Sheila Connolly Books

Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Sheila Connolly was an American author with Irish roots that wrote cozy mysteries. She died in 2020. Born in 1950 in Rochester, New York, Connolly attended Wellesley College from where she graduated with honors.

The author eventually studied Fine Art at Havard University. She left the institution with a Ph.D. Connolly would have loved to succeed as an Art Historian. But jobs in the field were so scarce that she finally decided to change gears by enrolling at the University of California (Berkley) to acquire an MBA.

In the years that followed, the author tried her hand at a variety of careers. Besides putting her skills as an art historian to good use, she also participated in two political campaigns along with working as a fundraiser.

While some people may dismiss these jobs as unnecessary detours, especially the time she spent working as a professional genealogist, Connolly’s previous jobs inspired the stories she went on to tell. She used her experiences to create quirky characters with interesting skillsets that had to navigate extraordinary situations.

On her website, Connolly claimed that everything she had done before she became a writer was simply research that eventually became the foundation for her novels. Though, she was also quick to reject the notion that she relied solely on the past to tell interesting stories.

Connolly wasn’t afraid to try new things. In fact, she made an effort to learn new skills so that she could better represent them in her novels. That includes learning how to grow apples and managing pubs in Ireland.

As a child, Connolly read a lot. She learned the habit from her mother and grandmother. She was obsessed with Nancy Drew. Along the way, she discovered the cozy mystery genre. The jobs she did before she joined the publishing industry worked in tandem with her love for storytelling to produce the mysteries for which is best known.

For instance, her days as an academic art historian taught her to describe the things she had seen. On the other hand, working as a fundraiser taught her to concoct stories about items she knew very little about.

Ireland featured prominently in some of her stories because Connolly was obsessed with her Irish roots. She never knew her father’s parents even though they both came from Ireland. Connolly’s father took her mother to visit them and she ended up hating them.

So Connolly was deprived of the opportunity to meet them. Later on, she did a test that revealed that she was 75 percent Irish. Apparently, her grandmother on her mother’s side was adopted. She did not realize that she was Irish.

The revelation elevated Connolly’s interest in Ireland, so much so that she bought a cottage in Ireland. Her decision to write fiction can be attributed to 911. The catastrophe woke Connolly up from her stupor, compelling her to pursue her publishing dreams.

Sheila Connolly Awards

Connolly has received nominations for Agatha and Anthony Awards.

Best Sheila Connolly Books

Connolly was living in Ireland when she died. Connolly’s best novels include:

Buried In A Bog: Maura’s grandmother wanted her to visit the Irish village where she was born. And when she died, Maura decided to honor her final wishes. The village was pleasant enough.

Against her better judgment, Maura landed a job at a local pub. It wasn’t long before a murder mystery came calling. Even though the drink orders were threatening to overwhelm her, Maura couldn’t ignore the talk going around the pub regarding a dead body that had been discovered in a bog. Even though the body was a hundred years old, Maura was shocked to discover a connection between herself and the ancient murder.

One Bad Apple: Meg Corey wanted to sell her mother’s Colonial home and the orchard that came with it. This was the reason that brought her to the quiet New England Town.

She did not expect her old lover from Boston to pull her into development plans that involved her land. She was even more astounded by the murder mystery that followed.

Someone had murdered the ex-lover in question. They had dumped his body on her property, giving the police a very good reason to suspect Meg. If she wants to escape jail time, Meg must find the real killer.

When Does The Next Sheila Connolly book come out?

Sheila Connolly doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Secret Staircase and was released on June, 2nd 2020. It is the newest book in the Victorian Village Mysteries Series.

Home » Author » Sheila Connolly

BookSeries.org