The fourth installment in A Dublin Driver Mystery series, Death in Irish Accents, has Megan Malone in the thick of a murder investigation over the course of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Despite driving for Leprechaun Limos, Megan definitely ends up navigating more murders than back roads, much to her girlfriend Jelena’s ever-increasing dismay. Her trend for catching murder mysteries continues yet again when another literally falls into her lap during her morning coffee. Megan just can’t help but feel the itch to find the truth, to know the whole story of what happened to the poor victim and why. Yet at the same time, she is desperate to do whatever it takes to keep her girlfriend happy. Jelena isn’t pleased that the woman she loves keeps putting herself into harm’s way, and wants nothing more than for her to stay OUT of things. Unfortunately, everything seems to conspire against this. While some of her involvement is caused by Megan’s insatiable curiosity, most is genuinely just bad luck and happenstance. Even when she tries to go out of her way to avoid anything to do with the case, it seems to seek her out and drag her back in.
She promises not to get involved and takes her last limo job before her St. Patrick’s vacation. It turns out the client is not only the famous novelist, Clair Woodward, but she also requested Megan because of her past interactions with murder investigations. Added to that, Clair also knew the victim from that very morning. Now some people might not believe in luck, good or bad, but poor Megan is put through the ringer by both. This is in part due to her desperation to ensure the weekend goes nicely for her and Jelena, and also to know the whole story behind the poor woman from the coffee shop. She loses some motivation when her friend and inside informant with the Garda, Detective Paul Bourke, is taken off the case. But, because Clair is determined to have the ‘murder driver’ not only drive her about, but also go on adventures around their Irish town, Megan doesn’t lose all her snooping leeway with the case or the inner circle of primary suspects.
Watching Megan’s internal struggle as just everything and everyone seems to conspire to drag her into the investigation had me unable to put the book down for long. The very moment things seem like they might be calming down, something more dramatic either is revealed or occurs that pulls Megan back in. The struggle to please those you love, while also trying to pursue your passion, is one that will pull at reader’s heart and have them rooting for the incurably curious limo driver. I was surprised by the outcome of Death in Irish Accents, and even had one of my own theories about who the killer might be discussed by characters and disproven. If you are a long-time reader of A Dublin Driver Mystery series, or just looking for an enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day novel to cozy up with, then Catie Murphy’s Death in Irish Accents is the perfect read for you. – Carla Schantz
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Carla Schantz is a Courthouse Clerk Supervisor and has a bachelor’s degree in English as well as a master’s in legal studies. Books have been a passion of hers since she was young, and she is a firm believer in the purse book so that she is never without a book at any time.