Black-Irish Setter: A Caitlin O'Rourke Mystery [Paperback]

Bill Stackhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2003

Caitlin (Kate) O'Rourke is not your typical Irish-American lass. At six-one and one-hundred-seventy-eight pounds, with dark skin, raven-black hair, and a nose like an eagle, the former MVP setter/middle blocker on the Italian Pro Volleyball circuit is a has-been in her late 20s, prematurely retired due to a blown-out knee.


Although retirement does not sit well with Kate, she soon finds herself so entangled in other peoples difficulties that she doesn't have time to dwell on her own problems.


Kehough's Irish Pub in Nashville, Tennessee, with its upstairs apartment, is home to Kate, and the pub itself provides employment for her brother Seamus and his wife Mary Grace.

 
File this first book in the series under "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished." After Kate rescues a damsel in distress from a mugger, she gets roped into babysitting the woman until the locks are changed on the woman's house. But when Kate's charge is murdered on her watch, the former Irish step dancer, former star athlete, and now owner of a Nashville Irish pub sets out to find out who did it--and why.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mystery writer and playwright Bill Stackhouse worked as a scriptwriter for a multimedia production firm. His credits include training and promotional videos for NASA, the Army Aviation & Missile Command, and the Corps of Engineers. Four of Bill's seven stage plays have won awards. Black-Irish Setter is his fourth novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (February 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595270638
• ISBN-13: 978-0595270637
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,460,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, mystery writer, playwright, and part-time actor Bill Stackhouse has a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, and a Masters Degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.

At Ford Motor Company and later, as Director of Quality Assurance & Training at a large automotive parts supplier, Bill became involved in the development of instructional manuals and training films. In the throes of a mid-life crisis, he decided to pursue the most enjoyable aspect of his job on a full-time basis―writing.

Bill's scriptwriting credits include training films and promotional videos for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few. He has also written numerous radio and TV commercials.

Branching out from technical writing into the arts, four of Bill's seven stage plays (The Best Laid Plans, The Early Bird, To Serve and Protect, and A Tradition of Service) have won contests - a local, a statewide, a regional, and a national.

In addition to playwriting, Bill has directed many productions for various community theatres. For a very brief time, he even had a theatre company of his own that toured six mid-size cities in Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

Bill and his wife now live in Central Florida where he continues to write mystery novels and stage plays (when its raining and he can't lay golf).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unpredictable and original tale of suspense, September 15, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black-Irish Setter: A Caitlin O'Rourke Mystery (Paperback)

Written by experienced playwright and scriptwriter Bill Stackhouse, Black-Irish Setter is an attention engaging mystery starring a most unlikely heroine. Caitlin O'Rourke is a former Italian professional volleyball player who prematurely retired due to a blown-out knee, is bitter, depressed, and rather unsure of her future. Caitlin rescues a damsel in distress only to have murder strikes down her charge. Caitlin burns with the determination to track down the killer and learn the motive. An unpredictable and original tale of suspense, Black-Irish Setter confirms Bill Stackhouse as a skilled and original writer -- and leave his readers waiting enthusiastically for his next Caitlin O'Rourke mystery!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What does a has-been Itialian Pro Volleyball player do next, June 26, 2003

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black-Irish Setter: A Caitlin O'Rourke Mystery (Paperback)

Caitlin (Kate) O'Rourke is trying to decide what to do with her life. She is 6'1" and 180 pounds, in her late 20s and has dark skin, black hair, and a nose like an eagle. She was a Italian Pro Volleyball setter/middle blocker until she blew out her knee. She was also a basketball player. She has been offered a coaching job and has a week to decide.

She owns Kehough's Irish Pub in Nashville, Tennessee, with her brother Pat (a policeman), brother Seamus, and sister-in-law Mary Grace. Seamus and Mary Grace took her in when her parents died while she was still in school. She now lives in the apartment above the pub.

She witnesses Junior Lee Thigpen steal Delane Denning's purse. She agrees to go with Delane to Cove Creek, their vacation home, for a few days. Delane is too afraid to return to their home because her husband Matt will be out of town. All her keys and ID were in her purse. Junior will know where they live and they can't get the locks changed until the next day. Kate enjoys living like the rich for a few days. But she is happy to be heading home. When she stops to drop Delane at home, a terrible accident happens. Delane is killed.

Detective Ozzie Osborn is a tall black woman. Her partner Detective Sykes is a white male. They are assigned to find her killer. They put out an APB on Junior. Kate tries to assist them but ends up alienating Detective Osborn on more than one occasion.

Eventually Kate ends up doing some investigating and helps solve the case. She still has to decide on what she'll do with her life.

This is a great first book in a new series. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more books with Caitlin O'Rourke. Bill's descriptions of her and the other assorted characters in this book were terrific. I could see each of them. They were very real. This included the relationships between the characters as well.

I must say that I had a good suspicion early as to who was behind it. But I didn't see all the twists that he put in place.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next.