Death at an Irish village

Two cousins must fight long odds once again to keep their Irish castle. Rayne McGrath inherited McGrath Castle from her Uncle Nevin, with the proviso that Ciara Smith, his illegitimate daughter, stay on to manage the place. He gave them 12 months to get in the black or sell and split whatever money is left. Rayne was a successful bridal designer in LA who was doing very well until her boyfriend stole all her money plus a bunch of wedding gowns. Now the cousins, who had no idea the estate was in such bad shape, are nearly broke and are trying various schemes to make money. Rayne's still designing bridal gowns and selling off valuable handbags. Ciara works with estate opportunities like raising sheep. Most of the villagers are old, and the cousins would love to attract younger people by refurbishing a bunch of cottages and fixing up a row of storefronts. But their attempts to save the village by modernizing meet with opposition. Although they've refurbished the castle as a wedding venue, their first booking ended in murder. As they wait for the next one, a project to clean up a cemetery leads them to a grave they think is in the wrong place, judging from some letters and photos they had found in an old trunk in the castle. Back at the cemetery the next day, Rayne's dog discovers the body of a man named Aiden Dennehy slumped on the mystery grave, right next to a jewel that Rayne thinks the dog probably chewed out of her Jimmy Choos. More research indicates that the men in the photos were probably fighting in the revolution and involved in a secret society that may have stolen valuable jewelry. In addition to a murder with surprising suspects, Brannigan supplies historical tidbits and back-and-forth romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.