Obit

A Collins-Burke Mystery, Book 2

By: Anne Emery

Narrated by: Christian Rummel

Long ago, Declan Burke fled Ireland in the dark of night, started a new life in New York City, and has never looked back - until one morning when he picks up the newspaper and reads the obituary of one Cathal Murphy. He sees at once that the obituary is a coded summary of his own life and probably a thinly veiled death threat. He turns to Halifax lawyer Monty Collins for advice, but when Monty starts to investigate the obit’s allusions to Declan’s IRA past, Declan decides to keep his lips sealed.

But keeping old secrets becomes much more difficult after a burst of gunfire at a family wedding and the appearance of Leo Killeen, the commanding officer of Declan’s former battalion in Dublin. Declan and Monty are confronted by a cast of enigmatic characters, including the owner of a nightclub frequented by the New York mob; a sultry chanteuse; and Burke’s hotheaded son Francis, whose resentment and dubious activities set the family on a road to destruction. The subsequent discovery of a body in a rundown Brooklyn flat forces Declan to confront the suspicion that he has been manipulated all along by an unseen hand.

©2010 Anne Emery (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Strong characters and a vivid depiction of Irish American family life make Emery's second mystery . . . as outstanding as her first." (Library Journal)

"Emery tops her vivid story of past political intrigue that could destroy the present with a surprising conclusion." (Publishers Weekly)

Love this series

You do not have to read the previous book to know what is going on in the present story. Not only that she does not spend half the book rehashing previous stories. There are multiple plots in each book and ending is never what I expected. Love the family dynamics: complex, loving with normal jealousy and frustrations. Great stories

Hooked on this series

I mentioned in earlier reviews of the two Anne Emery novels how I had stumbled upon this author and started my series experience by listening to Book 5 and then going back to the beginning and reading #1. I am now on #3 after completing The Obit. I must admit that I am surprised that Audible listeners only gave this mystery a 3.8 rating. The story takes place in New York and once again Anne Emery spins a fascinating yarn which makes the listener want to keep going.
First of all I want to underline that Christian Rummel is utterly incredible here. I liked him in the other two books but in The Obit the accents of New York are quite cleverly and convincingly portrayed. Further there seems to be more important secondary characters so Rummel has to cover a wide range of voices.
The second point which i failed to state an earlier review is the humor, especially the Irish humor. Despite the story being about murder, the involvement of the IRA and Father's Burke's father being a murder suspect, there are many funny scenes, scenes when I actually laughed out loud.
I enjoyed this mystery and am presently enjoying The Barrington Street Blues (great title).
Well worth the credits

A tad disappointed

Downloaded this immediately after having finished the first in the series. I really liked The Sign of the Cross, but found this installment lacking. First of all, the premise seems a bit implausible -- a man's sons are unnerved by his reaction to an obituary and immediately conclude it hides a death threat, launching into an investigation on their own. If their father's past is as mild as they have thought all along, doesn't the panic seem a bit of a stretch? Secondly, if the man himself knows all the "secrets," but refuses to discuss said secrets with his sons (telling the family to forget it), why would they insist of pursuing the search? (They are basically trying to discover things that their father already knows.) So that's my problem with the plot.

A secondary problem, with the characters themselves, is the womanizing priest...and everyone else's acceptance of this priest's 'character flaw,' even encouraging it. Regardless of your views on Catholic priests and their celibacy vow, it seems a little weird that practically all the characters (most of them Irish Catholics for whom the Church is a key part of their lives) treat this priest's frequent 'pecadillos' as somewhat amusing.

That said, the writing is good. I will probably give the series a third try.

Historical Overtones Make This Worth It

This is the second Collins/Burke mystery I listened to (Collins the defense attorney, Burke the priest, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia).

This book introduces the reader to Burke's family (which unfortunately means this takes place primarily in New York City, and not in Nova Scotia, which might have provided a little of the Canadian flavor I was hoping to get), and focuses on the life of his father in Ireland and his involvement with the IRA. The references to life in Ireland 50+ years ago plus the presence of the IRA in New York City are the most interesting part of the story.

It's awfully convenient that Monty Collins, a Canadian defense lawyer, just happens to be in New York on vacation the entire several weeks it takes Burke and his family to get to the bottom of the mystery, which relates to his father's past. It also seems almost silly what a huge role Collins plays in solving a crime that is simultaneously being worked on by the NYPD. As with the first book, the relationship between Collins and his ex-wife, Collins and his children, Collins and Burke's whole family, etc. is practically idyllic (and not very believable).

One benefit of not very complex relationships is that it makes this a very easy read -- don't have to think too hard, nor do the emotional heartstrings get pulled enough to be a distraction.

Narrator isn't great, but is serviceable.

Not sure I'll listen to another one, not before testing out some other mystery series anyway.

Just So-So

I loved Anne Emery's first book, "The Sign of the Cross". This book was just mediocre. My mind wandered frequently, and I couldn't get into the mood to replay sections I missed. I think the main problem for me was that the story line just didn't feel right. I couldn't believe an obituary was a coded and veiled threat against Father Burke's father. Collins and Burke couldn't even determine until late in the story if the threat was recent or decades old (from Declan Burke's days associated with the IRA in Ireland). There were so many characters with complex stories, and it took so long to get to a resolution. I wish the book had been based in Halifax instead of NYC.

I still love the characters and narrator. I will definitely try the next book in the series.

Captivating story from beginning to end

What made the experience of listening to Obit the most enjoyable?

The plot is at once straightforward and very tricky. It was easy to keep track of what was going on, even as I drove or gardened, but the ending took me completely by surprise (in a good way). Completely unpredictable, to me, but also completely consistent with the story told.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The elder Mr. Burke, Brennan's father, is a complicated character, like Fr. Brennan himself. I knew a crusty old I.R.A. sympathizer in Boston in the 1980s, a complicated man of high moral standards - standards that he had regularly violated in God's name, if you believed his stories. The elder Burke is very much like him, and I found his internal contradictions completely convincing.

Which character – as performed by Christian Rummel – was your favorite?

Mr. Rummel has a dab touch at voices and accents, to the point I stopped listening to him as a single voice and recognized the characters without thinking "Who is he doing now?" It was impressive that he could voice Bridget, half-seriously coming on to Monty Collins and immediately switch to Monty playing along, without making me twitch. So, maybe Bridey was my favorite character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I liked picking it up in pieces over the course of a few days.

Any additional comments?

This is a charming series, and for anyone from the East Coast who grew up Irish Catholic, it's a taste of home.

Great book!

Christian Rummel is the best narrator I’ve ever heard, so I’m sure that’s partly why I loved this book. But I truly enjoyed the story and will be purchasing the next one in the series immediately!

Relationships grounded in hostile codependency

Primary take-away:
People I want in my life do not incessantly talk to each other with biting sarcasm, poorly veiled or open hostility, and rampant criticism. There is no character in this book who I would want to be around even briefly. Even though I paid for their company, I probably won't endure it to the end.

Secondary take-away:
The technique used to tell the back-story/history of the characters does not work at all for me. Who would remember a conversation verbatim (plus related thoughts and feelings) 40 years after it happened?

Third take away:
Several reviews said this book was a disappointing sequel. I concur.

I am sorry, Ms. Emery, to give such a bad review.