Carlene O’Connor specializes in interesting characters in her tenth Irish Village Mystery, Murder at an Irish Chipper. (A chipper is a shop that sells fish and chips.) Siobhan O’Sullivan’s entire family is included in that cast of interesting characters.

A year after their wedding, Macdara Flannery and Siobhan are ready to take a honeymoon. But, in typical Siobhan fashion, she brings all of her five siblings with her for a seaside holiday in Lahinch on the northeast coast in County Clare. They’re using “Save the Chipper” as an excuse because Mrs. Chips, Vera Cowley, is trying to save the old business after her ex-husband of forty years plans to open a new chipper right across the street. But, by the time the family arrives in Lahinch, it’s too late. The door is locked; the line is long, and Flannery and O’Sullivan, both Garda, call for a wellness check. Mrs. Chips is dead, covered in flour with a bottle of vinegar beside her.

The local guard, Detective Sargeant Liam Healy, is charged with investigating, but Siobhan just itches to get involved in the case. After all, it’s a locked-door mystery, with both the back and front doors locked and a murder victim inside. Macdara, a Detective Sargeant himself, keeps telling Siobhan she doesn’t know how to holiday. But, for her, it’s a busman’s holiday, and the local residents are all intriguing suspects. With half the town involved, Murder at an Irish Chipper has its share of suspects.

There’s a great deal of humor in O’Connor’s latest mystery, much of it supplied by Siobhan and her family. Siobhan is just obsessed with this case, and she finds herself blurting out inappropriate comments about death when she talks about the murder. She worries too much about her siblings, but is willing to take on the whole town when a family member comes under the gun. It’s another delightful Irish Village Mystery.

Carlene O’Connor’s website is https://carleneoconnor.net/

Murder at an Irish Chipper by Carlene O’Connor. Kensington Cozies, 2024. ISBN 978149674449 (hardcover), 304p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.