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.

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.

A trio of cozy mysteries surrounding the Irish love of soda bread. Each story centers on bakery communities and the competitive spirit when reputations are on the line. One of the stories even combines the spirit of Ireland with the spirit of Christmas when elves help investigate the murder. As always, this series of books is a great example of the skilled story telling these ladies are famous for, just in a shortened version.

Three stories from different cozy series that all feature Irish soda bread. I hadn't read any of these authors' series before, so it was interesting to see the different settings!

I really enjoyed the first and third stories. The second story was not as much for me in writing style, but people who like this series already will enjoy it. Among story collections like this I've read, this one overall was very enjoyable.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a St. Patrick’s Day anthology with soda bread being the common theme in each novella. Who knew this Irish bread could be so dangerous? By Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland this is a great anthology to get to read a new author or enjoy one whose books you often read. Murder is right along with the soda bread, but each is a cozy mystery without the gore.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor has some unusual characters of local psychics. They are there for a charity fair which a murder interrupts the fair. The characters are interesting with lots of suspects. I must say I did not solve this one until Tara did so.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Erhart is the first of two soda bread competitions. A murdered judge causes the sleuth to be on the lookout for the killer. Quite a bit of intrigue.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland is a fun read with Mrs. Claus returning to her former home with elves, a lacking caretaker and a former neighbor enemy on the warpath. The story is involved with the murder happening later in the story. Still my favorite of the three.

Irish Soda Bread Murder features stories by three writers. Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland. Each author provides interesting cozy mystery. In each one someone is killed and the heroines have to solve them. Of course each one is related to soda bread. In one the murder victim is found clutching soda bread. In the other two the soda bread is the cause for the deaths.

A fun cozy with three very likeable character that you shouldn't miss.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER Saint Patrick’s Day is almost here and Tara’s wedding day is close. However, she needs to help at a fair at her uncle’s salvage mill. Unfortunately, one of the psychics is found dead and they will need to group together to find the murderer. Love the setting and the characters.

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER
Saint Patrick’s Day is here and there’s an Irish Soda Bread competition at the local community center. The day is a celebration of story telling and more until the judge dies while tasting the first bread. Bettina and Pamela are on the case to find the true murderer.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN Mrs. Claus returns to Oregon early to take care of a major water leak at her bed and breakfast. She takes three elves with her as the town is never busy in the spring. However, this year the town is celebrating St Patrick’s Day and has a large amount of visitors. April Claus has her hands full trying to get the repairs done, keep track of the elves, and find out what is in the attic. Lots of fun in this mystery. I do love these characters.

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'.

An anthology of three stories focuses on St. Patrick's Day. Each uses soda bread as a vehicle for murder. A fun read. Great authors who utilize their characters from their books in these novellas. A quick read, which is perfect for a holiday read. You can pick it up and easily complete the book over time.

#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.

Love the book. Every short Story from each writer has atie to Irish soda bread and a murder mystery. I would recommend it.

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

This is the perfect book for cozy mystery lovers who are busy this time of year. It consists of three different stories, so it's easy to have a time to get through each story.

I loved every addition and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to enjoy these. The characterization and details were very well done for such short stories. They are standalone stories--although I know at least two of the stories have characters that show up in other books; however, you wont feel lost reading this and you may be tempted to pick up something else with these characters.

5 stars!

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.

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

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a delightful collection of cozy mysteries that brings together three charming stories set around St. Patrick's Day. Each tale weaves Irish culture, delectable food, and intriguing whodunits, making it a treat for fans of light-hearted mysteries and festive cheer.