Book review - House of Eire by June Gillam

 

House of Eire by June Gillam begins with Hillary Broome, a writer, and her husband Ed, a detective. They live in California. Hillary is busy finalizing plans for a two-week belated honeymoon in Ireland with Ed, their seven-year-old daughter Claire and Ed's mother, Sarah. They will stay with their friends Seamus, a solicitor, and his American wife, Bridget, living in Galway. Bridget has been studying the history of Ireland and wants a memorial built to honor the Irish people. Seamus has been working with Dermot Connolly, an American developer who plans to buy land to build a Disneyland-style theme park. Connolly has decided on land where Bridget wants to build her memorial and is taking devious measures to get his way.

Hillary has been trying to trace her family tree. Her mother ran off, leaving Hillary when she was ten; she hopes that researching the Irish family background will help her find out why. Why has Bridget been receiving strange dolls in the post? Can Seamus convince Bridget to build the monument outside the theme park? Is the rumor that Connolly runs an Irish Mafia true? Why do nightmares plague Bridget? Moreover, what is Seamus not telling Bridget? For the answers to these and other questions, read House of Eire by June Gillam.

I liked the sensitive way June Gillam approaches Irish history. Having traced my Irish ancestry, I felt the pain Bridget suffers every time she finds another piece of evidence of the troubled times the Irish poor went through. Quote from page fifty-one "But, there are hundreds and thousands more who lived and died without mention—I feel for them, and I wasn't even born here!" Many interesting themes are touched upon, and the tension builds slowly. House of Eire is the third book in the Hillary Broome series, but I found it easy to read as a stand-alone book.

The first half of House of Eire is unnecessarily long and detailed. The story takes a long time to build up, and the many long-winded conversations really could have moved the story along more. June Gillam tends to end each chapter with something dramatic, which often feels forced and awkward. I did not find the conclusion was worth the wait. The book was described as a mystery, but there are very few surprises, which I  found disappointing. House of Eire does not seem to have been edited or proofread at all. I found many errors in spelling and grammar throughout the book.

I recommend House of Eire by June Gillam to adults who enjoy reading fictional books about Ireland, murder, and mysteries. There is swearing in the book, which makes it inappropriate for a younger audience.

I want to give House of Eire 3 out of 5 stars. I have removed one star due to the lack of proofreading and the other because the conversations were far too long-winded, making the book drag. I would have liked there to have been more depth to what could have been an exciting story, and the ending was disappointing.