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Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told: A Novel Paperback – March 7, 2017

by Tom Phelan (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 1,135 ratings
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When journalist Patrick Bracken returns to Gohen, the Irish village where he was born, he knows the eyes of the townspeople are on him. He has come home to investigate two deaths that happened decades earlier when he was a child, deaths that were ruled accidental. But Patrick knows—and believes the whole town knows—they were murders. He knows because he and his best friend, Mikey Lamb, were witnesses.

And so Patrick goes to see eighty-year-old Sam Howard, the lawyer who conducted the inquest into the death of missionary priest Jarlath Coughlin. As he questions Sam and Sam’s vibrant, loving, gossipy wife, Elsie, he seeks acknowledgment of a cover-up and an explanation of why the Protestant establishment would help conceal a crime among Catholics. During their give-and-take—about this and the nearly simultaneous shotgun death of Lawrence Corcoran (a.k.a. Doul Yank)—what emerges from their collective memories are a pungent, wry portrait of village life in Ireland and a tangle of human relationships, some twisted and some that show our better side.

Part human comedy and part mystery, Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told is a delightful, enthralling, and masterful story of what holds a village together and what keeps people apart.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arcade
  4. Publication date
    March 7, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.96 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1628727543
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1628727548
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A masterful portrait of Irish village life disguised as a murder mystery. . . . Phelan finds humor and warmth in every poignant moment.” —Shelf Awareness

“Witty . . . The bawdy humor and the plentiful details of the farming lifestyle do much to enrich Phelan’s entertaining murder mystery.” —Publishers Weekly

"The structure is old-fashioned: chapter titles and headings that begin “In which . . .” pace the story for pleasure. The murders implied do not make the book a thriller. It is a revealer of temperament, of limitations, and of things that matter. I especially enjoyed the sharp-tongued, cautionary, critical—and yet sexy—banter between the solicitor and his wife. In fact there is a lot of sex in this book, but not without genuine intimacy. Expect to love even the cow dung." —Book Pleasures

“A masterful portrait of Irish village life disguised as a murder mystery. . . . Phelan finds humor and warmth in every poignant moment.” —Shelf Awareness

“Witty . . . The bawdy humor and the plentiful details of the farming lifestyle do much to enrich Phelan’s entertaining murder mystery.” —Publishers Weekly

"The structure is old-fashioned: chapter titles and headings that begin “In which . . .” pace the story for pleasure. The murders implied do not make the book a thriller. It is a revealer of temperament, of limitations, and of things that matter. I especially enjoyed the sharp-tongued, cautionary, critical—and yet sexy—banter between the solicitor and his wife. In fact there is a lot of sex in this book, but not without genuine intimacy. Expect to love even the cow dung." —Book Pleasures

About the Author

Tom Phelan is the author of In the Season of the Daisies, Iscariot, Derrycloney, Nailer, and The Canal Bridge, also published by Arcade. Born and raised on a farm in Mountmellick, Country Laois, Ireland, Phelan now lives in New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade; Reprint edition (March 7, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1628727543
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1628727548
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.96 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 1,135 ratings

About the author

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Tom Phelan

Tom Phelan

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Tom Phelan was born and reared on a small farm in Mountmellick, Co. Laois, Ireland. He had just turned fifty when his first novel, “In the Season of the Daisies,” was accepted for publication in Dublin. One reviewer later wrote, "The most obvious question posed by a novelistic debut with as much resounding vigour as this is: Where has Mr. Phelan BEEN?"

“In the Season of the Daisies” was later selected by Barnes and Noble for its Discover Great New Writers series and was a finalist for the Discover award.

Since then, Tom has written the novels "Iscariot," "Derrycloney," "The Canal Bridge," "Nailer," and "Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told." These deal with such themes as Irish soldiers in World War I, returned emigrants, the abusive Irish industrial schools and the church-state collusion that allowed them to flourish, the priesthood, and life in rural Ireland in the mid-1900s.

Tom Phelan’s most recent work, "We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood," was awarded a star by Kirkus Reviews, indicating a book of exceptional merit.

Kirkus calls the memoir “A tender recollection of growing up on a farm in Ireland in the 1940s….A captivating portrait of a bygone time,” noting that “In precise, vibrant prose, novelist Phelan creates a finely etched portrait.”

Newsday calls "We Were Rich" an "evocative memoir, with echoes of Frank McCourt."

And according to the book blog For the Love of Books, “Phelan’s story is one of grace and beauty.”

Tom Phelan now makes his home in New York.

For more information, please see www.tomphelan.net and www.facebook.com/tomphelannovels.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
1,135 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Shorsue
4.0 out of 5 stars Country Charmer
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
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Full of entertaining idioms and similes, this story told in a day told of a wondrous few happenings in previous years. It bounces back and forth with point of view, but maintains the story well, only getting bogged down a little. I was in wonder of people living the life they did in the time they did (1951), and was knocked into seeing life and culture through the characters' eyes. It was a charmer of a book, with a satisfying ending, besides quite a bit of fun getting there.
22 people found this helpful
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Boxplayer
5.0 out of 5 stars Complicated, hilarious, and thoroughly enjoyable!
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2016
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Brilliant -- funny much of the time, complex in its construction of the murders and gradual revealing of them, authentic in its characters and setting, and satisfying in the end. The plot has been well described elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here. The author's careful use of language is generally successful, although occasionally excessive in its many similes, and often very clever. The story itself and the rationale for the community acceptance of the two deaths as accidental is very Irish. The behavior and circumstances of the minor characters help to fill out the picture of rural life in mid-20th-century Ireland and provide the context for the central story.
7 people found this helpful
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Auntie Sue
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Escape from 2020
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2020
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This is a pleasant book, not at all taxing, purportedly a quest for the truth behind two deaths that happened in a village many years ago. The many characters are finely drawn. The plot is slim, yet held my interest. I would recommend it.
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Debbi Meads
4.0 out of 5 stars Stick with it
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023
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It was a bit of a slow start. Also, it took me several chapters to figure out the format, but I realized it was quite clever once I got the gist of it. You quickly come to love the relationship between Sam and Else.
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Joy D
5.0 out of 5 stars Your visit to Ireland without tour bus or guide.
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
I had a high auld time reading this engaging novel. The humor was a part of relating the circumstances, but expertly crafted. The plot was well presented as you were fireside with the narrator. You would easily recognize the characters in passing. I could smell the turf fire, feel the warmth and hear china rattle as tea was shared. I enjoyed this well structured trip with Tom Phelan. It was very good indeed.
One person found this helpful
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Noelle Branch
4.0 out of 5 stars A raw, gritty novel of life in Ireland after the Second World War.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Reading this novel I realized I knew very little about Ireland during the 1950's and was surprised at the level of poverty and the dire circumstances under which many people lived. However, the story was not depressing, quite humorous at times, and the author provided a helpful glossary of Irish vocabulary at the end of the book, which I quite enjoyed. A really great book I would recommend to any serious reader.
5 people found this helpful
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Virginia M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't want to put it down
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
This was on my daily Book Bub e-mail today. I down loaded it because I wanted a good read to curl up with on a Saturday and am so glad I did. I read it in its entirety in one day. The characters are interesting, and sometimes infuriating. Personal histories are well developed. I was intrigued by the coarseness of life and speech in rural Ireland in the mid-twentieth century and hope the author knows whereof he speaks. Some of the Irish expressions are a little difficult to figure out, and the glossary is difficult to use on the Kindle, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I definitely recommend it.
One person found this helpful
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Julie F.
3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate but not exceptional
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016
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From all the rave reviews I read, I was expecting something exceptional. Granted, I am only halfway through right now, but I am finding a somewhat hackneyed storytelling style that bounces back and forth between an oh-so-charming, sparring old couple who know more than they let on with the reality of the characters involved in small town strains and resentments among people who all know each other a little too well. The writing is solid, and I'm not trying to pan this at all, but it is not what I consider worthy of four or five stars. It's OK, just not exceptional.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jennifer's Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarity, Poverty, Family - All Beautifully Portrayed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
I discovered this book, and this writer, quite accidentally when the audio version was offered as part of my audible membership.

The story is about a solicitor who visits the place of his birth, Northern Ireland, in order to set his mind at rest regarding an incident that happened when he was a child.

As such, it's a mystery - the reader can sleuth along with the author - but it's also a beautifully written memoire. For me it captured a specific time and place, but in a way this could have been any tight-knit rural community.

I recognised words and expressions I hadn't heard since childhood, and loved the interplay, the poverty, the hilarity, the strength of family and community bonds; all beautifully portrayed.

If you liked 'Cider With Rosie' then you might like this too.

Me, I loved it.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in Australia on March 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
I loved this book from start to finish. It has just the right sprinkling of humour, and wonderful characters to follow and love. Are omissions of facts lies? Judge the mushroom pickers, civil servants, farmers, and men of law for yourself. My favourite read of the year so far.
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Kindle Customera
4.0 out of 5 stars Villageife
Reviewed in Australia on May 6, 2022
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A very different kind of story. I found it a bit confusing at times, but enjoyed the outcome. Would read more of the author's books
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Carole Paterson
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book
Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. It was laugh out loud funny at times.The characters were real and stayed with me long after I had finished the book. I'm recommending it to my friends.
4 people found this helpful
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Rachel D
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a really well written book. I was a child in the 1950s in Northern Ireland and much of the book rings true. The format is interesting too, in that the story is recalled by the participants. The children are particularly well drawn..
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