A mother goes missing leaving 5 children abandoned in Belfast during the troubles. Over 30 years later a group of students are murdered whilst renting a cottage. It seems inexplicable that the two could be connected, but connected they are. How and why is the question that Danny & Rose must answer.

I was shocked at how little I knew about the troubles in Northern Ireland. Despite this I found this novel to be engaging right from the off. Eden Mulligan's story was fascinating & her disappearance needed a resolution. Her story certainly took the forefront, the student's murders seemed to disappear into the background, becoming almost inconsequential.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is definitely something that I would recommend to others.

This book was honestly like nothing I’ve ever read before.

The story had a really interesting protagonist in the form of Rose who is called back to Belfast for a family bereavement.

It follows the investigation into the murder of 3 people and also the investigation into a missing person case that from the start, do not look like they could be connected.

The story confused me at times and also intrigued me and had me wanting to find out more. I totally did not see that ending coming! Genuinely surprised me how much I enjoyed this book.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed, and it started really well, but at times, it also completely lost my focus to the point where I had to restart the chapter as I was just “lost” in what was going on. This happened several times.
For me, it felt at like there was just too much going on, too many characters with backstories and I felt like so much had been crammed into the story with the two crimes that had happened, that I struggled at times to see how it all fit and where it all would come together. This could quite possibly be better read than listened too.
The narrator did a good job on the reading of this book and I would happily listen to her again.
Sadly, although there were good parts early on in the story, as a whole, it just didn’t hit the spot for me quite enough.

Great plot and I liked Rose and Danny - would like to read more of them. However, I did lose concentration at points (I listened to this on audio) as it wasn’t as pacy as it could’ve been. That said, I did enjoy the story and was satisfied with the ending. I would read more by this author. I also enjoyed the narrator and would listen to more books narrated by her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

I don't know quite what I was expecting from this book but I got a STONKINGLY good listen and thoroughly enjoyed every second. I really felt for Rose, she had built up so many defensive walls to protect herself from hurt. I thought the connection between her and police officer Danny was completely credible and made their working relationship very special. All the players had their own agendas and the characterisations were so detailed and rounded I felt as if I'd met every one personally at some stage. A very clever 'Whodunnit', well thought through with superb dialogue and a hugely satisfying resolution. A perfect performance from Melaine MacHugh added another layer of pleasure to an excellent listen.

This was a really intriguing listen. I hadn't listened to anything like this before and it explored a bit of history that I don't know much about.

The character development was great, I would really love to listen/read more books in this series (if there was one) as I think there is more to explore.

The narrator was great and really added to the story.

My only criticism is the resolution with the mother. That didn't ring true to me. This is why I haven't given a 5 star rating

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review which I have done.

Who Took Eden Mulligan? - Sharon Dempsey

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and Netgalley. Narrated by Melaine MacHugh

‘They’re dead. They’re all dead. It’s my fault. I killed them.’
Those are the words of Iona Gardener, who stands bloodied and staring as she confesses to the murder of four people in a run-down cottage outside of Belfast.

Outside the cottage, five old dolls are hanging from a tree. Inside the cottage, the words “WHO TOOK EDEN MULLIGAN?” are graffitied on the wall, connecting the murder scene with the famous cold case of Eden Mulligan, a mother-of-five who went missing during The Troubles.

But this case is different. Right from the start.

Rose is a forensic psychiatrist assisting Danny with the investigation into a cold case and the recent murder of four friends. This book follows Rose and Danny whilst they investigate both of these cases. The investigation has many twists and turns to keep the reader invested in the story.

This is a slow paced but gripping thriller, with lots of insight into 1980s Belfast. I thought that this was a well written novel with the ending leaving the option open for a sequel.

Rating 4/5

I found myself eager to continue reading to find out who took Eden.

Who Took Eden Mulligan is a mystery book set against the back drop of Ireland’s political turmoil in Belfast following The Troubles and The Good Friday Agreement. When a young woman enters a police station and confesses to killing four of her friends the police are stumped. At the scene, 5 dolls are hung from a tree and “Who took Eden Mulligan?” is scrawled across a wall in charcoal. The PSNI begin to investigate the link between the murders and the disappearance of Eden Mulligan, a mother of 5 who vanished during the troubles.

While the story is set up with intrigue and great potential, it is a slow burner that doesn’t really resolve a lot about the case that was set out to begin with. The death of Evelyn is just a distraction from the plot and doesn’t add any value. The weather is constantly spoken about too which has absolutely no bearing on the case, and while yes it is a major point of small talk for Irish people, it is brought up so much I thought it might have something to do with the case and potentially catching someone in a lie. There is also a lot of talk about Eden having fancy clothes but this is never tied up... why did she have such fancy clothes and money for such, yet her children were described as dirty? It doesn’t make much sense.

There’s a lot about the plot that is left answered which is a shame as this is the books biggest downfall.

An enjoyable read all the same. 3/5

Rose Laney has returned to Belfast after 18 years. As she reconnects with an old friend and helps him with a new case she’s forced to come to terms with the past she ran away from, and question what her mothers true role was in the Troubles.

This is a fantastic crime thriller that doesn’t shy away from Northern Ireland’s past but weaves it into the story. I enjoyed the way the author wove together a cold case and the multiple murder case to create a sophisticated plot that kept you guessing right up to the end. Usually I’m good at guessing whodunnits, but this one definitely took me by surprise!

I listened to the audiobook version read by Melanie McHugh and it was fantastically narrated! It was refreshing to hear a book set in Ireland actually narrated by someone from there.

My only criticism is that the plot was a little slow at times. Maybe that was intentional to mimic the frustration the characters felt about their case, but it could definitely have been more fast-paced at some points.

The ending sets the book up perfectly for a sequel, and I really hope Dempsey takes advantage of that and turns it into a whole series!

4.25* really enjoyed the book. Great topic. Striking cover.
A mix between a modern investigation and an old case.
Iona Gardener confesses to the murder of four people at the site of an old mystery and the dilapidated cottage has graffiti saying who took Eden Mulligen with 5 dolls strung up in the garden.
It immediately drew my interest.
The investigation took awhile to get going. We are diverted with Roses family history the ‘troubles’ in NI and reason for her return to Belfast. She has spent a long time putting her past behind her and distancing herself from her past and her mother’s politics, changing her name, her accent, her politics.
Too much time was spent on Rose’s back story for me at the beginning of the book which had a detrimental effect on the pace.
Interesting to see how people are still struggling in the aftermath of the troubles living with the atrocities that occurred. I really engaged with Eden’s children.
Most of the book concentrated on the historic story.
I like the narrator and the accent which was a nice lilt, and added interest and tension well.
My Fav quote from the book is ‘sometimes the dead don’t stay dead’
The ending is particularly good.

Who Took Eden Mulligan? by Sharon Dempsey

Intrigue and mystery from the first pages. A young woman, covered in the blood of her murdered friends, confesses to killing them. But the police know she did not. Then there is the question written on the wall at the crime scene: Who Took Eden Mulligan? The detectives will have to dig back to a case from 1986 and try to find a connection between the two. This is a great blend of how life was like in the 1980's in Ireland during the Troubles and how the events of that era effect modern day Ireland.

Audio version of this book 📚- A good read/listen though I did find it slow in places. I also got a little frustrated by the storyline, the book starts with a grizzly scene of 5 gruesome murders, however, The main characters spent most of their time dealing with a cold case that was, at first glance, only a small part of the gruesome scene which seems to get forgotten along the way! Otherwise a good who done it ! The narrator was good and brought the characters to life

Rose Lainey left Belfast behind and became a forensic psychologist in London. She wants to forget her childhood in Ireland and her mother’s involvement with the IRA. She’s back, briefy, for her mother’s funeral, when she gets caught up in a gruesome multiple murder. Her best friend from college, Danny Stowe is the DI charged with the case and he needs Rose’s input. She reluctantly agrees to help and is immediately drawn back into the past, to the Troubles, when mother of five, Eden Sullivan, vanished without a trace. Eden’s name was written on the wall of the home of the current murder scene. What is her connection to the slaughter of five people? MacHugh’s melodious Irish accent brings this dark story to life (and reminded me of my beloved grandparents )

A Mixture of true crime and a psychological thriller! The narrator set the scene perfect, I absolutely loved listening to this while walking my dog, definitely had to stop at times because I got so immersed in the story line! Strong themes of family, community and strong will. Would love to have a physical copy of the book to re-read! Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author and publisher for allowing me an early copy of this!