This post was contributed by author Karen C. Whalen. Her cozy mystery, A Stewed Observation, is currently on tour with Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book.

Picking the book setting. How about Ireland?

In the fourth book in the dinner club murder mystery series, the Gourmet Dinner Club travels to Ireland to enjoy Irish cuisine while staying at a medieval, ivy-covered castle. The idea for the setting for this mystery came to me after my hubby and I took a trip overseas to Ireland. This European destination quickly became my favorite country to visit.

The first thing we noticed about the Irish is their friendliness. They are absolutely the friendliest and most engaging group of people I have ever met. Everyone makes time to chat if you are so inclined. If you are not careful, the sales person at the cash register will converse with you for minutes on end as the line of customers behind you grows and grows. They are either that friendly or too polite to ask you to move on. Their happiness is contagious.

Some people insist the Irish accent is hard to understand. Yes, it can be, since they talk fast and to English-speaking people they seem to mangle their words. But after the first day, your ear becomes attuned to their beautiful, lilting brogue and you can understand them clearly. It only took a little getting used to, that’s all. By the end of our ten-day visit, we, too, were speaking with an Irish cadence like a third generation Irishman from Galway!

Beautiful landscapes with green growing things capture the eye in every direction. The people must all have green thumbs to go along with their green trees and fields. The hedgerows grow so tall on either side of the roadways that they form a canopy over the top of the lane. Your car will whisk through the tunnels of green bushes over the narrow, winding country roads where the Irish drive on the “wrong side.” Flowers are everywhere in the spring, summer, and fall. Flower pots and window boxes are overflowing with red, yellow, and purple blooms.

You will find nothing touristy outside of Dublin. In the States, we have McDonald’s and gift shops at every tourist destination. In Ireland, if you want to buy a bottle opener in the shape of a leprechaun or a plate with a picture of the Cliffs of Mohr on it, you must do your souvenir shopping in Dublin. Outside of the largest cities, you will not find trinkets and kitschy souvenirs and fast-food junky joints.

Writing about Ireland was my way of returning to the Emerald Isle. If you would like to take a virtual tour of Ireland without leaving home, read A Stewed Observation to travel with Jane and her dinner club friends to the beautiful and lush Emerald Green Island.

About the Book

A Stewed Observation (A Dinner Club Murder Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
The Wild Rose Press, Inc (August 6, 2018)
Print Length: 214 pages
Digital ASIN: B07DYVWHFY

The Gourmet Dinner Club travels to Ireland to enjoy Irish cuisine while staying at a medieval, ivy-covered castle. Jane Marsh hopes Dale Capricorn will ask her to marry him at this romantic dream destination. But her plans are put on hold when the elderly castle owner becomes violent, a club member restrains him, and he collapses and dies.

The police believe the mysterious death is murder and begin to suspect one of the club’s members. Dale leaves for home on a business emergency, and as the lone single gal in the club full of couples, Jane is thrown into the company of Griffin O’Doherty, the handsome Irishman who stands to inherit the castle.

Jane must prove her friend’s innocence by solving the crime. Which of the sweet-tempered Irish could be a callous killer?

About the Author

Karen C. Whalen is the author of a culinary cozy series, the “dinner club murder mysteries.” The first four in the series are: Everything Bundt the Truth, Not According to Flan, No Grater Evil, and A Stewed Observation. The first book in the series tied for First Place in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Her books are similar to those written by cozy authors Jessica Beck and Joanne Fluke. She worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado and has been a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. She believes that it’s never too late to try something new. She loves to host dinner clubs, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, and read cozy murder mysteries.

Author Links
Website – http://karencwhalen.com

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/whalenkarenc

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/whalenkarenc

Twitter – https://twitter.com/whalenkc

GoodReads– https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15891729.Karen_C_Whalen

Purchase Links:
Amazon The Wild Rose Press iBooks

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