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!

What fun to find a book that features St. Patrick’s Day as a theme! I’m only current with one of the series featured in this collection but I still found the other two novellas easy to jump in at mid series.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor – Super excited about this addition to the ‘Home to Ireland’ series. I was so disappointed when it stopped after two books so I was eager to meet up with Tara and the gang in Galway. A fun mystery with a Christie-esque gather all the suspects together to reveal the killer grand finale. This is the only story actually set in Ireland and I was a bit let down since the narration didn’t include Irish accents (there’s only one American character in the mix.) It was kind of strange to hear some of the Irish phrasing without the lilt.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart – I’ve only read the first book in the ‘Knit & Nibble Mystery‘ series but it was fun to get reacquainted with these characters and I loved the Bake Off theme featuring Irish Soda Bread. Two amateur sleuths, a knitting group made up of an eclectic mix of personalities and a murder! Definitely more cozy than mystery in this novella. Lots of descriptive details on food and fibre crafts.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland – My introduction to the Mrs. Claus series and this novella has charmed me into adding the rest of the books to my Serious About Series Challenge for the New Year. So. Much. Fun. The elves cracked me up all the way through (it’s their first time away from Christmastown.) So, quirky humour, great characters and a multi-layered mystery to solve. Not to mention a Soda Bread Man to bake. I’m still grinning.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of this collection, narrated by Carlotta Brentan. She did a great job giving distinctive voices to all the characters (with the exception of Irish accents in the first novella.) A pleasant listening experience.

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

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! 💚

The first two stories are a bit darker, cozy and yet more focused on a murder mystery, and the third is more cutesy and amusing, though there is a murder farther in.

Though this is no reflection on the story, the first, by Carlene O'Connor, is unpleasant as an audiobook because the story is read in an American accent, but written in an Irish brogue. The narrator did a great job considering, but it hurt my ears to listen to it, and I should've just read the book. Painful.

The stories were fun enough and made me crave soda bread like no other book before it. Each story was distinct and the authors were clever with their characters, but there's something so ticklish about elves from the North Pole being mistaken for leprechauns in Oregon when on vacation at Mrs. Claus' Inn. It cracked me up.

This is a fun collection of three cozy mystery novellas that feature Irish soda bread. The narration for the audiobook was done really well. Carlotta Brentan's voice really suits these stories and characters. Each story was fun and entertaining, full of amateur sleuthing, interesting characters, unique settings, and Irish soda bread. The first novella is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor. I really enjoyed all the sleuthing in this story. The second novella is An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart. I love a banking competition turned deadly as a cozy plot. The last novella is Mrs. Clause and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. I adored the fantasy element to this story. It was just so enjoyable.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found all three of these novellas cozy and enjoyable in their own way, but I was ultimately disappointed by the mystery element in all of them. I considered lowering my ratings because of this, but I’m rounding up since I didn’t actively dislike any of them.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor
The psychic element and the scenes involving spying on interrogations were fun to read, but the suspects weren’t distinct enough to make the mystery engaging. 3/5

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart
I really appreciated the friendship between the two female leads, which felt genuine and heartwarming. However, the story was overwhelmed by cozy elements—the overly detailed descriptions of meals, the knitting club, the article editing, and the antiques. This focus detracted from the mystery, leaving it underdeveloped. I would consider reading a full installment of the series to see if Ehrhart can deliver a stronger mystery. 3/5

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland
I never would have picked up a fantastical cozy mystery like this on its own, but the elves brought a certain charm and coziness to the story. Unfortunately, the mystery itself was the weakest aspect. 3/5

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.

Audio book 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!

Interesting story and wonderful to have a St. Patrick’s themed mystery. Goes great along the rest of the books that are themed. One to try during March.

Cute compilation of cozy mysteries. Narration was done well. The stories were fairly fast moving. I love cozy mysteries and I liked the setting for these as well.

There were 3 short cozy mysteries. I liked that they kept on theme but feel like there isn't enough time to get to know the characters. I liked that they were fast paced.