Book Review: Angels in the Moonlight by Caimh McDonnell

For Detective Bunny McGarry, life is complicated, and it is about to get more so.
It’s 1999 and his hard won reputation amongst Dublin’s criminal fraternity, for being a massive pain the backside, is unfortunately shared by his bosses. His partner has a career-threatening gambling problem and, oh yeah, Bunny's finally been given a crack at the big time. He’s set the task of bringing down the most skilled and ruthless armed robbery gang in Irish history. So the last thing he needs in his life is yet another complication.
Her name is Simone. She is smart, funny, talented and, well, complicated. When her shocking past turns up to threaten her and Bunny’s chance at a future, things get very complicated indeed. If the choice is upholding the law or protecting those he loves, which way will the big fella turn?
Angels in the Moonlight is a standalone prequel to Caimh McDonnell’s critically acclaimed Dublin Trilogy, and it is complicated.

Angels in the Moonlight has been my least favorite of the Dublin series so far. I loved the first one and liked the second (publication order), but didn’t especially enjoy this third installment.

This series was my go-to in the past when I was in a read slump and didn’t know what to read. I wasn’t in this exact situation right now, but I needed something light while I was spending a week with family on vacation. The kind of vacation in which you have, in theory, lots of free time, but in practice, you often get interrupted by any of the multiple family members that are staying at the same beach house as you.

Angels in the Moonlight fit the bill, as it was a light read with short chapters. This book explores the past of Bunny McGurry, the anti-hero from books one and two. This was the first red flag, as Bunny is not a character I especially liked. I guessed this was going to be a tremendous masculine book, and I was right. Most characters are cis male, and from the few female characters, one was a damsel in distress, and the other was treacherous. The main theme is mostly about gang wars in Dublin, something I am not particularly interested in.

The only good thing about this book is that it is very readable. The short chapters and simple style made it an almost perfect read for what I wanted. I just hoped to be more interested in the main story and could relate more to its characters. Sorry, Bunny, I don’t feel anything for you.

After this, I’m not sure I’ll explore the rest of the series. I may give it another try if I find myself in desperate need of a light book and I have nothing else that picks my fancy.

Story (Plot)
Overall:

lomeraniel

My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.

I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.