Obit: A Mystery (A Collins-Burke Mystery) [Paperback]

Anne Emery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Series: A Collins-Burke Mystery

Long ago, Declan Burke fled Ireland in the dark of night, started a new life in New York City, and has never looked back—until one morning he picks up the newspaper and reads the obituary of one Cathal Murphy. He sees at once that the obituary is a coded summary of his own life and probably a thinly veiled death threat. He turns to Halifax lawyer Monty Collins for advice, but when Monty starts to investigate the obit’s allusions to Declan’s IRA past, Declan decides to keep his lips sealed. But keeping old secrets becomes much more difficult after a burst of gunfire at a family wedding and the appearance of Leo Killeen, the commanding officer of Declan’s former battalion in Dublin. Declan and Monty are confronted by a cast of enigmatic characters, including the owner of a nightclub frequented by the New York mob; a sultry chanteuse; and Burke’s hotheaded son Fran-cis, whose resentment and dubious activities set the family on a road to destruction. The subsequent discovery of a body in a rundown Brooklyn flat forces Declan to confront the suspicion that he has been manipulated all along by an unseen hand.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After clearing Father Brennan Burke of murder charges in 2006's Sign of the Cross, Canadian criminal lawyer Monty Collins helps the priest explore his father's history with the IRA in this fresh second installment of a three-part series. Before Monty, his family and Brennan leave Halifax for New York, where Brennan will officiate at the wedding of his niece, Brennan's brother Patrick sends him a cryptic obituary that appeared in a New York paper. Their father, Declan Burke, who fled Ireland 40 years earlier, understands it as a threat to his life, and sure enough, Declan is shot and wounded at the wedding. While Monty struggles with his own hopes of reconciling with his ex-wife, Brennan and his siblings search for the truth about their father's past and harbor suspicions that could shatter their large, tight-knit family. Emery tops her vivid story of past political intrigue that could destroy the present with a surprising conclusion. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Strong characters and a vivid depiction of Irish American family life make Emery's second mystery . . . as outstanding as her first."  —Library Journal

"It's good . . . the characters are intriguing and the plot works."  —Globe and Mail

"For anyone who loves a good mystery, this one will prove more than satisfying."  —Bookviews.com

"An old-style potboiler of intrigue, shadowy characters and murky situations . . . a finely crafted  mystery."  —Edmonton Journal

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550229052
• ISBN-13: 978-1550229059
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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