Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told

A Novel

By: Tom Phelan

Narrated by: Jack Reynolds

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Part human comedy and part mystery, Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told is an enthralling, masterful story about what holds a village together and what keeps people apart. When journalist Patrick Bracken returns to Gohen, the Irish village where he was born, he knows the eyes of the townspeople are on him. He has come home to investigate two deaths that happened decades earlier when he was a child, deaths that were ruled accidental. But Patrick knows - and believes the whole town knows - they were murders. He knows because he and his best friend Mikey Lamb were witnesses.

And so Patrick goes to see 80-year-old Sam Howard, the lawyer who conducted the inquest into the death of missionary priest Jarlath Coughlin. As he questions Sam and Sam's vibrant, loving, gossipy wife Elsie, he seeks acknowledgment of a cover-up and an explanation of why the Protestant establishment would help conceal a crime among Catholics. During their give-and-take - about this and the nearly simultaneous shotgun death of Lawrence Gorman (aka Doul Yank) - what emerges from their collective memories are a pungent, wry portrait of village life in Ireland and a tangle of human relationships, some twisted and some that show our better side.

©2015 Glanvil Enterprises, Ltd. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

The story was decent

I liked the story, but the play between the husband and wife became tiresome and the reader had no inflection in the first two thirds if the book.

Was okay!

The story was very slow but not bad. Less details and maybe another narrator would have made it more interesting

Absolutely delightful!!!

I just might have to listen to this one a second time. Great story, humor, slice of life and narration.

loved this book

The narrator was wonderful! The story was rich, detailed and beautifully written. It was very vivid and easily visualized. Highly recommended!

Slow, funny, and poignant - very Irish.

This was a slow start for me and I had to dedicate myself to getting through it in a couple of blocks.
As with many Irish stories, there is happiness and joy in the simple things that counterbalance the harsh realities underscoring the trapped and impoverished existence of some of the characters.
I enjoyed it. Beautiful imagery and an interesting tale. An interesting commentary on the good and bad of small, close communities.
Worth the time.

Where did this come from, a great story.

Where does Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told?

All the revelations to the reader that arent so revealing to the small town in which the story takes place.

Have you listened to any of Jack Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but in this book he performs without peer. One of the overall best readings that I have had the luck to listen to. I listen to this book like I listen to great music.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh,cry, cringe a little it brings all the emotions of real life.

Any additional comments?

Don't miss the one in audio and/or print it's a great yoke.

Great Story Telling . . . For a While

I have to admit that I listened and laughed for the first hour or so . . . its a funny and interesting tale . . . but way too long, with a lot of repetition. I just couldn't stick with it for more than nine hours.

What mesmerizing characters (and embedded hilarious shots) !

The author's portrayal of the many fascinating characters was nonpareil, the storyline was compelling, and the narration was outstanding.

Hilarious & Poignant Story Within a Story

Beautifully written & well-nsrrsted human comedy about love & understanding for community & neighbors.

very interesting book.It was one of the bookclub r

good reading. It was a bookclub reads. we all enjoyed it.I would recommend it highly.