Scan barcode
caitkom's review against another edition
5.0
Maura Donovan is starting to settle into the quiet life, running a pub in a small town in Co. Cork, Ireland. When a Althea, a brash and loud New Yorker bursts into the pub and starts asking questions about an old painting that may or may not exist, Maura's interest is peeked. Althea convinces Maura to help her look for the missing painting so she can bring it back to America. Maura and Althea start asking around and their inquiries lead them to the local manor house. It just so happens that the gardener of that house has been murdered, leading them to wonder if there is a connection between the painting and the murder.
nursenell's review against another edition
5.0
2nd book in the County Cork mysteries. Maura is now the owner of Sullivan's Pub. An art historian from a New York museum stops in looking for information on who might live in the local manor house and soon there is a murder at said manor house, a rare event in Ireland. Good story, good mystery.
eire2011's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book and getting back to Skibbereen. Maura is so much fun to read about and I'm glad that she's starting to settle into her new home as well as the Pub that she's inherited in Ireland. Looking forward to continuing on with the series soon!
Trigger warnings: murder, some violence, adoption
Trigger warnings: murder, some violence, adoption
asanford's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable easy listen for times when you’re cleaning or decorating. Fun story.
jen_baroness_mom's review against another edition
5.0
Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly is a reminder that not everyone is in a hurry and we should all take the time to breathe.
Will Maura figure out who killed Seamus?
Maura Donovan
In this second installment, we find our sleuth better settled but unwilling to commit to staying. Maura fits in well, and the people there respect her, except Jimmy. But he is just a grumpy, half-empty kind of guy. Maura also hasn't decided what she will do with the pub. Will she add food? Will she clean it up more? Basically, how and what will she do to put her stamp on the place? She is not in a hurry.
Yet, she has made more friends and is doing better in Ireland than in Boston. So, she may stay. Maura also meets Gillian, an artist who spends her winters in Dublin and summers here.
The Mysteries
Althea Melville shows up at the pub, looking for someone to elp her find an old painting of the local gentry. She has no idea who but has a more miniature painting to which the larger one should look similar. Billy assists Maura and Althea with some local history, and Maura recommends a hotel in Skibbereen for Althea. That night a gardener at the manor house is killed. Are they connected? It seems like they should be, but then there is no evidence that they are.
These ladies uncover some local history by going around and speaking with the citizens that have been there for eons. It is humbling to listen to their stories. I enjoyed following Maura around as she learned about the local history. It's incredible how much people knew but wouldn't say, as it wasn't their story to tell.
Five Stars
My rating for Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly is five stars. I read the story when it came out and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. I will be rereading the beginning of the series and finishing the later books that I have fallen behind with. The author is no longer with us, and I am now ready to complete the series. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the American sleuth in Ireland cozy mystery.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly.
Until the next time,
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
govmarley's review against another edition
3.0
We travel back to Ireland to see how Maura is adjusting to her new life, and her new bar. Americans continue to be painted in a ridiculously bad light. We get it, you hate us.
This time some crazy lady (American, naturally) comes barging into Leap and pisses everyone off with absolutely zero interpersonal savvy and situational awareness. She's looking for a missing piece of artwork to convince the family to sell, or show it, or something. It's a Van Dyke, people! Anyway...a murder happens. Poor citizens of Leap. No wonder they are leery of Americans. Maura is a jinx. And she's actually pretty boring as well. But things inexplicably fall together, the police listen to Maura a little too much again, and the bar has quirky characters.
Yes, I'm complaining, and yes, I'll read the next book in the series. 3 stars.
This time some crazy lady (American, naturally) comes barging into Leap and pisses everyone off with absolutely zero interpersonal savvy and situational awareness. She's looking for a missing piece of artwork to convince the family to sell, or show it, or something. It's a Van Dyke, people! Anyway...a murder happens. Poor citizens of Leap. No wonder they are leery of Americans. Maura is a jinx. And she's actually pretty boring as well. But things inexplicably fall together, the police listen to Maura a little too much again, and the bar has quirky characters.
Yes, I'm complaining, and yes, I'll read the next book in the series. 3 stars.
a_ab's review against another edition
2.0
I am still enjoying the fact that the mysteries and not the main focus of these books and the mysteries themselves are relatively tame. Although this one had a more sinister undertone.
However, I was extremely annoyed at the portrayal of the obnoxious rude American from New York. (Of course! What did you expect?) The murderer in the book was treated by the author with more respect and compassion than the "abominable New Yorker". Why? Because the murderer had Irish blood and the New Yorker did not (in addition to her mortal sins of living in Manhattan and loving her posh job). It felt like deliberate discrimination on the author's part, and it really bothered me.
Another grating aspect that cropped up in this book much more prominently than in the first one was repetitiveness - we heard the same story over and over in full excruciating detail every time it had to be told to or by a new character or repeated within the same scene for the benefit of some new arrival in the room! That got old really fast. Extremely poor writing form.
However, I was extremely annoyed at the portrayal of the obnoxious rude American from New York. (Of course! What did you expect?) The murderer in the book was treated by the author with more respect and compassion than the "abominable New Yorker". Why? Because the murderer had Irish blood and the New Yorker did not (in addition to her mortal sins of living in Manhattan and loving her posh job). It felt like deliberate discrimination on the author's part, and it really bothered me.
Another grating aspect that cropped up in this book much more prominently than in the first one was repetitiveness - we heard the same story over and over in full excruciating detail every time it had to be told to or by a new character or repeated within the same scene for the benefit of some new arrival in the room! That got old really fast. Extremely poor writing form.
diannel_04's review against another edition
3.0
Maura has settled into life in the tiny village of Leap in County Cork when a stereotypical New Yorker bursts into her pub and turns thins upside down. Althea Melville is an art historian looking for a lost Van Dyke painting that she believes must be in a manor house in the area. Mayhem ensues when Althea does what New Yorkers are wont to do and barges ahead like a bull in a china shop.
All works out in the end and this was a fun little cozy. I am enjoying this series and looing forward to reading the next book.
All works out in the end and this was a fun little cozy. I am enjoying this series and looing forward to reading the next book.