Publication Date December 26, 2023
This is a fun collection of three short stories all set around St. Patrick’s Day and all involving a potentially poisoned milkshake. The collection as a whole is exceptionally entertaining. In general, I don’t enjoy short mysteries, but I did enjoy all three of these. Each story had an intriguing mystery, a cosy vibe, and some laugh-out-loud moments.
Irish Milkshake Murder by Carlene O’Connor is set in Galway, Ireland where Tara Meehan is being dragged off to the Aran Islands for her hen night, a hen night that she has protested from the moment her friend suggested it. When a murder takes place on the ferry, Tara feels even more certain that she is not a fan of hen nights.
Never having met Tara before, I found her very likable. She is kind and seems to be the most mature member of her friend group. Given the length of the story, I found the mystery to be solid and the wrap-up answered most of my questions.
Murder Most Irish by Peggy Ehrhart is set in New Jersey where Pamela Patterson, associate editor of Fiber Craft magazine, and her friend, Bettina, a journalist, try to solve the murder of a man in a local luncheonette.
How have I not heard of this series before?
I love a good cosy culinary mystery, and even at its abbreviated length, this is a good cosy culinary mystery! Pamela and Bettina are excellent crime solvers whose personalities both complement and balance one another. The mystery had just enough clues, red herrings, motives, and suspects for the length of the story. Food is important in a culinary mystery and food wasn’t lacking here.
At the end of the story there were recipes for Irish Coffee Mallow and Shamrock Cookies, plus directions on how to make a knitted potholder!
Again I ask, how have I not heard of this series before?!
Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun by Liz Ireland takes place at the North Pole where Mrs. Claus tries to figure out who would want to hurt one of the elves on the Tinkertown Ice Ball team, and who stole the Golden Bootie.
The North Pole Series is a series I know and love. Mrs. Claus, Santa, elves, talking reindeer, sentient snowmen, eggnog and other sweets, cosy cottages – to me, this is the ultimate cosy world, and the perfect setting for a pinch of murder and mayhem. It’s like comfort food in book form.
For those not familiar with the series, this story can stand alone.
Although short, the story does manage to sneak in the elements I look for in a mystery and the humor I expect from the series.
One of the elves was reading a copy of Elf Health Today and the cover story was “Getting More Refined Sugar Into Your Diet.” I would like to go on record here – I would make an excellent elf!
My Rating 4/5
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Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
- Child Loss – one of the characters has a backstory of child loss
About the Authors
Find out more about Carlene O’Connor,
Find out more about Peggy Ehrhart.
Find out more about Liz Ireland.
Photo by Vijay Aditya M on Pexels.com
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