No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Connor

Series Name: County Kerry Mystery #1
Genre: Traditional
Release: October 25, 2022

In the powerful tradition of Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny, USA Today bestselling author Carlene O’Connor’s new series set in Ireland brings together complex characters and a fascinating setting, focusing on a female vet who returns home to the village where she grew up and must reckon with her past while untangling mysteries in the present.

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 . . .

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Dru’s Short Musing:
This was a terrific read that had me immediately immersed in all aspect in this gripping and riveting story set in Ireland.

This well-written and evenly paced drama has all the earmark of an intensifying murder mystery, starting with a murder, a multitude of conflict, a slew of suspects, an amateur sleuth trying to repair her family’s name when members become the prime suspects and secrets that yearn to stay undisclosed. The author did a fine job in gathering all the nuances in this devilishly wicked tale and I couldn’t put this book down until all was said and done. The character building and their relationship added to how well this story was being told. There were a few moments of wonder as our protagonist got a little too close and it was those red herrings that enhanced my reading pleasure. With visually descriptive narrative, I could see the activities as it happens in Ireland and the engaging dialogue heightened the various scenarios, some suspenseful, to have me power through as each tidbit brought me closer to the motive and the killer’s identity. This is a fine example of a wonderfully executed story that leaves you wanting more.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the author.