ARC Review: Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan

Death at an Irish Castle
Author: Ellie Brannigan
Series: An Irish Castle Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane (August 26, 2025)

Description: Entrepreneur Rayne McGrath’s wedding venue is open for business until a dead and unburied body is found at the cemetery in the third Irish Castle mystery.

With six months left to fulfill the provisions of Uncle Nevin’s will and save the fixer-upper castle she and her cousin inherited, Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith’s bridal venue venture is finally bringing in money. To unite the reluctant villagers, some who’d vehemently protested their efforts to modernize the village, they agree with Father Patrick’s idea to create a group of volunteers to clean the old cemetery behind the beloved church. When a body is found by one of the historic tombstones, the cousins must work overtime to solve the newest case.

The plot thickens and an unsolved crime from the past is unearthed when it’s discovered that the body was on top of a fake grave that has connections to Rayne’s ancestors. With two weddings scheduled at the castle and her mother on the way, Rayne fears she won’t be able to balance it all, yet she rolls up her sleeves and dives into old family journals in hopes of puzzling out not one but two mysteries.

Perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly, this whimsical cozy will charm mystery readers everywhere.

My Thoughts: The third Irish Castle mystery has Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith searching for ways to fulfill the terms of Rayne's uncle's will. They have a year to make the village and castle solvent. Things would go smoother if murders didn't keep happening. 

This time, with a wedding to take place at the castle, Rayne and Ciara discover a body leaning against a tombstone during a clean-up of the graveyard. As Rayne and Ciara look into Aiden Dennehy's death, they soon learn that he had a number of people who might prefer him to be dead. The garda are convinced that the bartender who punched him the previous night because Aiden was messing around with his sister is at the top of the list. 

Rayne and Ciara don't believe that Beetle the publican killed Aiden but don't have a stronger possibility. They are busy getting ready for the weekend wedding which will provide funds for the winter which is only one thing on their massive to-do list. High on the list are finding a lawyer to help answer some of their pressing questions, dealing with the property management firm to discover just what they own, and finding a way to draw younger people to the town to bolster the population and the economy.

A trunk found in the attic filled with photo albums from the 1920s raises more questions than it answers and doesn't help identify the Thomas McGrath supposedly buried in the main cemetery instead of the McGrath plot. 

Adding even more complications is Freda Bevan who wants to annex the village Rayne and Ciara are trying to save and an elderly and wealthy lady from Dublin who is demanding the Rayne and Ciara look into the death of her 90-year-old brother who lived in the village. 

Throw if a few romantic relationships and Rayne's sociopathic ex who has escaped from prison and may or may not be hiding out in Mexico and you have a plot filled to overflowing. 

The story is filled with a large cast of characters between people working at the castle and the people living in the town. It was hard to keep track of them all. Also, the story could likely have been 20% shorter if the constant repetition of plot points was eliminated. It was like the author wrote each chapter months apart and felt that the reader needed the reminders. 

Fans following the series will want to read this one despite its flaws and clear lack of resolution of the plot concerning whether or not Rayne and Ciara will be able to save the town and the castle. Various other plots introduced in this episode are solved or partly solved. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.