Irish Soda Bread Murder

Home to Ireland Mystery #2.75

by Carlene O'Connor; Peggy Ehrhart; Liz Ireland, Peggy Ehrhart, Liz Ireland

It’s almost time for the delicious warmth of Irish soda bread, but be careful where you bite–some of these recipes call for murder in this delicious collection of cozy mystery novellas featuring the popular St. Paddy’s Day treat. IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR There’s very little time left before her wedding, but nonetheless Tara Meehan is helping out at her Uncle Johnny’s salvage mill for the day. Aunt Rose set up a convention for local psychics, including a bake sale to raise money for charity, but now she’s sick and available only via an iPad Johnny is carrying. The event promises to deliver a real pot of gold until Rose’s biggest rival shows up. Before Tara can utter a simple “top o’ the morning” to the man, he drops dead—with Johnny’s soda bread in his hands. It’s up to Tara to identify the deadly baker before another victim ends up chasing the rainbow straight into a grave . . .AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by PEGGY EHRHART To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, the Arborville, New Jersey, Advocate is sponsoring a soda bread–baking competition. Bettina Fraser is excited—her bake-off idea was the one to get the green light! But when a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly. Now it’s up to Bettina and her Knit and Nibble knitting club bestie, Pamela Paterson, to find the killer responsible for the murderous morsel.  MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN by LIZ IRELAND When April Claus arrives in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, to check on her flooded inn, her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing her three companions—Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean—are elves. But soon enough she has more serious worries—it looks like her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn! Then one of Ernie’s shady pals is found dead, and the murder weapon turns up in a decorative loaf of soda bread at April’s craft fair booth. It’s up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick’s Day in the county jail!  

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Anthologies, Fiction, Short Stories, Holiday

1 pages, Audio CD

First published December 24, 2024

Reviews

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.84 Stars! ✨ I had an absolute blast listening to the audiobook of Irish Soda Bread Murder (huge thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!) 🎧✨ Seriously, can we talk about how AMAZING Carlotta Brentan's narration is? She totally brought these stories to life and made it even more fun to dive into! With a runtime of 10 hours and 27 minutes, this audiobook is the perfect companion for a cozy, mystery-filled day. The pub date is December 24, 2024, so get ready to dive into these stories just in time for the holidays! 🎄

✨ Tropes ✨
✧ Murder Mystery with a Culinary Twist 🍞
✧ Small Town Secrets 🤫
✧ Amateur Sleuths 🔍
✧ Cozy Mystery 💓
✧ Strong Female Lead 💪
✧ Baking Competition 🏆
✧ Unlikely Detectives 🕵️‍♀️
✧ Festival Vibes 🍀
✧ Murder in a Close-Knit Community 🏘️
✧ Holiday Shenanigans 💝

Let’s get into it:
This book is a super fun little collection of three cozy novellas, mixing Irish soda bread, murder, and charm! 🌟

First up: Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor (4 stars!) – Tara Meehan is juggling wedding stress when she stumbles into a murder at a psychic convention and bake sale. Talk about an odd combo, right? But the mystery kept me hooked, even though there were a LOT of characters to keep track of. Tara’s sleuthing made it all worth it, though. My only small issue? With all the characters popping up, it was a little tricky to remember who was who. But still, I’m a sucker for a good psychic convention, and Carlene totally nailed that vibe! 🔮

Next: An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart (3 stars) – This one was… fine. I liked the idea of a soda bread contest gone wrong, but the mystery didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped. Bettina and Pamela had potential as amateur detectives, but their banter didn’t stand out like I wanted. The clues were there, and the St. Patrick’s Day vibes were cute, but overall it felt a little rushed. Still, I had fun with it! 🍀

Lastly: Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland (4.25 stars) – This one was HANDS DOWN my favorite! April Claus and her elf squad head to Oregon, and the drama starts unfolding fast! I adore the Mrs. Claus series, and this one was no exception. April is solving murders, dealing with shady caretakers, and keeping her elves in line. The mystery is fun, the stakes are high, and Cloudberry Bay is like straight-up magical. 🌟

Overall, this collection is a great pick for fans of food, holiday cheer, and cozy mystery antics. If you’re looking for a cozy read to get you in the St. Patrick’s Day mood, THIS is it! 🍀 I had a couple of issues with the second story, but the other two totally made up for it. If you love festive murder mysteries with quirky characters and a cozy vibe, give this one a go! 💚

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of 3 novellas based around the idea of what would happen if there was a murder connected to an Irish soda bread contest. I listened to the audiobook for this one and I thought the narrator did a good job with the first and third story bringing the characters to life, but in the second story I had a hard time distinguishing between the characters. I liked the third story the best, but the Mrs. Claus cozy mysteries are ones I greatly enjoy so that wasn’t much of a surprise. The first story is set at a paranormal practitioner fair and I loved the cast of unique characters trying to figure out who murdered one of their own. The second story is about a judge who mysteriously drops dead after tasting the first Irish soda bread in the contest. The third has Mrs. Claus and three of the elves going to her inn in Oregon to fix some water damage and stumbling upon a contest for Irish soda bread and a murder. These were fun and definitely will get you in the mood for St. Patricks Day.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Irish Soda Bread Murder, by Carlene O'Connor; Peggy Ehrhart; Liz Ireland, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love Irish Soda Bread, there is nothing else like it. This book has three stories, The first is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, the second is An Irish Recipe for Murder by, Peggy Erhart, and the third is, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland.

Irish Soda Bread Murder, by Carlene O'Connor. Tara Meehan is getting hitched. Someone is murdered and its up to Tara to solve the crime, can she do it before she says I Do?

An Irish Recipe for Murder, by Peggy Erhart. Bettina is happy to enter an Irish Soda Bread contest, but when a judge keels over at the competition, Bettina and her friend Pamela, have to find the killer.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man, by Liz Ireland. When April arrives in Oregon, all is not well. With her trusty elves by her side, April Claus, has a murder to solve, so she does not end up in the slammer.

I enjoyed all these cozy mysteries.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Who could ever think that such a fun idea - a soda bread contest - could lead to such a tragic ending?”

Three great stories each with credible amateur sleuths, creative problem solving, and set against unique, vibrant, and charming backdrops!

My favourite character was Damaris Sproat and I giggled at the events surrounding the squirrel nest discovery. I loved a chance to learn new things and was soon Googling The Orange Men, Marbled Bengal Cats, and the origins of Irish Soda Bread. I was caught up in great stories with murders, stabbings, missing people, and animal traffickers and was prompted to investigate Ariadne’s Thread for myself and buy a package of Irish Oatcakes after finishing this book. This weekend, I’ll be trying out the unique recipe for Irish Soda Bread and the Irish Whiskey Bars. I don’t think I’ll ever look at my mom’s soda bread with the distinctive cross on top without thinking of this book.

My Irish eyes were both smiling and rolling in this story highlighting Irish Soda Bread. All three were new-to-me authors, and despite not reaching for short stories or cozy mysteries very often, I enjoyed my introduction and a chance to learn more about my heritage.

I was gifted this copy by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three very talented authors, Peggy Erhart, Liz Ireland and Carlene O’Conner, collaborated together to write three cozy murder mystery novellas in the book, Irish Soda Bread Murder. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated extremely well by Carlotta Brentan. She clearly distinguished between the voices of each character in the three cozy mysteries. As the title indicates, all three cozy mysteries revolved around an incident that involved Irish Soda Bread and St. Patrick’s Day.

The first Cozy mystery was written by Carlene O’Conner and was called Irish Soda Bread Murder. It took place in Galway, Ireland. Someone died after eating some Irish Soda Bread. Who was responsible? It was not who I suspected. Wait until you read how the mystery was solved!

The second cozy mystery, entitled An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, was my least favorite of the three cozy mysteries. There were just too many characters to keep track of.

The last cozy mystery, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread by Liz Ireland was my overall favorite of the three. It took place in Oregon and believe it or not a few of the characters were elves pretending not to be elves. It worked!

Overall this was an entertaining series. Each cozy mystery could be read on its own as stand alone books. Thank you to Carlene O’Conner, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland for working together to bring these fun and delightful cozy mysteries to your readers. The timing was perfect. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Irish Soda Bread by Carlene O’Conner, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three Irish Soda Bread themed murder mysteries. I've read all of these authors before in other novella collections and I've read previous entries in the Mrs. Claus series.

The first novella is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor. There is going to be a convention for local psychics, set up by Aunt Rose. A bake sale to raise money for charity is part of it, but now she’s sick and available only via an iPad Johnny is carrying. Rose’s biggest rival shows up though and then suddenly drops dead after buying Johnny’s soda bread. With multiple suspects Tara and the new detective have their work cut out for them.

There are a lot of characters in this one and I was confused for a while. Not having read a full novel from the series before I wasn't sure if some of the characters are in previous books. The author does a good job of making them stand out. However, it's hard to get a good idea of who the regular characters are or what kind of sleuth the main character Tara usually is.

There is a lot of dialogue and the story plays out differently because of it. I enjoyed that as the novella zipped along thanks to a lot of humor.

4 stars

An Irish Recipe For Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is next. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Arborville is having a soda bread baking competition. When a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly and Pamela and Bettina have to track a killer.

I like that the action starts quickly in this one, maybe too quickly though because I wanted to read some thoughts on the contestants' Irish Soda Bread! We do get some fun food talk later.

I wasn't very excited about the mystery in this one. I also don't have a good idea of Pamela and Bettina as sleuths or characters. Some of the side characters from their knitting group are interesting though.

3 stars

Last but definitely not least is Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man. This is my favorite of the three novellas.

April Claus is from Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, so her appearance in town to check on her flooded inn isn't unusual. Her three companions are, though. Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean are excited and amazed at everything in Cloudberry Bay which is decorated and ready for St. Patrick’s Day. At first April thinks her only worry, besides water damage at her inn, is keeping the eleves' identities a secret. Soon though she discovers more serious things are going on. Her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn! Then one of his shady pals is found dead, and the murder weapon turns up in a decorative loaf of soda bread at April’s craft fair booth. It’s up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick’s Day in the county jail!  

The setting might have moved out of Santaland for this novella but it is no less fun, charming, or funny than the rest of the series. The mystery is fun and solved in a satisfying way. For such a quick read the reader doesn't miss out on anything.

Out of the three novellas this one feels the most like St. Patrick’s Day. It also wins for most sinister Irish Soda Bread. Readers will enjoy the plans for baking and what comes after.

5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read!

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

#IrishSodaBreadMurder #NetGalley is the perfect book for cozy mystery lovers.
Irish soda bread gets a bad wrap in each of these short stories.
Each author puts a unique twist on St. Patrick's Day, and I enjoyed each of these stories.
The first story introduced me to new characters that I'm looking forward to getting to know.
The second story reunited me with some of my favorite crafty characters, and I liked this one a lot.
The third and final story had me getting to know this colorful cast of characters, and I'm so glad that I gave this author a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

[Micky Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A themed short story or novella collection of cozy mysteries to tempt you to binge the series or to give you a morsel to keep you excited for the next book in the series to come out. In this collection, three different authors have taken a loaf of Irish Soda Bread and woven it into a story using their own characters from one of their series that they write to create a mystery to delight and entertain! It is so much fun to see how each author uses the item in their story in a completely different manner than the other authors. While each create a fun and entertaining mystery to feed our mystery loving brains and bring us another installment of their individual series! If you haven't read any of the authors, this is a way to get a taste of the characters. However, I will say that reading the series in order will allow you to get to know the characters and personal relationships between the various people in each story much better as each book builds upon the last book to further develop stronger characters and friendships. This is an outstanding collection of authors with unique and sometimes quirky characters that will make you smile with enjoyment as you read or in my case, listen to the book. The narrator does an outstanding job of bringing each story to life and giving the characters that extra bit of life that only an audiobook can bring.

[Cozy Reader Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 - "Irish Soda Bread Murder" by Carlene O'Connor follows Tara and her family on a short story to expose a killer at their psychic bake sale. They gathered several local psychics, and one magician, at her uncle's shop to do various types of readings while also having a bake sale. Of course there are old grudges and tension between them all that gets one killed. Through surveillance and sleuthing tara works it out.

#2 - "An Irish Recipe for Murder" by Peggy Ehrhart is set in the world of the "Knit & Nibble Mysteries." Pamela and Bettina get pulled into trying ti figure out who may have poisoned one of the city representatives with some Irish Soda bread. Honestly, I figured who the culprit was and their motive. However, I thought someone else entirely was the paternal relationship. Can't say more or it was spoil it.

#3 - "Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man" by Liz Ireland has April and her 3 best elf friends visiting her B&B in Oregon during St. Patrick's Day week to fix some problems at the house. Her caretaker hasn't been take care of the house as well as he should have. His bad influence friend has taken advantage of the situation as well. First it's exotic animals, then his friend is found dead at the house, and finally some illegal importing going on. April just wants to get the house fix and back to Santaland. I do have to say that her neighbor should have been charged for what she did. Teach her a lesson she never seemed to learn since she seems to be the way she is towards everyone.

[Kara Rutledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland is a collection of three short stories that include Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, and Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. The expected publication date of this book is December 24, 2024, and my overall review of this book is four out of five stars. I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest review.
Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor opens with Tara Meehan helping her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose with a local bake sale and psychic convention with the proceeds going to charity. When Rose's biggest rival shows up and ends up dying from her soda bread, Tara knows she must step in to help clear her aunt and uncle from the suspect list.

I enjoyed this story a lot better than the last one I read in the series. The only complaint I have is that it was really hard for me to keep the characters straight. However, I loved the fact that the storyline involved a psychic convention. There have been many times I have had a palm reading or a tarot card reading when I've visited Salem, so reading about a convention that offers such a thing was a lot of fun. The author did a great job of throwing suspicion on various characters. I rated this short story four out of five stars.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart opens with the local Arborville, New Jersey newspaper Advocate hosting an Irish Soda Bread competition for St. Patrick's Day. But when the judge, a local council man, dies while tasting the entries, Bettina and Pamela know they must team up once again to find the culprit.

This short story was one that I wasn't crazy about. There were many times that I had to reread what I had just read because the transitions were a little clumsy at times, which kept me from fully enjoying the story. The author did throw in a few good clues as to who the culprit might be. I gave this short story three out of five stars.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland opens with April Claus arriving in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon with Juniper, Jingles, and Butterbean to check on her flooded inn. One of April's worries is that her three friends will accidentally reveal that they're elves that work for her husband Nick, who just happens to be Santa Claus! Her worries start adding up when she finds stolen exotic cats in her attic, a dead person in her entryway, and a brick thrown through her window. Will April be able to find out who the culprit is with the help of the elves?

I am so glad that I was able to give Liz Ireland a second chance with this series. I ended up enjoying this most recent story immensely. I did figure out who was responsible for the brick through the window and had my suspicion as to who the culprit was for the remaining crimes. It seemed to be a bit more mature than the last one I read by the same author, and I'm looking forward to reading more stories in her Mrs. Claus series. Four out of five stars is what I gave this short story.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tis will be the season for the St. Patrick's Day treat known as warm Irish soda bread. The recipes call for murder in this new collection of three cozy mystery novellas. Great for existing fans and for readers new to these three authors. Maximize your reading experience by trying the recipes within!

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor
A convention for local psychics includes a bake sale to raise money for charity. Tara has very little time left before her wedding but agrees to help her Aunt Rose and Uncle Johnny for the day. But an old rival shows up and drops dead with Johnny's soda bread in his hands. It is up to Tara to find the deadly baker. A classic cozy mystery with a bit of humor. Almost too many suspects to keep track though. Irish Soda Bread Murder is a great introduction to O'Connor's engaging writing style.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart
Bettina's soda bread bake-off idea gets the green light. But a town councilman acting as judge dies after sampling an entry. Bettina enlists the help of her bestie to find the baker responsible for the murderous morsel. I was a bit more interested in the knitting group, Reubens and leprechauns than the actual mystery that was too easy to solve.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland
April Claus visits Oregon to check on her flooded inn. Her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing the identity of her three companions—Jingles, Juniper and Butterbean. The elves take a backseat when a murder weapon turns up in a loaf of soda bread. April has to uncover the killer or else she will spend St. Patrick's Day in the county jail. This last novella is the best! It is cute, fun as can be for a cozy mystery, perfect for the holiday season and includes unconventional characters.

Happy Early Pub Day, Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland! Irish Soda Bread Murder will be available on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

[Michaela | bumblebeeslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a St. Patrick's day cozy murder mystery book, with 3 short stories from 3 wonderful cozy mystery authors.

The first story is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor: This story is set at a bake sale/psychic fair, where there is quite the group of people, all claiming to be the best psychic. After a mysterious fire, all the vendors have to run out of the mill (where the fair is taking place). While outside, they realize one vendor is missing. When everyone goes back inside, they discover a body, and right next to it, one of the other vendors soda bread. Tara along with her Aunt, Uncle and Fiancé all work together to help the police solve the murder. While I haven't read any other books in this series, I thought the short story was really cute, and I liked that the setting was different, being at a psychic fair. It was also in Ireland, so I bet the Irish soda bread was really good, and it made me want some, even though we can't get it here in the US except around St. Patrick's day.

The second story is An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart. There is an Irish Soda Bread contest, and when the judge takes a bite of the first loaf, he ends up dead! The characters then start trying to figure out who murdered him, and why anyone would have murdered such a well liked guy. Bettina and Pamela, while trying to not think about this murder, manage to find unexpected clues, and lure the murderer into their own home to catch them. I thought this story was cute as well, again I hadn't read any of the other books with these characters, but I still enjoyed getting to know them. I really loved the knitting group that the main characters had, and thought it would be so fun to be in a group like that. I also enjoyed Pamela's 3 cats, while not in the story a lot, I loved reading about them.

The third story is Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland: I am possibly biased, but this was my absolute favorite story of the 3. I love Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series, and this story fit right along in with the main books. Mrs. Claus goes down to Oregon to visit her inn due to some flooding she is alerted to. She of course brings along 3 elves. While trying to fix up her inn and the flood damage, she manages to get caught up in a theft ring, as well as a mysterious murder. Mrs. Claus is always great at sleuthing, and hopes to find the murderer and clear her inn caretakers name in the process. I loved this story, bringing the elves to Oregon is so fun, they are just delighted by the regular world outside the north pole and think it is so great. Which is funny, because the rest of us would be just absolutely delighted to visit the north pole. They do manage to get drafted into the local St. Patrick's day festivities as leprechauns, but enjoy themselves quite a bit. I love how they get so excited by cereal and pop tarts, and all the sweets and treats they find at the grocery store. And as always, I love how the elves talk, golly doodle I definitely recommend this story!

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Publishing and the authors for this review copy!

[Stephanie (read_with_steph) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three cozy mysteries from three series by three authors all about Irish soda bread! Perfect for St. Patrick's Day. With the three stories all being so different, it's difficult to rate this collection. Kensington's penchant for grouping novellas by different authors like this is interesting, because while I'm an avid reader of Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus mysteries, I don't typically read the others. Yet, if I had skipped this book in favor of the other books in the series, I would have felt like I was missing out! And this Mrs. Claus mystery was a heck of a one--the elves and Mrs. Claus head back to her home of Cloudberry Bay, and if you're wondering how much trouble three elves can get into in Oregon, the answer is a lot. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I loved seeing everyone in a new setting and thought it was such a fun story otherwise. The other two novellas were both enjoyable, particularly the second one by Peggy, but I'll always have a soft spot for Mrs. Claus.

I listened to this book on audio, my favorite way to enjoy cozy mysteries. I would say the narrator was generally good at doing all the voices, but her narration voice has a bit of an accent, which was disorienting because none of our protagonist/in-book narrators have accents. I kind of wish they would use a different narrator for each of the three novellas--the narrators of the respective series.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for my ALC and Kensington for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always look forward to these seasonal three-story anthologies especially when the Home to Ireland characters are in one of the stories. Uncle Johnny always cracked me up in the regular series and I really enjoy how the series has been able to continue through these short stories.

I’ve read a couple of the Knit and Nibble series so far even though I own them all, it's the so many books so little time thing. And I always kept meaning to start the Mrs. Claus series since I've gotten to know April, Nick and some of the elves through these short stories as well. Lots of St. Patrick's day mischief, murder and mystery going on in this book, so don't miss it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all three of the short tales in this book. I was wondering how the soda bread was going to fit in each of the tales. Very creative in each one of them. Of course now I'm curious about soda bread.

[Amanda O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three cozy mysteries that center around Irish soda bread baking contests. Each story was unique with my favorite being the third one, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man, which features Mrs. Claus and three elves trying to figure out who is causing chaos at the bed and breakfast she owns in Oregon. The other two, Irish Soda Bread Murder and An Irish Recipe for Murder, were also very good with twists I was not expecting. All of these short stories are perfect for winter time, especially with St. Patrick’s Day approaching in a few months. I listened to the audiobook which I recommend you do too! The narrator told each story very well and made each character come to life☺️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

[Sam Philpott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually I’d give 3.5 stars. So, this was 3 stories in one book. They were all very cutesy especially the last one.
Again very American, shame as one was based in Ireland.

[June Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook 10h 36m Tantor Audio

A group of psychics have gathered together to support a local charity bake sale in "Irish Soda Murder", by Carlene O'Conner. They're a rather catty, competitive bunch and the event hasn't even started yet when one of them turns up dead. After meeting them, it's no surprise they're all on the suspect list, even the victim's spouse. Unfortunately, Tara's Uncle Johnny is also on the list as the last thing the victim ate before dying was some of Johnny's soda bread. While everyone is pointing fingers and suggesting who they think did it, Tara, Johnny, and Tara's boyfriend and privy to the police investigations thanks to video Johnny has installed around the site. We also get to meet Aunt Rose, albeit in an odd fashion. Johnny has rigged up a rolling cart to allow the ailing Rose to be part of the festivities via a sort of video face time and, trust me, she isn't too happy when Johnny shuts off her feed to spy, er, listen in on the questioning of suspects.I won't detail the plot any further but it's both fun and full of gossip, gloating, accusations, jealousy, and, well, more. Let's just say, this bunch of psychics is full of themselves and eager to cut their competitors down a notch or two. How Tara manages to cut through all that and find tind the real killer is both fun and a tad confusing, maybe because I wasn't taking notes. Due to this being an audio version, I was driving. Still and all, a fun read although not my favorite of the three.

"An Irish Recipe for Murder" by Peggy Ehrhart manages to somehow combine lots of food talk, knitting, fabric art history, and, yes, murder. This series is one of those that helped make me a fan of cozy mysteries, so it was like ol' home week for me, though envied Pamela and Bettina being able to taste the goodies Wilfred, Bettina's husband, seems to whip up regularly. Since the soda bread contest was Bettina's idea, she's feeling a bit of guilt but doesn't let that slow her down from seeking the truth. Long time readers will enjoy getting together once again with the knitting club members and the mentions of Richard Larson, a neighbor who is frequently mentioned as a potential romantic interest for Pamela. Maybe one of these days. Who would have wanted to kill the new town representative? As it turns out, there are several suspects. Bettina and Pamela slowly make their way toward the culprit. all the while taking time for Wilfred's meals and Pamela to edit the fabric art related articles for the job for a magazine devoted to that art. This former history major enjoyed learning the history behind several of them, I might note. In any case, I feel like I know these characters and look forward to my visits with them, Irish sour bread or not. That said, I was kicking myself for not figuring it out sooner.

Finally, the one that drew me to this book to begin with, "Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread". The fun characters are rather out of my normal territory being elves and Santa's wife, April. Who knew Mrs. Claus was not only young but an amateur sleuth? Anyway, fun characters, whimsical dialogue, and the wonder of elves being exposed to the "real world" outside Santa Land made for a fun read. Somehow, I wasn't able to dredge up my sympathy for the victim while fretting Juniper might opt to leave "the North", as April has instructed them to call their home, for Oregon. Not to worry. Everyone in the "real world" seems to find them intriguing and think they'd been specially brought in to act as leprechans for the St. Patrick's Day celebration underway, especially April's long time nemesis who is out to get April's inn one way or the other. In addition, April has to deal with a missing handyman, flooded inn, strange sounds from the attic, exotic pet theft, and, oh, yeah, a dead body. In the meantime, the absolute glee and excitement the elves experience dealing with things and events we mere mortals take for granted, like goodies at the gas station and trees, is a delight. Well, as long as they don't get arrested and found out. Do elves even have passports? Bottom line, lots of humor, goofy elf antics (and outfits), and examples of taking care of those who mean the most to you. My thanks to #TantorAudio for allowing me this early virtual visit back to April's original home in Oregon while seeing it through elf eyes as I enjoyed the St. Paddy's Day antics. Fun!

[Peggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Carlene O'Connor's "Murder in an Irish Village" series, so I was excited to read this. But her story, the titular "Irish Soda Bread Murder," was nowhere near as good, for several reasons:

1. There were too many characters for such a short story

2. I kept confusing the characters until at least midway through, because there was nothing that really about them stood out for me.

3. The premise (psychic fair) just seemed absurd, and not in a good way

4. Except Tara, all of the characters, especially Rose, were really annoying.

5. There was no action until very late into the story, basically, when the murderer was revealed.

6. The idea that someone (Tara) could be good at solving crimes because she was an interior designer who could recognize patterns was just ridiculous.

So, mostly disappointed. There were a few good lines and scenes, though, like:

“I do not smoke,” Detective Hayes said. Dave nodded, looking defeated. “I quit months ago, but it’s not every day your partner is murdered in cold blood.” “Take your time,” Detective Hayes said. She glanced at the clock. “But also, hurry it up.”

—-

“Dead bodies follow her wherever she goes. I find that improbable. In fact, she might be a serial killer.” Tara’s jaw dropped open. Danny started to laugh. He rubbed his hands together.

“I’ll be famous,” he said. “I can be on that reality show, I Married a Serial Killer—” “Don’t give me any ideas,” Tara said.

—

“Peanut butter,” Johnny grumbled. “We didn’t have peanut butter in Ireland until you Americans wouldn’t stop going on and on about it. Peanut butter this and peanut butter that. Disgusting. Second only to root beer.”

—

Tara said. “Think of all the stories we can tell our grandchildren.” Uncle Johnny let out a laugh and then clomped his hand down on Danny’s shoulder. “Not even married and suddenly you’re a grandpa,” he said. “How are those feet feeling? A bit nippy?” “A bit?” Danny shook his head. “I think you might need to amputate me toes.”

Ha.

Then there was Peggy Ehrhart, whose work I had not read until now. Her story, "An Irish Recipe for Murder," made me hopeful at first, and initially, I enjoyed the details about Pamela and the leisurely pace it took. But after a while, it seemed that not only was the pace too slow (where was the tension? the buildup?), but there was no real motivation on anyone's part to solve the murder. Solving the murder was almost secondary to the storyline about the knitting articles and the estate sale (and all the descriptions of the victim's childhood home and the things in it that were being sold). It wasn't until towards the end of the story, when the murderer and his motivations were revealed that the story became exciting. Which is pretty sad for a murder mystery.

Aspects of the writing that I found problematic:

a. The author used the word "exchanged" way too many time to describe Pamela changing her outfit from one to another; in one case, I'm sure the sentences were almost exactly the same.

b. The author made too many lists.

Eg. "Her wan expression, limp hair, and carelessly assembled outfit—pajama bottoms, sweatshirt, and fuzzy slippers—were testimony to that."

Eg. "Pamela had gone upstairs after breakfast and exchanged her pajamas, robe, and slippers for jeans, a sweater, and loafers.”

c. The author always referred to Bettina's car as "Toyota"--never "car" or "sedan" or "vehicle." Why does it have to be so specific?

d. Awkward sentence structure like this: "As the Toyota, with Bettina at the wheel, left Arborville’s commercial district behind..."

For the third story, Liz Ireland's "Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man" lost me within a few paragraphs. The elves being named Jingles and Butterbean caused me to raise an eyebrow. But when the narrator said her husband "Nick aka Santa Claus--set us down on Mount Hood," I just gave up.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short novellas by three authors who are fairly well-known in the cozy world. (And if you don't, you should pick up on of their other books!) Of course, we all have our favorites, but I do love anthologies as you can finish them very quickly and they are interesting. That is, if they are done well, which these three certainly are.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Irish Soda Bread Murder: When Tara Meehan moved from the states to Ireland to scatter her mother's ashes, she discovered her Uncle Johnny, who owns a salvage mill and welcomed her into his life. Since then, she's been running a successful business and has acquired a fiancé as well. On this day, though, there is going to be a psychic fair that will benefit charity. There is also a bake sale, and since her Aunt Rose is ill, it was up to Johnny to bake the soda bread. But all is not well when the first person to try the bread -- another psychic, Ronan Stone, eats it and is found dead. Now everyone present is a suspect, and it's up to Tara to find the killer, as the police are stumped.

This is a very good mystery. With all the psychics as suspect, and all seem to have motives, including Rose, Tara needs to find out who hated Ronan enough to kill him. She listens in to the police interviews to gather clues, and then has a chance to figure it out later in the night, with everyone present. The murderer was well hidden, and I didn't figure it out until Tara did. A worthy read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐An Irish Recipe For Murder: When Bettina and Pamela are at a soda bread bake-off, it doesn't last long. The man tasting the bread falls over ill from the first bread offered. He later dies, and the woman who baked it is riddled with guilt. But is she a killer? Neither Bettina nor Pamela think so, and they must put their heads together to figure it out.

A good mystery. I have read all the books in the original series, and enjoyed them. This addition is enjoyable as well. I have my own issues with Pamela, but it did not color my enjoyment of this. The clues are hidden well, and the murderer was a complete surprise. This was the best part, as figuring it out wasn't easy, and the reason for the murder was rather sad. Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man: When April Claus is called away early from the North Pole to her inn in Oregon, it's due to a broken pipe that has leaked everywhere. When she arrives with three of her elves, not only is there water everywhere, but a foul smell no one can figure out. Also, her caretaker Ernie seems to be missing. Since her main goal is to keep the elves from being recognized, she's surprised when people liken them to leprechauns and want them to appear in their St. Paddy's day parade. With that solved, there's a new riddle: who sent her a text, and why is there a dead body inside her front door?

Although I'm not big on fantasy, I really enjoyed this story. The elves bring a little laughter to the tale, and April is up to her ears in both getting her inn ready for summer and trying to figure out who killed the man. It doesn't help that her local nemesis is making her life miserable as well. But when the ending comes, it's all that one would desire, with a nice resolution to everything, and another story well worth reading. Recommended.

In the end, I enjoyed all three tales and these are perfect for St. Patrick's Day stories. I would definitely recommend them to others.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

[K.A. Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER is a compilation of three tasty novellas by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland. Even though it’s not St. Patrick’s Day yet, these three stories will get you in the mood to celebrate while nibbling on a delicious slice of bread.

I like that the first book, Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, is actually set in Ireland. The author captures the spirit of the emerald isle with its feisty personalities as protagonist Tara Meehan helps her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose with a local psychic convention. Who knew psychics could be so competitive?! It sets the stage for a lot of humor, which added to the appeal of the story. I also liked that it’s Uncle Johnny who bakes multiple loaves of soda bread for the bake sale charity event. Unfortunately, one of those loaves ends up killing one of the psychics. I’m always amazed at how the author can weave so much information and investigations into such a short novella. There were plenty of suspects—none of the psychics liked each other. I must applaud the author for using some clever tactics for Tara to get information. With a heartwarming ending and a wedding right around the corner, I can’t wait to find out what happens next with Tara!

The next story in the installment is An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, featuring Bettina Fraser and Pamela Paterson, longtime friends, neighbors, and Knit and Nibble club besties. The author’s tantalizing descriptive skills bring each scene to life, especially where food is concerned, and the St. Patrick’s theme is on full display. I like the protagonists are of an older generation yet are actively involved in the community. When one of the judges at the Irish soda bread baking competition dies after sampling a piece, Bettina feels responsible since it was her idea to have the bake-off. This is a gently paced mystery as Bettina and Pamela start asking questions around town and digging into the judge’s background. Since the Irish soda bread from each competitor had been sitting on a table unattended, there are suspects galore. As they gather clues, like pieces of a puzzle, including some that don’t seem to belong, the culprit slowly begins to be made clear, until the final resolution.

The third and final story is Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. This clever plot with memorable characters is probably my favorite of the bunch. While I love all the previous stories set in the North Pole with protagonist Mrs. April Claus and her husband, Santa, it was a delight to visit April’s Oregon home to take care of repairs to her inn, with three of her elf friends tagging along. The author does a marvelous job of bringing the characters to life and setting the stage for a multi-faceted mystery. The elves bring humor to the story as they try to remain incognito, as does April entering an Irish soda bread baking competition, despite being a terrible cook. When April discovers her inn was being used to store stolen goods and a murder takes place, she and the elves must solve the crime before the elves’ true identities are discovered. This is a fun, fun read with enough action and clues to keep the reader engaged!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Drebbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Irish Soda Bread Murder” features three mysteries by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland with St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Soda Bread, and murder as the main theme.

“Irish Soda Bread Murder” by Carlene O’Connor
Tara Meehan is getting married very soon and is busy with wedding plans but agrees to help out her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose at a convention for local psychics that Rose has set up. Any hopes that Tara had of things running smoothly are quickly dashed when one of the contestants dies after eating a slice of Johnny’s bread. Tara can’t help but try to find out who the killer is but will she succeed?

This story had me laughing from beginning to end – starting with Rose on a stick! The mystery is well done with just the right amount of suspects and clues scattered throughout the story. The way the killer was revealed could have come straight out of an Agatha Christie novel although readers probably don’t want to think too hard about how Tara came up with the solution – still the story was fun.

“An Irish Recipe for Murder” by Peggy Ehrhart
Bettina Fraser is thrilled that her idea for a soda bread-baking competition has been accepted but not so thrilled when someone is killed after eating a poisoned slice of bread. Bettina feels horrible and partly responsible so she and her best friend Pamela Paterson start investigating the crime but will they be able to find the killer?

I always enjoy my visits with Bettina, Pamela, and the Knit and Nibble Knitting Club and this story was no exception. I especially enjoy reading about the meals Bettina’s husband cooks – if only he existed in real life! The mystery had just the right amount of suspects but I found that a couple of clues pointed out who the killer was fairly early in the story. However, I was taken by surprise at what the motive was.

"Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man" by Liz Ireland

April Claus and three of her elf friends - Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean – have left the North Pole to check on the flooded inn she owns in Oregon. Besides cleaning the inn, she thinks her biggest challenge will be to keeping people from realizing her three companions are elves. However, she soon finds herself dealing with an incompetent caretaker, mysterious noises and odors, and ultimately a dead body at the inn. She needs to find the killer before she or one of her friends ends up in jail.

I love my visits with April Claus and, while I miss Nick and the others at the North Pole, this was a fun read. I love the shenanigans of the three elves who mean well but don’t quite do well at hiding their elfness. This isn’t a story where you try to figure out whodunit – instead you sit back and enjoy the ride. In the end, as always, I was sorry that my visit with April and friends was over.

“Irish Soda Bread Murder” is a fun collection of murder mysteries but you may never look at Irish Soda Bread the same way after reading these!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: Irish Soda Bread Murder

Rating: 3 Stars

As a fan of cozy mysteries, especially those with a festive twist, I was excited to dive into Irish Soda Bread Murder, a collection featuring three novellas centered around the beloved St. Patrick's Day treat. With a charming cover that immediately caught my eye, I couldn’t resist picking this one up.

The first short story, “Irish Soda Bread Murder” by Carlene O’Connor, features Tara Meehan, who is caught in a whirlwind of wedding planning and family obligations. While helping out at her Uncle Johnny’s salvage yard during a psychic convention and bake sale, things take a dark turn when one of the psychics drops dead right after sampling Johnny's famous soda bread. With time running out before her wedding, Tara must unravel the mystery and find out who baked the deadly creation.

In the second story, “An Irish Recipe for Murder” by Peggy Ehrhart, Bettina Fraser is thrilled to host a soda bread-baking competition in Arborville, New Jersey. But the festive mood quickly turns sour when a councilman collapses after tasting one of the entries. Bettina and her knitting club friend, Pamela, jump into action to uncover the culprit behind this sinister act.

The final tale, “Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man” by Liz Ireland, takes us to Cloudberry Bay, Oregon. April Claus is more concerned about her inn’s flooding than about the secretive nature of her elf companions. However, things escalate when a shady acquaintance of her caretaker is found dead, and the murder weapon appears hidden within a loaf of soda bread at her craft fair booth. April must act fast to clear her name and catch the true killer.

Overall, I found this collection to be a mixed bag. The first story by O’Connor was definitely my favorite—solidly entertaining and deserving of a solid 4-star rating. Tara's character was engaging, and the plot had just the right amount of suspense mixed with humor.

However, the other two stories didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Both Ehrhart’s and Ireland’s contributions felt a bit lackluster in comparison, earning a mere 2.5 stars each. They just didn’t capture my interest as much as I had hoped.

While Irish Soda Bread Murder had its highs and lows, it still scratches that cozy mystery itch for holiday-themed fans like me. If you enjoy a light read with a side of intrigue and charming characters, this collection might just be worth your while.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

[Tracy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soda Bread, a staple of St Patrick’s Day celebrations, appears to be quite a dangerous commodity in Cosy Crime land in this latest collaboration!

In Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor Tara Meehan, is excited for her wedding to Danny O'Donnell, but before that, she is helping her Uncle and Aunt with a charity event at their salvage yard building. Unfortunately, the soda bread competition leaves one of the stall holders dead, the whole event cancelled, and her uncle and prime suspect!

Meanwhile in Arborville, New Jersey, the St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the rec centre in An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart also ends in tragedy leaving journalist Bettina Fraser guilt stricken as it was her idea in the first place. With best friend Pamela Paterson, she sets out to discover who's responsible before the wrong person is blamed.

In Mrs Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland, Santaland isn't a hive of activity for St Patrick’s Day and so April Claus, who just happened to be married to Santa himself, has taken the chance to return home to Cloudberry Bay where she owns an inn which has recently been flooded. With her three travelling companions, who just happen to be elves, April needs to get the Inn back up and running before the tourist season starts. With her unpleasant neighbour goading her April also agrees to enter the local soda bread competition, which probably wasn't a very good idea! With stolen goods, missing endangered animals, and a dead body to deal with, she knows Christmas in Santaland this year is going to be doddle!

I love the cosy crime collections that are set around different holidays and celebrations, as they are a great way to discover new favourite series and writers. Of the three stories here, I was only familiar with Peggy Ehrhart's series, but it wasn't a problem. The first two stories also have recipes included, which are always fun and another reason to love cosy crime novels!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, Kensington Cosies, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a very enjoyable book which I enjoyed very much.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes three separate cozy mystery novellas with plots having a connection to Irish soda bread.

The first story has the same name as the collection, Irish Soda Bread, and was written by Carlene O'Connor. The novella is part of the Home to Ireland series. I've read one prior novella and one full-length novel which helped a bit with the background since the story does have a lot of characters to keep track of. The main character is Tara Meehan who has moved from New York to Ireland. She is helping out at a psychic convention and unfortunately one of them didn't see what was coming and dies after eating a piece of soda bread. Tara is determined to get to the truth of this untimely death. I liked the setting and the way Tara questions the suspects, but didn't always follow who was who.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is part of the Knit and Nibble Mystery series featuring best friends Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser. The story includes an Irish Soda Bread baking contest and a suspicious death. There are clues to the identity of the killer, but I missed them! This novella has all of the elements of the series' full-length novels - the Knit and Nibble club meetings, Pamela's work as a fiber arts magazine editor, and plenty of sleuthing by Pamela and Bettina. I find this series to be fun and relaxing to read, so I enjoyed this story.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man is another charming installment of Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series. This time April Claus returns to her hometown in Oregon where she runs an inn in the summer to check on some damage to the property. She brings three of her elf friends from Santaland with her and has her hands full dealing with her inn's caretaker who hasn't been doing his job, baking for a soda bread contest, and keeping the elves out of trouble and out of the crosshairs of her nosy neighbor. April once again proves to be a capable sleuth in a complicated but entertaining case.

I received an advance copy of this ebook for review consideration from NetGalley and Kensington Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish Soda Bread Murder is compilation of St. Patrick’s Day themed cozy mysteries.

The first mystery in the set is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Conor and is part of the A Home to Ireland Mystery series. Tara Meehan is days away from her wedding, but first she’s got to help her uncle out with the psychic convention her aunt is putting on. When one of the psychics turns up dead, Tara is on the case once again to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery and thought the characters and storyline were good. The mystery was fast paced and interesting which made for a quick read. I’ve read one other book in this series and am definitely open to reading more.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is part of the A Knot & Nibble Mystery series. It’s St. Patrick’s Day in Arborville and to celebrate the town is holding a sofa bread baking contest. The festivities are going well until one of the town councilman acting as a judge ends up dead. Unable to let the mystery sit, Pamela and Bettina are on the case stopping at nothing to find the truth.

This series has been one of my longtime favorites and I love seeing a new installation coming out. I loved this new mystery and thought it was the perfect short St. Patrick’s Day cozy. I love Pamela so much and think Bettina is the perfect sidekick. This series always makes me happy and I enjoyed this mystery. I look forward to seeing what comes next!

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man is part of the Mrs. Claus mystery series by Liz Ireland. When April Claus returns to Cloudberry, Oregon to check on her flooded inn she doesn’t expect to venture into a murder investigation. With three elves in tow, April must get to the bottom of the mystery before someone starts asking questions about her three leprechaun like friends.

I have only read one other short mystery in this series and I don’t think I was a big fan, but I really did enjoy this mystery. So much so that I think I will need to check out more of this series and see how it all began!

If you are in the mood for three good and quick cozy mysteries this collection is for you!

[dnsyl57 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Irish Soda Bread Murder" is a collection of three novellas by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland.

"Irish Soda Bread Murder" is part of the "Home To Ireland" series by Carlene O'Connor. Tara Meehan is helping out her Uncle Johnny at the salvage mill where Aunt Rose had organized a Psychic Fair and Bake Sale event to raise money for charity. One of the psychics dies before the event even opens the doors. The psychics all blame each other and the DS who is there to investigate seems a bit new to the job so it is up to Tara to sort it out. I do like the core characters of this series but the story was a bit to convoluted to me. 3 of 5 stars.

"An Irish Recipe For Murder" is book 11.5 in the "Knit & Nibble Mystery" by Peggy Ehrhart. A soda bread baking contest during the St. Patrick's Day festivities turns deadly when the judge dies after eating an entry. Bettina is reporting for The Advocate newspaper and Pamela is along to enjoy the festival. Between the two of them, they make observations that lead them to make further enquiries. They come across some interesting potential clues and suspects before solving the case. As with all of this series, there is much discussion of Bettina's fashions, Wilfred's cooking and the goings on of the knitting group. 3 of 5 stars.

"Mrs. Claus And The Sinister Soda Bread Man" is book #5.5 in the "Mrs. Claus" series by Liz Ireland. After learning of a water pipe bursting at the inn she owns in Oregon, April Claus takes 3 of the elves with her to resolve the issues. Water damage, a nasty smell, a missing caretaker and a nasty neighbor are only the start once a body is found in the entrance. Even if you can suspend your belief that elves really do exist and could blend in relatively easily to any community, the story is over the top odd and more suited to a young audience. 2 of 5 stars.

Overall a relatively quick read with a couple of recipes and a knitting pattern included.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The problem with books containing short stories or novels is that if one falls particularly flat, the whole book suffers. This one is three novellas all centered around Irish soda bread. The first story, by Carlene O’Connor, is a sweet cozy murder mystery including a wild cast of psychics and a decently intriguing plotline. I enjoy O’Connor’s writing style and while I think she could have eked a bit more length out of this one, I enjoyed reading it. The second story by Peggy Ehrhart really ruined the whole book for me. The story had nearly zero plot and an unnecessarily large cast of characters for something so short. She spends a crazy amount of time on descriptions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story and don’t seem congruent with even setting the scene (ex: why did I need the intricate details of all three of the articles the main character was editing when they were so wildly off topic from the narrative?). Story three by Liz Ireland could have been decent but for two main flaws: 1) I was already super put off by the second story, and 2) without having read any other of Ireland’s work, particularly around the main character of April Claus who yes is indeed the wife of Santa, the conceit of this story felt absolutely mind-numbing WILD. Going in completely unprepared, Santa’s wife and three elves showing up in Oregon to care for an inn and getting entangled in wild animal trading during the local St Patrick’s Day celebrations including a soda break bake-off is… a lot.

Overall I would have been quite happy stopping after the first story.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grab a cuppa and a little snacky snack and dive into not one but three cozies in one book! With three of our favorite authors. Perfect for cozy days.

First up is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’connor.
Tara is getting married but first there is a psychic fair in their wedding space. With Uncle Johnny holding court with his Irish Soda Bread. Which could lead to disaster since his better half normally bakes but is ill. Who knows what will happen?
A lot. A lot will happen and what fun it was!

Next, An Irish Recipe For Murder by Peggy Ehrhart

We are in New Jersey for St. Patrick’s Day and this year they are sponsoring a soda bread bake off. Bettina is excited as her idea received the green light. But will it all come to a burnt end? When one of the judges keels over dead!
But never fear because Bettina and Pamela are on the case and will leave no crumb unturned!

Next, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland

WE are in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon. Don’t you just adore that name?
April Claus is in town to check on her inn which has flooded. April is trying desperately to keep her “elves” from being discovered when she discovers Ernie has been dealing in stolen goods and one of his fellow thieves turns up dead.

And when the weapon turns up in April’s loaf of bread, well, they may all be in jail soon.


NetGalley/ Kensington December 24, 2024

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A festive and fun collection of mystery stories centered around St. Patrick's Day.

Carleen O'Connor's "Irish Soda Bread Murder' incorporates characters from her "Home to Ireland' series, with main character Tara about to celebrate her wedding. Firstly, though, she has to help solve a murder during the Psychic Fair and Bake Sale being held literally on her doorstep. The cast of characters is large, and very excentric, and the mystery is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow.

The second story, "Irish Recipe for Murder" was much easier to get immersed in, even without reading the "Knit & Nibble' series it was based on. The author skillfully draws you into her small-town world, and the characters' relationships and personalities are realistically portrayed. The main character edits a knitting magazine, and I really want to read the articles she mentioned working on! Lots of discussion of knitting/crafting, quirky pets (loved Woofus the dog), and yummy food ensue. I plan to try the included recipe for Irish Whiskey Bars at our next St. Pat's feast!

"Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man" was my favorite, though......just so much fun. April Claus (yes, THAT Claus) leaves the North Pole to check on the B&B she owns in Oregon....accompanied by a trio of elves. Wackiness ensues, including stolen exotic cats, the Russian mob, a cut-throat bake sale, and tons of breakfast cereal. Oh, and 'leprechauns'.