This and That with Karen : Fatal Roots by Sheila Connelly

Dec 28, 2019

Fatal Roots by Sheila Connelly

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing ”Fatal Roots” the 8th instalment in “A County Cork Mystery” series by Sheila Connelly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have purchased a few of the previous books.

Some secrets are too big to stay buried...

A few months ago, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan's. But now, her mother has returned--and she's brought Maura's half-sister in tow. To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura's door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura's piece of land.

The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn't buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura's property.

Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand--it's her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain.

Even though this is the first book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed it and have since purchased a few other books in the series.

The protagonist Maura is a strong, independent woman who is finding out who she is and where her family came from. The characters are well rounded and seem real as I could relate to each of them. The town of Leap in County Cork is interesting, and the author brought the area to life with her descriptions.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there are plenty of twists and turns in this story. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on who the body was right to the very end. There is also the secondary story of Maura and her mother Helen, along with half sister Susan and where it is heading. Overall the story moves at a steady pace, but I did take longer to finish than normal and I’m not sure if that was to do with the holidays.

I recommend this book to all my mystery lover friends, and plan on buying the complete series.