Death of an Irish Mummy
The Blurb
American-born Cherise Williams believes herself to be heir to an old Irish earldom, and she’s come to Dublin to claim her heritage. Under the circumstances, Megan’s boss Orla at Leprechaun Limos, has no qualms about overcharging the brash Texas transplant for their services. Limo driver Megan chauffeurs Cherise to the ancient St. Michan’s Church, where the woman intends to get a wee little DNA sample from the earl’s mummies, much to the horror of the priest.
But before she can desecrate the dead, Cherise Williams is murdered, just as her three daughters arrive to also claim their birthright. With rumors of famine-era treasure on the lands owned by the old Williams family and the promise of riches for the heirs, greed seems a likely motive. But when Orla surprisingly becomes the Garda’s prime suspect, Megan attempts to steer the investigation away from her boss and solve the murder with the help of the dashing Detective Bourke. With a killer who’s not wrapped too tight, she’ll need to proceed with caution, or she could go from driving a limo to riding in a hearse.
The Details
Series: A Dublin Driver Mysteries – Book #3
Author: Catie Murphy
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Exotic Location
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 1496724224
Page Count: 288
Rating: 
The Review
I have been a fan of the “A Dublin Driver Mysteries” series since it started. Death of an Irish Mummy is the third book and well worth the read. Limo driver Megan has driven around a lot of people, but none quite as colorful as the American Cherise, who is under the impression she is an heir to an earldom. But when she ends up dead in her hotel room, maybe the Irish dislike of the aristocracy is to blame. The Earl’s mummies certainly didn’t kill Cherise.
The characters in this series are still growing, which is a delightful way of keeping the stories fresh and exciting. For Megan, being a limo driver has given her the freedom to learn about herself and the colorful people she lives near and works among. She is a great character who likes to help people but keeps finding dead bodies, which isn’t making Orla, her boss, or the local Garda happy. Things come to a head between Megan and Orla, and this time, Megan stands up for herself, which makes me smile. The mummies aren’t mummies in the traditional Egyptian sense, but I doubt there is a better word to describe them. The locations are described very well and make readers want to travel to Ireland to see the countryside and maybe play a game of golf or two.
The suspects are easy to find, from a few locals to Cherise’s daughters. The motive questionable, money and a dislike of anything that resembles the old aristocracy are likely reasons, and there are plenty in Ireland who still hold a grudge against those who sold out their fellow countrymen in return for a title, land, and money. As a limo driver, Megan gets to hear mostly spats and gossip and sees things like the church’s mummies that others can’t. This is great for an investigation, but it places her in danger from a very crafty killer. With plenty of twists, turns, and exceptional suspense, readers will unveil the murderer and see justice done, more or less. Some readers will figure out who the culprit is quickly. Others may be completely surprised. But Death of an Irish Mummy will entertain and amuses, as well as give readers an escape to the land of leprechauns, great beer, and a people who can tell a tall tale and make you believe.
The Author
CE Murphy began writing around age six when she submitted three poems to a school publication. The teacher producing the magazine selected (inevitably) the one she thought was by far the worst but also told her–a six-year-old kid–to keep writing, which she has. She has also held the usual grab-bag of jobs usually seen in an authorial biography, including public library volunteer (at ages 9 and 10; it’s clear she was doomed to a career involving books), archival assistant, cannery worker, and web designer. Writing books is better. She was born and raised in Alaska and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland.
If readers have not read any of the other books in this series, they should start with the first book, Dead in Dublin.
Contact Catie: 
Find Catie on Social Media:
Contact The Cozy Review
Leave a Reply