This cute and cozy mystery that takes place in Shamrock Cove, Ireland was a very good book. I wasn't sure what to expect but the description reeled me in and made me want to read it.
Deaths immediately start occurring shortly after 2 Sisters move to town and take over the bookshop that their inherited from their grandfather. No one knows who they are and they are of course immediately suspects. Funny enough one of the sisters is a mystery writer who because she's done so much research, feels that it's up to her to find out who the killer is to clear her name. Many funny attempts at surveillance and sleuthing ensue and while it turns up more questions they do eventually find the killer in plain sight. This book had me laughing and my mouth dropped when it was revealed who the killer was at the end. Soo good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

An Irish Bookshop Murder is the first in a series that is set in a small village in Ireland. Mercy and Lizzie arrive there after some very stressful previous events, that leave them ready for a new start. They inherit a wonderful cottage from a grandfather they never knew. The cottage - well it sounds like slightly more than the usual cottage, situated in a gated court area which has just a small cluster of houses.

Right on arriving the next door neighbor dies and it looks like a murder. Soon suspects abound, and the local detective seems to have his eye on Mercy and Lizzie. Mercy - mystery writer - can't resist getting involved in trying to solve the mystery, and this leads her into a few compromising situations.  Lizzie meanwhile is finding her way with the bookshop their grandfather has left them.

Mercy believes the murderer must live in the court area so while getting to know her neighbors she is wondering who might it be. Eventually at the climax the murderer comes to light and Mercy is right there.

This has a wonderful setting - a cottage and bookshop with secret doors and passages, two sisters who care about each other - and some varied and interesting neighbors. The local detective might be coming to live in the court - we will have to wait and see as who will move into the Judge's cottage and possibly now one other is up for grabs.

An enjoyable beginning to a new series, I look forward to seeing where this goes next.

3.75 Stars, rounded up!
A new cozy mystery series set in Shamrock Cove Ireland. Two sisters move there after they have found out they inherited a bookshop from their grandfather. The sisters are then flung into the lives of their new neighbors when something happens at their welcome party!

I thought this was a cute cozy mystery. The characters are well explained & you feel like you are in the story while reading it. I will say, the book had me fooled. About 50% through I thought I figured out whodunit, but I was shockingly surprised by the ending. Overall, an enjoyable book & I am looking forward to reading book two when it comes out (later this fall)!

Thank you NetGalley, Lucy Connelly, and Bookouture for an advanced reader copy!

A good cozy Irish mystery.
Mercy and Lizzie inherit a bookshop and on their first day they came across their neighbor dying and he accuses Mercy of murder.
Drama,twists,suspense mystery.
A good story.
Voluntarily reviewed

EXCERPT: I stood in front of the navy front door and looked up at our new home. The spring breeze ruffled my hair, and the fresh scent of the sea assailed my senses. I rubbed the shamrock keyring in my hand, hoping for a little of its luck to rub off on me. The house had a beautifully kept, small front garden. I glanced at my twin sister and hoped we had made the right choice in moving to Ireland.

ABOUT 'AN IRISH BOOKSHOP MURDER': After receiving an unexpected inheritance from her grandfather, Mercy and her twin sister Lizzie are now the proud owners of a charming antique bookshop in the tiny Irish village of Shamrock Cove. But before they can take in the beautiful view of the sea, one of their neighbors drops dead!

Mercy finds the Judge, a well-respected man who lives next door, dying on his own doorstep. She rushes to help, but with his final words, he accuses Mercy of murder! Most of their new neighbors hear his words and, with suspicion pointing at Mercy, she decides to investigate the case to clear her name.

Searching amongst the Judge’s old books, Mercy uncovers letters proving several of the townsfolk had reason to dislike the judge—but was it the local pub landlord, the kindly cook or neighborly knitter who killed him?

Then Mercy’s chief suspect turns up dead and she receives a threatening note, typed on paper from her own bookstore… Ireland was supposed to be a fresh start for Mercy and Lizzie, but dead bodies keep turning up.

Does Mercy have what it takes to nail the culprit, or will the killer close the book on her time in this charming Irish village?

MY THOUGHTS: Set in a small Irish seaside village, Shamrock Cove, An Irish Bookshop Murder is the start of a new cosy series by Lucy Connelly.

The cottage sounds somewhat grander than anything I would call a cottage and the fact that it is in a Close and a desirable residence that people may, quite literally, kill to gain admittance to only reinforces my suspicion that it is more like a grand house, complete with secret doors and passages and a plethora of rooms. Certainly it is large enough that both sisters can live there, seemingly without tripping over one another.

The residents of The Close and the proprietors of the local businesses make up the main characters, and suspects, in this cosy murder mystery. How hard would it be to move somewhere new and then be worried that people you were counting on to be new friends may in fact be murderers?

It seems that no sooner have Mercy and Lizzie arrived - they don't even get time to move in! - than they have their first body on (or should that be in?) their hands. With their fresh sets of eyes and their lack of any preconceptions about the potential suspects, they are able to see things that perhaps the local detective can't (or won't) and that doesn't exactly endear them to him. Mercy and Lucy suspect him, and he suspects them! This leads to some sharp exchanges between these characters and several trips into the interview room of the local station.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read with an entertaining cast of characters. I certainly didn't guess the villain or the motive and it wasn't for lack of trying!

I enjoyed this author's Scottish Isle mystery series and now it seems her Mercy McCarthy series is going to be every bit as good!

I received both a digital and audio ARC and did a read/listen. I enjoyed both formats and could not choose between them. The audio is well narrated by Kimberley Wetherell.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#AnIrishBookshopMurder #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Lucy loves traveling the world, but her favorite place is at home with her dogs and family. That said, she's always up for adventure and is constantly on the lookout for killer inspiration--as in who will be the next killer in her books?
She has a master's degree in humanities and enjoys learning all the things. And she's been published by many other names.

Thank you to Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for providing both a digital and audio ARC of An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Not my usual genre… very very happy with this one though!
I usually don’t go for mystery, I feel like they can get pretty repetitive and mid halfway through to then tell you the ending in a chapter or two. This one did not disappoint though!

From the actual setup of the story, the ambience, the relationship between characters…. Fully recommend! Especially for this Fall/Winter season 🎃✨

Such an enjoyable read! I was honestly stumped on the who-done-it and had fun reading till the end.
The main character, Mercy, moves to this cozy Irish town with her twin Lizzy after a series of losses and trying experiences led them to needing significant change. Of course, murder ensues. Mercy being a mystery writer is naturally curious and later motivated by the need to prove their innocence. While amateur sleuths can be annoying in a story, Mercy wasn't overly so. Mercy really recognized and owned her shortcomings, for lack of a better word, and I found that refreshing.
This was truly a cozy read and I would be happy to continue the series. I think there is lots of room for the characters to develop and potential relationships to explore.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I really loved this book. I love the characters, the setting, & the ending is the best. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
#AnIrishBookshopMurder #NetGalley

I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I loved this one. The mention of twins right off the bat grabbed me. Mercy is the star, but I loved Lizzie also. In this first book of the #MercyMcCarthyMysteryseries, I loved the setting in Ireland & the bookshop the twins inherit. What a dream!
I don’t often go for a #cozycrimemurdermystery, but this book opened my eyes!

Thank you, Lucy Connelly, Bookouture, Bookouture audio & netgalley for my ecopy & audiobook! All opinions are my own.

Mercy and her sister Lizzie make the move from the USA to Ireland after some difficult family losses to start fresh. They received an unexpected inheritance from their grandfather - a beautiful bookshop and his gorgeous house one a very special street. The town of Shamrock Cove welcomes the twin sisters with a get together, but someone ends up dead and they instantly are under suspicion.

Mercy is a very famous mystery/crime writer and uses skills she's gathered over the years from her research to delve into the mystery of who would want this person dead. She's also trying to shelter her sister from the tragedy and drama as she's in a fragile state. Things aren't going well for the sisters after hard evidence points to them being involved.
Lots of action and red herrings occur and the killer is finally revealed! I loved this fast paced and cozy mystery. The town is picturesque and charming, the characters are interesting and you can see how they will play into other mysteries to come. I loved Mercy and Lizzie they were very likable and strong women. The author has also set up a mystery surrounding Mercy from when she lived in NYC that may follow her to Shamrock Cove in the future, which I'm already intrigued to learn more about. I can't wait for the next book in this series! 5 stars!!

An easily addictive series! A great writing style draws you into the life of Mercy and Lizzie. I found this book really enjoyable and very hard to put down. The ending was not predictable in my opinion and wrapped up the first in the series. Engaging read to say the least.

Thank you Netgalley

I enjoyed this one! I am looking forward to more in this series. The mystery was solid, and I liked that family, found and blood, was the foundation of the story.

A delightful setting of a an antique book shop . Twin sisters from America inherit it. Secrets hiding in the town. Older towns person drops dead. Many suspects. Letters are found showing many had reason to kill him. First in a series

Loved this one! A cozy mystery is exactly what I needed. Author, Mercy and her twin Lizzie move to a coastal town in Ireland when they find out they’ve been left a cottage from a grandfather they never knew. The first night, one of their neighbors ends up dead and all eyes are on Mercy and Lizzie. Loved all the characters and setting. It was fun to go along with Mercy as she tried to figure out who murdered her neighbour. It was a quick and easy read with a little bit of romance at the end. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This is the first book in the Mercy McCarthy series. Mercy and her sister, Lizzie, have moved to Ireland after they inherit a bookshop and home from their grandfather. Shortly after their arrival, a neighbor winds up dead and the police think Mercy is to blame, as the victim wasn't happy that Mercy and her sister inherited their grandfathers home. This was a great start to the series. The author sets up the characters well. I loved the mystery and it had me guessing until the end. The side characters of the neighbors were top notch and I can't wait to learn more about them. This is definitely a series I will be continuing.

An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly

(A Mercy McCarthy mystery book 1)

Thank you to #Netgalley and @bookouture for the eARC.

Mercy & her twin sister Lizzie move from America to the quiet Irish village of Shamrock Cove where they have been surprised to inherit a house & a bookshop from a grandfather that they never met & didn't know anything about until receiving notification of this inheritance.

Mercy is a successful mystery writer and Lizzie is looking forward to running the shop as although this is a cosy crime story (can murder ever really be classed as cosy? 🤔) they both have trauma in their past and are in need of a fresh start.

They've no sooner arrived and met some of the neighbours when the old Judge (a friend of their grandfather's) collapses outside of his house and despite Mercy's efforts at CPR he's soon pronounced dead but not before pointing at her and saying 'you killed me'.

Eager to clear herself from suspicion and also wanting to prove it is murder, Mercy is soon aiding/hampering the local detective as her crime book research has given her an inquisitive mind. It's a bit like an episode of Murder, She Wrote.

It's fast paced and quick to read as it's very dialogue heavy. This keeps things moving along with all the twists and turns but doesn't give much time for building atmosphere or sense of place. It's easy to forget the village is in Ireland and then a couple of Irish words are thrown in here and there as a reminder.
The sisters are great characters and although twins have their own personalities and strengths.
Tbh they could come from anywhere but the point is they're newcomers.

It's an interesting supporting cast & the plot keeps you guessing although when the murderer is revealed the sisters say 'that makes no sense' and I was with them until motivation was explained which does mean it's pointless trying to guess the ending.

It's light entertainment with likeable MC's and a good foundation to build an interesting series.

I really like the setting in An Irish Bookshop Murder with the quaint small Irish town and the unusual exclusive neighborhood limited to five homes. Twin sisters from the US discover they have a grandfather after he left them his home and bookshop, both sounding like such a fun and lovely place to explore and live. They never knew their father and were raised by their mom, who has passed away. Mercy, an author living in NYC, and Lizzie, a ranch owner in Texas, make the move to Ireland for a new start where Lizzie is managing the bookshop while Mercy is working on her next novel. The first night there they find a grumpy neighbor dying after a welcome party held at the bookshop for them. They are suspects and are determined to investigate on their own against the wishes of the local detective, grandson of one the neighborhood residents. This is a fun book to start off the series. I really enjoyed the author's Scottish Isle series and wanted to give this book a try. I did not enjoy the characters and other aspects as much but still a good start.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly

I loved reading this cozy murder story by Lucy Connelly! It started with the inheritance of the antique bookshop and then the owner was involved in the murder case. The story was fast-paced and the characters were unique and distinguishable. I enjoyed the story-setting. By reading the book, I could imagine how the bookshop looked like and how the people were like. I just kept reading one more page and the ending was a gem!

This is a great book for travelling or on the commute.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Aug 22, 2024

Mercy McCarthy received a very unexpected inheritance gift from her grandfather--a charming antique bookshop located in a small scenic Irish village. Mercy and her twin sister Lizzie moves to Ireland to become the proud owners of the bookshop. However, their neighbor the judge turns up dead and soon Mercy becomes involved in a murder investigation.

This is a cute read. This is the first book of the Mercy McCarthy series and I actually enjoyed it. There are so many suspects in the story as the judge had known making enemies and author keeps dropping hints so us readers could figure who the real suspect can be! It was interesting, unputdownable with so many likable characters that trail along the book. Not only that--the vivid descriptions of the seaside village in Ireland makes me felt like I was actually in Ireland trying to solve the mystery.

I liked the ending and as such, I actually enjoyed reading the first book of the Mercy McCarthy series and couldn't wait to read more. Overall a great read that is worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Thank you Bookouture for making me a part of the blog tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Synopsis
After the passing of their grandfather Lizzie & Mercy unexpectedly inherit his home in the quaint town of Shamrock Cove. In addition to his home, they also inherit his charming bookshop.
Lizzie & Mercy decide to leave behind their old lives and settle in Shamrock Cove, their first night they meet the members of the town & seem to be fitting in nicely, until one of their neighbors, the judge, drops dead on their door step.
Mercy runs over to try & help the judge but unfortunately she’s too late, and the Judge’s final words are him accusing Mercy of Murder.

Shamrock Cove was a quiet, peaceful town, that is until Lizzie and Mercy showed up.
Trying to prove their innocence, Lizzie & Mercy decide to get to know the members of the town to try and figure out who was responsible for the Judge’s death. In their endeavors they keep butting heads with the towns detective , who keeping brining them in for questioning .

Review (3.5/5)
This book fits its description of a cute, cozy mystery novel. The characters are likeable and I enjoyed the fact that the different members of the town had their own quirks & backstories.
I also thought concept of the town was unique, members of the town could only move in if the house was passed down to them by a family member, the only way the house could be purchased was through a lottery that was hosted if no next of kin was available.
If I am being honest I found the murder reveal and motive to be a little under whelming.

Then again to be fair, this is my first cozy mystery, I am usually use to reading things that are a bit wild and unhinged so maybe that is why I felt this way ?
If I had to compare this book to anything I would say its a cross between Irish Stars Hollow mixed cute, cozy, less spicy desperate housewives.
I think you will enjoy this book if you are looking for a simple, cozy story in between heavier reads.