Murder on the Clock is the fourth Mercy McCarthy village cozy by Lucy Connelly. Released 5th Sept 2025 by Bookouture, it's 290 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. For Kindle+ subscribers, this book is currently included in the K+ subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on K+.
This is an Irish cozy in the classic golden age style, well constructed and engaging. There's a fair bit of continuity in the series and although it could be read as a standalone, it would be better read after at least being familiar with the background in the first book (expat main characters in Ireland, etc). The secondary characters are mostly well fleshed out, with believable motivations.
The language and content are clean (perfectly safe for work/commute reading) with the possible exception of one very mild curse (bloody), and some references to blood/bleeding (it's a murder mystery). With 5 books extant and two upcoming releases from the same publisher in 2026 & 2027, it would be a good choice for a long binge/buddy read. The author seems to be keeping up with a semi-annual publishing schedule.
They're light and engaging cozy mysteries. Lots to enjoy for fans of Murder She Wrote or other small town mysteries. Seriously, Shamrock Cove has survived 4 murders in the span of a year, who's next?
Four stars. It would be a good choice for public libraries, home use, or gifting.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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