Angels in the Moonlight: A prequel to the Dublin Trilogy

By: Caimh McDonnell

Narrated by: Morgan C Jones

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

This book is a standalone prequel to The Dublin Trilogy.

For Detective Bunny McGarry, life is complicated, and it is about to get more so.

It’s 1999 and his hard won reputation amongst Dublin’s criminal fraternity, for being a massive pain in the backside, is unfortunately shared by his bosses. His partner has a career-threatening gambling problem and, oh yeah, Bunny's finally been given a crack at the big time. He’s set the task of bringing down the most skilled and ruthless armed robbery gang in Irish history. So the last thing he needs in his life is yet another complication.

Her name is Simone. She is smart, funny, talented and, well, complicated. When her shocking past turns up to threaten her and Bunny’s chance at a future, things get very complicated indeed. If the choice is upholding the law or protecting those he loves, which way will the big fella turn?

Angels in the Moonlight is part of Caimh McDonnell’s critically acclaimed Dublin Trilogy series, which melds fast-paced action with a distinctly Irish acerbic wit, and it is complicated.

Angels in the Moonlight was selected as a book of the month in the Rick O'Shea bookclub, Ireland's largest bookclub. 

Praise for Angels in the Moonlight

“Quite possibly the best book I’ve read this year. The writing is tremendous; Caimh McDonnell has a gift for storytelling and leads his readers on a merry journey through his books, regaling them with humour and wit.” (The Quiet Knitter)

“Angels in the Moonlight is bloody brilliant. McDonnell doesn’t put a foot wrong. Perfection on a page!” (Bloomin’ Brilliant Books)

“This Dublin-based police procedural has an intriguing, multi-pronged plot that flows smoothly without getting bogged down by details. Mystery fans will enjoy the roller-coaster ride. The prose is clean, sharp, and lively. This mystery, deftly seasoned with humor and Irish slang, is memorable and powerful. The characters are compelling and well-developed. From protagonist Detective Bunny McGarry and his fellow coppers to peripheral characters like the streetwise nuns, this book is full of memorable characters.”  (The Booklife Prize from Publisher’s Weekly)

©2017 McFori Ink Ltd (P)2019 McFori Ink Ltd

World Class Story and Narration

First off, we heard this as the third of the Thrillogy. I’d give the first two 4.5 stars b/c this “prequel” full treatment of Bunny McGarry swept me off my feet. Morgan C Jones is perhaps the best narrator in my audible history (which dates back a couple of decades and several hundred titles) and I know Caimh McD surely thanks the audible sprites for delivering a narrator who brought his quirky, colorful, and so-human characters bursting off the page. Here I sit on June 14 in a Target parking lot in a 100-degree morning to hear the last 15 minutes.

As an aside, we also bought the kindle version for syncing, with thoughts that we might need to see an unfamiliar term or two in print. So in love with the audio that it never happened. Your mileage may vary.

Love these books!

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all 4 (!) of the Dublin Trilogy books. And as much as I've enjoyed reading them, I really love having them read to me. Mr. Jones' performance brings them to life. I truly regret the fact that, as a mid-westerner living in Hawaii, I'd sound very affected calling someone a "fecking gobshite", but I appreciate Bunny's way with words. Can't wait for the next one.

An Excellent Story Well Told!

This might just be my favorite book of the "Dublin Trilogy" although it would be very difficult to pick one. I'm hooked! As is noted in the title, it is a prequel to the trilogy and chronologically the events occur long before "A Man With One of Those Faces". I've recommended Caimh McDonnell to several family members recently and they are similarly hooked. He's a great writer, with a wonderful sense of humor and Morgan C. Jones does a fantastic job of the narration. I've read all the books and intend to listen to them all as audiobooks. Really fun and entertaining. You won't be disappointed.

High performance ratings baffle me

The story is great. Well written, full of humor, difficult to predict, the story is completely enjoyable. However, I don't understand the high rating for performance. One of the main characters, Bunny, is Scottish. Nothing, absolutely nothing in how this character is read will remind you of a Scot. In fact, it's like eating lemons. I loved the book so much that I will buy the printed volumes of the sequels. I'm not sure that the sample includes a dialogue with Bunny but, if it does, listen before you buy.

Good plot but don't get main character

It was OK. I wanted to love it, based on the book blurb. There’s lots of humor, a decent plot, some interesting characters, and yet it was just so-so for me. I didn’t really connect with the main character, Bunny. He’s kind of a pathetic character, and I think that was on purpose. But I found it hard to rally behind him. Instead I just followed him around as he bumbled through the mystery.

There weren’t many female characters and they are sexualized. There’s a female cop who comes off as a dominatrix (based on all the joking by her coworkers). Then there’s Simone. She’s a little more than a romantic interest and victim, but that’s still her main gig in this story. Emer, one of the bad guy’s gentle sister, was kind of a sad character without any depth. So, even though this book is set in 1999, I still expected more from the ladies.

The plot rambles a bit so picking out what threads were important to follow, or not, was fun for me. It is a mystery after all and a few red herrings are expected. I did get hung up on something probably inconsequential – Bunny’s coworker goes by Gringo. He’s of Spanish heritage and this all takes place in Dublin area… so, like most people in the area in 1999 are gringo (Caucasian). I didn’t get the nickname and couldn’t decide if it was an affectionate appellation or an insult. I live in New Mexico, and gringo can be used both ways.

Some of the humor worked for me and some of it just came off mean or like the character was trying to prove how clever they are. So I chuckled here and there. Other times, the jokes fell flat.

Anyway, for me this book was just meh. Yet I can see it’s a full story with a few detailed characters and plenty of humor. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Morgan C. Jones was pretty good for the male character voices most of the time. I liked that he attempted various accents, which helped keep all the characters distinct. When Bunny got emotional, Jones attempted to portray those deeper emotions, but his voice would go up and I kept questioning if Bunny was male or female during those moments, sometimes wondering if I had lost track of which character was talking. So Jones’s emotional male characters could use more masculinity. His female character voices could use a bit more femininity. For the ladies, I liked his deep Southern voice for Simone the most. The pacing was good and the delivery of the humor was pretty good too. There were no technical issues with this recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

Dublin Triology

Love the Dublin Trilogy.
Can't wait for Last Orders and Disaster, Inc to come to Audible!!!

Narrator exquisitely captures accents

The comic action takes off from the first paragraph. McDonnell’s writing is vividly cinematic. But the narrator brings the characters to life as few could. He’s a genius at capturing the nuances of regional Irish accents and attitudes. (One review was highly critical of the narrator for failing to do a Scottish accent for a character named Bunny. That’s because Bunny is from Cork.)
I always appreciate it when Audible gets the accents from my home country right!!

Seriously? or not?

The author can’t decide if he’s writing Harry Bosch or Monty Python and succeeds at neither.

Witty dialogue, twisty plot, excellent story

After a few months of trying out new-to-me authors and repeatedly getting limp writing, I finally hit the jackpot. After reading the reviews, I've started with this prequel as suggested, and am now about to start book one.

This story was excellent and even though this is not my favorite genre, the clever writing had me rearranging my schedule in order to keep listening.

The author has a perceptive eye for human behavior and a brilliant imagination for creating an interesting story. The writing is fast paced and full of wit and has some amusing situations.

The narrator is talented and can do a multitude of voices and deliver humor with perfect timing. I laughed out loud.

Highly recommend this book!

Love!!

I seriously can’t believe there aren’t more reviews than there are of this series. Bunny is hilarious. I love the character development and the story lines. The narrator makes the series even better. I’ll be sad when the series ends.

Heavenly

Ohmidays, OHMIDAYS! In the tireless pursuit of honesty, I must tell you I have already read the book of Angels in the Moonlight. That was almost 3 years ago and I remember at the time thinking it was one of the best books I had ever read. Having now listened to the book, narrated nonpareil and numinously by Morgan C Jones, I have to confess I was wrong. (*gasp* *shock* *horror*). It is THE best book I have listened to in a very, very, long time. Angels in the Moonlight contains something for everyone. There is murder, mystery, drug smuggling, romance, religion, friendship and more besides. Whatever you require, this book will fulfil your needs. It is a panacea for the body and balm for your soul. With a cornucopia of colourful characters and stacks of stimulating storylines this exciting, engaging and entrancing novel will edify your ears, eliciting ever more eargasms, leaving you replete and satiated and gagging for your post-listen cigarette. If I had a hat, I would remove it whilst I bow down before my altar to Caimh McDonnell. Angels in the Moonlight will satisfy desires you didn't even know you had. Buy it now, listen immediately and thank me later.

Great book, fab performance

This is a great book with well drafted characters. However whilst some audio books can be let down by the reader, this book is enhanced by the performance of it’s story teller. I loved it!

Simply Brilliant

This is both an exciting thriller and also a highly comedic novel which imho is almost impossible to pull off convincingly but Caimh McDonnell manages it with great flair and style. I rate Bunny as one of the greatest characters in modern fiction and this book is the best in the series so far. It feels kind of right that, after two novels in the series, we go back to find out how things started with Bunny and how he became the man he is in the later novels. It must also be said that the narration by Morgan C Jones is absolutely perfect and I loved the exchanges between Bunny and his Hurling Club kids. Brilliant.

Excellent in every way

Having listened to the first 2 parts of the trilogy I was quite annoyed that the 3rd part has not been made available on audible. However, this forced me to go the prequel for my fix of this wonderful story by Caimh McDonnell and I am very glad I did.

The 'back story' to Bunny's life is funny, touching, dramatic with the characters fleshed out and a well written plot. The narrator is absolutely brilliant in this one - more like a radio play than an audible book at times!

Now PLEASE, PLEASE do the final book in the trilogy Audible.

excellent book

The funniest book ever. Morgan Jones brings it to life with his superb narration skills

Excellent irish humour

I loved every minute of this brilliant book. I listened to it on audio, and this narrator was fantastic, made it sound like there was a full cast.
The writing is so witty, with lots of subtle jokes and some great laugh out loud moments.
This author with this narrator is a winning combination for me. I always loved the Irish sense of humour, so I enjoyed this book on every level.

What a craik!

Wow.....wow, wow, wow! What an amazing book Angels in the Moonlight was. I didn’t know what to expect from a Caimh McDonell book, being a novice at Irish drama/comedy, possibly a bit of a smile, maybe a titter or two, (I’m not the laugh out loud type). Boy was I in for a surprise! I laughed and laughed, out loud. Mr MDonell is a very clever author, both witty and funny. He’s a sharp observer of human nature and conveys pomposity, betrayal, stupidity, pathos and grandeur of spirit in this one story. He also uses old Anglo Saxon language in a colourful and novel way, so if you’re easily offended by “earthy” dialogue you may miss out on a super book. But If you’re not, I’m sure like me you will finish the story with a new, unlikely hero, six foot two with a lazy eye and an accent you could cut with a knife but a heart as wide as the Irish Sea.

Fantasic

Another amazing book by Caimh McDonnell. Fabulous narration. I absolutely love Bunny McGarry. Would highly recommend.

The best narration on Audible

The narrator is fantastic. I now have the voice of an Irish detective from Cork as my inner monologue. I've enjoyed all of Caimh McDonnell's books but the ones with Bunny McGarry stand out.

Great oul yarn, superbly told!

If you’re going to spin a yarn then make sure you’ve got the finest material in the hands of a master!
Which is exactly what you’ve got here
Maith thú Caimh