It’s always a joy to return to Ireland with Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Maggie D’arcy. The Drowning Sea is the third in the series.

Maggie D’arcy resigned as a homicide detective in Long Island. Now, she and her teenage daughter, Lily, are spending two months at a rental cottage in West Cork, Ireland, with Maggie’s boyfriend, Conor and his son. Maggie has major decisions to make about moving to Ireland, and starting over with training for the Garda. This trip is supposed to be relaxing, but soon after they arrive, a body is recovered from the water.

While the local Garda question townspeople, Maggie meets the investors trying to turn a creepy manor house into a fancy hotel. Because Maggie is no longer a police officer, she welcomes the chance to dive into a cold case involving the manor. Drug deals, murder, and xenophobia involving the Polish are juxtaposed with Maggie’s family issues in a complex mystery.

At times, it felt as if the author was as uncertain as to the direction of Maggie’s life as the character was. The sequel to A Distant Grave is the third mystery with stunning local color featuring Ireland. It combines a police procedural with family challenges. Occasionally, the large cast of characters and various crimes can be overwhelming. Even so, the book’s atmosphere and the complications of family situations make up for the slight problems with the large cast of characters and suspects.

Sarah Stewart Taylor’s website is https://www.sarahstewarttaylor.com/

The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Minotaur Books, 2022. ISBN 9781250826657 (hardcover), 352p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a copy from the publisher, with hopes I would review it.