No Strangers Here

Description

Set in Ireland's striking, rugged countryside, USA Today bestselling author Carlene O'Connor's dark, atmospheric new crime fiction series combines the eerie atmosphere of Tana French and Louise Penny with the compulsively taut plotting of Dervla McTiernan and Lucy Foley, as an Irish veterinarian grapples with life, death, family dynamics, and the secrets at the heart of her small community... On a rocky beach in the southwest of Ireland, the body of Jimmy O'Reilly, sixty-nine years old and dressed in a suit and his dancing shoes, is propped on a boulder, staring sightlessly out to sea. A cryptic message is spelled out next to the body with sixty-nine polished black stones and a discarded vial of deadly veterinarian medication lies nearby. Jimmy was a wealthy racehorse owner, known far and wide as The Dancing Man. In a town like Dingle, everyone knows a little something about everyone else. But dig a bit deeper, and there's always much more to find. And when Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien is dispatched out of Killarney to lead the murder inquiry, he's determined to unearth every last buried secret. Dimpna Wilde hasn't been home in years. As picturesque as Dingle may be for tourists in search of their roots and the perfect jumper, to her it means family drama and personal complications. In fairness, Dublin hasn't worked out quite as she hoped either. Faced with a triple bombshell-her mother rumored to be in a relationship with Jimmy, her father's dementia is escalating, and her brother is avoiding her calls-Dimpna moves back to clear her family of suspicion. Despite plenty of other suspects, the guards are crawling over the Wildes. But the horse business can be a brutal one, and as Dimpna becomes more involved with her old acquaintances and haunts, the depth of lingering grudges becomes clear. Theft, extortion, jealousy and greed. As Dimpna takes over the family practice, she's in a race with the detective inspector to uncover the dark, twisting truth, no matter how close to home it strikes . . . "Compelling...this is the best of O'Connor's Irish mysteries to date." -Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

Carlene O'Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Irish Village Mysteries, the County Kerry Novels, and the Home to Ireland Mysteries. Born into a long line of Irish storytellers, her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland filled with tales in 1897 and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places she's wandered across the pond, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork, the setting of her Irish Village Mystery series. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and currently divides her time between Southern California and the Emerald Isle. Please visit her online at CarleneOConnor.net.

Praise for No Strangers Here "This solid series launch from O'Connor takes a more somber approach to crime solving than her Irish Village mysteries...O'Connor adds plot twists that many won't anticipate. Judicious use of Irishisms ("I swear to ye") adds color. Readers will eagerly await what happens next in County Kerry." -Publishers Weekly "Exciting, convoluted, and rich with compelling characters, this is the best of O'Connor's Irish mysteries to date." -Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW "Known for her cozies, O'Connor moves into darker territory here. For fans of Louise Penny." -Library Journal Praise for Carlene O'Connor "Outstanding...O'Connor reinforces her place as the queen of the cozy police procedural." -Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW for Murder in An Irish Bookshop "Murder at an Irish Christmas has elements of a police procedural that add more detail, atmosphere, and humor than are often found in the cozy subgenre." -Christian Science Monitor on Murder at An Irish Christmas "Fully realized characters enhance this skillfully plotted tale as it builds to a twist ending." -Publishers Weekly on Murder at An Irish Christmas "Exceptional... readers will have a hard time putting this one down." -Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW for Murder in An Irish Cottage "[An] atmospheric story filled with Irish superstitions, legends, and colorful characters. Vivid descriptions of the countryside will appeal to lovers of Ireland." -Library Journal on Murder in An Irish Cottage "The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series' best to date." -Kirkus Reviews on Murder in An Irish Pub "A delightful read that put me right into the atmosphere and locale." -Criminal Element on Murder in An Irish Pub "Carlene O'Connor is a wonderful storyteller." -Newport Plain Talk on Murder in An Irish Pub