A TURN FOR THE BAD

By Sheila Connolly

Maura Donovan is finally beginning to feel comfortable in her adopted homeland of Ireland. Her surprise inheritance of Sullivan’s Pub in County Cork from a distant relative brought Maura from Boston to the Emerald Isle seven months ago. Every day brings a new surprise, and often a new challenge. Sullivan’s Pub is the center of both entertainment and information in the village, and the residents gather there to speculate, gossip, and solve the problems of the world over a coffee or, more often, a pint of beer.

When local farmer John Tully disappears while out for a walk on the beach with his three-year-old son, the news is broadcast at Sullivan’s Pub immediately. Although Maura doesn’t know John personally, she shares the concern of the villagers, especially when she learns that a similar situation happened years ago involving a man and his young child that ended tragically. An immediate search is launched by the local police, including Maura’s sometimes beau, Sean Murphy, but there’s no trace of John. When the body of an unidentified man washes up on the beach, police suspect there’s a connection with John’s disappearance, but have no idea what that could be.

Maura begins to hear talk of smugglers operating in the area, something that’s been going on for years. Not cigarettes and alcohol, like in the old days; now the goods are cocaine and heroin. John’s brother, Connor, confesses to Maura that he’s involved in a drug smuggling shipment that will be brought ashore the next night. He suspects that his brother is being held captive by the smugglers until the deal is completed, and begs Maura to help him.

“A Turn for the Bad” is the fourth in the prolific Sheila Connolly’s County Cork Mysteries. It’s deftly plotted, the characters are engaging, and the visual descriptions of Ireland made me want to grab my passport and visit as soon as possible. A real winner!