Description

Ireland, 1988. Storm Cordelia rages through the village of Kilcraven.

Still reeling from a devastating love affair and the collapse of a promising career in the Gardai, Emma Daly is stuck. She’s moved back in with her dad and taken a job as a librarian in Kilcraven, the small West Cork village she thought she left behind.

But when Emma witnesses a murder and the local guards arrest the wrong man for the crime, she’s forced to act. To prove a man innocent, she must sift through the village’s past, her own training and her beloved collection of detective stories before either the guards or the murderer can stop her. She’s joined by a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac and a charming ex-boyfriend – but quickly finds herself at the centre of a mystery that threatens to tear the whole village apart.

Publisher Review

"O'Donnell debuts with a complex and accomplished whodunit . . . Brings to mind the regional mysteries of Charles Todd, and he matches his gift for atmosphere with intricate plotting and nuanced characterizations." "Set in 1988 and told from multiple points of view, the dark story moves swiftly, unveiling long-held family secrets as the case unfolds." "O'Donnell's debut is so atmospheric in its background and poetic in its language . . . As coolly bracing as an Irish spring." "Original, cleverly crafted, and a cozy mystery lover's delight." "O'Donnell writes with a loveliness that's both sturdy and delicate . . . a spectacular debut." "Smartly crafter . . . uniquely compelling...first rate, original crime fiction." -- David Rothenburg "A good debut novel from author O'Donnell, that keeps you engaged throughout." On the face of it, this novel could be classified as cosy crime. Instead, it's an accomplished rural noir that skilfully captures the nuances of village life and the multi-generational strings that bind it. With well-rounded characters and a plethora of life lessons, it's an engrossing whodunit. -- Breda Brown * Body bags, blackmail plots and double dealings - RP O'Donnell's west Cork crimes in All the Old Clocks *