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Sent to His Account
One phone call can change everything…
Miles de Cogan thought that he was set to live out a simple life with a cantankerous old lady for his landlord, but this is all turned on its head with a phone call.
Being a de Cogan by name and blood, Miles is overjoyed when he finds out that he no longer has to live the life of an impoverished Dublin bookkeeper.
Inheriting a prosperous estate called County Wicklow and the title to go along with it, Miles learns of the death of his cousin, a baronet.
Excited to get started with his new life, Miles befriends his late cousin’s lawyer and advisor Barnes and Miles is keen to fully immerse himself in village life, although he is slightly nervous of the rules and expectations he must now adhere to.
Being a generous man of progressive ideas one of Miles’s first aims is to develop and improve the village flour mill with the hope of collaborating with the local villagers and soon finds himself starting to envisage his life in amongst these old funny people.
Suddenly, the humdrum simple lifestyle of the Irish village is soon broken – with a murder…
Miles’s overbearing neighbour Tom Reid is found, having died a painful and horrific death.
Is it Reid’s plans to build a roadhouse and upset the old tradition of the village that has incurred the wrath of the Dangan residents, or is there something much more underhanded at play?
Could it be the ghost of Mile’s late predecessor that haunts everyone?
Sent to his Account is a thrilling murder mystery that leaves you wondering: can anyone really be trusted?
Eilís Dillon , 1920-1994, was an Irish author of over 50 books. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature and founded the Irish Children's Book Trust. In 1987 Dillon and her husband moved permanently to Dublin where she supported up and coming Irish authors, a prize in her memory is given annually as part of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards.
Miles de Cogan thought that he was set to live out a simple life with a cantankerous old lady for his landlord, but this is all turned on its head with a phone call.
Being a de Cogan by name and blood, Miles is overjoyed when he finds out that he no longer has to live the life of an impoverished Dublin bookkeeper.
Inheriting a prosperous estate called County Wicklow and the title to go along with it, Miles learns of the death of his cousin, a baronet.
Excited to get started with his new life, Miles befriends his late cousin’s lawyer and advisor Barnes and Miles is keen to fully immerse himself in village life, although he is slightly nervous of the rules and expectations he must now adhere to.
Being a generous man of progressive ideas one of Miles’s first aims is to develop and improve the village flour mill with the hope of collaborating with the local villagers and soon finds himself starting to envisage his life in amongst these old funny people.
Suddenly, the humdrum simple lifestyle of the Irish village is soon broken – with a murder…
Miles’s overbearing neighbour Tom Reid is found, having died a painful and horrific death.
Is it Reid’s plans to build a roadhouse and upset the old tradition of the village that has incurred the wrath of the Dangan residents, or is there something much more underhanded at play?
Could it be the ghost of Mile’s late predecessor that haunts everyone?
Sent to his Account is a thrilling murder mystery that leaves you wondering: can anyone really be trusted?
Eilís Dillon , 1920-1994, was an Irish author of over 50 books. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature and founded the Irish Children's Book Trust. In 1987 Dillon and her husband moved permanently to Dublin where she supported up and coming Irish authors, a prize in her memory is given annually as part of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards.
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Eilís Dillon
55 books39 followersEilís Dillon (1920-1994) was born in Galway, in the West of Ireland. Her father, Thomas Dillon, was Professor of Chemistry at University College Galway. Her mother, Geraldine Plunkett, was the sister of the poet Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, who was executed in Kilmainham Gaol at the end of the 1916 Easter Rising.
Eilís was educated at the Ursuline Convent in Sligo, and was sent to work in the hotel and catering business in Dublin. In 1940, at the age of 20, she married a 37-year-old Corkman. Her husband, Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, became Professor of Irish at University College Cork. Eilís had always written poetry and stories, and in the intervals of bringing up three children and running a student hostel for the university, she developed her writing into a highly successful professional career. At first she wrote children's books in Irish and English, then started to write novels and detective stories. Over twenty of her books were published by Faber and Faber, winning critical acclaim and a wide readership. Her work was translated into fourteen languages.
In the 1960s, her husband's poor health prompted early retirement and a move to Rome. He died in 1970. Eilís Dillon's large historical novel about the road to Irish independence in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Across the Bitter Sea, was published in 1973 by Hodder & Stoughton in London, and Simon & Schuster in New York. It became an instant bestseller.
In 1974 Eilís married Vivian Mercier, Professor of English in the University of Colorado at Boulder. They moved to California when Vivian was appointed to a chair in the University of California, Santa Barbara. They spent each winter in California until Vivian's retirement in 1987, returning to Ireland for the spring and summer.
Eilís Dillon was active in a number of public and cultural bodies. She served on the Arts Council, the International Commission for English in the Liturgy, the Irish Writers' Union and the Irish Writers' Centre. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and a member of Aosdána, the State academy of writers, artists and composers. She had long argued for the establishment of such a body.
Vivian's death in 1989 was followed by the death in 1990 of Eilís's daughter Máire, who was a violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite these blows, and her own declining health, Eilís kept writing until the last months of her own life. An honorary doctorate was conferred on her by University College Cork in 1992. Her last two published works were Children of Bach (1993), a children's novel set in Hungary at the time of the Holocaust, and her edition of Vivian Mercier's posthumous Modern Irish Literature: Sources and Founders (Oxford, 1994). Her scholarly work on this book meant that her own last novel remained unfinished.
Eilís Dillon died on 19 July 1994. Of her fifty books, ten are now in print and others will shortly be republished. A special prize, the Eilís Dillon Award, is given each year as part of the Bisto Book Awards. She herself had won the main Bisto Book of the Year award in 1989 with The Island of Ghosts.
Eilís was educated at the Ursuline Convent in Sligo, and was sent to work in the hotel and catering business in Dublin. In 1940, at the age of 20, she married a 37-year-old Corkman. Her husband, Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, became Professor of Irish at University College Cork. Eilís had always written poetry and stories, and in the intervals of bringing up three children and running a student hostel for the university, she developed her writing into a highly successful professional career. At first she wrote children's books in Irish and English, then started to write novels and detective stories. Over twenty of her books were published by Faber and Faber, winning critical acclaim and a wide readership. Her work was translated into fourteen languages.
In the 1960s, her husband's poor health prompted early retirement and a move to Rome. He died in 1970. Eilís Dillon's large historical novel about the road to Irish independence in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Across the Bitter Sea, was published in 1973 by Hodder & Stoughton in London, and Simon & Schuster in New York. It became an instant bestseller.
In 1974 Eilís married Vivian Mercier, Professor of English in the University of Colorado at Boulder. They moved to California when Vivian was appointed to a chair in the University of California, Santa Barbara. They spent each winter in California until Vivian's retirement in 1987, returning to Ireland for the spring and summer.
Eilís Dillon was active in a number of public and cultural bodies. She served on the Arts Council, the International Commission for English in the Liturgy, the Irish Writers' Union and the Irish Writers' Centre. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and a member of Aosdána, the State academy of writers, artists and composers. She had long argued for the establishment of such a body.
Vivian's death in 1989 was followed by the death in 1990 of Eilís's daughter Máire, who was a violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite these blows, and her own declining health, Eilís kept writing until the last months of her own life. An honorary doctorate was conferred on her by University College Cork in 1992. Her last two published works were Children of Bach (1993), a children's novel set in Hungary at the time of the Holocaust, and her edition of Vivian Mercier's posthumous Modern Irish Literature: Sources and Founders (Oxford, 1994). Her scholarly work on this book meant that her own last novel remained unfinished.
Eilís Dillon died on 19 July 1994. Of her fifty books, ten are now in print and others will shortly be republished. A special prize, the Eilís Dillon Award, is given each year as part of the Bisto Book Awards. She herself had won the main Bisto Book of the Year award in 1989 with The Island of Ghosts.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 10, 2016
It is 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars.
Miles do Cogan had quiet a change in his life, from a poor accountant in Dublin he found himself inheriting a big estate in a nice, quite village. He was prepared to enjoy all that when only few weeks after his arrival, one of the rich inhabitant of the village, Tom Reid, was found dead in Miles's library! The interesting thing was that it seems that everybody had a grief with Reid, everyone in the village wished him harm for some reason.
The story was enjoyable, the setting quite interesting and what i liked the most in this story was that fascinating mix of characters. In a small village, no secrets can be kept with all that gossip, the small incidents that happens and everyone will hear about them.
The murder was not really that strange or complicated, but i liked how the author used it to show the hidden sides of the villagers and i enjoyed that very much, that procured some very funny scenes.
I got this book through NetGalley
Miles do Cogan had quiet a change in his life, from a poor accountant in Dublin he found himself inheriting a big estate in a nice, quite village. He was prepared to enjoy all that when only few weeks after his arrival, one of the rich inhabitant of the village, Tom Reid, was found dead in Miles's library! The interesting thing was that it seems that everybody had a grief with Reid, everyone in the village wished him harm for some reason.
The story was enjoyable, the setting quite interesting and what i liked the most in this story was that fascinating mix of characters. In a small village, no secrets can be kept with all that gossip, the small incidents that happens and everyone will hear about them.
The murder was not really that strange or complicated, but i liked how the author used it to show the hidden sides of the villagers and i enjoyed that very much, that procured some very funny scenes.
I got this book through NetGalley
February 16, 2017
Very enjoyable read.
For those of us who like good clean mysteries, this book is a fun read. The author developed the characters well--the reader could easily picture the inhabitants of the small village of Dangan, Ireland and the interweaving of their lives, loves and secrets.
For those of us who like good clean mysteries, this book is a fun read. The author developed the characters well--the reader could easily picture the inhabitants of the small village of Dangan, Ireland and the interweaving of their lives, loves and secrets.
June 13, 2020
The interest in this, the last of the author's murder mysteries, lies more in the setting and characters than in the detection of crime. As a depiction of conflicting interests in 1950s rural Ireland, and of conflicted characters, it has some merit, but the detection element is negligible.
Rather disappointing, but easy-to read and with enjoyable moments.
Rather disappointing, but easy-to read and with enjoyable moments.
October 18, 2024
This novel is a breath of fresh air! It captivates without resorting to excessive sex, violence, or profanity. The mystery element is compelling. The audiobook version added to the experience with excellent narration.
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October 1, 2018
Miles de Cogan long ago resigned himself to a modest, even straitened life after his father lost the family wealth, but he has made a quiet world for himself. All this is upended when a solicitor informs him he has inherited his cousin's estate and title. Startled, amused, delighted, Miles says farewell to his friends and grumpy landlady and heads to the village of Dangan. He gets advice from the late cousin's attorney, and soon finds himself getting to know the estate, which owns much of the village, and its businesses, some of which he also owns. But there is still a dose of seething hostility among the villagers when a newcomer proposes a roadhouse and the villagers set about to drive him out. Alas the newcomer ends up dead.
The murder comes more than a third of the way into the story, and the investigation feels leisurely though it takes only two or three days. Lives are thrown into chaos, secrets emerge, and Miles begins to wonder if this inheritance was such a great idea after all.
First published in 1954 this novel is a traditional mystery that enjoyably explores Irish village life with the occasional nod to Irish history and changing circumstances.
The murder comes more than a third of the way into the story, and the investigation feels leisurely though it takes only two or three days. Lives are thrown into chaos, secrets emerge, and Miles begins to wonder if this inheritance was such a great idea after all.
First published in 1954 this novel is a traditional mystery that enjoyably explores Irish village life with the occasional nod to Irish history and changing circumstances.
May 29, 2017
It's one of those GR conundrums - this book is OK, characters flat or irascible when they're not plumb crazy, or plumb nasty, plot's a bit wiggly. But Sent has it moments, some laugh out loud, and despite itself, I liked it.
October 26, 2025
A dated mystery with some fabulous turns of phrases. The plot was nothing special, but I really enjoyed the way the author described people (i.e., not weighing the reader down with a physical description, but illustrating their countenance).
November 2, 2016
First off I loved the cover.
Miles was going to have the fairy tale life. Having lived in genteel poverty, counting every cent before he spent it, an unexpected windfall gives him plenty. A beautiful home, agricultural property and a community that he falls in love with. He is also determined to do good by all, not just enjoy his new found wealth by himself.
The mystery thriller part starts with a dead body, unfortunately found in Miles's own sitting room. That the dead person was controversial, in a lot of trouble with a lot of people did not help the investigation at all. The village itself closed ranks against outside investigations and it was not going to be easy to crack this case.
I enjoyed the village setting, especially the characters in the village. Shades of Agatha Christie here.
Miles was going to have the fairy tale life. Having lived in genteel poverty, counting every cent before he spent it, an unexpected windfall gives him plenty. A beautiful home, agricultural property and a community that he falls in love with. He is also determined to do good by all, not just enjoy his new found wealth by himself.
The mystery thriller part starts with a dead body, unfortunately found in Miles's own sitting room. That the dead person was controversial, in a lot of trouble with a lot of people did not help the investigation at all. The village itself closed ranks against outside investigations and it was not going to be easy to crack this case.
I enjoyed the village setting, especially the characters in the village. Shades of Agatha Christie here.
January 27, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this. Set in mid-20th century Ireland, when money was worth a lot more and police did not have forensic scientists on hand, this is a lovely old-fashioned whodunnit and was just perfect for the mood I was in. Miles is a somewhat unusual hero, but, along with Inspector Henley (Pat), he is a believable, well-drawn character. The prose style is unremarkable but very readable
Having read both this and "Death in the Quadrangle" for free, I will be very happy to buy any more of Eilis Dillon's crime novels that Endeavour reprint.
Having read both this and "Death in the Quadrangle" for free, I will be very happy to buy any more of Eilis Dillon's crime novels that Endeavour reprint.
October 8, 2016
I'm not sure this book knew what it wanted to be.
The first quarter or so was about a likeable man, who inherits a house, some money and possibly a village and that's all good.
Then we have a murder and our main character all but disappears as it becomes an old fashioned who dunnit, with some odd characters and in plausible plots.
I'm not sure I cared who did it.
such a shame, the writing was a breeze to read, and without the murder could have had some charm.
The first quarter or so was about a likeable man, who inherits a house, some money and possibly a village and that's all good.
Then we have a murder and our main character all but disappears as it becomes an old fashioned who dunnit, with some odd characters and in plausible plots.
I'm not sure I cared who did it.
such a shame, the writing was a breeze to read, and without the murder could have had some charm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2016
This is a good, old-fashioned whodunit! It's a quick read, but is full of surprises, twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and likable.
I would recommend Sent to His Account to anyone who enjoys an old-timey murder mystery that's written in the style of Agatha Christie and others like her!
I would recommend Sent to His Account to anyone who enjoys an old-timey murder mystery that's written in the style of Agatha Christie and others like her!
February 14, 2014
This the third of three mysteries Ellis Dillon wrote before she moved on to other genres. Like the others, it is set in an Irish village. A pleasant read but less appealing characters and plot than in her earlier mysteries.
October 7, 2016
Miles de Cogan moves onto his inherited estate in the village of Dangan (in Ireland), only not before long the most disliked man in the village is killed.
An okay read and mystery with not any really likable characters.
A NetGalley Book
An okay read and mystery with not any really likable characters.
A NetGalley Book
July 13, 2011
Another decent little British Isle mystery.
June 13, 2017
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
November 11, 2016
A quick little Irish tale...
I loved this quick story and I love Mr. Miles! Germaine was hard to figure but she is amazing to follow!
I loved this quick story and I love Mr. Miles! Germaine was hard to figure but she is amazing to follow!
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews