A Turn for the Bad

County Cork Mystery Series #4

By: Sheila Connolly

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

After calling Ireland home for six months, Boston expat Maura Donovan still has a lot to learn about Irish ways - and Sullivan's Pub is her classroom. Maura didn't only inherit a business, she inherited a tight-knit community. And when a tragedy strikes, it's the talk of the pub.

A local farmer, out for a stroll on the beach with his young son, has mysteriously disappeared. Did he drown? Kill himself? The child can say only that he saw a boat. Everyone from the local Gardaí to the Coast Guard is scouring the Cork coast, but when a body is finally brought ashore, it's the wrong man. An accidental drowning or something more sinister?

Trusting the words of the boy and listening to the suspicions of her employee, Mick, that the missing farmer might have run afoul of smugglers, Maura decides to investigate the deserted coves and isolated inlets for herself. But this time she may be getting in over her head....

©2016 Sheila Connolly (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Infused with Irish color and history, as well as richly drawn characters, Connolly's latest offers a diverting armchair excursion to the Emerald Isle and a loving affirmation of Ireland's charm." ( Richmond Times-Dispatch)

I'm glad I didn't give up on this

I almost gave up on this one. The main character Maura is so difficult to see as a heroine. She apparently was so self absorbed growing up that she never bothered to learn anything about her poor Grandmother's prior and current life. She is rude, insensitive and doesn't think before she acts. By the end, she may be maturing!

Good story annoying heroine

Good story but annoying heroine she should be better developed. A bit more realistic and sympathetic to readers

Enjoyable Story

A very enjoyable mystery and narration with believable characters. Good pace to the story. Look forward to more!

love this series and the narrator

I've listened to this series over and over again. besides Maura being a tad bit annoying, this is my go to for a road trip or falling asleep at night

The end...

This is the last of the books in the series that I plan on listening to.

First, they read less like mysteries and more like scripts for a drama.

Second, Maura is just not all that likable. She's not very trusting and emotionally closed off, which makes her less believable as a popular owner of a pub. She gets snarky and rude with people who are trying to help her out with things she is trying to learn, and doesn't seem to learn from her behavioral mistakes, which seems to be a standard for Connolly's characters.

Two of the three employees at the pub also have personality issues that make them less-than-appealing as people you want to root for. Rose is the exception. Also, if it wasn't for Old Billy, then the pub wouldn't be interesting at all.

High drama over a missing man in Ireland

In A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly, American Maura Donovan is settling into her ownership of Sullivan's Pub when tragedy hits her Irish town of Leap. A toddler boy was discovered on the beach, and his farmer father, John Tully, has disappeared. The guardai and the local Coast Guard scour the beach to look for John Tully without success. Then the body of a strange man turns up on the beach.

In a conversation with her employee Mick, the man clues Maura in to the fact that the area is popular among smugglers of many things from cigarettes to illegal drugs. They begin to wonder if perhaps John Tully might have gotten caught in the midst of a delivery of goods, but why has his body not been found? Could he still be alive? Maura does her own investigating and determines to do her part to try to find and rescue Tully, assuming him to be alive.

After being riveted by ther first two books in the County Cork Mystery series, I was disappointed in book three, An Early Wake, so I was pleased to find A Turn for the Bad to be highly enjoyable. It kept my attention strongly and drew me intensely to the story. The characters do not have much depth to them, but they are still fun to get to know.

Amy Rubinate performs the audio version of this book. She continues to do an excellent job of bringing the books in this series to life, helping the readers to experience the anxiety of everyone as they search for the missing John Tully.

I enjoyed listening to A Turn for the Bad, especially after my disappointment with the previous book in the series. It had a dramatic plot with strong personal connections, drawing the readers into the story. I give the book four stars.

Interesting story: obnoxious heroine

I'm not exactly sure why have hung in this long with this series. I think it is just that I would like to spend some more time in Ireland and in this particular corner of Cork. The heroine of this series is not particularly likable. She is self-important and unpleasant. Not qualities you're looking for in a heroine. The narration does not make this any better as the central character, Maura Donovan is whiny throughout the book.

Wish Narrator Used More Expression

The the storyline was good, but the tone of the narrator made the story drag. leave me curious to see what happens with Mora.

Refreshingly original cozy

I love all the books in this series and this one in particular. All four of the stories in the series have been somewhat unconventional cozy mysteries but this one is even more so. Without any spoilers it is difficult to describe why this is not a typical cozy so I'll just say it's an interesting plot line that kept me riveted. Maura personal story also advances a little, plus we start and interesting side story about the painter Gillian who was introduced in the previous book.

boring compared to the first two in the series

it was a struggle to finish this book. unlike the first two. The author seemed to run out of things to write about. a real yawner. a real disappointment.