Reviewed: 19 February 2024
The Jig is Up
by: Lisa Q. Mathews
An Irish Bed & Breakfast Mystery - Book 1
The death of a beloved teacher, missing money and family drama all while getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
You know things are going to get worse when before you even make it to the front door, things are creepy. Dark and stormy with the neighborhood odd aunts startling as you get your bearings on the side of the road.
Kate and her girls Maeve and Blitz head home to Shamrock thinking something is wrong after receiving a text from Colleen, Kate’s younger sister. Perhaps it is a testament to the the author’s skill that I disliked Colleen from the beginning and continued to dislike her through the end. After the first few chapters, the Colleen-Kate relationship puts me in mind of the sister characters Kat (Debra Messing) and Amy (Amy Adams) in the movie The Wedding Date (released in 2005). Continuing on this theme, Garrett reminds me of Nick (Dermot Mulroney) by attitude not profession. If you’re wondering, no, didn’t just watch the movie or anything.
Initially some of the background detail seemed inconsistent but later make sense. The dance scenes were well written and left me with visions of the Irish dancers I’ve seen perform on tv.
I struggled a bit with Kate’s motivation to investigate. Yes, her sister Colleen is a person of interest and has not been totally forthcoming but also didn’t seem to be a ‘real’ suspect.
Lots of root planting (not referring to plants) to begin the series with multiple possibilities for directions which I like. I think I need a Zoe
I came away feeling sorta bad for Kate. She felt the least developed, the most put-upon and getting the raw end of the deal. The bad guy’s backstory was more ‘vivid’. That being said, gives room to ‘grow’ Kate in future stories. The same for the Chief, Mom, and Garrett.
I felt like a recap of ‘the why and why-for’ should have been done since it was revealed where it was just Kate and the bad guy.
While I didn’t really care for the Colleen character, I did like many of the others. I wanna see if my guess pan out on the direction for the characters, so I am looking forward to Book 2!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.
Happy Reading!
You know things are going to get worse when before you even make it to the front door, things are creepy. Dark and stormy with the neighborhood odd aunts startling as you get your bearings on the side of the road.
Kate and her girls Maeve and Blitz head home to Shamrock thinking something is wrong after receiving a text from Colleen, Kate’s younger sister. Perhaps it is a testament to the the author’s skill that I disliked Colleen from the beginning and continued to dislike her through the end. After the first few chapters, the Colleen-Kate relationship puts me in mind of the sister characters Kat (Debra Messing) and Amy (Amy Adams) in the movie The Wedding Date (released in 2005). Continuing on this theme, Garrett reminds me of Nick (Dermot Mulroney) by attitude not profession. If you’re wondering, no, didn’t just watch the movie or anything.
Initially some of the background detail seemed inconsistent but later make sense. The dance scenes were well written and left me with visions of the Irish dancers I’ve seen perform on tv.
I struggled a bit with Kate’s motivation to investigate. Yes, her sister Colleen is a person of interest and has not been totally forthcoming but also didn’t seem to be a ‘real’ suspect.
Lots of root planting (not referring to plants) to begin the series with multiple possibilities for directions which I like. I think I need a Zoe
I came away feeling sorta bad for Kate. She felt the least developed, the most put-upon and getting the raw end of the deal. The bad guy’s backstory was more ‘vivid’. That being said, gives room to ‘grow’ Kate in future stories. The same for the Chief, Mom, and Garrett.
I felt like a recap of ‘the why and why-for’ should have been done since it was revealed where it was just Kate and the bad guy.
While I didn’t really care for the Colleen character, I did like many of the others. I wanna see if my guess pan out on the direction for the characters, so I am looking forward to Book 2!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.
Happy Reading!
