Amidst the stark, lonely beauty of southwest Ireland’s windswept coast, veterinarian Dimpna Wilde wrangles with dark traditions, village folklore, and a killer’s motives during the annual Wren Day celebration in this deeply atmospheric and suspenseful County Kerry novel for readers of Dervla McTiernan, Lin Anderson, and Louise Penny.
Dingle is a town steeped in folklore, where old traditions like Wren Day linger like mist on the Kerry mountains. On the day after Christmas, St. Stephen’s Day, the wren boys—local lads from competing neighborhoods—paint their faces and dress in straw garb to march through town. In times past, the tiny body of a wren would be displayed during the parade. According to legend, the little bird deserved to die for betraying St. Stephen’s hiding place to his enemies.
These days, Wren Day is a kinder affair, with different groups vying to raise money for charity. But this year’s celebration gets off to an ominous start when Dimpna finds a dead wren on her doorstep. Things take a darker turn when one of the wren boys is found strangled, thick fisherman rope still around his neck. Then Dimpna goes to return her friend Paul Byrne’s dog to his house and discovers Paul dead—with a wren’s body beside him.
Is someone sending a message that Paul was a traitor, or this an effort to cast suspicion on the wren boys? And how are the deaths connected? While Detective Sergeant Cormac O’Brien, visiting from Dublin, begins to investigate, Dimpna immerses herself in tangled motives that harken back to past tragedies, and a case that has become deeply personal. For it’s not only traditions that persist here, grudges and secrets do too . . .
Praise for Carlene O'Connor's County Kerry Mysteries:
“Bestselling author O’Connor delivers an emotionally intense and cleverly plotted story in a very atmospheric setting like in works by Dervla McTiernan or Olivia Kiernan.” —Library Journal on Come Through Your Door “Entertaining…[O’Connor] is a pro at using cliffhangers to pull the plot forward, and as O’Brien’s investigation deepens, fascinating details emerge about the history of Ireland’s treatment of the mentally.” —Publishers Weekly on Come Through Your Door “Chilling…O’Connor’s gift for atmosphere elevates the well-oiled plot, resulting in the series’ best entry yet.” —Publishers Weekly on You Have Gone Too Far
“There’s a surprising conclusion in this sequel to No Strangers Here. Sarah Stewart Taylor’s fans will appreciate O’Connor’s dark, atmospheric Irish mystery.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for Some of Us Are Looking
“Ireland's County Kerry provides the backdrop for O’Connor’s compelling series kickoff…Exciting, convoluted, and rich with compelling characters, this is the best of O’Connor’s Irish mysteries to date.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW for No Strangers Here
"A knockout steeped in setting and character…There is beautiful writing here and the characters are rich and complicated, as is the well-told story –a mystery that is well set up and beautifully resolved.” —Mystery Scene on No Strangers Here
“This solid series launch from O’Connor takes a more somber approach to crime solving than her Irish Village mysteries…O’Connor adds plot twists that many won’t anticipate. Judicious use of Irishisms (“I swear to ye”) adds color. Readers will eagerly await what happens next in County Kerry.” —Publishers Weekly on No Strangers Here
“Known for her cozies, O’Connor moves into darker territory here. For fans of Louise Penny.” —Library Journal on No Strangers Here
“Rural Ireland is made sparklingly real on the pages of Carlene O’Connor’s absorbing series debut, which stars Dr. Dimpna Wilde a Vet who will stop at nothing to find out the truth, while also stepping into her father’s practice to take care of local animals. The body that’s found on the beach is just the start of this puzzle that will draw in readers of O’Connor’s Home to Ireland and Irish Village Mysteries as well as fans of Tana French and All Creatures Great and Small.” —Henrietta Verma, First Clue Review on No Strangers Here
“Carlene O’Connor crafts a thrilling and atmospheric mystery.” —BookRioton No Strangers Here
“An excellent police procedural whose complex characters act out a twisty tale of hate.” —Kirkus Reviews on Some of Us Are Looking
Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Irish Village Mysteries, the County Kerry Novels, and the Home to Ireland Mysteries. Born into a long line of Irish storytellers, her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland filled with tales in 1897 and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places she’s wandered across the pond, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork, the setting of her Irish Village Mystery series. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and currently divides her time between New Mexico and the Emerald Isle. Please visit her online at CarleneOConnor.net.
Amidst the stark, lonely beauty of southwest Ireland’s windswept coast, veterinarian Dimpna Wilde wrangles with dark traditions, village folklore, and a killer’s motives during the annual Wren Day celebration in this deeply atmospheric and suspenseful County Kerry novel for readers of Dervla McTiernan, Lin Anderson, and Louise Penny.
Dingle is a town steeped in folklore, where old traditions like Wren Day linger like mist on the Kerry mountains. On the day after Christmas, St. Stephen’s Day, the wren boys—local lads from competing neighborhoods—paint their faces and dress in straw garb to march through town. In times past, the tiny body of a wren would be displayed during the parade. According to legend, the little bird deserved to die for betraying St. Stephen’s hiding place to his enemies.
These days, Wren Day is a kinder affair, with different groups vying to raise money for charity. But this year’s celebration gets off to an ominous start when Dimpna finds a dead wren on her doorstep. Things take a darker turn when one of the wren boys is found strangled, thick fisherman rope still around his neck. Then Dimpna goes to return her friend Paul Byrne’s dog to his house and discovers Paul dead—with a wren’s body beside him.
Is someone sending a message that Paul was a traitor, or this an effort to cast suspicion on the wren boys? And how are the deaths connected? While Detective Sergeant Cormac O’Brien, visiting from Dublin, begins to investigate, Dimpna immerses herself in tangled motives that harken back to past tragedies, and a case that has become deeply personal. For it’s not only traditions that persist here, grudges and secrets do too . . .
Reviews
Praise for Carlene O'Connor's County Kerry Mysteries:
“Bestselling author O’Connor delivers an emotionally intense and cleverly plotted story in a very atmospheric setting like in works by Dervla McTiernan or Olivia Kiernan.” —Library Journal on Come Through Your Door “Entertaining…[O’Connor] is a pro at using cliffhangers to pull the plot forward, and as O’Brien’s investigation deepens, fascinating details emerge about the history of Ireland’s treatment of the mentally.” —Publishers Weekly on Come Through Your Door “Chilling…O’Connor’s gift for atmosphere elevates the well-oiled plot, resulting in the series’ best entry yet.” —Publishers Weekly on You Have Gone Too Far
“There’s a surprising conclusion in this sequel to No Strangers Here. Sarah Stewart Taylor’s fans will appreciate O’Connor’s dark, atmospheric Irish mystery.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for Some of Us Are Looking
“Ireland's County Kerry provides the backdrop for O’Connor’s compelling series kickoff…Exciting, convoluted, and rich with compelling characters, this is the best of O’Connor’s Irish mysteries to date.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW for No Strangers Here
"A knockout steeped in setting and character…There is beautiful writing here and the characters are rich and complicated, as is the well-told story –a mystery that is well set up and beautifully resolved.” —Mystery Scene on No Strangers Here
“This solid series launch from O’Connor takes a more somber approach to crime solving than her Irish Village mysteries…O’Connor adds plot twists that many won’t anticipate. Judicious use of Irishisms (“I swear to ye”) adds color. Readers will eagerly await what happens next in County Kerry.” —Publishers Weekly on No Strangers Here
“Known for her cozies, O’Connor moves into darker territory here. For fans of Louise Penny.” —Library Journal on No Strangers Here
“Rural Ireland is made sparklingly real on the pages of Carlene O’Connor’s absorbing series debut, which stars Dr. Dimpna Wilde a Vet who will stop at nothing to find out the truth, while also stepping into her father’s practice to take care of local animals. The body that’s found on the beach is just the start of this puzzle that will draw in readers of O’Connor’s Home to Ireland and Irish Village Mysteries as well as fans of Tana French and All Creatures Great and Small.” —Henrietta Verma, First Clue Review on No Strangers Here
“Carlene O’Connor crafts a thrilling and atmospheric mystery.” —BookRioton No Strangers Here
“An excellent police procedural whose complex characters act out a twisty tale of hate.” —Kirkus Reviews on Some of Us Are Looking
Author
Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Irish Village Mysteries, the County Kerry Novels, and the Home to Ireland Mysteries. Born into a long line of Irish storytellers, her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland filled with tales in 1897 and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places she’s wandered across the pond, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork, the setting of her Irish Village Mystery series. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and currently divides her time between New Mexico and the Emerald Isle. Please visit her online at CarleneOConnor.net.
