I haven’t read all of the Dublin Driver mysteries, but I think I’ve read enough. Like Megan Malone’s girlfriend, Jelena, in Death in Irish Accents, the fourth investigation in as many books was enough for me. It’s no wonder people are calling Megan “the murder driver”. How many times can a limo driver in Dublin get involved in a murder case?

Admittedly, Megan was just at Accents cafe as a customer when a woman’s body fell out of a closet. And, she assured Detective Paul Bourke as well as Jelena that she wouldn’t get involved, although she was curious. Who was the victim? She even took a job when her boss called and asked her to drive an American writer who wanted “the murder driver”. Claire Woodward did have a few questions for Megan about the previous cases, but Megan brushed those off to tell her about Dublin history instead. Even so, when Claire told her she was a writer, a mentor for a young writer named Blathnaid, and she was to meet her at Accents, Megan was a little uneasy. With the patterns in Megan’s life, it only made sense that her limo client would know the writer who had ended up dead in the closet at Accents.

Now, Claire wants Megan to answer questions, investigate the case, and drive her around town. But, it’s St. Patrick’s Day week, and Megan had taken vacation to be with Jelena. Nothing works out as planned. She can support Jelena at the Dublin parade, but the couple ends up with the writers’ group, all mourning Blathnaid, while accusing Claire of plagiarizing Blathnaid’s work. Who better to steal from an up-and-coming writer, and also kill her, than her mentor?

There were just too many coincidences in this book for me. The killer is introduced too late. And, Megan comes off as whiny when she wants to continue to ask questions. While I enjoyed many of the secondary characters, and, of course, the setting in Dublin, Megan can go on with her “murder driver” career without this passenger.

Catie Murphy’s website is https://catiemurphy.com/#home

Death in Irish Accents by Catie Murphy. Kensington, 2023. ISBN 9781496740052 (paperback), 320p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley to review for a journal.