The Jig Is Up by Lisa Q. Mathews
Kate Buckley has a solid job as an accountant in New York. But when her sister, Colleen, sends her an urgent message that she needs to come back to their hometown for an undisclosed emergency, single mom Kate, immediately packs up her two daughters and heads back home to Shamrock, Massachusetts.
Luckily Kate’s parents, with the help of her sister, run a quaint Irish Bed and Breakfast. Before she even arrives, she knows she and her daughters have a place to stay. Her parents are “surprised” to see her. But when her own sister is “surprised” to see her, she knows something is up – and it can’t be good!
Her sister claims “it was nothing” – Kate should have just stayed in New York. But from the moment Kate and her kids settle in, she can tell her sister is hiding something. Sure Colleen is an adult, but she’s being very evasive and cagey. She won’t tell Kate what’s going on. She’s slipping out late at night like a love-struck teenager and getting home all hours of the morning!
But things really go south, when a local Irish dance teacher is murdered, and unfortunately, Colleen was seen with her right before the murder occurred! Looks like Kate’s going to be calling her boss for some extra time off to help keep Colleen out of the slammer!
Before Kate can say “Lucky Charms are magically delicious,” her darling daughters are signed up for Irish dance classes. While the kids are having a ball learning various Irish dance steps, Kate is using their classes as an opportunity to do some down-home sleuthing into the Irish dance teacher’s untimely death.
And she’s not the only one playing detective. Their wheelchair-bound dad, who they all call “Chief,” is a retired police chief. He still keeps his fingers on the pulse of the local police force, via a police scanner that is always within his reach 24/7 (much to his wife’s dismay)!
Kate and the Chief each have their own suspicions as to motive, opportunity and suspects. Could the killer be a competitor? After all, professional Irish dance classes and dance competitions can truly be cutthroat. But what about the teacher’s dance partner? Smooth and charming – but perhaps shamrock green with envy? What’s up with a hidden “watcher” seen slithering away from the crime scene?
But when Kate digs deeper, a secret her sister has been hiding, begins to surface – like missing money! It’s not looking good for Colleen as the circumstantial evidence begins to pile up! Time is running out – the police pivot in the direction of Colleen and she’s got to work fast – not just to clear her sister’s name, but to keep herself from becoming the “next” murder victim!
The Chamber of Commerce for Shamrock, Massachusetts, posts a sign when you enter their town: Welcome to Shamrock: A Wee Bit O’Irish Heaven in New England. And I concur!
The Jig is Up, An Irish Bed and Breakfast Mystery is the first in this brand new series. A pure delight featuring freshly polished characters sure to win over cozy readers. The steadfast plot will keep you on your toes. And as the book unfolds, so do inner family secrets you don’t see coming – and then Lisa Q. Mathews drops it: just a small morsel of more family secrets to be revealed in the future.
A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Crooked Lane Publishing.