I love a good domestic mystery! McDonagh's story pulls you in early and keeps your attention throughout. When farmer Jimmy goes missing, we are left wondering if it is just a tragic and all too plausible accident or if something else is at play. This compelling thriller keeps you hooked with unexpected twists and shocking revelations. The toxic family dynamics make it incredibly engaging. I would definitely recommend it.

A good read
Plenty of twists to keep you hooked
You will not want to put it down
Thanks NetGalley

I was hooked right from the start and I couldn't put it down. Twisty and unpredictable I was kept guessing all the way through

The novel starts with a frantic dog’s barking and two horrific deaths on a rural farm.
As the police investigate, the Kennedy family secrets start to unravel.
It’s pacy and full of twists, but the characterisation is also really good.
Told through different family members in different chapters, we readers start to piece together the story, with a big reveal at the end.
This is part family saga, part thriller, part police procedural, but it’s always compelling.
Recommended: a well-written novel that keep you guessing.

Fabulous debut whodunnit novel.
Draws you in from the first line ‘It was the dog who raised the alarm first’ - to what?
Jimmy runs the family farm, while his wealthy wife, Ursula, has a business in town.
Panic sets in when their daughter, Christina visits the farm and can’t find either of them.
The door to the slurry pit is open and Jimmy has dementia, has he accidentally fallen in, and where is Ursula.
Was it just a tragic accident or is there something more sinister at play.
As you read further, you realise everything was not hunky dory on the Kennedy farm.
A fabulous page turner that keeps you guessing with multiple twists that reveal shocking secrets.
Well written and plotted with believable characters and showcasing how family dynamics can create toxic results.
Thanks @michellemcd @hachettebooks & @netgalley for the eARC

I’m a sucker for a complicated family drama; add a plot twist or three, and I’m all over it.

Michelle McDonagh’s debut begins with Ursula and Jimmy Kennedy, owners of Glenbeg Farm Park, being found dead in their slurry pit. Is this an unfortunate accident, or have we foul play going on? Ara, sure, Ursula has more than a few potential enemies as she’s a ‘pure wagon’, but Jimmy, he’s loved by all, isn’t he?

This farm is a busy place. Not only are there multiple employees and extended family who visit, but living there are the couples daughter Christina who is struggling with her mental health, son Rob, his wife Kate and their two smallies.

Rob and Kate never envisaged life on the farm, but they begrudgingly gave up their dreams of Stateside legal careers when Rob’s older brother Mark took his own life so that they could support the running of the family business. They’re stressed, overworked, underpaid and feel unappreciated by Ursula who wants more from them at every opportunity.

The Gardaí quickly discover that the CCTV in that part of the farm had been deactivated the night before. Plus, what reason has Jimmy — the farming side of this couple — to have unlocked and activated the slurry tank, as it’s the wrong time of year? Maybe his recently diagnosed dementia was much worse than thought. Maybe there’s grudges held which have erupted into criminal acts.

Told chiefly from Kate’s point of view, plus a few chapters from Ursula and Jimmy, as the investigation proceeds, McDonagh flits around in time, allowing the history and secrets of our main characters to be slowly unfurled. And sure, lookit, they’ve all enough skeletons in the cupboard but are any motive enough for murder?

If there’s one overriding message in this book, it’s the value of being kind to one another and appreciating life’s tiny joys. You never know when karma might just bite back.

Overall, this is a promising read with plenty of twists to keep you guessing, but it lacks some finesse; however, I can see it working very well on screen, though - RTE, are you listening?

If you enjoyed Graham Nortons The Holding, this read is for you. 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy in return for an, as always, honest review.

Excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great family drama with some lovely characters and one not so nice. The writer led you one way in the story then it twisted another way. This would definitely make a great film.

Two parents (from a wealthy family business) are found dead, buried in a slurry tank. The story becomes a who dunnit and lots of family secrets are spilled.
I enjoyed this book but I struggled to keep engaged. The copy I had from NetGalley made it hard to concentrate with sentences misplaced throughout the book.
Moving from past to present confused me at times too, I wasn’t always sure when I was starting a chapter if it was a past or present chapter.
Despite this, this book was still a good read, one I’d recommend.

A slow burning, carefully teased out family drama. Most of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable which, in my opinion, gives it an added dimension. I veered between hating some and longing for others to get their comeuppance. Not an easy read in parts, especially if you have a vivid imagination! A solid four star.

A great mix of thriller and family saga combined expertly. The characters were all really interesting and added to how I felt about the reveal. The timing is good and whilst I guessed some of the secrets others came as a complete surprise.

This is a very dark mix of psychological thriller and family drama. There's a dysfunctional family, a matriarch that you will love to hate, and a a family of tormented and flawed persons.
There's a lot of secrets, twists and the author did an excellent job in delivering a story that works on classic domestic thriller tropes but it's also very original at the same time.
Riveting and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

when two parents are found dead in a slurry tank long lost secrets come to the fore , a wonderful read keeping the reader engrossed right to the end .Simply amazing .

What a brilliant read! A family drama, murder mystery where it all unravels. A gripping page turner each chapter a different persons story with flashbacks to years before, good story and character development. Would recommend.

What I loved about There's Something I Have to Tell You is that it combines the intrigue of a classic domestic thriller with a higher than average level of psychological insight and character development.

Too often, all that a domestic thriller offers is building suspense and a series of plot twists. This novel is well-written and feels more like easy-to-read literary fiction. But it also delivers on the domestic suspense front, and works well as a compelling murder mystery.

The town of Glenbeg is reeling from the shocking deaths of Jimmy and Ursula Kennedy, a well liked local farmer and his rather less popular entrepreneur wife. Ursula is not known for her gentle treatment of family members either, her eldest son Mark having committed suicide a few years before his parents' deaths, and her sensitive daughter Christina left irrevocably damaged by Ursula's lack of maternal warmth.

Clearly no contender for Mother of the Year, Ursula Kennedy also repeatedly broke her promises to her second son Robert and his wife Kate, whose marriage was on the verge of disintegration immediately prior to her and her husband's corpses being found in the slurry pit of the farm.

Despite an initial wave of sympathy, questions are quickly raised about the possible role played by the Kennedy family members in the death of the matriarch and her husband.

There are family secrets aplenty, and and those who fear the discovery of them, but is it really reasonable to think that Jimmy and Ursula's awful deaths could be laid at the door of any of their nearest and dearest?

The author does a good job of keeping readers engaged without resorting to sensationalism. This suspense in this story is more of a gradual unfolding, but it firmly holds the reader's attention, and things get a lot more complicated before they get simpler...

Thank you to #Netgalley for my copy of #There’sSomethingIHaveToTellYou by #MichelleMcDonagh

This is great book that I really enjoyed.
When Robs parents die, Rob and his wife Kate are under suspicion of having something to do with it.
But did they, Rob had just had a huge row with his mother Ursula but would he kill her and his father Jimmy.
You will keep changing your mind all the way through.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Hachette Books-Ireland and Michelle McDonagh for the opportunity to read an advance copy of THERE IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO TELL YOU, to be published 13 April 2023. This novel is about family secrets everywhere you look. The Kennedy family which includes, parents, son & daughter-in-law and their children, daughter, and a deceased son all live and work the farm together with the matriarch as the manager. This makes a sticky situation during which there are deaths followed by police investigations. #NetGalley. #HachetteBooks-Ireland. #MichelleMcDonagh. #ThereIsSomethingIHaveToTellYou.

There's Something I Have to Tell You is set in the surrounds of Glenbeg Farm and the Kennedy Family.
On what appears to be another normal morning in the day to day running of the tourist attraction and working farm, things take a shocking turn.
Told from the the point of view of all the members of the Kennedy Clan, this family drama reveals shocking secrets that have been buried for decades.
This was so well written, every time I put it down, I was wondering what would happen next. There was one character who was incredibly toxic, all the others I liked and each character was portrayed so well.

What a great debut novel from the author! Well written, an interesting plot, filled with suspense, family drama, great characters, secrets and twists. Boom! 5 * from me all the way. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Nothing like a small town murder to get tongues wagging and bring out the worst in folks!
The farmer and his wife are dead and the kids aren’t doing so hot either as they try to put together the pieces. Another reason to keep the doors locked and the windows up when driving through the countryside!

There's trouble at the Kennedy Farm - the dog is barking, and there's not a sight to be seen of matriarch and prominent businesswoman Ursula Kennedy or her farmer husband James.

When the alarm is raised, Ursula's daughter in law Kate and son Rob soon have their worst fears confirmed when two bodies are found in the slurry pit.

As family secrets are pulled to the surface, everyone has something they want to keep hidden - Christina, the youngest Kennedy daughter, is already struggling with her mental health. If she tells anyone what she knows, the consequences could be devastating.

Kate and Rob had been arguing with Ursula over a barn conversion, but neither of them would resort to a double murder. Would they?

I enjoyed this dramatic family thriller set on a farm in Ireland. Rows over land and property aren't uncommon, and I felt the plot was believable and the characters all had their own reasons for behaving the way they did (apart from one, who was just a pure weapon).

There was one element of the story I wasn't fond of, and wish it hadn't been included, but otherwise I liked how the story developed. I read it over a couple of train journeys and found it to be a great travel companion. I think that Graham Norton fans would enjoy it, it had a similar vibe to how he weaves a story, although the themes are a little darker.

Bonus points for the inclusion of the word "foosthered" which I hadn't heard in ages and have been very much enjoying adding back into my lexicon!

Thank you to @hachetteireland for the ARC via Netgalley. This is Michelle's debut novel and is available for pre-order now wherever you buy your books, it'll be released on April 13th.