A Turn for the Bad

County Cork Mystery Series #4

By: Sheila Connolly

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

After calling Ireland home for six months, Boston expat Maura Donovan still has a lot to learn about Irish ways - and Sullivan's Pub is her classroom. Maura didn't only inherit a business, she inherited a tight-knit community. And when a tragedy strikes, it's the talk of the pub.

A local farmer, out for a stroll on the beach with his young son, has mysteriously disappeared. Did he drown? Kill himself? The child can say only that he saw a boat. Everyone from the local Gardaí to the Coast Guard is scouring the Cork coast, but when a body is finally brought ashore, it's the wrong man. An accidental drowning or something more sinister?

Trusting the words of the boy and listening to the suspicions of her employee, Mick, that the missing farmer might have run afoul of smugglers, Maura decides to investigate the deserted coves and isolated inlets for herself. But this time she may be getting in over her head....

©2016 Sheila Connolly (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Infused with Irish color and history, as well as richly drawn characters, Connolly's latest offers a diverting armchair excursion to the Emerald Isle and a loving affirmation of Ireland's charm." ( Richmond Times-Dispatch)

I'm glad I didn't give up on this

I almost gave up on this one. The main character Maura is so difficult to see as a heroine. She apparently was so self absorbed growing up that she never bothered to learn anything about her poor Grandmother's prior and current life. She is rude, insensitive and doesn't think before she acts. By the end, she may be maturing!

Good story annoying heroine

Good story but annoying heroine she should be better developed. A bit more realistic and sympathetic to readers

Enjoyable Story

A very enjoyable mystery and narration with believable characters. Good pace to the story. Look forward to more!

love this series and the narrator

I've listened to this series over and over again. besides Maura being a tad bit annoying, this is my go to for a road trip or falling asleep at night

The end...

This is the last of the books in the series that I plan on listening to.

First, they read less like mysteries and more like scripts for a drama.

Second, Maura is just not all that likable. She's not very trusting and emotionally closed off, which makes her less believable as a popular owner of a pub. She gets snarky and rude with people who are trying to help her out with things she is trying to learn, and doesn't seem to learn from her behavioral mistakes, which seems to be a standard for Connolly's characters.

Two of the three employees at the pub also have personality issues that make them less-than-appealing as people you want to root for. Rose is the exception. Also, if it wasn't for Old Billy, then the pub wouldn't be interesting at all.