An Early Wake by Sheila Connolly

"Summer is ending in County Cork, Ireland, and with it the tourist season. Expat Maura Donovan is determined to keep Sullivan’s Pub in the black as the days grow shorter—but how? When she hears that the place was once a hot spot for Irish musicians who’d come play in the back room, she wonders if bringing back live music might be Sullivan’s salvation. As word gets out, legendary musicians begin to appear at the pub, and the first impromptu jam session brings in scores of music lovers. But things hit a sour note when Maura finds a dead musician in the back room the next morning. With a slew of potential suspects, it’s going to take more than a pint and a good think to force a murderer to face the music. My Thoughts: In this third County Cork outing, we find Maura Donovan in a contemplative mood, pondering the six months she has run the pub, an unexpected inheritance.  An Early Wake (County Cork series Book 3)  offers a glimpse of the bucolic life Maura has come to accept, even though she realizes that, at this point, she doesn’t really have a plan. She doesn’t have ledgers or a computer, and her take from the pub seems to be all cash. She manages to pay her staff, which consist of Old Jimmy and his daughter Rose…and Bridget Nolan’s grandson Mick. She also manages to keep in the supplies and pay for electricity. Next door to Maura’s cottage, also a part of her inheritance, lives Bridget Nolan, who offers tea and wisdom each day. Old Billy, who takes up daily residence in the back corner of the pub, feels like a fixture, but he offers stories, wisdom, and somehow brings the musicians to the pub by word of mouth...."

전작에 비하면 긴장도가 좀 떨어지는 작품이지만 읽을 만하다. 아름다운 시골에 울려 퍼지는 노래와 지나간 세월, 만남과 이별, 노장들의 투혼(?) 등 재밌는 작품이다. 다만 미스터리 장르라는 점에서 긴장도는 글쎄.... 작가의 다른 작품들에서도 그렇지만 이  'Country Cork' 시리즈는 현실적인 요소를 잘 보여주는 작품이다. 주인공의 현실적인 고민 즉 먹고사는 고민이 이 작품에 많이 나타난다. 이런 점은 다른 작가의 작품들과 구별되는 점이다. 문장이나 구성이 읽기에 쉽다. 부담 없이 읽을 수 있는 작품이다.