Book Review – A Man With One Of Those Faces (The Dublin Trilogy Deluxe Part One, Book One) by Caimh McDonnell

First published, 2016

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The story follows an every man, Paul Mulchrone, a man with one of those faces, who visits an old folks’ home regularly because he can be mistaken for whoever the patients are hoping to see. Although an act of semi-questionable kindness, Paul does this voluntary work because the moment he gets a paid job, he will forfeit the home and monthly stipend left him by his great aunt, and as stipulated in her will, the whole kit and caboodle will go to the donkey sanctuary. As Paul doesn’t have the highest opinion of donkeys, he’ll stretch that money as far as it will go and keep up the voluntary work, thank you very much.

Asked by nurse Brigit Conroy to fit in one final visit to an old fella who hasn’t seen a friendly, non-medical face in the three weeks since his admission to the home, Paul finds himself plunged into a deadly intrigue, a case of mistaken identity and is thought to have discovered something so secret, so shocking, that he has become an everyday guy with a target on his back and something underneath his car.

Assisted by Brigit and days-from-retirement Detective Jimmy Stewart, Paul must run for his life or solve a thirty year old mystery to save his skin.

A very funny and clever thrill-ride with some great dialogue, beautiful scenery and cracking characters. I laughed out loud more than once.

“‘You know what,’ he said. ‘Don’t you dare cry! I have every right to be angry. Don’t you take that away from me.’
“She nodded her agreement.
“‘And don’t agree with me. You don’t get to be reasonable,’ he said. ’Thanks to you, I could be dead! So you stand there, not crying – and take the damn good tongue lashing you’ve got coming.’
“He’d never used that phrase before in his life and, even as it came out of his mouth, the little internal editor in the back of his brain looked up from his newspaper and sneered. Where the hell did that come from?
“As Brigit dabbed a tear away from her left eye with the corner of a tissue, her right eyebrow rose ever so slightly, in the tiniest acknowledgement of his peculiar choice of words. For some reason that made him even angrier.
“‘And don’t you… don’t you DARE find my choice of words funny.’
“She shook her head furiously but even as she did so, a nervous smile played across her lips.
“’Stop – stop it right this minute!’ His tone was becoming pleading now. He could feel the conversation slipping further off the course he’d planned out.”
5% in, Chapter Four, A Man With One Of Those Faces (The Dublin Trilogy Deluxe Part One, Book One) by Caimh McDonnell

It is worth bearing in mind, this is a trilogy unlike any other. Where most trilogies have three parts, this deluxe edition has two parts, each made up for four stories. I’ve never been good with numbers so that’s the extent of my explanation.

Joyous.

For the first book, follow this link: https://amzn.to/3111Aeg

Or, to get right into the craziness and get the whole first part of the eight part ‘trilogy’, head over this way: https://amzn.to/3mcu4tK