From Publishers Weekly
Sexy, foul-mouthed singer Nuala Anne McGrail and her deferential husband, Dermot Michael Coyne, are back in another emerald-hued mystery (after Irish Whiskey). Since Nuala Anne's folk-singing career has taken off, Dermot has quit the commodities exchange in favor of writing and fawning over his wife; so when her new fame leads to an invitation to sing in her homeland's Irish Aid concert, he comes along. On the flight over from Chicago to Dublin, the fey Nuala Anne has disturbing visions of a young woman in a burning castle and of a man assassinated on his way to Mass. Dermot's investigation reveals that the man was Kevin O'Higgins, successor to Irish rebel leader Michael Collins. Dermot continues delving into the history of Irish-British troubles (documents are quoted verbatim) to reveal a series of secret scandals and affairs. That's intriguing material, but the novel's momentum is halted time and again by Nuala Anne's preoccupation with her psychic flashes and with Dermot's determination to relieve his bride's obsession with beating him at golf by giving her an orgasm. In the end, Greeley's latest proves a confounding mix of sentimental Irish politics and puerile sexuality, of appeal only to those with a yen for anything Greeley or Eire green. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
This complicated tale about a 1927 assassination features a psychic and her romantic husband. Elias brings Irish accents into play with charm, clarity and feeling as the web of psychic Irish intrigue unfolds. However, his rendition of the main character Nuala, a Celtic witch with the gift of "second sight", makes her difficult to understand. Furthermore, the hymns Elias sings are garbled and confused, adding nothing to the story. Stick with the print version of this book. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
Another supremely entertaining mystery-romance from the prolific Andrew Greeley. The fourth installment in the Nuala Anne McGrail series chronicles the exploits of the sprightly, newly married protagonist and her agreeably accommodating husband, Dermot Michael Coyne. After launching a successful singing career, Nuala Anne agrees to participate in a charity benefit being staged in her native Ireland. When Nuala and Dermot arrive in Dublin, they are besieged by an avidly anti-American media and an inept gang of would-be kidnappers. After charming the media bulldogs and foiling the bungled abduction attempt, they turn their attention to solving a mystery rooted in Ireland's troubled past. Endowed with the mystical ability to virtually relive former events, Nuala employs her psychic gift to uncover the identities of the men who murdered Kevin O'Higgins, heir-apparent to Michael Collins, in 1927. In addition to posing a perplexing historical puzzle, Greeley also interweaves a charming romantic subplot into the story line, as the newlyweds endeavor to adjust to married life and to each other. Like Father Blackie Ryan, Nuala Anne is a delightfully fey and unconventional sleuth guaranteed to appeal to Greeley fans charmed by the author's unabashed and inimitable brand of Irish blarney. Margaret Flanagan
Review
"A master of the human heart." --Los Angeles Times
"Greeley has a fluent, beguiling pen." --The Baltimore Sun
"Andrew Greeley always writes a gripping novel." --The Chattanooga Times
Book Description
Dermot Michael Coyne isn't sure what he's gotten himself into. Nuala Anne McGrail, that beautiful and vivacious "Celtic witch" has finally agreed to marry him. But they've barely tied the knot when Nuala's psychic "spells" begin again. Visions of a burning castle, the captain of the infamous "Black and Tan" police force, a wild woman from Chicago, and bloodshed--all somehow connected--lead the two to the remnants of a mystery long buried in the mist of Ireland's turbulent and violent past. How did Kevin O'Higgins, the murdered leader of the movement to free Ireland, die? And who among the living will do whatever it takes to keep Nuala and Dermot from finding out?
About the Author
A native of Chicago, Reverend Andrew M. Greeley, is a priest, distinguished sociologist and bestselling author. He is professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona, as well as Research Associate at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. His current sociological research focuses on current issues facing the Catholic Church-including celibacy of priests, ordination of women, religious imagination, and sexual behavior of Catholics.
Father Greeley received the S.T.L. in 1954 from St. Mary of Lake Seminary. His graduate work was done at the University of Chicago, where he received the M.A. Degree in 1961 and the Ph.D. in 1962.
Father Greeley has written scores of books and hundreds of popular and scholarly articles on a variety of issues in sociology, education and religion. His column on political, church and social issues is carried by the carried by the Chicago Sun Times and may other newspapers. He stimulates discussion of neglected issues and often anticipates sociological trends. He is the author of more than thirty bestselling novels and an autobiography, Furthermore!: Confessions of a Parish Priest.
Irish Mist SYNOPSIS
Bestseller Andrew M. Greeley returns with more of the enchanting chronicle of Nuala Anne McGrail with Irish Mist. Nuala Anne McGrail, the "Celtic witch," and Dermot Coyne are married, and their lives are never dull. When a political leader is assassinated on his way to mass, Nuala is fast on the trail of the buried scandals and secret truths surrounding the murder. Ireland and the paranormal ability of Nuala add fascinating touches to this mystery-suspense novel from one of the masters of the blockbuster.
FROM THE CRITICS
LA Times
A master of the human heart.
Los Angeles Times
Solid, modest Dermot and fiery, unpredictable Nuala Anne enjoy an ideal marriage: sexy and humorous and unabashedly loving. Happiness is harder to write about than misery, and Greeley deserves credit for making this fantasy...as much fun as it is.
Baltimore Sun
Greeley has a fluent, beguiling pen.
Chattanooga Times
Andrew Greeley always writes a gripping novel.
Publishers Weekly
The veteran Greeley plots this latest work with some admirable cunning, which shows up clearly in a highly believable trading expos and in the exacting re-creation of the supposed death of an enigmatic crime lord from Capone-era Chicago. Unfortunately, it all counts for naught beside the truly tiresome twosome around whom this third book in a series (after Irish Gold and Irish Lace) revolves. Nuala Anne McGrail is an Irish beauty with a fine singing voice, all kinds of sexy outfits, a job as an accountant and the gift of second sight. She talks dirty, likes to be fondled and must be the least likely virgin featured in recent literature. Her dutiful betrothed is Dermot Coyne, who also doubles as the narrator. A former commodities trader who's now a bestselling author, Dermot is currently under investigation for the $3 million he netted during his brief trading days. When Nuala "sees" an empty coffin in a cemetery plot, the hunt for a missing corpse is on. The shooting death of Jimmy Sullivan, onetime rival to Al Capone, emerges as just the kind of long-unexplained mystery that exactly suits Nuala's otherworldly gifts and Dermot's dogged legwork. Dermot's trial is fun, and so is Jimmy's turbulent history. But the lovers' dialogue is laughable with its lewd promises for the upcoming wedding night. And then there's Dermot's continuous declarations of his endless devotion and the lustful attention Nuala elicits from every breathing male in Chicago. One might be tempted to opine that Greeley knows less about love (or lust) than he might think.
Read all 9 "From The Critics" >
Art & Photography
Book Info
