Reviewed by Jeanne
This is another of Kensington Publishing’s holiday novella collections,
with three stories each written by a cozy mystery author. This collection, obviously, is in celebration
of St. Patrick’s Day, so each story uses that as a story element while
featuring their series characters.
Often, these are stories set between books but you don’t need to be a
fan to follow the action in these novellas.
In fact, I like to use them as a testing ground to see if am going to
like the author’s style or not without having to try a whole book.
“The Irish Milkshake Murder” by Carlene O’Connor has her Irish Village Mystery series heroine
Tara Meehan and two female friends on their way to an island for her hen party (which
she didn’t want.) Her fiancé and his friends are on the same ferry for the stag
party. They end up with a two dancing brothers who need transportation to the
island as well. Tara manages to hang in for the choppy trip despite downing some
of the boozy milkshakes provided. Unfortunately, one of the passengers gets a
shake spiked with something else, and Tara realizes she’s once again in the
middle of a murder investigation. This
story is long on Irish flavor, so if you need to get in the—um, spirit of the
holiday, this is a good start.
Pamela Paterson is the main character of Peggy Ehrhart’s Knit & Nibble series, a widow who
belongs to a knitting club. Her best friend Bettina is a reporter for a weekly
newspaper, and the two of them end up solving crimes on a regular basis. In “Murder Most Irish,” the two are enjoying
lunch when another customer keels over after having a green milkshake. It’s going to be up to Pamela and Bettina to
solve the mystery before their beloved luncheonette is closed for good. New readers may find this one a bit slow, but
fans will love the descriptions of hearty and delicious food, fiber craft
articles, and cameos from series characters.
Mentions of “Mrs. Claus” may make people think of a plump
little old lady with white hair and apple cheeks, but April Claus is none of
the above. She was swept off her feet by the handsome Nicholas Claus, only
learning later that he was none other than THE Nick Claus. She has adjusted to
Santaland and Santaland is trying to adjust to her, especially all the new
holiday she’s brought with her—like St. Patrick’s Day. In “Mrs. Claus and Luckless Leprechaun,” an
elf is found with a head injury but whether it was from an unlucky fall or if
this was a failed murder attempt. This series
is full of light-hearted fun, but the author treats it as seriously as possible
so that the effect is off-beat but not silly.
I found this collection to be quite the treat!
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