Shocking Assassination, A

Well-drawn characters, including a lead capable of sustaining a long series, complement the clever plot Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)Reverend Mother Aquinas is asked to prove a young mans innocence in the second of this atmospheric new Irish historical mystery series.Ireland 1924. Reverend Mother Aquinas is buying buttered eggs in the Cork city market at the very moment when the city engineer, James Doyle, is assassinated. Although no one saw the actual killing, a young reporter named Sam OMahoney is found standing close to the body, a pistol in his hand, and is arrested and charged.Following a desperate appeal from Sams mother, convinced of her sons innocence, the Reverend Mother investigates and, in this turbulent, war-torn city, uncovers several other key suspects. Could there be a Republican connection? Was James Doyles death linked to his corrupt practices in the rebuilding of the city, burned down more than a year ago by the Black and Tans? Cork is a city divided by wealth and by politics: this murder seems to have links to both.