The Deadly Weed

by Cora Harrison

Overview

The Reverend Mother's investigative skills are called into action when a local tobacco factory burns down and fingers are pointed at one of her ex pupils...

"Stellar . . . Harrison is writing at the top of her game" - Publishers Weekly Starred Review 

1920s. Cork, Ireland. Early one morning the Reverend Mother receives news of a deadly fire at the local cigarette factory, a place where she'd been so proud that some of her pupils had been given a steady job. In a city full of poverty, unemployment and political unrest, these ex pupils of hers had surely been blessed with such prospects. Now, though, she is worried . . . What happened at the cigarette factory and why are there rumours circulating that one of her 'girls' was responsible?

Inspector Patrick Cashman is under pressure to quickly find the cause of the fire - and identify a suspect - to placate the visiting Lord Mayor and Commissioner and secure his hopes of promotion. Patrick turns to his friend, the journalist and law student Eileen MacSweeney, for help, along with the ever insightful and calm Reverend Mother. From the fog-ridden streets of the slums to the green pastures and prosperity of nearby Youghal, together they begin to unravel a seedy history of greed, ambition and a desire for power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448309825
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Series:	Reverend Mother Series , #10
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 8.74(h) x (d)

About the Author

Cora Harrison turned to writing historical fiction after she retired from teaching to live on a farm near the Burren in the west of Ireland. As well as the Reverend Mother mysteries, she is the author of the Gaslight mysteries series set in Victorian London, and the Mara series of Celtic mysteries, set in 16th-century Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

Harrison adroitly combines the Reverend Mother's clever investigation with a sympathetic portrayal of the plight of Cork's poor. Fans of historical puzzle mysteries will be delighted

Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Death of a Prominent Citizen

A historically interesting mystery with a wise, empathetic sleuth and a shocking denouement

Kirkus Reviews on Murder in an Orchard Cemetery

Excellent . . . The pacing, clueing, and characterizations are all top-notch. Father Brown fans will be in heaven

Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Murder in an Orchard Cemetery

A leisurely paced mystery with roots in the history and culture of Cork. It's a treat for Irish history buffs who follow the series

Library Journal on Murder in an Orchard Cemetery

Stellar . . . Harrison is writing at the top of her game

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Harrison's outstanding ninth whodunit . . . ranks near the top among mysteries with a religious lead

Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Murder in the Cathedral

Plenty of suspects dramatizing Ireland's religious differences provide an excellent character-driven mystery

Kirkus Reviews on Murder in the Cathedral

Will appeal . . . to readers of the long-running series or historical-mystery buffs

Library Journal

2023-01-25
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.

Kirkus Reviews