By Catie Murphy
The Dublin Driver Mysteries #1
Kensington, 2019
Summary
In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, murder occurs at the feet of sweet Molly Malone . . .
Ferrying tourists around Dublin for the Leprechaun Limo Service makes quite a change after years in the military. Still, Megan Malone is enjoying her life in Ireland. She likes the scenery, the easy pace, the quirky, quick-witted locals. Everything—except having one of her clients drop dead at the statue of fabled fishmonger, Molly Malone.
Most restaurant critics notch up their share of enemies. Elizabeth Darr, however, was a well-loved international star. She and her husband, Simon, had just had dinner when Elizabeth collapsed, and spoiled seafood is the first suspect. The restaurant’s owner, worried her business is doomed, begs Megan to look into it. Between her irate boss and a handsome Garda who’s both amused and annoyed by her persistence, Megan has her hands full even before she’s cajoled into taking care of two adorable Jack Russell puppies (which she is almost definitely not keeping). But if cockles and mussels aren’t to blame, can Megan find the real culprit . . .before another fishy death occurs?
My thoughts
Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy is a refreshing addition to the cozy mystery field and I enjoyed it very much overall. Several things set it apart from other cozy mysteries … The setting, for one. What’s not to like about an Irish setting? And then there’s the lead character, Megan Malone, whose very name alludes to the legendary Molly Malone of Dublin fame. Megan is an appealing and original character, with her Army medic background and totally unrelated current job of driving for the Leprechaun Limo Service.
Megan’s job seems interesting, but pretty routine – until one of her repeat customers drops dead after eating at a friend’s restaurant. Molly is intelligent and caring, qualities that compel her to ask questions. The mystery is well crafted, complex, and flows steadily with a few twists and surprises along the way. There’s some good chemistry between Megan and DI Paul Bourke with the Dublin Garda, so I hope for further development between the two. And a few canine characters steal hearts, a Jack Russell terrier and two pups, born in a restaurant kitchen.
The only real negative for me was the totally unnecessary use of profanity. I enjoy clean reads and did not expect to find this in a cozy mystery.
I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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Catie Murphy, who has written numerous award-winning fantasy and Sci-fi books under the pseudonym C. E. Murphy, began writing around age six, when she submitted three poems to a school publication. The teacher producing the magazine selected (inevitably) the one she thought was by far the worst, but also told her—a six-year-old kid—to keep writing, which she has.
She has also held the usual grab-bag of jobs often seen in an authorial biography, including public library volunteer (at ages 9 and 10; it’s clear she was doomed to a career involving books), archival assistant, cannery worker, and web designer. Writing books is better.
She was born and raised in Alaska, and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland.
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GIVEAWAY
Sounds good, but yeah, profanity is a killer.
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