READ THIS: Scandal in Skibbereen A County Cork Mystery by Sheila Connolly Our Coverage Sponsored by Miraclesuit®
Miraclesuit®
Retailers nationwide have ranked Miraclesuit®, as the #1 missy
swimwear brand in America! Miraclesuit, unique slimming swimsuits
that contour, shape, slim and firm
the body. They are comfortable, fashionable, and every woman’s dream come
true. The Miraclesuit collection is designed to appeal to real women who
want real confidence and control in their swimwear.
Miraclesuit® Look 10 lbs. lighter in 10 seconds™.
***
Scandal in Skibbereen, the second novel in Sheila Connolly's "County Cork Mystery" series, is another winner of a book from the Irish-American author. Set in the small village of Leap, in (you guessed it!) County Cork, this murder mystery, like the first in the series, focuses on American Maura Donovan, who finds herself the new owner of Sullivan's, a popular pub in Leap, thanks to an inheritance from a relative she only recently learned she had. Settling into her new life, Maura is expecting an onslaught of tourists at the pub for the busy summer season, but what she doesn't anticipate is becoming involved in a search for a long-lost Van Dyck painting that may just be residing in the local manor house. One of the first customers of the summer turns out to be American Althea Melville, who works for a museum in New York, and has reason to believe that an original Van Dyck painting may be hiding somewhere in Leap. Maura agrees to help Althea with the search, and they are quickly pointed in the direction of the manor house, which seems to be the most likely location for such a work of art. However, things take a much more serious turn when the manor's gardener is found murdered. Althea claims to have nothing to do with it, but if it's not her, who is it? Could someone else be after the painting? Together, Maura, Althea, and local artist Gillian, need to use every resource at their disposal before things get uglier...and the painting slips through their fingers! A classic, small-town mystery with plenty of Irish charm, Scandal in Skibbereen is absolutely enchanting from start to finish - highly recommended!
Scandal in Skibbereen is the latest book in Connolly’s County Cork Mysteries Series. We continue to follow Maura Donovan, who is getting comfortable in her new home in Leap, County Cork. She’s getting to know the locals, including one of the local gardai (policemen)! For the first time in her life, she’s a landowner and business owner, which comes with its own challenges as well. Learning her role as publican also implies a role as connection-maker and sharer-of-information, Maura finds herself in the middle of a new mystery in quiet, rural County Cork. What starts as simply trying to help a fellow American locate some long lost art turns into something much more mysterious. Connolly’s entertaining style takes us on a journey to Ireland, bringing quaint Skibbereen and the local inhabitants to life!
Happily, there is a second book in the new series with Irish roots by Sheila Connolly. With her first mystery finding a solid following, Ms. Connolly takes the heroine, Maura, into another murder. Or two. Maura, recently transferred from Boston to County Cork, in Ireland as a fulfillment of her Gran’s last wish. Maura lands in Leap, a tiny village with many a tale to tell, and finds she’s inherited an entire way of life. That is to say, she’s been left property and a neighborhood pub by a distant relative of her Grandmother. Maura’s life in the green hills of Eire takes on all the richness that the author can bring. We savor the progressive fulfillment of a new life, and the burgeoning love our heroine has for her newly discovered people. Where Maura was but another waitress back in the Back Bay, in Ireland, she’s an entity, and her soul is coming into its own. We can feel it, as we help her solve the murders. Oddly enough, as Maura has just arrived in the village, and has decided to stay and discover her new life, a crime wave has hit the sleepy surroundings. With her eye for detail, and quick appraisal of a situation, Maura lends a hand, and an opinion to every step the “guarda” take as they unravel a plot that stretches back centuries. You’ll lose yourself in these pages, and thank Penguin for publishing the series, and you’ll make new friends. As warm and friendly as the Irish are in truth, so are they in "Scandal in Skibbereen”. In case you haven’t read the first in this series, you won’t flounder, but you’ll want to catch every lyrical nuance. And hopefully, the wait for the third in the series won’t be long to bear.
