Rating: 
Summary: An intelligent cozy
Review: A pleasant surprise for this cozy mystery fan! So often this su-genre is represented by fluffy, silly novels. Not so with "The Irish Cottage Murder", the first in the series. This is a story with substance, interesting characters and a heroine that's a real person, faults and all; how refreshing! The suspense builds well throughout the book, with some unexpected twists along the way. An especially enjoyable aspect of the main character, Torrey Tunet, is her job as an translator, and her amazing knowledge of numerous languages. This is woven in to the story in fun (and sometimes extremely useful) ways. You'll enjoy this book if you are looking for a good cozy mystery and a great many-layered puzzle to figure out.
Rating:
Summary: An intelligent cozy
Review: A pleasant surprise for this cozy mystery fan! So often this su-genre is represented by fluffy, silly novels. Not so with "The Irish Cottage Murder", the first in the series. This is a story with substance, interesting characters and a heroine that's a real person, faults and all; how refreshing! The suspense builds well throughout the book, with some unexpected twists along the way. An especially enjoyable aspect of the main character, Torrey Tunet, is her job as an translator, and her amazing knowledge of numerous languages. This is woven in to the story in fun (and sometimes extremely useful) ways. You'll enjoy this book if you are looking for a good cozy mystery and a great many-layered puzzle to figure out.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag - good story but thin characters
Review: I liked the mystery but got frustrated with the author's "jump around" approach to writing. There were over 50 chapters in this 290 page book. With short chapters that tell the story from everyone's viewpoint, you never really get an understanding of what the characters are all about.This is especially true of the heroine herself, Torrey Tunet. You never really get a good feel of who she is. I recommend the author read one of Sue Grafton's alphabet series books to learn how to really develop a character (in this case Kinsey Millhone).
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag - good story but thin characters
Review: I liked the mystery but got frustrated with the author's "jump around" approach to writing. There were over 50 chapters in this 290 page book. With short chapters that tell the story from everyone's viewpoint, you never really get an understanding of what the characters are all about. This is especially true of the heroine herself, Torrey Tunet. You never really get a good feel of who she is. I recommend the author read one of Sue Grafton's alphabet series books to learn how to really develop a character (in this case Kinsey Millhone).
Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN A NEW SERIES, & A REAL PAGE TURNER
Review: In this first novel, the author draws us into a complex story full of many secrets. The main character, American Torrey Tunet, is an international translator who becomes involved in two murders in Ireland that may- or may not- be connected. Deere makes the setting, an Irish castle and its surrounding hills and forests, and the characters, an interesting mix of people whose lives touch the castle and its owner, come alive for the reader with descriptive word pictures. All the secrets, especially Torrey's, are not revealed immediately, but are told a nugget of information at a time over many chapters, which serves to keep the reader's interest and sustain the suspense. This is a book not to be missed, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were nominated for some awards. I was glad to read that it's the beginning of a series. Torrey's a winner!
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning debut!
Review: In this first novel, the author draws us into a complex story full of many secrets. The main character, American Torrey Tunet, is an international translator who becomes involved in two murders in Ireland that may- or may not- be connected. Deere makes the setting, an Irish castle and its surrounding hills and forests, and the characters, an interesting mix of people whose lives touch the castle and its owner, come alive for the reader with descriptive word pictures. All the secrets, especially Torrey's, are not revealed immediately, but are told a nugget of information at a time over many chapters, which serves to keep the reader's interest and sustain the suspense. This is a book not to be missed, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were nominated for some awards. I was glad to read that it's the beginning of a series. Torrey's a winner!
Rating:
Summary: Very deep amateur sleuth tale
Review: Massachusetts resident Torrey Tunet travels to Dublin to work as a language translator at a conference. She will stay at the castle of wealthy Desmond Moore. However, her joy at staying at Castle Moore turns ugly when she learns landscape designer Luke Willinger will also stay there. Luke hates Torrey for destroying his family. Torrey agrees with his assessment as the guilt from a theft she did fourteen years ago still haunts her, especially when she sees what it did to her best friend. However, murder intercedes and the police suspect Torrey. When Moore dies too, the police strongly feel Torrey did the crime because she possesses a Moore heirloom that she insists Desmond gave to her. She was going to sell the necklace to pay for an operation for her best friend and perhaps alleviate some of her own guilt. Now in deep trouble, Torrey turns to her fellow American, who still holds a grudge because her teenage theft directly led to his father's suicide. THE IRISH COTTAGE MURDER is a well-done debut novel due to the finely tuned motives and flaws of the characters. The guilt-laden Torrey and her nemesis, the still grieving Luke, make for an interesting, dysfunctional couple. The story line is entertaining though too many subplots fail to tie back to the main tale and at times overwhelms it. Still, no one will believe that this is Dicey Deere's debut as amateur sleuth fans have much to celebrate with a new heroine. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Minus Mystery
Review: The author needs a decent proofreader first: names change (Emmet becomes Danny); there is no notion of currency (TRY to buy a custom-made copy of an antique necklace for five pounds! the rhinestones alone would cost twenty!); and the knowledge of Irish culture is based on too much green beer in Long Island! Then the characters are thinner than tissue paper. However, the reader endures an awful lot in bad mysteries. A decent plot often gets the sufferer through amateur novels. This plot has more unbelievable coincidences than silly errors! An internationally traveling translator has soup upset on her in a Boston restaurant; the man who does it has just hired the translator's old flame from a tiny town to design his gardens in Ireland. He invites her and the designer to stay at his castle near Dublin. It gets worse. The evil victim bribes young girls aged 8 to 17 into perverted sexual acts, but also has a long-standing homosexual relationship with the 32 year old man who runs his stables? And now he's trying to get the 28 year old female translator into bed? Help!
Rating:
Summary: Minus Mystery
Review: The author needs a decent proofreader first: names change (Emmet becomes Danny); there is no notion of currency (TRY to buy a custom-made copy of an antique necklace for five pounds! the rhinestones alone would cost twenty!); and the knowledge of Irish culture is based on too much green beer in Long Island! Then the characters are thinner than tissue paper. However, the reader endures an awful lot in bad mysteries. A decent plot often gets the sufferer through amateur novels. This plot has more unbelievable coincidences than silly errors! An internationally traveling translator has soup upset on her in a Boston restaurant; the man who does it has just hired the translator's old flame from a tiny town to design his gardens in Ireland. He invites her and the designer to stay at his castle near Dublin. It gets worse. The evil victim bribes young girls aged 8 to 17 into perverted sexual acts, but also has a long-standing homosexual relationship with the 32 year old man who runs his stables? And now he's trying to get the 28 year old female translator into bed? Help!
Rating: 
Summary: Cozy Wannabe
Review: The cover art is the best thing about this far-fetched story. The characters are one dimensional, the plot a real stretch - with all the murderous and bloody activity and bizarre leaps this novel still comes out as dull and lacking. While the beautiful Irish setting and the charm of the Irish people should provide a rich backdrop, the scenes change too quickly to be savored. Even translator Torrey Tunet's fascination with language seemed trite and contrived; she was stiff and not particularly unlikeable. The police were insultingly inept; the debauchery of the villain was so vile that it didn't even make good reading. A "cozy" wannabe that simply does not make it.
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