I like Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village mysteries, a cozy series set in her imaginary town of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland. But, she’s topped that entire series with the darker mystery set in Dingle in County Kerry. The atmosphere is perfect, and the characters are wonderful. Today is release day for No Strangers Here, and I hope it succeeds. I want to return to Dingle with Dr. Dimpna Wilde and Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien.

Dimpna hasn’t been home to Dingle in twenty-seven years. She’s a veterinarian in Dublin, but, within the last year, her life has come crashing down around her. Her husband committed suicide before he could be tried for scamming retirees out of their investment funds. Now, she’s about to lose her practice because she hasn’t been able to pay the bills. To make it worse, she has to return to Dingle.

Jimmy O’Reilly, a wealthy racehorse owner in Dingle, has been found dead on the beach. Everyone in town knows the O’Reillys. People depend on them for their livelihood. Some hate them, but everyone fears their power and money. Jimmy O’Reilly’s widow is as bad as he was. And, she accuses Dimpna’s parents, Dr. Eamon Wilde and Maeve, of killing her husband. Dimpna’s father is descending into dementia. Her mother, a tarot card reader, was the last person known to be with Jimmy, dancing with him. When Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien is dispatched from Killarney to handle the investigation, he doesn’t know anyone in Dingle. He has no history with the community, and his officers don’t trust him. But, he’s eager to talk with suspects.

Evicted from her Dublin clinic, Dimpna heads to Dingle where her parents are murder suspects. Her father may be suffering from dementia. Gossip says her mother had an affair with Jimmy O’Reilly. Her brother, Donnecha, is always just one step ahead of the law. And, Dimpna has a dark history with the O’Reillys, one she has kept from her son, Ben, for his entire life.

No Strangers Here is a dark, powerful story of community and secrets. Although it’s easy to guess the villain of the piece, the pleasure in this story is in the two primary characters and the setting of Dingle. There are moments of humor as poor O’Brien tries to cope with terrible allergies when he’s around all the animals in the book. Carlene O’Connor has given us two interesting characters in Dr. Wilde and DI O’Brien. I can’t wait to follow these characters back to County Kerry.

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

No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Connor. Kensington, 2022. ISBN 9781496737526 (hardcover), 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher in return for an honest review.