Product Description

Continuing the enchanting chronicles of the fabulous Nuala Anne McGrail and her spear-carrying husband Dermot, bestselling author Andrew M. Greeley takes them once again to Ireland for another thrill-packed adventure.

Back on the Emerald Isle, Nuala and Dermot soon get the feeling that someone is out to get them. They find themselves dodging multiple explosions, and someone starts shooting at Nuala while she is water-skiing in the cold Atlantic. Meanwhile, the handsome parish priest, Father Jack, has given Dermot the diary of a young Chicago newspaperman. Written in the year 1882, the diary tells in horrendous detail an intriguing story of a mass murder and a trumped-up trial in which one of Ireland's greatest heroes was accused of the murders without a shred of evidence. These two stories, ancient and modern, soon get mixed up, and they make for an utterly fascinating tale of murder, betrayal, and redemption with Nuala and her magical powers at the center of it all. Andrew Greeley not only tells us a riveting tale of adventure and derring-do, he gives us a picture of modern-day prosperous Ireland and the engaging and, of course, sometimes villainous people who live there.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111648 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 368 pages

Amazon.com Review
Irish Love follows the story of winsome couple Dermot Michael Coyne and Nuala Anne McGrail as they vacation on the western coast of Ireland. Though Nuala is recovering from the stress of her demanding musical career and the birth of their second child, she still has the wherewithal to sense the evil intentions of past and present criminals.

Over 100 years after a mass murder occurred, Nuala and Dermot discover an old diary that chronicles the investigation of that murder and the trial and conviction of an innocent man. As they read about the young journalist Edward Fitzpatrick, they begin to uncover a story that still angers the local inhabitants. As a series of modern crimes occurs, Dermot and Nuala wonder if there is a connection between the past and the present.

That author Andrew M. Greeley has done his homework is evident in his careful reconstruction of a historical time period and a fact-based crime. The story line of Fitzpatrick and the past murders is by far the more interesting one, and readers may happily skip to these italicized sections without missing much about Dermot and Nuala. Good fiction has great conflicts, and the Fitzpatrick story line has enough to keep your interest. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

From Publishers Weekly
Father Greeley's deep and obvious love for the history and culture of Ireland shines through in his latest contemporary mystery (following Irish Eyes) involving singer/psychic Nuala Anne McGrail and her American writer husband, Dermot Michael Coyne--who finally seems to have come to terms with playing Watson to Nuala's Holmes. So strong is Greeley's affection that it more than makes up for his occasional doses of lame humor (such as the "you should excuse the expression" asides from Dermot and his dialogues with the Adversary, a voice in his head that comments on his follies). Suffering from the strains of motherhood and her psychic crime-solving, Nuala has abandoned her musical career, reluctantly agreed to try Prozac and retreated to the country home in Renvyle, a "bare headland" on the far coast of Connemara in the West of Ireland. There's no escape from crime for Nuala and her daughter, Nelliecoyne, however. Both possess what Dermot calls "fey" psychic powers, and they smell blood in the foggy air while exploring the ruined hovels and caves in the area. Indeed, the site turns out to have been the scene of a brutal massacre in the 1880s. Deftly linking the old crime to current events, which include two explosions and an apparent sniper attack on a water-skiing Nuala, Greeley skillfully depicts an Ireland flushed with economic success but still carrying the scars of historic poverty. (Feb. 14)Forecast: Previous novels in this series have appealed to both the mystery and romance markets, and Irish Love will do the same, with print advertising in Romantic Times and TV advertising on Lifetime, plus author publicity by the effervescent Greeley and an excerpt in the mass market edition of Irish Eyes, due out Mar. 1.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In yet another work of fiction from the prolific priest, Greeley revisits his popular mystery series featuring Nuala Anne McGrail and her husband, Dermot Coyne, continuing the exploits of the crime-solving duo. This time, we find them back in Ireland on vacation, where they are drawn into a complex murder mystery. Nuala, who, as faithful readers will recall, has the ability to see both the past and the future, divines that these modern crimes are somehow related to a mass murder that took place in the area, back in the 1880s. That crime (based on an actual event, in which an entire family was murdered and an innocent local peasant was arrested, tried, and executed for the crime) provides clues for solving the contemporary crime. Despite several attempts on their lives, the plucky twosome piece together the answers to both mysteries and save the day in the nick of time. Greeley has hordes of fans who devour his books as fast as he can write them; librarians should stock up. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Nuala and Dermot Michael go back to Ireland
Nuala Anne is suffering from post natal depression and in keeping with her character she has a pretty severe case. She gives up singing and doubts herself in everything. Her doctor prescribes Prozac and a trip home. Of course, they can't have a quiet trip. Fiona the wolfhound is pregnant, and the TD next doot has his house blown up. More disturbing, while on a walk through some ruins nearby, both Nuala Anne and Nelliecoyne see a scene of murder from the distant past. Apparently, a man was wrongfully accused of the murders and hanged for the crime. The local priest, Jack Lane, finds part of a journal, written by an American reporter who was there at the time, that tells the whole story as it happened. Nuala, Jack Lane, and Dermot have to find the rest of the journal and the fate of the murdered man's family.

This is pretty typical of the series. Nuala has a crisis of some kind, she finds a mystery in the past, she solves the mystery and her problems at the same time. Each one of the mysteries, however is very well done, with just a little bit of Irish history thrown in.

Enchanting variations on a theme
Dermott Michael, Nuala Anne, and the growing Coyne family have returned from Chicago to the West of Ireland. Our author, Father Greeley, gently reminds those with faint understanding of "The Troubles" in Ireland that there is more involved than religion - a history of British occupational forces and their progeny. Time to sing along with Johnny Horton? o/~ "In 1814, we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Missipp. We took a little bacon & we took a little beans and we fought the Bloody British in the town of New Orleans." o/~ But, of course, that Colonel Jackson went on to become President Andrew Jackson and besmirch himself and our fledgling Nation during the course of his forced march of Native Americans on the "Trail of Tears."

In "Irish Love," Father Greeley has again interwoven a compelling and interesting historical tale with the equally interesting modern day Coynes, this time adeptly comparing the trials and tribulations of the Indigenous Irish to those of Native Americans:

"We're not talking about justice out here, son. We're talking about controlling an uncivilized people and placating Dublin Castle and Westminister. Bolton is not a nice fellow, but London needs someone like him out here." [page 105] "he was in much the same position as a Sioux or an Apache who did not know a word of English in an American courtroom without an interpreter." [page 173]

One more song to conclude this review: o/~ "Oh Lord, take me back. I want to ride in Geronimo's Cadillac." o/~

`Tis a brilliant book altogether!

A great "sit by the fire with a cuppa" read --
Being a big fan of Andrew Greeley, I love anything this gentleman writes and certainly was not disappointed "at all, at all" with this new story detailing the latest escapades of Nuala Anne and Dermot Michael. Following suit with its predessors -- Irish Gold, Irish Whiskey, etc., -- Irish Love involves the solving of two mysteries -- one from the present and one from the past. The reader, therefore, can enjoy two stories for the price of one. There is not a dull paragraph in the book -- loyal Nuala/Dermot fans won't even have to pore through a recap of previous adventures and history of their relationship. However, this information is incorporated subtly into the next, allowing new readers to become acquainted with -- and new fans of -- the duo quickly. Truly delightful!!