Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor

Item: Murder in an Irish Garden
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted April 22, 2025 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder in an Irish Garden

by Carlene O'Connor

Series: Irish Village Mystery #11
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on February 25, 2025
Setting: Ireland
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 305
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Murder in an Irish Village, Murder at an Irish Wedding, Murder at an Irish Chipper

Everything’s coming up roses for garda Siobhán and the rest of O’Sullivan family in quaint Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland—until a murder investigation blooms out of a deadly gardening competition.

While Siobhán studies for her Detective Sargeant exams, her brother, Eoin, prepares for the grand opening of his new restaurant, The O’Sullivan Six, and concocts a plan to enter Kilbane’s Top Garden Contest to boost business. But trouble brews when Eoin hires a mercurial landscape designer known for her killer designs. His new partner’s unflattering reputation and questionable practices nearly eclipse her talents—and plunge the prestigious competition into chaos.

A lush and intricate winning garden emerges from the controversy, with a spectacular golden statue in the center of the display. But in a devastating twist, the work of art leads to the shocking discovery of a bold and brutal work of murder.

Everyone in town has an opinion about who committed the crime and planted the evidence, from easily bribed sponsors to green-with-envy gardeners. And with another golden statue found in Eoin’s garden display, rumors about his involvement intensify. As local gossip buzzes and a list of suspects grows, it’s up to quick-witted Siobhán and her husband, Macdara, to suss out the guilty culprit’s identity . . . before the competition buries another victim.

Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor is a masterfully spun mystery with so many twists and turns.

Will the Guardi figure out who killed Cassidy?

The mystery is set amidst a garden competition. Usually, the competition is among local gardeners, but this year, a landscape architect has joined the competition. Some people don’t think it’s fair to have a professional compete. Yet, the rules don’t make it unacceptable. Additionally, we have an eager journalist conducting interviews and stirring up the contestants at each turn. So, on the opening day, when the gardens have been destroyed and two of the contestants don’t show up at the start, things start to spiral until they find the body of the famed landscape architect, Cassidy, dead in her garden.

I love the way Ms. O’Connor weaves the story. The clues are all there, and some of the guardi fall for the red herring, but not Siobhán. She isn’t falling for the false clues or misdirection. This is why she is going to ace her detective sergeant exams. There was so much happening throughout the investigation that Siobhán had to keep track of so many things. A couple of times, I almost started to believe the tall tales. But I also listened to Siobhán’s intuition.

The O’Sullivans

All of the O’Sullivans come together for the opening of The Six, Eion’s new restaurant. They are all grown up and living their own lives, but it is lovely to see them come together for each other. Siobhán has done a fantastic job of keeping her family together after her parents’ deaths. I always enjoy returning to one of the Irish Village Mysteries.

Five Stars

My rating for Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor is five stars. Ms. O’Connor easily transports me to Ireland, and I feel as though I am there with Siobhán and Macdara tracking down the culprit. I highly recommend Murder in an Irish Garden and the rest of the series. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

An Irish Village Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor.

Until the next time,

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About Carlene O’Connor

Carlene O’Connor comes from a long line of Irish storytellers. Her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland to America filled with tales and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all of the places across the pond she’s wandered, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork. Carlene currently divides her time between New York and Emerald Isle.

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