Deadly Intent

Irish author Sweeney’s uneven U.S. debut, the first in a series, offers little mystery. At the tail end of the tourist season on Ireland’s scenic Beara peninsula, resort owner Nessa McDermott is eager for her latest group to leave. With just a couple days to go before their departure, the group’s drama queen, Maureen Scurlock, is discovered apparently beaten and semiconscious along an abandoned railroad siding. Tour group gossip has paired the married Maureen with wealthy businessman Oscar Malden, so when Malden is later found strangled, Maureen’s sloppy husband, Dominic, becomes the main suspect. Or could Dominic’s son and sole heir be the killer? Between singlehandedly wrangling her hormone-addled teenage daughter, juggling the remaining tour group members’ needs, and keeping the local press at bay, the harried Nessa also ventures some amateur sleuthing. Tension is lax in what amounts to little more than a charming travelogue. (July)