Author: S.A. Dunphy
Narrator: Shelley Atkinson
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Publication Date: September 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Blonde hair so bright it almost glows. Eyes wide – green, like her father’s. She thought she had her whole life ahead of her. Will she ever see her family again?
When bright, beautiful Penny O’Dwyer disappears from Cahirsiveen, a small town in the west of Ireland, the local police scour the narrow streets and muddy hills but find no leads.
Jessie Boyle swore she’d never return to Ireland. But grieving the death of her partner, and the premature end of her London Met career, she can’t say no to the case that holds her homeland in its grip. And it’s not long before Jessie uncovers something everyone else has missed: Penny isn’t the first girl to go missing.
Going back decades, women have been taken from Cahirsiveen, their bodies found on ancient burial mounds. A reference to a little-known Celtic myth buried in her messages convinces Jessie that Penny is the latest victim of the same killer. Folklore can do funny things to a small community in the misty mountains, and Jessie suspects she’s dealing with the most twisted mind of her career.
The eyes of Ireland are on Jessie and her new team, and as the boss turns up the heat, they learn to live and breathe the case. But Jessie is haunted by her own demons, and the cracks are beginning to show.
Time is running out. And just when Jessie thinks she’s found a vital clue linking the victims to a remote farm, she realizes she could be next. Can she piece together the face of evil and save Penny’s life, or will he get to Jessie first?
An absolutely unputdownable mystery thriller with a detective who will stop at nothing to find justice. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Lisa Gardner and Robert Dugoni.
Previously titled Dancing with the Dead.
My Thoughts: Bring Her Home by new to me author S.A. Dunphy is the first book in an intriguing series featuring a criminal behaviorist who returns home to Ireland to assist with a missing persons case. I liked that Jessie wasn’t a detective or investigator, as a lot of police procedurals seem to slot the main character into this role. Instead, Jessie has to delve further into the mind of the killer to figure out the clues to save the victim.
The author does a good job of providing some backstory on not just Jessie but also the victim. It didn’t give me any more empathy for the victim, but it gave me a better understanding of who she is involved with and whether that made any difference to why she was taken. I thought Jessie was a likable character and the introduction of Jessie’s team, Seamus and Terrie brought additional characters I found likable and easy to relate to.
This story includes a lot of detail in Celtic myths and folklore. If you are a fan of that, this book will hold great interest. I found a lot of it confusing, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. There are plenty of suspects to choose from but it took me most of the story to hazard a guess at the identity.
I went with the audio format of this story and the narration was performed wonderfully by Shelley Atkinson. Her Irish dialects and Celtic language were delivered quite well and helped me to visualize the characters better. I would be willing to read more from this author as I am curious to know what Jessie and Seamus encounter next.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a very enjoyable story that I recommend to fans of thrillers, mysteries and police procedurals.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture Audio, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
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