Garda Siobhán O'Sullivans holiday plans hit a sour note when murder rearranges the yuletide carols into unexpected eulogies . . .
 
This December in Kilbane, if youre planning to warm up with a cuppa tea at Naomis Bistro, you may have a bit of a waitthe entire OSullivan brood has gone off to West Cork to spend the holidays with brother Jamess fiancée Elises family, including her grandfather, the famous orchestral conductor Enda Elliot. Siobhán is so happy for James and Elise but also quietly disappointed that she must put her own wedding to fellow garda Macdara Flannery on hold. Mac will have to join them later, so he can spend part of the holidays with his mam.
 
When the OSullivans learn everyone will choose a name from a hat to buy a music-related Christmas gift for someone else at the gathering, it seems like their greatest concernuntil the cantankerous conductor is discovered crushed under a ninety-pound harp in a local concert hall.With the extended familyincluding Endas much-younger new wife Leah, a virtuoso violinistsuspected in his murder, it's up to Siobhán to ensure the guilty party faces the music before the killer orchestrates another untimely demise . . .
 
The intricate puzzle and continuing Irish atmosphere make this the series best to date.
Kirkus Reviews