Father Ted's Ardal O'Hanlon

The first in a mystery series from the much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian, for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of _Death in Paradise_, all wrapped up in one small Irish town.When beloved celebrity gardener Finn O'Leary returns to his hometown of Abbeyford in Ireland to care for his aging mother, he is naturally roped into the Tidy Towns committee.The Tidy Towns is a competition fanatically fought over by every town and village in the land. And for his best friend's sister, Aoife, it's a competition she's determined to win. With everyone's favourite gardener on board, she is sure that this year Abbeyford will take home the prize. But Finn's not been back long when an alto-baritone at his mother's choir practice drops dead during a rendition of 'What the World Needs Now'_._With more at stake than just winning Tidy Towns, Finn soon finds himself trying to solve a murder - or two. For one of his many qualities is that people tend to confide in him...
With his mother, her carer and Aoife in tow, Finn sets out to discover just who has brought murder to Abbeyford.
AND SO IT BEGINS.ARDAL O'HANLON is one of Ireland's best-loved actors and stand-up comedians, as well as a writer of novels and documentaries. Ardal's acting credits include leading roles in Father Ted (C4), for which he won a British Comedy Award and Bafta nominations, Death in Paradise (BBC), My Hero (BBC), Derry Girls (C4), Big Bad World (ITV), Blessed (BBC) and the RTE sitcom Val Falvey TD. Among the shows he's presented he also did a half-hour special for Comedy Central (USA), the first overseas act to do so. Ardal has written the acclaimed bestselling novel _The Talk of the Town_ (1999), which was included in the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and _Brouhaha_ (2022).