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Book Review of A Turn for the Bad (County Cork, Bk 4)

A Turn for the Bad (County Cork, Bk 4)
cathyskye avatar reviewed on + 2271 more book reviews


From what was a strong start I'm sad to say that-- to me-- Sheila Connolly's County Cork series is slowly running out of steam. In this fourth book nothing of substance happens until the halfway point, and then the most exciting part of the entire book takes place offstage.

A minor plot point concerns Gillian the artist, but most of the action consists of the village hanging out at the pub while they wait for news about the missing farmer. Maura counts heads, pours endless cups of tea, bemoans the fact that no one is actually buying anything, and learns a bit about the history of the area.

As it turns out, this community in which Maura lives knows more about what's really going on than Maura does. It has done from the start. But... Maura is the only one to roll up her sleeves and start putting things in motion. That didn't quite make sense to me in a book that was sadly lackluster. Am I going to continue with the series? I don't think so.