Irish Eyes: A Callahan Garrity Mystery

I was privileged to hear Kathy Hogan Trochek speak at the Raven Mystery Bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas last year. She is a good speaker and an excellent author. Her characters are rich and interesting. A cleaning service makes for a good background for a private detective. Her knowledge of Atlanta and environs is enjoyable. There's always room for a holiday series. I look forward to the next in line and recommend the series to all mystery readers.

There are all the usual reasons to like "Irish Eyes," the eighth Callahan Garrity mystery, and some new ones. Spunky sleuth and cleaning-service operator Garrity and her gaggle of Southern stereotype associates deal with life, love and death in Atlanta in their usual manners. And, as in most of author Kathy Hogan Trocheck's previous adventures, Garrity has to deal with the changing social and political landscape of a Southern megalopolis that is growing too fast for its own good. This time, ex-cop Garrity's former associate, Bucky Deavers, is shot in a liquor store while Garrity is waiting outside in the car after a St. Patrick's Day event. Soon after, the only witness to the shooting disappears with the security-camera videotape. The spin soon has Deavers, critically wounded in the hospital, as being a rogue, but Garrity doesn't buy it, and she typically won't let the matter drop. It leads her into a world of police corruption that leaves more dead bodies. Meanwhile, Mac, Garrity's significant other, is talking about moving to Nashville. He's fed up with the uncontrolled urban sprawl, and wants Callahan and her mother, Edna, to come along. And it is surprising who is the more stubborn of the two. For comic relief (and some fair gumshoe work of their own), Baby and Sister Easterbrooks return with priceless dialogue and antics. Neva Jean and Swannelle also provide moments in which it is difficult to keep reading through the laughter. Though the main character is the author's alter ego, Trocheck keeps Callahan honest and humble, usually through Edna and Mac. And Callahan, like everyone else, sometimes has to depend on luck to achieve her objectives. So if you are ready for the best dose yet of Trocheck-style humor and humidity, intrigue and insanity, read "Irish Eyes." It follows a trail well, and is obviously leading to some new ones.

Kathy's books are the only books I can read in under 3 days. I just can't put them down and her newest Irish Eyes is no exception. Her characters jump off the pages and who doesn't love Baby and Sister. Her writing style lets the reader become personal friends with her cast of zanys. Who wouldn't want to sit down at Edna's kitchen table and have tea and some cornbread. This story moved along very fast and the outcome was somwhat expected but she kept you guessing until the very end. The only flaw I found was that I have never been to the Varsity where there was car hop service up on the upper deck....But if your not from Atlanta it really doesn't make a bit of difference to this terrifc book. I would love to see her stories made into a T.V. series..

5 for overall book, 1 for circumstances/results. Kathy Hogan Trocheck is one of my favorite writers and this latest book was very good with the mystery, the suspense and the comic adventures of Neva Jean, Baby and Sister. However, my personal opinion rating of the outcome is a 1 as you will understand when you read the book. As in her past books, Kathy Trocheck doesn't really hold any punches with any of her main or semi-main characters. She writes things keeping true to real life, but in wanting to escape into a book I don't like real life to get too close to the characters I have grown to like after a number of books. But that's just my opinion. Don't pass this one up by Kathy Trocheck. From book one she has proven you can be great and still get better.

Former police officer Callahan Garrity owns and operates the successful cleaning service, The House Mouse. Callahan also is a licensed private investigator, who works an occasional case.On St. Patrick's Day, Callahan and her former police partner Bucky Deavers attend a party sponsored by the Shamrock Society, a fraternal organization of Irish-American police officers. However, Callahn finds little to entertain her and wants to leave. Bucky begrudgingly agrees to take her home. Bucky stops at a local liquor store, but an armed robber shoots him in the head before safely escaping the scene. The store clerk also vanishes.While Bucky struggles for life in a hospital, rumors surface that he is crooked and part of a series of ATM robberies. Callahan cannot believe that her ex-partner could ever do such horrible acts. She decides to clear his name and uncover the identities of the real perpetrators even though she places herself in danger from individuals desperate enough to kill so that they can keep their identities secret.Kathy Hogan Trochek can always be counted on to provide her audience with an absorbing and entertaining tale. IRISH EYES, the eighth Garrity Callahan novel is her best work in this strong series due to the powerful characterizations. The heroine's strength, near obsessive determination, and stubbornness feel believable yet stays within the persona of the previous seven stories. The mystery is fun and the ambiance of the South comes across throughout the tale. This original story line will leave fans anxiously anticipating Callahan's next exciting adventure. Ms. Trochek know how to keep each work in her ongoing series fresh and exciting.Harriet Klausner