I would like to thank Netgalley and The Book Folks for a review of Murder at the Arts Festival, the fourteenth novel to feature Senior Inspector Maureen Lyons of Galway An Garda Síochána.

Maureen is called to the small town of Clifden where a body has been found in the marquee tent of the local arts festival. There is no doubt that the man is dead, but how he died is not as obvious. A post mortem uncovers a most unusual means of murder, but the first priority is to establish his identity and once that is done the British security services take an interest. It seems that all Maureen does is ruffle feathers.

I enjoyed Murder at the Arts Festival, which is a light, pleasant read with an emphasis on plot. I have not read the series before, but had no problem immersing myself in events and getting to know the characters, so it works well as a stand-alone.

The plot is interesting and held my attention throughout with several twists and an international motive. It is designed for entertainment and does that job well, so any resemblance to reality is coincidental. It is a bit of a wild ride with security service involvement (never a fruitful association for local officers), but the wily Maureen still manages to solve her case. The novel has some serious issues at its heart, but any reader looking for an in depth examination of them will be disappointed as it is a light read.

The characters are developed as much as the plot requires, so again no real depth and some really clunky dialogue, but they are pleasant and have a warm, friendly relationship, which gives the novel a sunny appeal.

Murder at the Arts Festival is a good read that I can recommend.

A Gruesome Discovery..
The fourteenth in the Galway Homicides series finds detectives at a loss when a gruesome discovery is made at a local arts festival. There is no doubt that this is a killing and a most unusual one at that - but there is way more to come, events that will send the detectives reeling. Enjoyable and entertaining murder mystery with many threads, a credible cast of main characters and a pacy storyline. A fitting addition to this long running series,

I liked the gradual methodical unfolding of clues and the teamwork involved in getting to the solution. It was a complex and intriguing story that I very much enjoyed.