5 Stars - "The Reverend Mother receives a decidedly gruesome gift in this compelling Irish historical mystery"
Big thanks to Cora Harrison for writing this mystery, and NetGalley for sending it to me. The Reverend Mother series are great as are all of her Irish mysteries. I have a second one I will be starting also in the Reverend Mother series ( so excited). I am Irish and the age of the Reverend Mother and her cousin Lucy so I particularly love this series.
This one is a generational saga with this murder, and subsequent murders, not revealed until the last few pages. A tradesman who many felt was "uppity", because he had amassed so much money and built a large house in an exclusive area, is murdered. Henry Mulcahy was not well loved, but his housemaid and nurse Bridie was beloved of the sisters at the convent. Bridie and Mrs. Mulcahy are also eventually victims of the cover-up of this crime.
Not only was Mulcahy "of the skins" murdered, but his decaying for 3 days body was delivered in a trunk to the Reverend Mother. It was said to contain schoolbooks but actually contained Mr Mulcahy packed in some gruesome exhibits of his trade.
Reverend Mother Aquinas' cousin Lucy who had been at an auction, bid on the trunk and sent it to her. The nuns of St. Mary's Isle have a school for poor children at that location and a religious community had been there since ancient days.
Figuring in this episode also are several young adult protégés of the Reverend Mother, Eileen MacSweeney and Patrick the Constable. Adding to this is that several of Mulcahy's children, he has 13, as well as Eileen, are Republican Army sympathisers. This is the cusp of Ireland's partition.
I didnt' know anything about this series and it sounds so very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing :-)