I do so enjoy these collections of seasonal cozy novellas from Kensington Books’ roster of accomplished authors! It’s always fun doing a little fresh, quick sleuthing with casts of characters I already know and love. These books are also great for readers new to one or more of the series included, as they often serve as a terrific introduction to each of the authors’ fictional worlds.

Carlene O’Connor’s title novella opens this St Patrick’s Day-themed collection. It’s set, suitably enough, in Ireland itself. American immigrant Tara Meehan is helping her roguish Irish uncle Johnny Meehan host his annual psychic fair slash bake sale, stepping in for her ill Aunt Rose. Undeterred by being too contagious to be on-site, Rose – a formidable psychic herself – is still trying to make sure that everything goes smoothly by calling in via tablet: to mixed result as all of the psychics physically assembled at the fair keep seeing portents of disaster. But when one of them abruptly keels over after eating some of Johnny’s famous soda bread, it’s up to Tara, her fiance Danny and her aunt and uncle to assist the garda in figuring out who poisoned the victim and why.

The second novella, An Irish Recipe For Murder, is written by one of my all-time favorite culinary cozy authors, Peggy Ehrhart. The New Jersey town of Arborville is gearing up for their St Patrick’s Day celebrations, including a soda bread contest judged by handsome town council member Kieran Malone. When he dies after sampling the very first entry, no one is more saddened and shocked than its baker, Deirdre McKeon. Deirdre has been not-so-secretly in love with Kieran for decades, but swears that she would never hurt him. Our heroine Pamela Paterson and her best friend, reporter Bettina Fraser, must get to the bottom of things before anyone else gets hurt.

The final entry here is Liz Ireland’s Mrs Claus And The Sinister Soda Bread Man. April Claus is called away from Santaland with news that the inn she owns in the sleepy coastal town of Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, seems to have sprung a damaging leak. The caretaker she hired for the off-season has gone AWOL, and there’s no one else on hand to fix the problem. With three excited elves in tow, April has to head back to her inn to figure out what’s going on. To her surprise, Cloudberry Bay is filled with tourists drawn by the town’s first annual St Patrick’s Day festival. Against her better judgment, April is baited by her nemesis Damaris Sproat into entering the festival’s soda bread bake-off. She’ll have more important things to worry about, however, when she finds a man murdered on her inn’s doorstep.

Each of these novellas is charming and clever, and packs a whole lot of story into their relatively small amount of pages. Ms Ehrhart’s offering also includes two delicious recipes and a knitting pattern. For today’s column though, I decided to try out the recipe that came with Ms O’Connor’s novella, lightly edited here for space and format:

QUOTE
Traditional Irish Soda Bread

1 pound all-purpose flour (Irish brands such as Odlums can be purchased online)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda (you can purchase online or substitute with 1 teaspoon of baking soda)
12-14 ounces buttermilk–if you can get it, use Jersey Buttermilk (from Jersey cows)
If desired, a handful of raisins or currants can be added to the mix.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt, and bicarbonate of soda. The bicarbonate of soda may have lumps: if it does, use a sieve to break them up and sprinkle into the mix, or use the palm of your hand to break up the lumps. Make a well in the center of the bowl (clear space in the middle). Pour in buttermilk. Using your hand in a claw shape, place in the well of buttermilk and begin to stir outward, thus mixing the buttermilk with the dry mixture. Stir until combined.

Flour a countertop or work surface. Place the combined mixture on top. Do not knead. Instead, “tidy it up” with your hands, pat around it, then flip it over. Tuck the dough underneath all around, adding a tad more flour if needed. Dough should be about an inch and a half thick.

Place on a thin baking pan. Cut a deep cross on top of the dough–this is the “blessing,” but practically it helps the loaf cook through. Prick the four corners to “let the fairies out” (optional but why not?!). Place in the oven immediately.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack. Slather with good Irish butter, such as Kerrygold.
END QUOTE

I have yet to find a quick bread recipe that I don’t enjoy, and this was no exception! I decided to skip the fruit and just bake it as is, though the description of Uncle Johnny’s dry soda bread did make me err on the side of adding more buttermilk than less. That might have been a mistake on my part, as the dough that resulted seemed a bit runnier than usual, even after liberally dusting it with flour during the tidying up phase.

The resulting loaf was a little flat after baking, but was addictively chewy and moist. I would recommend greasing your pan before placing the dough on it though, as I had a torrid time scraping the loaf off of my ungreased pan after taking it out of the oven. I’ll also be baking it for closer to thirty minutes than thirty-five the next time I make this – which will probably be soon given the amount of buttermilk I still have to use!

Next week, we travel down the west coast to investigate the death of a food critic while learning how to make special sauces. Do join me!

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⚠️

This was a dual read/listen for me. I requested the book from NetGalley as I'm a fan of Carlene O'Connor and Liz Ireland. I wasn't familiar with Peggy Ehrhart's writing. But I quickly realized the I wasn't familiar with the series in Carlene O'connor's novella. That didn't deter me. Both stories were interesting and well written. I wouldn't declare them perfect standalones. I'm sure those familiar with the series would greatly enjoy the stories more so than myself. But I did warm up to both thanks to the authors quickly updating the who, where and why of the series. The O'Connor setting with the mystic fair was imaginative. Ehhart's story is definitely for someone who love a lot of information and description of the setting and food. Liz Irelands novella stole the show for me. I loved that April Claus was out of the North and in a more comfortable and familiar setting. I'm also glad she one upped her rival neighbor. A terrific story for the series with a lot of imagination for the murder plot. I highly recommend the book in either traditional or audible format. The audible voice actress did a wonderful job throughout all 3 stories. Thank you #netgalley and #KensingtonCozies for the wonderful editions to my digital and audio library.

A good anthology of cozy mystery novellas featuring fav authors of mine. Enjoyable, well plotted,. These novellas kept me hooked and guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

“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.

Mystery anthologies are a favorite of mine. It's fun to read an "in between" book for my favorite authors while I discover new authors. This is the case with Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connell, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland. I'm a fan of Peggy Ehrhart but now I'm liking the other two authors as well.

The mysteries were fun and kept me guessing. Peggy Ehrhart's. Pamela and Bettina were at their best, Liz Ireland's April Claus (yes, that Claus) has her hands full making sure a very important person is not framed for murder and Carlene O'Connor's Tara Meehan' is just trying to get married! All were fun reads and enjoyable

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Irish Soda Bread Murder was such a cozy compilation! I loved each mystery and seeing how they would weave in this tasty treat! I enjoyed the shorter mysteries and having several to read at once!

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

I love reading books set during St Patrick Day. Each of these tales were a fun read with just enough humor and a little mystery. These authors were new to me, but I found their writing to be exceptional. I will be looking at more books from them. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Three cute and quick novellas all about soda bread recipes and murder. All three were good and I liked the first one the best. Who doesn't like paranormal festivities with a murder thrown in! Typical 'cozy' mystery stories. Easy to read and to follow!

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a delightful fusion of the culinary arts and captivating mysteries. With its three short reads each author explores the connection between food and community. They also delve into the intricacies of friendship and how the characters navigate the complexities of their relationships while attempting to solve the mystery at hand. You will see the characters’ growth as they learn to rely on one another, highlighting the importance of support and trust and how friendships can be a source of strength.

I always look forward to the mystery collections by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland. Their collections contain three novellas with a common theme, a holiday or a food. This time, it’s Irish Soda Bread Murder in time for St. Patrick’s Day. But, the stories surprised me. I’m usually eager to read Liz Ireland’s story featuring April Claus, wife of Nick Claus. But, this one disappointed because it was set in Oregon, not Santaland. And, the characters, even April, seem out of their element.

Carlene O’Connor’s “Irish Soda Bread Murder” features a psychic fair and bake sale in Galway a week before Tara Meehan’s wedding to Danny O’Donnell. When one of the psychics is murdered, poisoned by Irish soda bread, Tara and others arrange a seance in which she’ll point to the killer.

Surprisingly to me, my favorite story was Peggy Ehrhart’s “An Irish Recipe for Murder”. Bettina Fraser, the chief reporter for a weekly newspaper, “The Advocate” had the idea for home bakers to enter their Irish soda bread in a contest for Arborville’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. When a local councilman and contest judge keels over after tasting one bread, Bettina worries she’ll be remembered as the reporter who suggested the contest. She teams up with her friend Pamela Paterson to find the murderer.

As I said, I was disappointed in Liz Ireland’s “Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man”. April Claus brings three elves with her to Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, when there’s a crisis at the inn she owns. What kind of trouble can three elves get into away from Santaland? As I said, everyone seemed out of place, and the story just didn’t work for me.

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a light escape for anyone wanting to think spring a little early.

I always look forward to these seasonal cozy novellas. These have led me to new authors that I now love. When I have patrons looking to try a cozy mystery, these are perfect introductions. Although each novella is part of an established series, each story is written in such a way that you can leap into the story without having read previous titles. I read this book primarily for the Peggy Ehrhart title. I am a big Knit and Nibble fan but this one was a tad confusing and too quickly wrapped up at the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for review.

Irish Soda Bread by Carlene O'Connor: This was a fun, short mystery and I was so happy to meet up with Tara Meehan again. The Home to Ireland series only has two full length books so I love getting to read these short stories.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart: This was a fun, short mystery in the Knit and Knibble series. I love this series but the short stories are even better because Peggy doesn't get wrapped up in the minutiae of the story, like bone china and Bettina's outfits.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread by Liz Ireland: I loved seeing the elves in Cloudberry Bay! Liz packed a lot of action into this short mystery and Ernie really is a horrible caretaker.

Three different reads surrounding a murder mystery involving Irish Soda Bread. A nice way of being introduced to new authors. I have read Charlene O’Connor in the past and this was a good novella. My favorite was a new author Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man. A far fetched story of elves and crazy happenings at her Inn. Sometimes one needs a funny getaway from life and this did deliver.
Thank you #NetGallery for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #IrishSodaBreadMurder

This book has three novellas in it. My favorite was the last one, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. April Claus returns to Oregon with three elf friends to take care of inn repairs. April finds that things are not well at the inn. The elves must keep their identities secret. They are roped into an Irish Soda Bread contest and parade. The neighbor lady is and terror and a half. I thoroughly enjoy this series and loved that this story took place in Oregon. I liked the change of scenery.

I found all three stories well written with wonderful characters. Keep writing these and I’ll keep reading them. Nice stories to fill the gaps while waiting for a full book to be written in each series.

Bonus - recipes provided.

Netgalley gave me an advanced copy and these are my own opinions. I am not required to leave a favorable review.

I enjoy these collections of stories. They either introduce me to new series or author or are a nice way to hold me over until the next book in a series comes out. These have a Irish soda bread/St Patrick’s Day theme and all were enjoyable to read. The stories are 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. I enjoyed all 3 stories, but my favorite is the Mrs. Claus story. I look forward to the next books in all 3 series.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is the third collection of three cozies playing on a seasonal theme and murder method. This time for St. Patrick's Day, it's Irish soda bread. I imagine it must be fun for these authors to work with these constraints within their characters' universe. Previously, I read [book:Halloween Cupcake Murder|84283444] and [book:Irish Milkshake Murder|125064639].

<i>Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor<i/> - Tara, her Uncle Johnny and his wife Rose are hosting a psychic fair and bake sale at the salvage mill in Galway . One of the psychics is found dead after eating Johnny's soda bread. But who poisoned the baked goods? And why couldn't anyone see this tragedy coming?

<i>An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart</i> - Peggy and Bettina are steps away when a murder takes place at the St. Patrick's Festival. As in previous books, the food and table settings are meticulously described. I'd love to see more of that focus on the characters and crime solving. I think I need to read one of Ehrhart's full length Knit & Nibble books because I think the ratio between knitting, eating and sleuthing is probably more balance with more pages to fill.

<i>Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland</i> - April Claus and three of the elves are in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon checking on a broken pipe at the inn April runs in "the offseason". I absolutely loved the elves interacting in the human world. It was so fun.

These short stories can be read as stand alone and are a great way to try out a new cozy mystery series. I hope they continue with these in the future.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

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 the book.

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!