Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told, Tom Phelan's sixth novel, is a masterful portrait of Irish village life disguised as a murder mystery. Journalist Patrick Bracken heads back to the small rural town where he grew up. He visits the home of former lawyer Sam Howard and his witty wife, Elsie, to talk about two near-simultaneous deaths in 1951 that Patrick and his best friend Mikey Lamb witnessed. The two deaths had been officially ruled accidental, but Patrick knows better. The narrative toggles back and forth between Patrick's revealing conversation with the Howards in the present day and the events as they unfolded in the early '50s.
Jarlath, a priest who died after a nasty fall from his bicycle, had come home from his mission only to fleece the poor townspeople for more charity. His haughty ways invited the resentment of the town, especially given how rudely he treated his devoted siblings.
Doul Yank, a nasty old man, willed his farm to his nephew but refused to die. Instead, he lived with the younger man, expecting to be cared for, fed and allowed to go hunting for grouse--all the while lording over farm. No one was particularly upset when he was found sporting an "accidental" hole in his chest from hunting rifle.
Phelan (The Canal Bridge) finds humor and warmth in every poignant moment, with a clear eye to the reasons no one has ever come clean about the murders, even though most intelligent villagers know the truth. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor