Murder on an Irish Farm

O’Connor’s solid eighth Irish Village mystery (after 2020’s Murder at an Irish Christmas) finds garda Siobhán O’Sullivan and her fiancé, Det. Sgt. Macdara Flannery, about to say their “I Do’s” when Siobhán’s eldest brother bursts into the church in Kilbane, County Cork, to announce he’s discovered a skeleton in a slurry pit. The couple postpone their wedding as investigating the case soon takes priority after Siobhán’s new neighbor, Gladys Burns, realizes the body is that of Tommy Caffrey, her fiancé, who stood her up at the altar 50 years earlier. Siobhán and Macdara discover that Gladys as well as her family members had many bones to pick with the deceased ne’er-do-well. Each clue leads to more revelations from the past, and the family’s complex relationships seem to hold the key to the crime. When a second body appears, and suspects begin pointing fingers at each other, Siobhán and Macdara realize no one’s telling the truth. The quaint Irish setting and facts about falconry boost the well-paced plot, though the ending requires some willing suspension of disbelief. Cozy fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Mar.)