In Scandal in Skibbereen by Sheila Connolly, Maura Donovan has owned Mick’s pub about three months when Althea Melville, an art specialist from New York, walks in. A woman has brought a small painting to an appraisal event that Althea has identified as a preliminary drawing for a large painting by the famous artist Van Dyck. Since Jane Deasy, the owner of the piece, inherited her copy from her great- aunt who came from Ireland, Althea has come to Leap in a personal quest to find the large painting. A talk with the old man who sits in the pub makes Althea believe it must be in Mycroft House in nearby Skibbereen, occupied for life by the nonagenarian Eveline Townsend and owned by her nephew, Harry. Then Althea gets turned away at the door by Florence O’Brien, who, with her husband, Tom, manages Eveline’s home. The next morning, Seamus Daly, a mentally challenged man who has worked as their gardener, is found murdered on the grounds.
Still determined to get into the manor house, Althea attempts to sleep her way in with Harry, who has come to Leap because of the murder. But she gets spotted by both Eveline and Florence and thoroughly banned from the estate. Maura decides to step in and help Althea despite the rudeness and abrasiveness of the latter woman, so she enlists local artist Jillian, who grew up with Harry, to help find the painting. But who was responsible for Seamus’s murder?
Scandal in Skibbereen proved to be a fun, delightful book with a great mystery. Even though there were quite a few characters in the book, I had no trouble keeping them straight. Each has a unique set of characteristics, making me feel that I would recognize them if I ran into them. I found myself cheering on Maura for her empathy for those around her and scorning Althea for her bad attitude. The mystery was clever, with many interesting twists. I appreciated the way it incorporated both the Irish culture and the art world in its approach.
Amy Rubinate performs the audio edition of this book. She especially does a good job of working with the various accents required for this role, including many old and young Irish characters, the Bostonian Maura, and the New Yorker Althea. Rubinate gives a strong performance of this book and makes the book all the more effective.
Scandal in Skibbereen turned out to be a fantastic listening experience. The book was creative and exciting, and it kept me eagerly awaiting the rest of the book. Now I am eagerly awaiting my chance to listen to the next book. I give it five stars.
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