Irish Mysteries

With St. Patrick's Day coming up next Wednesday, a day on which most Americans, if they are not Irish, become so by adoption, I would like to recommend the mysteries of Eilis Dillon as an appropriate "read" for the season and the holiday.

That would include her first mystery, "Death at Crane's Court," and her second, "Sent to His Account," both of which have been the subject of reviews on the Classic Mysteries podcast. Her third (and last) mystery, "Death in the Quadrangle," has just been published by the Rue Morgue Press, and I'll be reviewing that here in a few weeks.

Dillon was a very prolific writer, with a deep love of her native country - a love which comes across in the way she writes about Ireland. Her books are full of wit, marvelous characters, the beauty of the Irish countryside (particularly as it existed in the 1950s, when the books were written) and - of course - are excellent mysteries as well. Give them a try. Take it from me - no, I'm not Irish, but my son-in-law is a Duffy...