars
January 5, 2021
Reminded me of an Irish version of an Aurora Teagarden mystery. Fun, interesting...
May 12, 2019
I do not want to visit Ireland anymore! Perhaps I'm too sensitive, and this is only just one book, but the constant feed of "American, go home, we don't want you here," really got to me. I am, however, taking this as a sign of what a gifted storyteller Carlene O'Connor is. I'd never read one of her books before. She really sucked me in to this world, keeping me up way too late just to finish the story. Well, the inhabitants of O'Connor's Galway may not have wanted Tara Meehan there, but they don't have a choice with me! I do plan on going back, because, luckily, this is the first book in a planned new cozy mystery series. This book will also satisfy the 2019 Watauga County Public Library Reading Challenge categories: A Book Published in 2019; A Book By An Author You've Never Heard of Before; The First Book In a Series. I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways on Thursday, April 18, 2019. It is a Barnes&Noble Exclusive Edition.
April 3, 2023
While I enjoyed that this was set in a completely different part of Ireland than I've read previously, it was a bit difficult for me to get into the mystery. I didn't seem to connect to the characters as well as I have in her previous books. The mystery is good, though, and I did enjoy the read
Read this once again and enjoyed it, so hopefully I will enjoy the second book too
Read this once again and enjoyed it, so hopefully I will enjoy the second book too
July 17, 2019
2.5 stars
I liked this first in the series well enough, but I did not love it. With the exception of Danny, I did not warm to the characters. The Ireland setting is lovely.
I liked this first in the series well enough, but I did not love it. With the exception of Danny, I did not warm to the characters. The Ireland setting is lovely.
September 19, 2019
Not quite as good a read as O'Connor's first series.
May 9, 2019
What a GREAT start for a series !!! Murder in Galway by Carlene O'Connor is the first book in her Galway Ireland Mystery series and it is an amazing story !!!
Sadly we travel with Tara Meehan to Galway Ireland where she is going to meet her uncle for the first time while she is honoring her recently deceased mothers final wishes. Her mother grew up in Galway but left before Tara was born and never returned. Along with having her ashes released over the Galway Bay, her mother also wanted Tara to apologize to her uncle......unfortunately Tara doesn't know why. Another unfortunate thing is that when Tara arrives at her uncle's cottage there is a dead man in the doorway !!! Seeing as Tara as no clue what her uncle looks like, she assumes that the dead man is her uncle.
As it turns out the deceased man is not Tara's uncle but it is his most wealthiest client and he was murdered and Tara's uncle is missing !! Everyone in town is saying that her uncle had recently been acting weird and they believe that he was capable of murdering the client. Even though Tara has never met her uncle, she is most certain that he did not murder the man and she will do whatever it takes to prove that.
While Tara travels around town getting to know the people and the town as well as her uncle's business, she is also doing her own investigating......even though the local police, guard as they are called in Ireland, are telling her to stop and to basically go back to America. It will come as no surprise that Tara does not listen to the guard and along with her uncle's one employee, Danny, she solves not one, but two murders and brings her uncle out of hiding !!!
I just love stories centered around Ireland, even if they are fictitious. And the way that O'Connor writes Murder in Galway, the reader will feel like they are there !! I love when an author can send the reader away on a journey without having to pack or deal with jet lag......and O'Connor has that amazing ability !!
Sadly we travel with Tara Meehan to Galway Ireland where she is going to meet her uncle for the first time while she is honoring her recently deceased mothers final wishes. Her mother grew up in Galway but left before Tara was born and never returned. Along with having her ashes released over the Galway Bay, her mother also wanted Tara to apologize to her uncle......unfortunately Tara doesn't know why. Another unfortunate thing is that when Tara arrives at her uncle's cottage there is a dead man in the doorway !!! Seeing as Tara as no clue what her uncle looks like, she assumes that the dead man is her uncle.
As it turns out the deceased man is not Tara's uncle but it is his most wealthiest client and he was murdered and Tara's uncle is missing !! Everyone in town is saying that her uncle had recently been acting weird and they believe that he was capable of murdering the client. Even though Tara has never met her uncle, she is most certain that he did not murder the man and she will do whatever it takes to prove that.
While Tara travels around town getting to know the people and the town as well as her uncle's business, she is also doing her own investigating......even though the local police, guard as they are called in Ireland, are telling her to stop and to basically go back to America. It will come as no surprise that Tara does not listen to the guard and along with her uncle's one employee, Danny, she solves not one, but two murders and brings her uncle out of hiding !!!
I just love stories centered around Ireland, even if they are fictitious. And the way that O'Connor writes Murder in Galway, the reader will feel like they are there !! I love when an author can send the reader away on a journey without having to pack or deal with jet lag......and O'Connor has that amazing ability !!
September 26, 2023
I’ve read the entire Irish Village series written by this author (so far) and have really enjoyed it. Reading this new series was an easy choice and I really liked the first book! There’s a slew of interesting characters to get to know and the setting is in a larger city than the Irish Village books. I already have the second book ready to go.
I will also say - it was refreshing to see our amateur sleuth hold tight to honesty. Usually these characters sneak around and tell white lies or outright lies, hold back information etc. But while Tara snuck around and maybe told some white lies - she also told the truth when usually we’d see someone keep things to themselves.
I will also say - it was refreshing to see our amateur sleuth hold tight to honesty. Usually these characters sneak around and tell white lies or outright lies, hold back information etc. But while Tara snuck around and maybe told some white lies - she also told the truth when usually we’d see someone keep things to themselves.
October 3, 2025
I recently read a Carlene O'Connor novella featuring Tara Meehan and liked it. I, therefore, decided to back up and see where it all began.
Tara is introduced as the protagonist in an Irish mystery series called A Home to Ireland. Tara makes her first visit to her mother's hometown of Galway to spread her mum's ashes.
Tara quickly becomes embroiled in murder when she finds a body in her uncle's doorway. Before long, she becomes a suspect; then, her Uncle Johnny is accused of murder.
While most of the villagers want the determined Americsn to leave, Tara refuses to depart before she finds the real killer. This well-written book this is a fun read.
Tara is introduced as the protagonist in an Irish mystery series called A Home to Ireland. Tara makes her first visit to her mother's hometown of Galway to spread her mum's ashes.
Tara quickly becomes embroiled in murder when she finds a body in her uncle's doorway. Before long, she becomes a suspect; then, her Uncle Johnny is accused of murder.
While most of the villagers want the determined Americsn to leave, Tara refuses to depart before she finds the real killer. This well-written book this is a fun read.
January 23, 2024
I ended up enjoying this book! I’ve read most of Carlene’s other series and have enjoyed those. I at first had a hard time tracking with this book at first because I was only able to read a couple pages at a time so I think I just didn’t catch some of the details, but such is life with a 1 year old and newborn! I also appreciated that the MC wasn’t annoyingly nosey and for the most part was actually honest which felt pretty refreshing as that’s not the case with most cozy mysteries. I’ll be reading the next one in this series!
February 28, 2022
Galway comes alive here, even as bodies are dropping.
A plethora of characters/suspects to keep you guessing, if not a bit confused by them all, as I found myself from time-to-time. Not everyone is likable, if in fact anyone is likable.
I found myself both rooting for and annoyed by Tara. But, that might be okay. It did seem to work with the story.
All in all, a pleasant enough way to spend a long weekend, especially if you've got a Guinness.
A plethora of characters/suspects to keep you guessing, if not a bit confused by them all, as I found myself from time-to-time. Not everyone is likable, if in fact anyone is likable.
I found myself both rooting for and annoyed by Tara. But, that might be okay. It did seem to work with the story.
All in all, a pleasant enough way to spend a long weekend, especially if you've got a Guinness.
April 26, 2021
Mystery and an Irish Experience
A lovely suspense story in the midst an American view of the Irish in Galway. A little romance, a few murders, and plenty of suspects in this character driven cozy.
A lovely suspense story in the midst an American view of the Irish in Galway. A little romance, a few murders, and plenty of suspects in this character driven cozy.
March 15, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It was easy to spot the murderer. It did get tiresome when Tara spun around in circles. But this was a good start to a series. It will be interesting to see how the characters and relationships develop.
February 10, 2023
Three and a half. But I rounded up for the simple fact that it's an Ireland book and I think my soul aches to be back there. The story was fun, easy to read, perhaps a little too convoluted and overly complicated to be real, but it was what I needed when I needed it.
April 5, 2023
Good enough Cozy set in aIreland. Tara is in Ireland to spread her mom’s ashes and meet her uncle. She gets embroiled in a murder investigation.
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