Dollycas's Thoughts
As expected Shamrock, Massachusetts celebrates St Patrick's Day in a big way with a whole week of festivities. Single-mom and ex-police chief's daughter Kate Buckley didn't plan to be home for all the events but when she gets an urgent text from her younger sister Colleen she packs up her 14-year-old daughter Maeve and her 7-year old daughter Mary Elizabeth "Bliz" and hits the road. They arrive in Shamrock right in the middle of a huge thunderstorm and to Colleen saying the text was a misunderstanding. Well, they are there now and may as well stick around.
It's a good thing Kate came to town because Colleen's best friend, Deirdre, was murdered and Kate, Maeve, and Colleen find her body in the parish hall where she was rehearsing for an Irish Dance Show that was to be part of the St. Patty's Week events. Soon the police have evidence that may link Colleen to the dance show star's death.
Kate will do anything to prove Colleen's innocence while Colleen agrees to honor Deirdre by taking control of the Irish dance show. It may take the luck of the Irish to complete both tasks but with their dad, the ex-police chief in their corner they may just pull it off.
______
Ms. Mathews has introduced an interesting set of characters in this first Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery. The Buckley family owns a small B&B, and Colleen and her mother run the place. The Chief is the ex-chief of police who was left without the use of his legs when a guy he sent to prison walked into the police department and shot him. You can take the Chief out of his office but not out of a job he held and loved for three decades. He sits in his wheelchair with a scanner turned up to blast by his side. He freely calls the officers to give his opinions and "orders". The Buckleys also have a son, Frank. He is a police officer but truthfully he seems like a big teenager. Kate left Shamrock and went to New York City with the dream of being a professional musician. She married an Irish musician but he is now back in Dublin and she is working as an accountant and raising her girls Marve and Bliz. We also met a variety of Shamrock residents.
I feel like we got to know the Chief, better than the rest. The patriarch of this family is strong, and opinionated, loves his family and his community, and will do anything to keep them safe. He reminded me a lot of my dad who wasn't paralyzed in any way, that's me, but he was the fire chief of our small town and we had many people we all considered family even though not related by blood in any way. He cared for them all until the day he died.
Shamrock is a town that has been "revamped" to play up its early Celtic history and is filled with shops, restaurants, and other businesses, to draw in tourists, crafters, and St. Patty's fans so that the town and its residents could make "pots of gold". The center of the town was designed as a "charming village in Ireland" although the Chief claims it looks nothing like anything he has seen in the Emerald Isle. I enjoyed traveling around with Kate and Colleen but I think there is much more of Shamrock left to see.
I liked the Irish Dance theme and how Kate's girls jumped right in to learn. All the events celebrating St. Patrick's Day sounded fun.
The murder mystery was captivating and for a reason I can't actually pin down something about the guilty party caught my attention early. I didn't waiver in my theory either. I did have fun following around with Kate as she tried to find clues and put them together in a way that made sense. Then she did something I hate by putting herself in danger with no real backup. Nonetheless, I give her props for what she did, and agreeing with me that it was a "stupid idea", but the showdown was exciting. There was another surprise reveal in the story that I didn't see coming but it made perfect sense, the clues were all there.
The Jig Is Up has laid an excellent foundation for this series to build on. I want to get to know the Buckley family better. I already have a soft spot in my heart for Chief. I am looking forward to returning to Shamrock to see what shenanigans Ms. Mathews has in store for its residents next.
As expected Shamrock, Massachusetts celebrates St Patrick's Day in a big way with a whole week of festivities. Single-mom and ex-police chief's daughter Kate Buckley didn't plan to be home for all the events but when she gets an urgent text from her younger sister Colleen she packs up her 14-year-old daughter Maeve and her 7-year old daughter Mary Elizabeth "Bliz" and hits the road. They arrive in Shamrock right in the middle of a huge thunderstorm and to Colleen saying the text was a misunderstanding. Well, they are there now and may as well stick around.
It's a good thing Kate came to town because Colleen's best friend, Deirdre, was murdered and Kate, Maeve, and Colleen find her body in the parish hall where she was rehearsing for an Irish Dance Show that was to be part of the St. Patty's Week events. Soon the police have evidence that may link Colleen to the dance show star's death.
Kate will do anything to prove Colleen's innocence while Colleen agrees to honor Deirdre by taking control of the Irish dance show. It may take the luck of the Irish to complete both tasks but with their dad, the ex-police chief in their corner they may just pull it off.
______
Ms. Mathews has introduced an interesting set of characters in this first Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery. The Buckley family owns a small B&B, and Colleen and her mother run the place. The Chief is the ex-chief of police who was left without the use of his legs when a guy he sent to prison walked into the police department and shot him. You can take the Chief out of his office but not out of a job he held and loved for three decades. He sits in his wheelchair with a scanner turned up to blast by his side. He freely calls the officers to give his opinions and "orders". The Buckleys also have a son, Frank. He is a police officer but truthfully he seems like a big teenager. Kate left Shamrock and went to New York City with the dream of being a professional musician. She married an Irish musician but he is now back in Dublin and she is working as an accountant and raising her girls Marve and Bliz. We also met a variety of Shamrock residents.
I feel like we got to know the Chief, better than the rest. The patriarch of this family is strong, and opinionated, loves his family and his community, and will do anything to keep them safe. He reminded me a lot of my dad who wasn't paralyzed in any way, that's me, but he was the fire chief of our small town and we had many people we all considered family even though not related by blood in any way. He cared for them all until the day he died.
Shamrock is a town that has been "revamped" to play up its early Celtic history and is filled with shops, restaurants, and other businesses, to draw in tourists, crafters, and St. Patty's fans so that the town and its residents could make "pots of gold". The center of the town was designed as a "charming village in Ireland" although the Chief claims it looks nothing like anything he has seen in the Emerald Isle. I enjoyed traveling around with Kate and Colleen but I think there is much more of Shamrock left to see.
I liked the Irish Dance theme and how Kate's girls jumped right in to learn. All the events celebrating St. Patrick's Day sounded fun.
The murder mystery was captivating and for a reason I can't actually pin down something about the guilty party caught my attention early. I didn't waiver in my theory either. I did have fun following around with Kate as she tried to find clues and put them together in a way that made sense. Then she did something I hate by putting herself in danger with no real backup. Nonetheless, I give her props for what she did, and agreeing with me that it was a "stupid idea", but the showdown was exciting. There was another surprise reveal in the story that I didn't see coming but it made perfect sense, the clues were all there.
The Jig Is Up has laid an excellent foundation for this series to build on. I want to get to know the Buckley family better. I already have a soft spot in my heart for Chief. I am looking forward to returning to Shamrock to see what shenanigans Ms. Mathews has in store for its residents next.
