The Mystery of Mercy Close

February 25, 2013
In her fifth Walsh Sister novel (after Anybody Out There?), Keyes focuses on misanthropic youngest sister, Helen. In Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, with her PI business dried up and her flat lost, Helen has moved back in with her flighty parents rather than with her boyfriend, Artie, a high-level forensics cop with three kids and an uncomfortably close relationship with his ex. Helen lands a job from old beau Jay, who is handling the reunion of ’90s boy band the Laddz, provided she can get the reluctant Wayne Diffney, a.k.a. “the Wacky One,” on board; the others—“the Talented One,” “the Cute One,” “the Gay One,” and “the Other One”—are getting in shape and rehearsing. Helen likes the money the gig will bring, but Jay’s desire to rekindle their relationship sinks her into another major depression, and she’s not sure Artie will be able to handle it. Though the excessively noisy mystery gets too much play, Keyes’s portrayal of depression is nuanced and authentic. Helen’s vibrant voice is spot-on, and scenes with Artie illustrate her off-kilter personality, making it easy to see why he loves her. Agent: Jonathan Lloyd, Curtis Brown (U.K.)

March 1, 2013
At the age of 33, Helen, the youngest and latest-blooming of the five Walsh girls, has suffered yet another setback. She's been forced to give up her beloved, eccentrically decorated flat and move back in with Mum and Dad. Since her detective work has all but dried up, thanks to the economic taming of the Celtic tiger, she grudgingly accepts a missing person case from an old flame, Jay, who is managing the reunion tour of a former Irish boy band, the Laddz. Only four Laddz are on board--the fifth, front man Docker, has gone on to mega-stardom in movies and is now a full time globe-trotting philanthropist. Wayne, the wackiest of the Laddz, goes abruptly AWOL four days before opening night. The other Laddz, including John Joseph and his new wife, Middle Eastern singing sensation Zeezah, not to mention Jay and a gangster named Harry, all stand to lose big-time if Wayne isn't found. Helen's investigation turns up no clues except a phone message from a woman named Gloria on the eve of Wayne's disappearance from his home on a Dublin cul-de-sac called Mercy Close. Highly illegal checks of his cellphone and financial records turn up nothing. Neither Wayne's closest associates nor jealous ex-girlfriends have any idea who Gloria could be, and a bludgeon-wielding assailant warns Helen to give up her quest. On the personal front, Helen's new boyfriend, Artie, a cop, seems to be too amicably divorced, and his three children have mixed feelings--ranging from adoration to hatred--toward their mother's potential replacement. Throughout, flashbacks detail Helen's bouts of despair, related in her quirky voice, with mordant asides about psychotropic drugs and the logistics of a good suicide plan. (Hint: Avoid dog walkers while attempting to drown self.) Readers who find some topics too serious for irony be warned--nothing is sacred in Helen's world.

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November 1, 2012

An internationally best-selling author, Irish lass Keyes returns to her chronicle of the relentlessly off-the-wall Walsh family, this time focusing on youngest sister Helen. Floundering at her job (she's a private investigator with a bad case of depression), Helen has returned home to Mammy. Soon she's on a case that doesn't entirely thrill her; she's to find Wayne Diffney ("the Wacky One"), a member of Ireland's legendary 1990s boy band, Laddz; the other members (minus the "Talented One," long since decamped) are eager to launch a reunion tour. Not just wacky.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Keyes brings back the popular Walsh family, this time in a decidedly different kind of novel. Instead of the laugh-out-loud women's-fiction milieu in which the other Walsh sisters appear (Watermelon, 1998; Anybody Out There? 2006; etc.), Keyes goes for a darker tone and tosses in a bit of a mystery. Helen Walsh is a depressive private investigator on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Her flat has been foreclosed, her clients are leaving her, and she's not quite sure where she stands with her new boyfriend. When ex-boyfriend Jay, a music producer, hires her to track down the missing member of a boy band, she reluctantly takes the job. After all, a girl's gotta pay the bills. What seems like an easy case gets twisty when Helen discovers just how many people stand to lose money if the reunion doesn't go off as planned, and everyone from bandmates to neighbors to shady con men becomes a suspect. Not quite a mystery, not quite standard women's fiction, this will still appeal to Keyes' many fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2013

Keyes (The Brightest Star in the Sky) continues to write frothy, fun books from across the pond, this time tackling a mystery. Helen Walsh, a struggling private investigator living in Dublin, is battling severe depression, has been kicked out of her flat, and has no job. But she faces all this with a crackling dry wit and clever, sarcastic comments. When an old flame tracks her down to seek her help in finding a missing person, she's on the case. Ireland's biggest 1990s boy band, the Laddz, are having a reunion tour. But one unwilling member, Wayne (The Wacky One), has flown the coop. Helen must find out whether he skipped by choice or force. Can she stay sane enough to complete her task? Throw in Helen's hunky new boyfriend (complete with three kids and an ever-present ex-wife) and her nutty Mum and sisters (previously encountered in Angels and Anybody Out There?), and there are plenty of obstacles to avert. VERDICT While Helen's voice, a mix of Stephanie Plum and Bridget Jones, is consistently amusing, the storyline is dragged down by the slow pacing. [See Prepub Alert, 10/15/12.]--Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.