Game:

Murder! (1990)

Category:

Review

Duration: 12:19

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14

Irish Coffee Murder is 3 Novellas centered on Murder, St Patrick's Day, and Irish Coffee.


IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER “Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry too far, or is some other motive at play?”

This lead off story did not grab me at first, but it improved somewhat as it progressed. I found the characters to read like characters in a book rather than fully formed personalities that I was reading a book about. This struggle or complaint certainly isn’t new or unique as it has been a too frequent obstacle in fiction for as long as there has been fiction. When I read or listen to a story, if the story never creates immersion, it’s not a home run for me no matter what else is done well. I want to forget the characters are characters and connect with them as if they are people enduring a plight or going on an adventure or living life…and I’m there with them…either rooting for or against, with hope and/or dread. This novella does not do that. The story is fine, but at no point did I feel the weight of the tale or care about the people on the page. I give it a D.


DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS “As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, who’s playing his old hometown for St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee, leaving Hayley to figure out who decided this joker had gone too far.”

The second tale in this collection is more engaging than the first, but suffers from many of the same faults—contrived characters and circumstances. I liked the premise and I liked a few of the interactions, but this who-dun-it is convoluted in what seems like an attempt to be complex. I sorted the characters by their suspicious behavior rather than by their names and traits. I estimate many readers will solve the crime, but that’s not the end all be all of a mystery.
Also, since Jefferson, the famous comedian’s show, is the inciting incident, I think it would have been wise and cool to actually include the show as part of the story. As it is we spend time building up to the show and then we skip to after the show and the murder. The author tells us how funny and charming and what a rising star this comedian is, but we don’t actually experience that—between that and the dubious science, this tale barely scrapes out a D+


PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS “It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town.”

This third and final tale in the trilogy is by far the best. The author, Barbara Ross, should consider converting this into a play. With some dialogue punch and a few minor tweaks, it could make for a compelling stage dramedy. As I was reading it, I often saw it playing out on a stage in my head. Yet, it also bears some of the burden of generic characters and trite dialogue with its counterparts—I give Perked Up a C.

All in all I give Irish Coffee Murder a C-.



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Intro and exit music used with permission from Chan Redfield. Tough as Nails by Chan Redfield used with permission from Chan Redfield directly.

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