How far would you go to protect your family?Pub owner Maura Donovan hasn’t seen her mother for over twenty years, so when she suddenly shows up in Maura’s pub, Maura’s not sure what to expect. Her mother has moved back home and has taken a position working with the new owners of the Crann Mor hotel just outside Skibbereen. Creating a new lift for herself was working out fine—until her new boss is … fine—until her new boss is found dead in the gardens, dumped down the hillside behind the hotel.
Now, Maura must leave no stone unturned to clear her mother’s name and rebuild their fragmented relationship. However, in County Cork, things are rarely as they seem. Longtime residents, including the employees of Maura’s pub and the deceased hotel owner, have dark, bottled-up family secrets that must never be uncorked. Worse, someone is willing to kill to keep them that way.
Maura Donovan tests the bonds of love and family in Many a Twist, the charming and atmospheric sixth County Cork mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly.
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When Maura’s mom pops up out of the blue after twenty years she isn’t sure how she should react. Is this a good thing or is it going to end up being a bad experience? Maura decides she wants to make a go of having a relationship with her mom but when her moms boss is found murdered things take a huge turn. Will she be able to build something with her mom and at the same time figure out who the killer is? Connolly leads you on a merry chase with so many twists and turns that you won’t know if you’ve figured it all out until the end. Follow along and uncover all the secrets that are being kept and you just may figure it out. The telling of the mystery is wonderful and the scenery that fills the book is breath taking. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Maura and the lovely village that she has made her home.
WOW! I think I want to move to County Cork. This author’s descriptions just immerse you in the countryside and lifestyle. What a wonderful place to live – a slower pace of life, a totally involved populace and scenic beauty beyond compare. Sullivan’s pub is like the Cheer’s TV show – where everybody knows your name and they’re all glad you came. The books are well written, the plots are well thought out, the book stays on-point and the character development is superb. You’ll come to love the recurring characters – they are quirky, down-to-earth, funny, relatable and very believable.
What a difference a year makes in the life of Maura Donovan. A year ago Maura arrived in Leap, County Cork, Ireland without a cent to her name, no job, no prospects and she had just lost her much-beloved grandmother. Since Maura’s father was deceased and her mother abandoned her at the age of two, her grandmother was all she had in the world. Her grandmother’s dying wish was for Maura to travel from Boston to Leap and personally let all of her Irish relatives know of her passing. When Maura arrived, she found that she had inherited a pub and a house – neither in great shape, but functional. What was she going to do – sell them or stay and manage the pub? She stayed and the year has certainly brought excitement, contentment and maybe, just maybe, love. She’s helped the Gardaí five times already and they have developed a good relationship – now – this sixth time might put that trust to the test.
Maura gets a call from the new owners of the Crann Mor luxury hotel in Skibbereen and has no clue what they might want with her, but she agrees to meet with them. When they arrive, the leader of the group John Byrne comes across as arrogant. The party also includes John’s male assistant, Helen Jenkins (an executive with the group) and Helen’s female assistant. Maura is not particularly impressed and is pretty negative about collaborating with them in any way.
Then, John’s dead body is discovered by the groundskeeper at Crann Mor. Is the death a murder or an accident? Things get even more intense when you add a new Garda member who is neither polished nor friendly. He’s bent on proving that it was murder and he’ll brow-beat everyone involved until he can find a murderer.
A call comes in for Maura, asking her to immediately come to the Garda station in Skibbereen. She doesn’t know what to expect, but what she hears when she gets there stuns her. The woman, Helen Jenkins is her mother. The reason Maura is there is that Helen wanted to tell Maura before she told the Gardaí.
While Maura isn’t sure what she wants to do with/about her mother, she can’t let her be accused of murder – unless, of course, she did it. So, Maura sets off to discover what she can and solve the death. Murder? Accident? Maura will ask questions until she finds the answer. Along the way, Maura comes to believe that she wants to learn more about her mother and maybe have a bit of a relationship with her. Her relationship with Mick also deepens and she learns some of his secrets.
This is a wonderfully written series and this book just adds to that. I hope you’ll give all the books a read. While you don’t just have to read the series in order, I would suggest doing so. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the great character and relationship growth. Great read!
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This series set in a bar in Country Cork has an endearing cast of characters, a wonderful Irish setting, and a strong sense of small town community. Many a Twist has the added attraction of interesting family complications and welcome character growth.
Great County Cork reads
I loved the first few books in this series but this one was another disappointment. Even though a year has passed since Maura arrived in Ireland everyone is stuck in the same place. A lot of the same ground is covered. We finally get a little backstory on Mick but it is too little too late. The mystery in the book is really no mystery. There is one pleasant surprise. The author does a good job with the Irish background I just wish there was more story. If you have been reading this series from the beginning you may enjoy this one.
“Many a Twist” earns 5/5 Pints of Green Ale…Delightfully Entertaining!
I am a newbie turned fan of Sheila Connolly’s County Cork series. First, we have my favorite setting…Ireland and a pub! Just perfect for my St. Patrick’s Day weekend entertainment. I started with the most recent book number six, “Many a Twist,” and yes, there has to have been the natural evolvement of situations (some resolved, some ongoing) and characters (some that come and some that go), so I’m eager to go back and read how these characters got from there to here, but there was enough references to background and character connections to keep me engaged. Maura Donovan is the owner of an Irish pub and her newest dilemma and subsequent murder investigations relates to her estranged mother. She hasn’t had contact with her for over twenty years, and when she reveals her identity in the wake of a body’s discovery, Maura is confronted by secrets, secrets, and more secrets from various directions. The title warns readers of “many” and “twists,” and in that Connolly doesn’t disappoint. She has made an intriguing page-turner that is sprinkled with delightful dialogue that illustrates well the various personalities and motives along with descriptions of the Irish community that bring the land and the people to life. The suspects have their interesting connections to the victim which makes the murder investigation intriguing, but Maura has a full plate with her best friend preparing to give birth and the continued exploration of her relationship with Mick…he, too, has things to share. All in all…the mystery, the characters, the look at Ireland add up to a marvelous book!
Each book in the series can be stand alone but ties characters to previous books as well. Love returning to see what everyone is doing now!
Wonderful addition to this excellent cozy mystery series set in Ireland.