The Deadly Weed

August 1, 2021
Harrison offers another winning entry in her excellent Reverend Mother series. Set in Cork, Ireland, in the 1920s, it touches on Ireland's difficult history, the terrible poverty in Cork, and the influence of the church. But this is first and foremost a murder mystery, filled with red herrings, plenty of suspects, and a twisty, keep-'em-guessing plot. The reverend mother looks forward to the annual retreat hosted by the bishop as a time of peace and contemplation, but this year, the bishop has invited the six nominees for city alderman to attend, and one is killed by a bomb in the convent's orchard cemetery. The case is as frustrating as it is puzzling until Mother Aquinas focuses her understanding of human nature and her considerable brainpower on solving the crime. What she uncovers is a tragic tale of revenge, resentment, power, and greed. A skillfully written, deeply affecting story featuring intriguing historical details, gentle humor, poignancy, richly drawn characters, a multifaceted plot, and the wise, practical, compassionate Reverend Mother Aquinas.

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Starred review from January 2, 2023
A fire at a Cork cigarette factory owned by the Reverend Mother Aquinas’s cousin Robert Murphy sparks Harrison’s stellar 10th 1920s Irish mystery featuring the insightful religious sleuth (after 2022’s Murder in the Cathedral). Murphy gave jobs to 10 girls in the school the Reverend Mother oversees, largesse she welcomed as a means for the impoverished children to earn something for their families. The fire’s one fatality is Timothy Dooley, the plant’s manager, who had drunk himself into unconsciousness and died of smoke inhalation. Though there were no obvious signs of arson, a witness claims that one of the girls, Maureen McCarthy, stayed behind after her colleagues had left the factory and started the conflagration. As Insp. Patrick Cashman investigates, he finds Maureen uncooperative and hostile, and learns that Dooley was once accused of rape. That discovery leads him to expand his circle of suspects to include the rape victim’s father. Aided by the Reverend Mother, who rivals Jane Marple in her astute observations of human nature, the inspector narrows in on the truth. A fair-play puzzle matches a vivid evocation of the past. Harrison is writing at the top of her game. Agent: Peter Buckman, Ampersand Agency (U.K.).

February 1, 2023

When Reverend Mother Aquinas's second cousin Mr. Robert Murphy opens a cigarette factory close to the convent in Cork, Ireland, she's eager to find jobs for some of her needy students. She asks him to consider hiring some of her older girls to roll cigarettes, and she's pleased when he hires all 10 of her 14-year-old girls. He even agrees to build a privy for them. When the privy catches fire and a man inside dies of smoke inhalation, the fire brigade calls it arson. One of Reverend Mother's former students, Inspector Patrick Cashman, investigates and has to throw one of the girls, Maureen McCarthy, into jail. Maureen was known to spend evenings with the dead man, and she spits at the police superintendent when she's brought in for questioning. Although Reverend Mother has acquaintances all over Cork, the surprising solution to the murder investigation is closer to home. VERDICT Harrison's 10th "Reverend Mother" mystery (following Murder in the Cathedral) is repetitive, and the details about Sir Walter Raleigh, tobacco, and Ireland tend to overshadow the mystery, making it almost secondary. Will appeal only to readers of the long-running series or historical-mystery buffs.--Lesa Holstine

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February 15, 2023
A suspicious death at a cigarette factory provides a thorny case for three very different crime solvers. Ten years after Ireland's war for independence, native-born Irish are on the ladder to success. Inspector Patrick Cashman grew up poor but is on track to be appointed Superintendent of the Cork Garda when a call comes in from Mrs. Maloney, a well-known snoop who reports a murder at a cigarette factory. Although Timothy Dooley, the factory's manager, died from smoke inhalation, Mrs. Maloney thinks one of the girls who works there may be a killer. The Reverend Mother, the daughter of a wealthy and socially prominent family whose cousin owns the factory, has obtained jobs there for 10 of her former students, all so poor that even the meager salary is a godsend to their families. But now one of them is in trouble. Patrick--a former student of the Reverend Mother's, who's helped him solve many a crime--is appalled when his boss orders him to arrest defiant 14-year-old Maureen McCarthy. The late Mr. Dooley had worked for factory owner Robert Murphy for a long time, mostly at his estate in Youghal, where the tobacco is grown, and before he'd moved to Cork he'd been accused of impregnating the gardener's daughter. The Reverend Mother's star pupil, ambitious law student and part-time reporter Eileen McSweeney, abhors injustice and teams up with Patrick and the Reverend Mother to solve the perplexing case. A complex mystery and an indictment of the treatment of the poor add up to a sobering yet enjoyable read.

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