"A wonderful book with a little bit of everything!"

The Whiskey Island Saloon is a longtime favorite watering hole in Cleveland. Run by Megan Donaghue, she is the 5th generation Irish-American to share the recipes used by her ancestor, Rosaleen Donaghue in the 1880s.

Although Megan has been running the restaurant/saloon alone, she is soon to be joined by her prodigal sisters, Casey and Peggy, who arrive one evening and are immediately welcomed by a carjacking in the saloon parking lot, which is broken up by one Niccolo Andreani who just happens to be walking in the area. But who is the mysterious man who both Niccolo and Casey saw lurking out of darkness? A man credited with saving lives that night?

Casey returns to Whiskey Island with a young child, Ashley in tow. Not willing to talk too much about the four-year- old, why she has her, or when her mother will take her back, it is clear though that after social worker Casey is unable to prevent a tragedy at her job in Chicago, she has quit and returned to the home she left years before after an argument with her older sister, Megan.

Returning with Megan is the baby of the family, Peggy. Their mother having died shortly after Peggy was born, both Megan and Casey had helped their aunt raise her after their father's mysterious disappearance. Peggy has been working and attending medical school and her arrival home is also quite a surprise. Why is it though that she is so reluctant to return?

Niccolo, who has been slightly injured in his attempt to save the three strangers, is cared for by Megan, while Peggy and Casey help little Ashley get settled. Niccolo is immediately drawn to the capable woman who runs the saloon, and it appears that the feeling is mutual. But will Megan feel the same way when she learns Niccolo had been a priest?

Jon Kovats seems to come and go in the most mysterious ways seemingly teasing Casey who is surprised to see her childhood playmate has turned into a sexy young prosecutor. Jon has waited for years for Casey to return but he's not going to be an easy catch. Casey isn't so sure if she wants a relationship of any kind but when she sees how caring he is with young Ashley, helping get her out of her shell, her heart just melts, as with this exchange:

But the story of the three Donaghue sisters isn't the only story Richards tells in WHISKEY ISLAND [Whiskey Island (the land mass) is actually a peninsula & can be found at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. A distillery was built there in 1836, hence its name. The island has suffered multiple incarnations: it has been a dump, a US Coast Guard Station, a ship graveyard, & a predominantly Irish immigrant shanty town.]. She tells the story of Terry and Lena Tierney, Irish immigrants who are struggling not only to make on Whiskey Island in the 1880s but to save money to bring their families to America. When Terry is tragically injured, Lena needs to make more money than she does feeding the terriers at the docks. When offered a position in one of the finest homes in Cleveland, she believes it to be an answer to her prayers. But it seems owner James Simeon, one of the wealthiest men in the city, has more nefarious reasons for hiring the beautiful young Irish woman.

Richards tells both the stories in present day as well as the historical portion with the same finesse, each several chapters at a time. It seems just as I would get caught up in the historical story, Richards would take me back to present day and vice versa. But deeply caught up in both stories I was and it didn't take more than a paragraph or two for me to get just as involved in the next story; not an easy feat for a writer to accomplish.

Suspense, mystery, history, romance -- this book has it all. The historical portion of the book is interspersed with journal entries from Father Patrick McSweeney whose parish includes Whiskey Island. How the two stories connect and how Father McSweeney becomes a truly instrumental character in the story isn't revealed until the very end (no fair peaking!) The journal entries are told as Niccolo is asked to transcribe the entries by the current parish priest. How the two stories meld together will have even the most discriminating reader glued to the page.

Not only does the book have plenty of action to keep the reader riveted, the rich characterization that Richards is famous for keeps the reader involved in even the parts of the story without so much action; the reader feeling as if they actually know Donaghue sisters and will want to visit Whiskey Island Saloon for themselves for a taste of Rosaleen's Irish Stew followed by a pint of Guinness. Fortunately, that Irish Stew recipe along with the recipe for Megan's Soda Bread can be found on Emilie Richard's web site www.emilierichards.com. Readers will also be happy to know that more of the Donaghue sisters' story will be told the next offering from the talented Ms. Richards, THE PARTING GLASS, available in hardcover this summer.

Reviewed by Maudeen Wachsmith
Posted May 24, 2003