Atmospheric Irish Mystery

Any additional comments?

I liked this book and its strong feeling and portrayal of rural Ireland. I was slow to warm up to the narrator as the Boston accent of the main character was a bit strange and almost sounded electronic in a way. This small flaw was more than made up for by the Irish accents which were beautifully done. The outcome of the book was a bit predictable--meaning I solved it early-- but the story was carefully worked out. While the book was not what I would call cosy-- it was comfortable. A pleasant armchair trip to Ireland. I will look into the next book in the series as I am interested in what happens next. To me, a good sign in a mystery series.

53 people found this helpful

Written with style and skill, a very lovely story

I highly recommend this book and it's author. The characters keep you interested and the story is compelling. This book is part murder mystery but what keeps you fascinated is finding more about the main character, Maura. She is seeking a place in her world and finding Ireland in the process. The narrator is perfect and does an amazing job.

16 people found this helpful

A pleasant yarn

If you are in the mood for a gentle Irish mystery, this first book in a trilogy by Sheila Connolly, will do very nicely indeed. It moves along nicely with a splash or two of intrigue and suspense. In a world full of turmoil Sheila has provided a small respite for the reader, in the beautiful hills of the Emerald Isle. Cheers!

6 people found this helpful

Great start to series.

I love Irish stories that take place in Ireland with its rich culture and beautiful green rolling hills and crashing surf. Along with castles and a long history of mystic tales and fables along with these blunt, honest but warm and welcoming Irish people. Of all the places traveled across the globe, Ireland and its people turned out to be one of the friendliest and warm hearted group of people I've ever come across. They are a no nonsense people and yet are also ones who like to have fun and laughter rings loud and often. One can't help but smile frequently. It is said that there is a brooding and dark side to the Irish but no more than any other culture I've known. I love the old fashioned Pubs and Publicans in the countryside that are a delight and right out of the pages of a novel. This book gave me an image of those pictures in my mind that brought me right back. I'm heading right now to get the next in this series on audible. The narrator made a great book come alive to make it an even greater book. JC Book lover: No matter what the forum is.

5 people found this helpful

More than just a body

What made the experience of listening to Buried in a Bog the most enjoyable?

The narrator does a very nice job of using the Irish lilt and prounciation without sacrificing understanding the content.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Buried in a Bog?

Maura was taken so completely by surprise at the several related revelations about family.

What does Amy Rubinate bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Probably the most important part of listening to a taped book is how the narration is done. Who does the narration is more a matter of the skill the narrator has of projecting feelings as well as accents and rythms and flow of the author assigned language Amy does an excellent job of narrating the content within the described language cues.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I did feel angry myself at the moments when Maura lost her temper and was so rude to different people. I do chalk that up to Amy Rubinate's skills however.

5 people found this helpful

Predictable, but really fun; an easy escapist read

What made the experience of listening to Buried in a Bog the most enjoyable?

The performance was super, and the book does a solid job of conveying small-town Ireland as it is today, despite the changes in its larger cities.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Buried in a Bog?

Maura's initial meeting with Mrs. Nolan was especially sweet and poignant.

Which character – as performed by Amy Rubinate – was your favorite?

Mrs. Nolan, with her well-honed memories and recollections of Maura's father was especially well drawn.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

American Girl, Irish Lad, and the best little pub for miles around.

Any additional comments?

I'll be looking for more of Sheila Connolly's work..

8 people found this helpful

Where's the mystery?

I think this book need to be re-categorized because it's hardly a cozy mystery. Halfway through it, I kept waiting for more developments with the cold case murder, but nope! Toward the very end, the author must've realized that she forgot about the investigation, so she made a half-hearted attempt to shape it into some sort of a whodunit. Her last-ditch effort to pull it all together resulted into a headache-inducing convoluted mess.

Aside from that little oversight, I did enjoy experiencing the beauty and mystery of Ireland through Maura's eyes. I felt like I was riding in the passenger seat of her old jalopy as she motored along narrow country roads amidst the sprawling cow pastures and spooky old farm houses. I especially enjoyed the creepy scene when Maureen had a run-in with her stalker in an old Celtic cemetery. As for Maura, she's a little odd. Back in Boston, her sole purpose in life was to take care of her ailing grandmother. I mean, how can a 20-something have no friends, no family members and zero interest in owning a cell phone? How can that be? She didn't make a lot of sense to me, and to be honest, I didn't' really like her all that much. I get the sense that the author is just a tad out of touch with the younger generation because Maura seemed more like a tired middle-aged woman than a fresh-faced bonnie lass. This just goes to show that authors need to write what they know or--at the very least--do some research!

3 people found this helpful

A new series cast in Ireland!

In <strong>Buried in a Bog</strong> by Sheila Connelly, Maura Donovan goes to Leap, Ireland to the birthplace of her Gran to fulfill her Gran's dying wish. Finding letters from her Gran's best friend, Bridget Nolan, Maura writes to the elderly lady to inform her about the death and ask about visiting when she goes to County Cork, Ireland. Upon arriving in Ireland, Maura gets settled in and visits Bridget, where she learns more about her Gran's younger days than she ever knew. Upon trying to figure out the stick shift from the opposite side of the road, Maura coasts to a stop in front of police officer Sean Murphy, who tells Maura that a body has been found inside a local bog. It could have been there one year or 100 years.

Going into the local pub, Sullivan's Pub, Maura sees Rose Sweeney, the young girl whose father, Jimmy, is a manager in the pub, frantically trying to serve a packed building. With experience as a bartender in Boston, Maura jumps in to help and finds herself with a job while the courts try to sort out ownership of the pub after the recent death of owner Old Mick. Then Maura finds a letter addressed to Old Mick from a man in Australia trying to locate his family history in Ireland. His mention of an uncle who disappeared in the 1930s makes Maura wonder about the man in the bog. But that gets put on the back burner when the police locate a second body in as many days when Bart Hayes, a frequenter of Sullivan's Pub, gets killed shortly after using the ATM in a local town.

After someone tries to run Maura off the road, she becomes much more invested in the case. Connecting with officer Sean Murphy, whom Maura keeps running into, she gets involved in both the mystery of the body in the bog and the more recent mystery of the man murdered by the ATM.

<strong>Buried in a Bog</strong> was a fascinating book that drew me into the plot and life of the book immensely. The plot does a great job of tying together the past and the present. It also ties the mystery to the location in Ireland. We gain insight into Irish history and its influence on the present, as well as the plot of the book. Ireland actually becomes its own separate character in the book, and we become immersed in the story and location.

Amy Rubinate performs the audio edition of this book. I enjoyed the job she does with this book, making it fun and interesting. She performs the Irish accents of the residents effectively. I am not as sure about her Boston accent. As a native Californian, I have little exposure to true Boston accents, but I got the feeling that the words especially associated with the Bostonian accent, such as car, were given this accent without much attention to the other words. But I have no expertise upon which to base this sense. Otherwise, I appreciated the fun portrayal of the book and thought this a strong performance.

I really enjoyed <strong>Buried in a Bog</strong>, with its strong cultural ties to Ireland and clever plot. I learned some new Irish words and enjoyed the whole book. I can't wait to get to listen tili the next book. I give this book five stars.

3 people found this helpful

Not sure which is more irritating: narration or writing

Not everybody can write, and not everybody can narrate. Maybe it’s just me, but honestly, this narrator was almost intolerable. Inconsistent accents, a voice that verged on monotone, and a prominent sibilance that made her sound almost infantile at times. That said, for a long time I was blaming the material, which is mostly a string of clichés peopled by stock characters. Ah well. Seven hours and 38 minutes worth of commuting. Not completely without merit.

2 people found this helpful

Worth hanging in for

I bought this title because I really like Amy Rubinate. She’s pretty good in this one but I had to get used to her Boston accent.
The story was a little slow at first, but really picked up by the end. I knew pretty quickly who the protagonists were, but there was an additional twist at the end.
I’m going to try the next book in the series and see how the story and characters develop.
Overall, after things started picking up, it was a nice cozy....

2 people found this helpful