Author: Lucy Connelly
Series: Mercy McCarthy Mystery #5
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 228
Date of Publication: April 21, 2026
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
The Shamrock Cove Autumn Festival is filling the town with the delicious aroma of cinnamon-filled pastries, the cheerful sight of jaunty jack o’lanterns and… a body at the local book clubMercy McCarthy is delighted to see old neighbors and new friends come to the bookstore to support her sister’s autumn book club. But as Mercy closes the chapter on the evening, she stumbles across local grandmother Eva, lifelessly slumped in a squashy armchair at the back of the store.
She recognizes Eva as one of the festival’s main organizers and though she looks to be at peace, the plot thickens when Mercy notices a suspicious mark on her neck. She knows this was no accident. With so many people in the store that night, any one of them could be the killer.
Just as Mercy reads a suspicious-sounding entry for the festival’s fiction-writing contest, another body turns up on the beach. Is someone in Shamrock Cove dying for a bestseller?
It’s up to Mercy and her crime-solving canine companion Mr. Poe to sniff out the suspects before another victim is taken. Could the murderer be the garden center owner who dabbles in chemistry? Eva’s ne’er-do-well grandson-in-law? Or the local busybody who has an opinion about everybody?
Mercy has to hit the books—and the streets of Shamrock Cove—to solve the mystery before the killer has the last word.
An utterly addictive Irish cozy mystery in a small town full of quirky neighbors, charming festivals and one unstoppable amateur detective. Fans of Agatha Christie, Carlene O’Connor and Faith Martin will love meeting Mercy McCarthy!
Although Mercy is a mystery writer by trade, she has also proven herself to be a remarkably skilled amateur detective. Using her persistence, intuition, and knack for asking the right questions, Mercy begins digging into Eva’s life to uncover who may have wanted her dead.
Unfortunately, Eva is not the only victim. Another body soon turns up under suspicious circumstances, raising the stakes and deepening the mystery. The investigation becomes even more intriguing as secrets begin to surface within the close-knit community.
Lucy Connelly delivers another fun and engaging entry in this cozy mystery series. The story feels fresh, the mystery is entertaining, and the charming small-town setting continues to make this series such an enjoyable read. I am already looking forward to book six, A Body at the Bakery, which is set for release in November.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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MY THOUGHTS:
A Body at the Irish Book Club finds Mercy McCarthy happily returning to Shamrock Cove after completing a book tour. Her sister’s bookstore and book club are thriving, and Mercy is just finishing up a signing and reading of her latest novel. However, the cozy atmosphere is shattered when Mercy and her dog, Mr. Poe, discover a dead body among the bookstore shelves. The victim, grandmother Eva Walsh, was clearly murdered, and Mercy once again finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation.
Although Mercy is a mystery writer by trade, she has also proven herself to be a remarkably skilled amateur detective. Using her persistence, intuition, and knack for asking the right questions, Mercy begins digging into Eva’s life to uncover who may have wanted her dead.
Unfortunately, Eva is not the only victim. Another body soon turns up under suspicious circumstances, raising the stakes and deepening the mystery. The investigation becomes even more intriguing as secrets begin to surface within the close-knit community.
Lucy Connelly delivers another fun and engaging entry in this cozy mystery series. The story feels fresh, the mystery is entertaining, and the charming small-town setting continues to make this series such an enjoyable read. I am already looking forward to book six, A Body at the Bakery, which is set for release in November.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Lucy Connelly (aka Candace Havens)
Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.
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