Mary-Margaret and the Case of the Lapsed Parishioner

I loved this book! Mary-Margaret is a hoot! For fans of Father Brown mysteries, this is the perfect series to add to your reading list.

With her Irish accent and idioms, Mary-Margaret justifies lying and stealing to get what she wants, all the while serving God and her parish as church secretary. Much to the chagrin of the new priest, who regrets calling her out of retirement to assist while her replacement is away on vacation, MM bustles in and takes over despite her supposed broken foot and the crutches she ‘borrowed’ from the hospital. Feigning her disability, MM provides cause to prolong her stay with her Big City Detective son, Michael, who she feels is in need of emotional support.

When a volunteer fails to show up to sort clothes for the upcoming bazaar and her daughter worries something has happened to her, MM goes in search of the missing woman. As her detective son passes the buck to the detective in charge of the case, ‘a horrible man’ according to MM, he leaves her no choice but to investigate on her own.

A spin-off from Desmond P. Ryan’s Mike O’Shea series, police procedurals featuring Mike in his role as a city detective, A Pint of Trouble Mysteries shows another side of his life through the eyes of a protective mother—one who can’t keep her nose out of other people’s business. With the help of her house cleaner, a quirky young man named Arthur, and her wanna-be boyfriend, city morgue attendant, Frank, MM takes on the role of amateur sleuth.

A charming older protagonist who lets nothing stop her from getting to the truth, Mary-Margaret will have you laughing out loud. One of the most entertaining cozy mysteries I’ve read!