The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lange, Tracey. The Connellys of County Down. Celadon Books, 2023.

Tracey Lange's novel The Connellys of County Down is set in New York's Westchester County and traces the lives and relationships of the Connelly siblings, Tara, Eddie, and Geraldine. Written in the past tense and from the third person point of view, the novel abides by a primarily linear narrative structure.

After serving an 18-month sentence for drug trafficking charges, Tara Connelly was released from the Taconic Correctional Facility. She was glad to be going home to Port Chester, but feared that she would have trouble reintegrating into society with a criminal record, and without money or a job. Just prior to her release, the detective who put Tara away, Brian Nolan, showed up at Taconic and demanded a meeting with her. Tara still resented Brian and could not understand why he was there. However, because Geraldine failed to give her a ride home, she accepted Brian's offer to drive her back to Port Chester.

Brian felt guilty about putting Tara away and wanted to apologize. Before dropping Tara off at her family home, he told her how sorry he was. Tara did not forgive him and stormed out of the car.

Geraldine returned home late. She told Tara that she would no longer be staying in her old bedroom, and that she and Eddie had fixed up the attic for her instead. Geraldine hoped that Tara would not give her a hard time, as she, Eddie, and Eddie's son Conor had developed new household routines in Tara's absence.

Tara applied to countless jobs, but struggled to find work. Then one day she interviewed with two teenagers who ran a YouTube channel and needed a graphic illustrator. They waived the background check and offered Tara the job.

Meanwhile, Brian and Hank, Brian's uncle and coworker, continued working on the Roland Shea case. Roland was an infamous heroine dealer in Port Chester. He was the man for whom Tara was smuggling drugs when Brian and Hank arrested her. They had hoped Tara would turn Roland in, but she refused to help them. Although Brian was convinced that Tara was not really involved, Hank remained determined to associate her with Roland's operation.

Brian started visiting Tara at home and at work. Tara discovered that he had deposited money into her commissary account while she was at Taconic. She was grateful for his help, as the money had let her buy art supplies and develop her drawing practice. The more time Tara spent with Brian, the more she softened to him. She even started to imagine a future with him.

In the meantime, Geraldine struggled to stay on top of her responsibilities at work. She had been the office manager for a Mr. Bertucci's payroll company for over a decade. However, her anxiety kept her from filing their taxes on time. She lied to Bertucci, said the taxes were done, and withdrew the money from the Bertucci account. Then she deposited it into Tara's old, unused account until she finished the taxes.

Bertucci soon discovered an error in his company's accounting and filed a fraud complaint with the police. Hank started investigating the matter, while Brian continued to pursue leads on the Roland Shea case.

Then one day, Geraldine disappeared. Tara realized she was in trouble and found her hiding in their shed. Geraldine revealed everything about her work issues and the Bertucci money. Realizing Geraldine would not survive in prison and the police would convict her for stealing the money, Tara fled town.

When Eddie discovered that Tara was missing, he decided to come clean about the past with Brian. He told Brian that Tara had in fact gone to prison on his behalf. He was the one working for Roland, and Tara had agreed to do his run for him because he was sick at the time. She had kept Eddie's secret and served his time, because she did not want to take him away from Conor. Then Eddie told Brian that Tara was probably off trying to help Geraldine with her own troubles, too.

Brian realized that Hank was going to arrest Tara for Geraldine's money mismanagement. To save Tara, Geraldine and Eddie decided to go to Bertucci and explain everything. With Bertucci's and the police's help, they dropped the charges against Tara.

However, Tara was still being held in jail because Hank had been convinced she was guilty of stealing the money. Brian, Eddie, Geraldine, and Conor drove to the facility and met Tara upon her release.