Book Review | Murder at an Irish Wedding (An Irish Village Mystery #2) by Carlene O’Connor | CONTAINS SPOILERS

Murder at an Irish Wedding

A celebrity wedding in a small Irish village goes from festive to funerary when the best man is murdered in this cozy mystery novel.
 
Any wedding is a big deal in the County Cork village of Kilbane, but with a local lad marrying a famous fashion model at Kilbane Castle, there’s no talk of anything but the upcoming nuptials. Siobhán O’Sullivan and her five siblings have their plates full catering the three-day affair from their bistro. But the celebratory mood suddenly turns sober when the best man is found murdered in the woods.
 
For Siobhán, the tragic turn is more than grist for the gossip mill. Her beau, Macdara Flannery, is the prime suspect—and she intends to clear his name. Now, like the bride walking down the aisle, Siobhán needs to watch her step. For as she gets closer to unveiling the truth, the murderer is planning a very chilly reception for her.

Characters

The O’Sullivan Six:

• Siobhan
• James
• Eoin
• Grainne
• Ann
• Ciaran

Other Characters:

• Madara Flannery – the guard that broke the new of her parents death
• Bridie – good family friend, helps in the Bistro
• Annamarie – owns a shop in town after her sister’s death in the previous book

Wedding Party:

• Alice – bride
• Paul – groom, Macdara’s long time friend
• Brenna – maid fo honor
• Kevin – best man, was stirring up lots of trouble
• Chef Antoine – French chef for the wedding
• Colm – father of the bride, rich
• Susan – mother of the bride
• Faye – mother of the groom
• Martin – father of the groom
• The Huntsmans (Carol and George) – own the caste the wedding is supposed to be at
• Brian – the wedding planner
• Nancy Flannery – Macdara’s mom
• Ronan – photographer
• Val – castle security

My Review

I am really enjoying this cozy mystery series. Immediately, I checked out the third book in the series – that’s saying something since I usually read some other books between.

I made the mistake of looking at some of the reviews on Goodreads and saw a lot of people were disappointed in the second book in the series. It was mainly docked for the cliches and the heroine inserting herself into investigations even though she’s not a guard — soooo basically the premise of most cozy mysteries.

I didn’t like this one as much as the first, but I clearly enjoyed it. It’s not as ‘cozy’ as most of the cozies I’ve been reading lately, but it has a little more plot. The family still coming to terms of losing their parents not that long ago and Siobhan helping to raise them while also running a bistro and trying to figure out her future and her relationship make this series ripe for all sorts of good books.