Book 14, 2023

A Fatal New Year by J.A. Whiting

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday reading A Fatal New Year, which is the first book in the "Tipperary Carriage" series by JA Whiting and Nell McCarthy. Main character is Mae Monahan, who is launching her own business providing carriage rides.

It's New Year's Eve in Columbus, OH, and Mae is embarking on her new career as a carriage driver. She and her faithful Percheron, Steel, are busily providing rides to revelers between the convention center and a local hotel. Her last fare of the night is a group of rowdy, foreign college guys. Mae is pleased with how her evening went, until her friend Ross discovers a dead body on the floor of her landau. Eager to put such unpleasantness behind her, Mae provides all the assistance she can to the police. She can't quit thinking about that night, however, wondering if the victim's friends left him there or if the sorority girl who was waiting for him had something to do with his death. Mae thinks the girl knows more than she told the police, and Mae is determined to find out the truth.

I liked this story a lot. It had some drawbacks. I wish it had been longer. Characters weren't fleshed out well; I never did learn much about Mae, other than that she's widowed, has two grown sons, and inherited the money to launch her dream business from her grandfather. She was engaging, however, and I was invested enough in the plot to read this in one day.

Favorite line: All of her Irish ancestors were rising up within her and giving her strength.

In spite of its shortcomings, this one earns four stars from me.