Rhys Bowen, In Dublin's Fair City

In Dublin's Fair City

Rhys Bowen

St. Martin's, Mar 2007, $23.95

ISBN: 0312328192

In 1903, New York's leading theatrical impresario Tommy Burke invites private detective Molly Burke to attend his bash at the roof cabaret of Madison Square. Molly is surprised because he is famous and they have never met before. Curious, she goes to the party where he explains he wants to hire her. The next day at the Casino Theatre he tells her that he has recently learned, upon the death of his mother, that when his family fled Ireland during a famine fifty years ago, they left behind his ailing baby sister Mary Ann, whom he never knew existed. If she is alive, she will inherit his fortune instead of his always-in-trouble nephew Harvey (progeny of his other late sister).

Though she may still be a criminal in Ireland, Molly welcomes the chance to go home. She sails on the Majestic along with actress Oona Sheehan, who she just met via Tommy. Oona convinces Molly to change cabins so when the actress' maid is murdered, the police suspect the sleuth, especially since Oona never sailed. As Molly seeks a killer as well as the sister, she searches Oona's trunks for clues only to find them loaded with rifles bound for a Free Ireland movement. As Molly becomes involved with the freedom fighters, someone else searches for Mary Ann to insure she does not inherit.

This is a great historical mystery series starring a wonderful heroine who in this adventure goes home to learn that in many ways you can't go home again because nothing is quite the same. The storyline is filled with action, a strong cast, and an incredible sense of time and location that are prime reasons the Molly Murphy mysteries are consistently some of the sub-genre's best. IN DUBLIN'S FAIR CITY Rhys Bowen provides her usual entertaining enjoyable MURPHY'S LAW.

Harriet Klausner