What to Read This Spring

 ​What to Read This Spring

A  Very Irish Mystery by Verity Bright-- 1920s Cozy Mystery

Thank you Bookouture, Verity Bright and NetGalley for an e-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.

The Byron Detective Agency members (Eleanor, Clifford and Hugh) are in Dublin for a bit of sightseeing and to meet a man who may have answers about what happened to Ellie's parents all those years ago. While visiting Finnegan's brewery, Ellie gets lost on the way to the restroom and overhears an argument between the brewery owner and a woman. Later, on the tour, just as the guests are about to taste a sample of Finnegan's famous brew, the tour guide opens the barrel and the very dead body of company owner, Fergal Finnegan, falls out. The company Head of Operations hires the Agency to investigate discreetly without alerting the Garda, the Irish police. They must delve deep into company business, family drama and politics to untangle this complicated murder. In the meantime, their contact person, Samuel O'Sullivan, is a no show. Will Ellie ever get answers to the mystery of her parents' disappearance? 

This trip to Dublin didn't appeal to me as much as the trip to Venice. The characters don't get in any real sightseeing and the travelogue consists of them walking around the city and investigating and eating. The brewery setting didn't interest me at all. I did enjoy learning the history of Ireland in the 1920s though. The mystery was way too complicated. There was a lot going on and I never guessed most of it. Some of it was guessable but not all of it. The Byron Detective Agency is back to making lists of their suspects and motives on page and it slowed down the mystery a bit.

I really read these books for the characters. Ellie surprised me a bit by being the tough one on the case. She endears herself to the Irish people by having an Irish title, enjoying the local simple pub food and not being a snooty English Lady. In her search for answers about her parents, she shows more emotions. That subplot ends of a cliffhanger and I NEED to know what happened!

Hugh also surprised me by being the emotional one in the group. Now he's no longer a police officer, he can reveal his private, personal feelings on certain situations. It's obvious how much he loves Ellie and wants to protect her but knows he loves her because she is who she is. He's devoted to her and will follow her and try his best to assist her investigations and keep her safe without wrapping her up in cotton wool. Clifford does way too much unnecessary explaining in this story. I would think many readers are familiar with Dublin and those who aren't could look up the places mentioned. The mystery is long enough without adding info dumping. 

Gladstone is adorable as always. He makes a new friend, Alma, the Glen of Imal Terrier. I was picturing a Yorkie, or worse a Teacup Yorkie when Alma first appeared on the scene. The Glen of Imal, like Gladstone, is low to the ground but solid/heavy. I don't think I've seen one in real life but I can tell from the TV and photos they're larger/longer than the Scottish varieties of terrier you see more often in the U.S. I don't think they're small and light enough to climb up a lady's legs and dress. Alma is very sweet and very un-terrier like. I was happy to see Gladstone make a new friend. The two are just so CUTE together! 

None of the new human characters are particularly likable. Ellie's first new friend is Mrs. Cullen. I admire her stance on women's rights and she seems to have risen from the working class which is wonderful, but... she's scary! She's formidable and seems to like to have things her way. Mrs. Cullen has the blood of Celtic warrior women running through her veins and seems to fancy herself a modern day version. She doesn't often let anyone else speak much and she just commands. She's friendly though and not necessarily a bad person but I don't quite like the way she talks about her sons. The eldest was the apple of her eye and she dotes on him and he cares for her back. Yet everyone else says she spoiled her youngest and made him what he is so I blame her for what happens with him. 

Fergal Finnegan was a businessman and a successful one but there is a hint, early on, that he did something questionable, not quite ethical, to achieve his success. Surely someone hated him for some reason to want to kill him! Way too many people actually... He enjoyed thumbing his nose at Society yet he wanted to be rich. He did a lot of things that were not so great just to spite random people who don't matter. As long as people love his product it shouldn't matter to him what they think of HIM. Yet he was very good to his mother and seemed to love her or maybe he understood her money would flow more freely if he showed her attention and kindness. 

Mary O'Leary, Mr. Finnegan's secretary is a sharp woman. She's outspoken and wants to help find Mr. Finnegan's killer. She seems to have a history with one or both of the Finnegan brothers though. It might be past or present and could provide her with a motive for murder.

Fergal's brother Liam is spoiled, lazy and nowhere near as driven as his brother. Liam just wants money so he can live the life of a gentleman. He's not even second generation removed from the fortune let alone third so no go Liam. He comes across as entitled and whiny and I wouldn't put it past him to have argued with his brother, accidentally killed Fergal and then covered it up to save his own skin. He should have been man enough to pick up where his brother left off and run Finnegan's easily. He simply doesn't want to put in the work Fergal did to achieve success. He's far more lazy than Fergal. His wife is a much stronger personality. Ellie overhears her arguing with Fergal in his office just before Fergal's body was discovered. This woman is a gold digger, obviously, and gold digging on behalf of her husband. 

Brídín is a force of nature but different from her mother-in-law. More... a piece of work! Brídín is selfish. She goes to bat for her husband when they want money but belittles and mocks him every chance she gets at home. Why does she show such contempt for her husband? He actually deserves her derision but there are ways to express it without mocking in front of strangers! Her actions and words make Liam out to be a suspect in Fergal's murder! I think Liam is too weak to murder someone but if he did kill his brother accidentally, he would call Brídín to help and she would take care of the problem. I don't think she'd be so dumb as to hide the body in a keg for all to see though. No, not unless she wanted to frame her husband. She's contemptuous of the sleuths as well, seeming to think she's more clever and better because she's Irish and they're English. (Well, clearly Ellie has some Irish heritage!) Liam and Brídín are incredibly snobby and rude as well. 

Mr. Dwyer, Head of Operations seems like a weasel to me. While he hires The Agency to investigate Mr. Finnegan's murder, he seems to think they're only in it for the money and he also seems to be pushing them along to finish up the investigation. There are also certain places he doesn't seem to want them to go or people to talk to. He's a shady character for sure and he's near the top of my suspect list. If he's not the murderer, he's up to something and it's not good. Or possibly he was up to no good and that's the motive for murder?

Mr. Canavan, the head cooper, had beef with Mr. Finnegan and was overheard threatening him. Mr. Canavan had means and opportunity but what was his motive? Even when we learn that, I can't see murder as the solution. He seems more like the type to strike out with his fists and have a good fight, wanting his opponent to face him rather than resort to murder. Plus it would be too obvious given the murder weapon and where the body was found. Canavan strikes me as smarter than that. 

George Gaffney, a rival brewer is a person of a lot of bluster, swagger and ego but inferior product. He SAYS he doesn't care and provides a good reason for him NOT to have killed Fergal. Plus how would he get on the property without anyone knowing about it? I'm not so sure he can be trusted but I'm also not sure he's the murderer. Mrs. Cullen seems to think he's so cutthroat he would murder a rival but there's personal feelings involved there. He seems sincere to me at least as much as he's capable of. His secretary, Orla, is pretty tough. She's efficient, highly capable of anything and willing to get her hands dirty if necessary. Hmm? Maybe SHE offed Fergal somehow on behalf of her employer?

Isabel, Fergal's wife, is English. She's suspicious merely because she's English and married Fergal for his money. I don't believe she killed her husband but he doesn't seem like a lovable man. Being English at this time, she probably wasn't a very good trophy wife with anti-English sentiment running high. I don't think divorce was legal in Ireland at that time either so she's stuck, unless she just leaves quietly and Fergal doesn't strike me as the sort of man who would allow her to leave. She says they ended up falling in love and seems sincerely sad he's dead and Ellie believes her so put her near the bottom of the list too. Hugh believes she truly does want the killer caught and hanged but he's cautious about WHY she wants that. She seems to loathe Liam and his wife. Could Isabel be the murderer and framing Liam?

Nora is a tough character to like. She's sympathetic but she's made some questionable choices in life. Of course she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and made those choices out of necessity but when it becomes a matter of murder, the sleuths and the reader have to wonder if she was involved. How far would she go to protect one she loved? That would mean we're looking at two different murderers though. I think Nora has an idea who did it but she doesn't think the suspect everyone else thinks did it could have done it. Most of the suspects did not have a motive to kill the second victim - unless the second victim knew who the real killer was. 

Enter a brand new suspect, Irish mob boss, Daniel Donohue. Donohue is a Robin Hood figure to some and an evil extortionist to others. People love him or hate him - no in between. They fear him and he makes certain people have a reason to do what he wants when he wants. However, Fergal was worth more to Donohue alive than dead. Maybe Donohue sent a goon to teach Fergal a lesson and the situation got out of hand and the goon went overboard? Donohue is a scary dude and I'm certain people have died because of him. Conor McCloskey is another complicated figure. How is he connected to Finnegan's and Fergal's murder? WHO is telling the truth? Or are they all lying?

Pat Byrne, the security guard, is the only likable new friend. He and his wife anyway. Pat is helpful in assisting the sleuths with their investigation. He's not blindly loyal to Finnegan's and willing to look the other way to see justice done because he WAS loyal to his old friend Finnegan. His wife, Kathleen, also wants to see justice done but a new law in Ireland has changed jury duty for women from mandatory to optional so that no women will OPT to sit on a jury. With Mrs. Cullen, Kathleen and her suffragist friends, I think The Byron Detective Agency could muster an auxiliary branch in Ireland easily enough!

Fitz, Mrs. Cullen's driver, is a teetotaler of all things. Jobs are hard to come by in Ireland at this time so he needs the job. Fitz isn't very friendly and seems to resent sweet Alma. HE wasn't willing to risk his life to rescue her. Liam borrowed Fitz to drive him around and pick him up from a trip out of town on that fateful day. As Ellie moves through the city, she spies a shadowy figure lurking around. Could Fitz have seen him too? Could Fitz hold the key to the mystery? He doesn't seem to care one way or the other that his boss's son is dead. He's not an agreeable person and doesn't get involved in helping to try to solve the mystery. Perhaps he hated Fergal for rising to the top when Fitz and many others are struggling to get by and if so, he doesn't want Fergal's killer brought to justice? He's not a well-developed character and this is all speculation on my part. 

Ellie is in Ireland to meet with Samuel O'Sullivan to learn more about her parents' fate but he's a no show. Where is he? What does he know? WHO is he? His name seems to be familiar to people in Dublin but elicits a strange reaction. He was an Irish Civil Rights activist so the people should like him.

While I didn't love this story as much as some of the others, I am grateful to Mark and Bookouture for honoring Laura's hard work and publishing the book posthumously. Laura will be much missed because of her talent in creating wonderful, lovable characters who get into some incredible adventures! I wish this series could go on forever!