Cassies Ruler and Confessional Matters contain eventful and fast-paced stories distinguished by clear, vigourous writing. McCaffrey makes clever use of a rich and deep classical background. His mystery stories contain historical and philosophical references, with a hint of humor, to explicate attitudes and to breathe life into characters and personalities that are vivid and memorable. More McAbee mysteries, please!

Are you looking for a vivacious cast of characters and a story line that does not allow you to put the book down? This is it.

In Ireland, more than most places, history is not a distant story but a living presence in the lives of the people.
That history, from Celtic origins to the mid-1990's, is engagingly explored by the authors, who have not only provided the expected political history but also have included the mythic and literary elements which are central to the understanding of the people. Special attention is given to the American connection, which has loomed large in Irish affairs - (there are now more Irish-Americans than indigenous Irish).
Well written, with illustrations, reading list, and index, this is an excellent introduction to the complexities of the Irish experience.
(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

I really wanted to like this book, since I love both mysteries and the sport of harness racing. And, for the most part, I did think the book was excellent, particularly the main character, who I find to be a very interesting detective. However, I did have two problems with the book, that keep me from giving it 5 stars. First of all, in his desire to have the right mix of politically correct characters, the quthor produces quite a few awkward passages since, in alot of spots, the diversity he covets really doesn't fit, and seems contrived. Second, he should know, since his son, to whom he dedicated the book, is a fairly well known harness racing trainer in Chicago, that everyone who works on the backstretch at a harness track must be fingerprinted. Yet, from the way he describes these murders, prints must have been left, so the guy would have been identified almost immediately. So, all in all, the book was good but not great, and perhaps a bit inaccurate, but I would definitely read more by this author.

Mc Caffrey did an excellent job on this one. A must read for all harness racing fans. I fell in love with some of the characters, and it was hard to put down!

Cassies Ruler and Confessional Matters contain eventful and fast-paced stories distinguished by clear, vigorous writing. McCaffrey makes clever use of a rich and deep classical background. His mystery stories contain historical and philosophical references, with a hint of humor, to explicate attitudes and to breathe life into characters and personalities that are vivid and memorable. More McAbee mysteries, please!