Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A clever Irish lass is not afraid to voice her opinion.Siobhn O'Sullivan may be still fairly new to the Garda, but she seems to have a real aptitude for crime solving (Murder in an Irish Churchyard, 2018, etc.). In addition, she and her boss, DS Macdara Flannery, have established an unapproved romantic relationship, and she's "mother" to her siblings, all of whom help run a bistro in Kilbane, a picture-perfect town that's hosting both an Arts and Music Festival and an International Poker Tournament. The card players include top-seeded Eamon Foley, aka the Octopus, who's brought along his heavily pregnant wife, Rose. Foley's closet rivals, Clementine Hart and Shane Ross, are eager to unseat him. After winning big with "the Dead Man's Hand," Foley is accused of cheating. Unhappy referee Nathan Doyle announces that he'll review the tapes and deliver his ruling the next morning. Meanwhile, the unruly and well-oiled crowd moves on to Sharkey's Pub, where the next morning Siobhn finds the body of Foley hanging in a locked storeroom. His death looks like suicide, but Siobhn, certain it's murder, pleads her case to Macdara. The contents of Foley's pocket include a set of brass knuckles, two defaced playing cards, and an apparent suicide note but no keys, wallet, money, or mobile phone. Among the locals who had placed unwise wagers with Foley before he died is Henry Moore, who bet his daughter Amanda's racehorse. Both of Foley's rivals would be glad to see him gone, and his wife's sorrow is limited to the prize money she's never going to collect. Despite some reluctance from Macdara, Siobhn continues to dig, even in places he warns her to avoid, straining their relationship in her determination to leave no stone unturned.The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series' best to date. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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O'Connor's pleasing fourth Irish Village mystery (after 2018's Murder in an Irish Churchyard) finds officer SiobhA¡n O'Sullivan and her significant other, Det. Sgt. Macdara Flannery, coping with crowds, gambling, and excessive drinking during a high-stakes poker tournament in Kilbane, County Cork. When cheating occurs, followed by the death of the renowned player dubbed the Octopus in a pub's locked storeroom, SiobhA¡n is skeptical about the verdict of suicide, though a note was found with the body. Suspects include the Octopus's two rivals, a mysterious blond waitress who may have been in cahoots with the Octopus, and townspeople who bet far more than they could afford to lose. SiobhA¡n also worries about the potential involvement of her many siblings, a reputed jewel thief in town, the state of her relationship with Macdara, and the well-being of the waitress and the Octopus's pregnant wife. A clever twist on the locked-room mystery and the convivial village community will leave cozy readers well satisfied. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Siobhán O'Sullivan, a garda officer for just three months, is working crowd control at the International Poker Tournament, a big event in her walled town of Kilbane in County Cork, Ireland. The crowd is getting rowdy by the time the three favorites sit down to the final game. Then favorite Eamon Foley is accused of having a deck of cards slipped to him. The judge calls it a night, promising to announce his decision in the morning. But that's too late for Foley, whom Siobhán finds hanged in a locked storage room at her Siobhán's family's pub the next morning. Foley's about-to-deliver pregnant widow assumes it's suicide, and the medical examiner almost agrees until Siobhán points out inconsistencies and convinces Macdara Flannery, her supervisor and sometime lover, to investigate. But it's the clues extracted during a family meeting with her siblings, and her own knowledge of her neighbors, that help Siobhán find the killer. Fourth in the series, this is a delightful combination of Irish village life, family dynamics, and romance.--Karen Muller Copyright 2010 Booklist