MURDER IN COUNTY MAYO by Pam Lecky
4.5* Very nearly a 5* read, other than the Aidan-inclusive, not-really-that-believable ending.
This is another charming and well-written book featuring 30-something landscape gardener, Ali, and her student-to-be nephew Gavan. Nothing to do with solving mysteries, or so you'd think.
The killing was sad. An innocent, decent person killed because of someone's jealousy and sick mind. Someone that almost went hidden but for a couple of heavy handed comments that made me clock their identity but not their motive. Did said motive come from a trauma and its consequences? Not sure, and I'm not sure that somewhere along the lines a professional assessment for routine stuff wouldn't have brought this to light. But, as a bad guy, this person worked, and I hope they get belts and braces thrown at them and do heavy time. To snuff out not one but two lives, because diddums got hurt once upon a time, and to ruin several others, without remorse or consideration, made him incapable of rehabilitation.
So, the Aidan thing. It didn't work for me in book 1 that a guy in a committed relationship would take a job in a different country without even a discussion about it with his long-term, live-in partner. And, seemingly, he'd moved on. So, for them to have a brief discussion when she'd gone about 24hrs without sleep, and having experienced the fright of Gavan having collapsed on a rugby pitch, and them spending the night together, without enough talk, then announcing to all that they were back on, and Ali having her eye on a house, too, all needed a bit too much suspension of disbelief.
Still, there was decent sleuthing and the characters were mostly nice, mostly empathetic, and it was a grab-me book.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.
This is another charming and well-written book featuring 30-something landscape gardener, Ali, and her student-to-be nephew Gavan. Nothing to do with solving mysteries, or so you'd think.
The killing was sad. An innocent, decent person killed because of someone's jealousy and sick mind. Someone that almost went hidden but for a couple of heavy handed comments that made me clock their identity but not their motive. Did said motive come from a trauma and its consequences? Not sure, and I'm not sure that somewhere along the lines a professional assessment for routine stuff wouldn't have brought this to light. But, as a bad guy, this person worked, and I hope they get belts and braces thrown at them and do heavy time. To snuff out not one but two lives, because diddums got hurt once upon a time, and to ruin several others, without remorse or consideration, made him incapable of rehabilitation.
So, the Aidan thing. It didn't work for me in book 1 that a guy in a committed relationship would take a job in a different country without even a discussion about it with his long-term, live-in partner. And, seemingly, he'd moved on. So, for them to have a brief discussion when she'd gone about 24hrs without sleep, and having experienced the fright of Gavan having collapsed on a rugby pitch, and them spending the night together, without enough talk, then announcing to all that they were back on, and Ali having her eye on a house, too, all needed a bit too much suspension of disbelief.
Still, there was decent sleuthing and the characters were mostly nice, mostly empathetic, and it was a grab-me book.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.
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