What the heck do I pack for an Irish castle? Me, Blanche Murninghan, part-time journalist, full-time beach bum, now part owner of Dunfaedan castle! Never in my thirty-four years have I ever been so excited!

I better get to it and get sorted. Flight’s at 7:47, Aer Lingus. This cabin looks like a hurricane hit. What a mess of clothes—and stuff! I should pack “layers,” as Gran used to say about traveling to unknown temperate climates.

Oh, Gran! It’s all because of you. I suppose you’re up there now, hovering over that old palm tree, mixing it up with those chittering parrots—or maybe out there in a cloud over the Gulf. I don’t know. Life is strange. Wish we could talk about it, together, but you had to go and die and leave instructions with your estate lawyer to find our relatives in Ireland. Little did you know, it was really going to happen! It’s happening! And now I’m on my way—I’m going there for us!

Cousin Haas is going with me, and I’m sure she’ll try to keep us out of trouble. But you know how that goes! I’m already plenty curious. There’s some talk of this estate agent at the castle and a mysterious death some years ago involving one of our long-lost McLoughlin relatives. You know I’m going to have to dig into all that business—and at the same time try to keep Haasi from yapping at me to stop meddling. Love her, and, you know, I have to thank her. She’s saved my butt more than once. Well, we’ve sort’ve saved each other’s butts. That’s what cousins are for.

Oh, wow. I can hear her now, coming across the beach, yelling about the airport and such. Guess I’ll pack light, this green thing and this and that…

“Blanche, hurry it up, girl! We’re gonna be late!”

“Haas! I’m hurrying! Almost ready!”

“Not.”

“Can you believe it? A castle? How could this happen?”

“Does this castle business mean I have to call you Duchess or something?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Come on! Get your stuff packed! Not those salt-stained cut-offs…yes, that green dress, good with the eyes. And stop dancing around. We got plenty of time for that when we get there. Duchess.”

“Oh, you just can’t stop grinning. Yes to the dress, and to the green sweater, green underwear…”

“Yup.”

“All right. Ready. Let’s go.”

“And watch that step with those rollers. Do you have a key to the porch? I’ll drive…Come on, Blanche. Quit gawking up at that palm tree!”

Gran! Wish us luck! I’m sure we can make lots of it in the land of the enchanted green hills—with a wee bit of Jameson’s to celebrate! Oh, I can feel the brogue coming on…

A Deathly Irish Secret, A Blanche Murninghan Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy
Release: July 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Deathly secrets bog Blanche down in the idyllic Irish hillside…

The last thing Blanche Murninghan expects when she answers the phone is to hear her mother’s estate lawyer on the other side of the line. Her nan had many secrets, so it’s not a surprise that he’s still uncovering them. But, it is a surprise to hear from him so early in the morning.

More impressively, the news he brings is no small thing: Blanche is the last remaining heir to an Irish castle. He’d finally tracked down any remaining relatives and found them there, at Dunfaedan. Excited to see her inheritance for herself, Blanche grabs her sister-cousin Haasi Hakla and they pack their bags for a much-needed vacation to the Irish hillside.

When a body turns up only a day after her arrival, Blanche quickly moves to the top of the Garda’s list of suspects. She must clear her name and discover the truth before the cozy town’s many secrets swallow her whole.

Joined by old friends and new, Blanche Murninghan is on the case. A Deathly Irish Secret is the fourth installment in the Blanche Murninghan Mysteries. Known for a lively cast of characters and atmospheric settings, each mystery can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story or read in publication order.

About the author
Nancy Nau Sullivan writes the Blanche Murninghan mystery series—now in its fourth installment with A Deathly Irish Secret. The first book, Saving Tuna Street, was a finalist for best INDIES mystery, 2020, at Foreword Reviews. Nancy is also the author of The Boys Of Alpha Block, a novel, and an award-winning memoir, The Last Cadillac. A former newspaper journalist, Nancy taught at a boys’ prison, in Argentina, and in Mexico in the Peace Corps. Contact Nancy through her website at nancynausullivan.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @NauSullivan. She loves to talk books—hers and yours, almost any place, any time.

All comments are welcomed.