A Fiercely Independent Female Sleuth, a Cozy Cottage, and a Suspicion of Authority = Murder and Mystery in County Mayo, Ireland
If you like to:
- follow a compelling series character
- solve a standalone mystery in each book of the series
- read serious mysteries
- approach the mystery through character analysis and identification of red herrings
Then you will love the Star O’Brien series!
I love Star O’Brien. For a writer to get me so invested in a character so quickly, that I need to get to know more, to follow them as far as they go, is a great achievement.
Reading this first novel from Martha Geaney, it’s so well written and put together you’d think this was her sixth book. She has a great sense of when to use the most effective writing: prose, dialog, internal thought, descriptions et al are all colorful and fit just right.
Not only is this an easy read with excellent pacing, but it’s also full of a variety of well fleshed out characters (or should I say suspects). Central, of course, is Star O’Brien, a woman who is hesitant to label herself as a private investigator. She may doubt her abilities, but I do not. A lot of her drive (and self-doubt) comes from her past when her mother disappeared and the answer she was given by the police was far from satisfactory. It’s this suspicion of authority and the drive to find the truth that propels her through the mystery that washes up at her feet on Clare Island. Star is a beacon of light in the darkness to those that are forgotten, lost, or otherwise dismissed.
The Ireland setting makes this book stand out as well. I was constantly weighing all the suspects time and time again and found the ending to be very satisfying. There’s still much to discover and explore with Star and I can’t wait for more.
death on clare island – amazon reviewer