Murder on the Clock is the fourth book in the Mercy McCarthy Mystery series by Lucy Connelly, which is solidly one of my favourite cozy mystery series.
Title: Murder on the Clock
Author: Lucy Connelly
Series: Mercy McCarthy Mysteries #4
First Published: November 14, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for inviting me on this book tour and for providing me with an e-copy of this book for review purposes ***
When Mercy McCarthy takes her beloved mother’s watch to be fixed, she’s completely charmed by the little repair store and the father-and-son duo who run it. Little does she know that the clock is ticking… when she returns, she finds the father lying unconscious amid broken glass, and her mother’s watch is missing.
The police think Mr. Flynn was attacked in a burglary gone wrong but soon suspects closer to home start coming out of the clockwork. Mercy, her sister, and their canine sidekick, master body sniffer-outer Mr. Poe, set out to gather clues and help the local detective find the killer.
Could it be the family next door to the Flynns who’ve been feuding for decades? His fiercest rival, who’s long dreamed of shutting him down? Or was his son less devoted than he seemed? As the hours tick away, another murder and the discovery of a long-buried secret changes everything…
The summer festival is fast approaching. Can Mercy solve the mystery in the nick of time, or will someone stop her clock?
This series continues to shine
After taking a break from Shamrock Cove in the last book, the action shifts back to the cozy village where Mercy (a writer) and her twin sister Lizzie (a bookshop owner) work and live (after having relocated to Ireland from the USA). I have absolutely adored getting to know both women in the previous three books and was excited to revisit them, and their friends in this new adventure.
Aside from Mercy and Lizzie, the other characters who live in Shamrock Cove are diverse and interesting and I wish we could have lots of stories that just focus on them. The twins live in a close-knit community and the different backgrounds and personalities of the neighbours makes for a very charming group of people.
Speaking of charming, the local Detective Inspector, Kieran, has been slowly (emphasis on SLOWLY) getting closer to Mercy and has even progressed to the point of hiring her on as a consultant to help him with this latest investigation. It’s been a slow burn so far and I feel things are FINALLY inching forward (slowly). Maybe next book?
Mercy’s background as a mystery writer, and her experiences and knowledge (she deep-dives into many different topics as part of her book research) makes her a competent sleuth and I love seeing her and Kieran work together. I did have a hard time guessing who the culprit was but that made it more enjoyable. It probably wasn’t my favourite book of the series so far, but this still continues to be one of my favourite cozy mystery series and I’m definitely looking forward to the next one!
You can buy your own copy of Murder on the Clock here.
About the Author, Lucy Connelly (aka Candace Havens)
Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.
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