The Bean Sidhe by Ernest L Canning – 4 Star Review

Percy thought he had it all figured out; good education, good job, good wife, work hard, play by the rules. But he discovered very late in life that not everyone has read the same rule book.

Welcome to one of the July 20th stops on the blog tour for The Bean Sidhe by Ernest L Canning with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more reviews and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

The Bean Sidhe
by Ernest L. Canning

Published 10 December 2021
Tellwell Talent 

Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Page Count: 143
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Percy thought he had it all figured out; good education, good job, good wife, work hard, play by the rules. But he discovered very late in life that not everyone has read the same rule book. Tired, angry, and bitter, Percy, for the first time in his life, decides he wants to kill someone. Revenge for someone he barely knew. Percy quickly learns that murder isn’t as easy as it looks, and keeping the whole mess secret even harder. A funny, gritty look at killing your fellow man.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | BD | B&N | Chapters Indigo | Apple | Smashwords

Excerpt

What kind of a horse’s ass wears a fucking Tilley hat when they’re trying to follow someone?

The woman pushed the door open wider and stepped into the apartment. To her left was a long narrow living room. Someone liked Danish modern. The big leather Lazy Boy didn’t fit, but then again, no one had asked her for decorating tips.

The dining room was at the far end of this same room. The furniture there was pushed into the corner, and drop cloths covered the floor. Here too, the Danes were favoured, lots of teak.

The kitchen was small, and directly in front of her. In this room, chrome was king. Her mother had a set just like this, right down to the grey flecks in the arborite. The place had all the warmth of a cheap motel; no colour, no extra anything. This guy was no neat freak, dirty dishes, pizza boxes and empty bottles were everywhere.

Half way down the hall, steam billowed out of a doorway on the left. An open door at the far end of the hall revealed a bedroom, and she could see a closed door nearest the kitchen she could only assume was another bedroom, or possibly a home office. There were no curtains on the windows, allowing the street lights to fill the room with a golden glow.

She dared to move further into the apartment. She crept closer to the open bathroom door. This Percy fellow was kneeling in the bathtub, fully clothed, hot water cascading over him. He appeared to be praying, as well he should. Percy Augustus Willoughby had had a very bad night, that was evidently true. She watched a second longer, and then crept back to the living room sofa.

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads

I was granted complimentary access to The Bean Sidhe by Ernest L Canning as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I’ll start by admitting that I agreed to this review purely on the fact that it’s a suspense named after a creature from Irish folklore. At less than 200 pages, it seemed like a light commitment, so I dove right in. I’m glad I did!

This is a unique, somehow funny yet still very suspenseful thriller about seeking deadly revenge without consequence. It’s dark, gritter, somewhat self-aware, and short enough to binge it all in one sitting if you can’t put it down.

Where my criticism comes in is pacing. At 163 pages, this novella should fly by right to the end, but it doesn’t. It has undeniably slow moments. This tells me that either it should have been cut down to something closer to a novelette or redeveloped into a full length novel with “more.” I don’t think this mid-length novella format is what the story needed.

With that said, this book is unlike any other I’ve read in the genre and it was a lot of fun. I’m definitely interested in reading future work from this fellow Canadian and I will happily and freely recommend this title to lovers of the genre.

About the Author

Ernie was raised on a dairy farm in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada. A compulsive maker of things his whole life, Ernie was lucky enough to have a couple of his pieces included in the folk art display at the 1986 World’s Fair held in Vancouver, Canada, and had the folk art book, From the Heart, published the same year. Those pieces still reside at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC. When allergies prevented him from continuing in one art form, his busy mind pushed into another. The Bean Sidhe was the result.

Website | Goodreads

Giveaway Alert!

Ernest L Canning will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.