Murder at the Monks' Table

Sister Mary Helen #11

by Carol Anne O'Marie

Sister Mary Helen is in luck, depending on how you look at it. She and Sister Eileen are in Ireland to attend the weeklong Oyster Festival in the little village of Ballyclarin. They make their first stop at a central oasis of food and drink called the Monks' Table. Mary Helen overhears a woman saying to the man with her, "I am surprised someone hasn't killed you already." But Eileen assures her that it's only a way of speaking, and Mary Helen is relieved---until the next night, when she finds the same man in the pub's ladies' room, murdered.
Mary Helen's reputation for sleuthing follows her across the Atlantic, and the Irish police warn her not to get involved. She has every intention of leaving this case in the hands of the authorities, but sometimes Fate will just not listen to reason.
Fans of this delightful nun, a detective in spite of herself, will be certain to enjoy accompanying her on this latest trip, the eleventh entry in this continuingly popular series.

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

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 30, 2006

About the author

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, CSJ was a mystery writer and a nun in the St. Joseph of Carondelet religious order.

She wrote eleven novels with the protagonist Sister Mary Helen, an elderly nun who solves crimes. Most of the books are based in San Francisco.

Her final book, Like a Swarm of Bees, is about the origins of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States.

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie and Sister Maureen Lyons ran a shelter for homeless women in Oakland, CA.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute cozy mystery set in Ireland, with two vacationing American nuns helping to solve the mystery. Even though this book is in the middle of this series, I had no problem following the story. A light, enjoyable read.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am coming late to this series since this is the eleventh in the series, This is a delightful book with two elderly nuns as the protagonists. Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen are on vacation in the quaint village of Ballyclarin, Ireland where the oysters are claimed to be the best in the world. The two try to take in all the events in the yearly celebration. The sample all the delicious food, attend an artist exhibition, watch a game of whist, and a game similar to football. They have been assigned a driver who shows them all the local sights, But, Mary Helen can't help being in the wrong place at the wrong time and stumbles on a body in the Women's restroom. She first smells a perfume odor before she sees a man slumped over with a small knife protruding from his back. The local police recognize the Nuns from investigations they have been involved in previously and resent their interference. As Sister Eilleen notes, "They had discovered a dead body before they had more than one piece of Rhubarb pie. Sister Mary Helen had overheard a lady saying that the dead man should have been murdered a log time earlier. A witness claimed that she had seen the killer wearing a white sheet over their head. The sisters can't help being curious and try to solve the crime even though they have been warned to stay away. When Mary
Helen overhears a woman confessing to her husband that she had killed the man to save their marriage, she is put in a horrible situation because she is not supposed to be involved. When the lady who admitted the murder is hospitalized, flowers arrive by the dozens and the Nuns recognize the smell from one containing yellow flowers with the same smell noticed with the dead man. Now, they really do have to get involved. This is a clever mystery with delightful sleuths who over eat and can't help getting involved in local crimes. I look forward to reading more about their crime solving and sampling the local cuisine.

[Sallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Sister Carol Anne O'Marie's mystery series I've read. The Sister Mary Helen mysteries is one I will be sure to read more as I found it delightful. This one was set in Ireland and Sister Mary Helen and her friend, Sister Eileen found themselves in the middle of who killed an obnoxious man. I was able to figure out who the murderer was and the clues that led to my discovery were subtle. We have humor and suspense to make reading this a pleasure.

[chrisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. This was the first book I read in this series. I found aspects of the book charming but as I continued to read I found myself growing more and more irritated with Liam which diminished my enjoyment of the book somewhat. At this point, I don't intend to read more in this series.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming mystery that takes the main character out of her natural habitat and into a small, beautiful, and gossipy community in Ireland. Great read, easy to pick up and hard to put down.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder of a local gossip columnist and the motives behind it are secondary to the experiences of Sisters Mary Helen and Eileen during a vacation in Ireland. You get a full flavor of the Irish countryside as the residents celebrate the annual Oyster Festival and the sisters interact with various eccentric characters. Not much physical action since the sisters are in their 70s and do not carry weapons or do any martial arts, but they listen to the conversations around them, watch the goings-on around them, and assist the police in narrowing the search for the perpetrator.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful cozy mystery featuring Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen who are visiting Ireland and the week long oyster festival in Ballyclarin. The local newspaper reporter is killed and the Sisters simply must help solve the crime

May the neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

May God grant you always.........
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

[Brooke Fradd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me! I got it from the library because I needed to fill the “something from the kitchen” challenge (table). I expected it to be a bedtime story (typically low stakes, I look for something I have no problem putting down.

I bumped it up to my porch reading after work. It’s a cozy mystery and the author does a good job of weaving an interesting story of a couple of nuns on vacation in Ireland. I hope my library has more by the sister!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set inn Bally clarion, Ireland, Sister Mary Helen joins her friend Sister Eileen for a vacation during the village festival. There's a murder of the appropriately most disliked person in the village, some attacks on other folks, happy people, disgruntled people, and everything in between. Easy read and fairly predictable.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the cozy mystery and I did not guess the culprit who committed the murder. I did however learn some new terms and must admit I had to look up the words in a dictionary (like "hackney" for example). I enjoyed the irish blessings throughout the book as well.

[Mary Beth]

Cute easy read mystery. The plot was good. I liked it because my son lives in Ireland in Galway so the places they mention I know from visiting him--Oranmore, Bon Secour hospital, the cathedral, etc.

[Sonia Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, get away from everything read.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable but cute. I love the Irish twist and the author's desire to get the Irish word/phrase correct.

[Kelly Castle]

Tame mystery that takes place in Ireland.

[Mgb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ireland, nuns, oyster festival, murder. Fine. Just fine.
But do the nuns count as amateur detectives if the mystery is solved by eavesdropping on the murderer confessing?

[William Jeanes Memorial Library]

Two elderly vacationing nuns from San Francisco solve a murder at a pub in Ireland. Good dialogue throughout and plenty of suspense right up until the end.
-Patron M.D.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant cozy mystery that was a little too simple, but enjoyable.

[Ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Marple if she slayed 🙏

[B Bow · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay cozy mystery.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, cozy mystery investigated by two nuns vacationing in Ireland. Trust me to be the one to discover a series by reading the last book 1st. :-) Ah well, I am joyed what I read, and I plan to read the rest of the books from the series, starting at the beginning. They don't seem to matter which order you read them.

[Drebbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen could use a break and welcomes the chance to visit her friend Sister Eileen who has been in Ireland for quite some time. The two plan a nice quiet time attending the week-long Oyster Festival in the tiny village of Ballyclarin. But things are never really quiet when Sister Mary Helen is around and soon she stumbles across a dead body. Sister Mary Helen knows a thing or two about murder and can't help investigating this one (with Sister Eileen's help of course). But even she will have a hard time solving the case - the bodies are beginning to pile up and she'll only be in Ireland for a week.

"Murder at the Monk's Table" is another good entry in the Sister Mary Helen cozy mystery series. Sister Mary Helen is one my favorite cozy mystery characters - a septuagenarian nun who just happens to be good at solving mysteries. Author Sister Carol Anne O'Marie shakes things up a bit with this book, moving the location from San Francisco to Ireland, and as a result the book has the feeling of a British cozy mystery in the Agatha Christie style. Since the book is set in Ireland, there is no visit from police detectives Dennis Gallagher or Kate Murphy; instead readers get a glimpse into the life of Garda Liam O'Dea. There are a lot of fun things in this book including the Oyster Festival. The mystery itself is well-done with plenty of suspects and red herrings and readers will have a hard time figuring out who the killer is. However, the book has a few flaws - the plot relies a bit too much on Sister Mary Helen being in the right place at the right time and her reason for withholding an important piece of information didn't quite work (she's a bit too meek in this book). However, despite these flaws, this is a very enjoyable cozy mystery.

Fans of cozy mysteries will like "Murder at the Monk's Table".

[Hapzydeco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie takes Sister Mary Helen on the road. Ballyclarin, Ireland, "Home of the Oyster Festival," is the destination. Coupled with a mysterious murder the setting provides lots of Irish color. This cozy allowed Mary Helen to show her knowledge of police procedure is not confined to the Tenderloin district.

And may you be in heaven
Half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead. ~ Irish Blessing

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie died from Parkinson's disease on May 27, 2009.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for an uncomplicated mystery read to enjoy over summer. That is what I found. I will read others by the same author.

This is the last book by Sister Carol Anne and I may have enjoyed it more if I had begun at the beginning of the series.

The story and the characters were enjoyable. Well described. I could picture them clearly in my mind. I wish the ending had been a bit more dramatic.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This last Sister Mary Helen book is among my favorites in the series. The setting is completely new yet SMH still manages to find a dead body. New, interesting characters play vital roles, but Sister Eileen is back to the forefront in her native country. I'm sad that there are no more, but even sadder that Sister Carol Anne is no longer around to add to the catalog. She must be smiling down on all her readers. Job well done, Sister!

[Dark Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading a Sister Mary Helen book but, it won't be the last. In this story Sister Mary Helen and Sister Eileen travel to Ireland, for the annual Oyster Festival. The two elderly nuns are on holiday but it quickly becomes a "working" holiday for the sleuths after two people get assaulted and one person is murdered. Beautiful descriptions of the scenery and characters made this a great read. And the old nuns are quite entertaining!

[Marianne Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book by this author and I am sad. Her books were adorable. They were not great works of literature - they were sweet little cozy mysteries that made you smile. I liked them.

The author has passed and with her, her wonderful characters who are now alive only in the pages of her books.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen travels to Ireland. She seems unable to stay away from murder.

This is my first Sister Mary Helen cozy. I liked it. Being in Ireland was a nice little get away. Though I would read a couple more in the series before rating this series higher.

This was a good read a nice cozy.

[Rosanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cozy from Sr. Carol Anne O'Marie. This one takes place in Ireland and in addition to being a quick, entertaining cozy, I learned quite a bit about Ireland that I didn't know. Sister Mary Helen mysteries are always good fun.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Mary Helen from a convent in San Francisco, CA is visiting in the Oyster Festival in Ireland with a fellow sister, Sister Eileen. Balancing American views of Ireland with exploring the whirl of small village life, they find murder in the festivities. A little slow but not a bad pace.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good light weight mystery. Nothing too sinister and with just enough clues for the reader to be fairly sure who the villian is, but not so sure that you won't keep reader to make sure you are correct.