Luck of the Irish - A Review

 Review

LUCK OF THE IRISH COZY MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY
Edited by Kate Darroch and Jessica Thompson

LUCK OF THE IRISH is an anthology comprised of ten short stories all with the theme of St. Patrick's Day and luck. The stories are varied; two are historical, Gilded Age and 1960s, and all have different locales including Tennessee and outer space! All of the proceeds of this anthology go to the non-profit RAICEStexas.org who help immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeking families, especially the children.

With such a diverse group of stories, it's only logical that some I liked and some I didn't care for as much. I really enjoyed "A Caterer's Guide to Leprechauns and Lies" by Jessica Thompson, "A Tale of Fickle Fortune" by Amy Grundy, and "A Foliage Farewell" by J. R. Lancaster, even though the protagonist deems it unthinkable to have a litter box in the house and lets his cat outside. My favorite story by far, was "A Fatal St. Patrick's Day" by Kathleen Marple Kalb that featured characters from her Ella Shane Mystery series. This historical series is one of my favorites and this short story ably captures the personality of the characters as they solve another mystery in Gilded Age New York City. I also really appreciated the recipes included at the end of the book.

If you're in mind of a quick read with a St. Patrick's Day bent and want to help a charity as well, LUCK OF THE IRISH COZY MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY might be just your cup of tea.

Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold - A Review

 Review

 

MRS. MORRIS AND THE POT OF GOLD by Traci Wilton
The Sixth Salem B & B Mystery

 

It's St. Patrick's Day in Salem and Charlene is bringing all of her B&B guests out to celebrate. Although the reservations are muddled and the woman in charge seems a bit overwhelmed everyone seems to be having a good time. That is until a drunk relative of the organizer forces his way in and makes a scene. Determined to ignore him, Charlene has fun with her guests until the event ends. A scarf left by one of her guests leads Charlene back inside only to be pushed aside by someone in a hoodie as she discovers the family black sheep on the floor. At least no one is dead...yet. 

 

I love mysteries set around the holidays. While Christmas and Halloween themed ones are great, I appreciate when an author picks a less popular holiday. I was excited to discover the sixth Salem B & B Mystery is set during St. Patrick's Day! I enjoyed learning about the Irish influence in Salem as well as meeting new characters, the Gallagher and O'Brien families as well as the new B & B guests. I was especially amused at Charlene's attempt to make friends with the one guest who refused to be part of her happy hospitality family.

The mystery was complex with lots of familial undertones, in both the major plot and subplots as well. The sheer number of family members, all of whom could be suspects, added to the intrigue and the complexity. I always enjoy the rapport between Charlene and Jack and love how they work together to puzzle out the mystery.

 

Corned beef and cabbage, a creepy leprechaun, and family dynamics make MRS. MORRIS AND THE POT OF GOLD fantastic holiday mystery.

Currently Reading...

I just started reading Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold by Traci Wilton. This book is the sixth in the Salem B&B Mystery series and was released last week.

It's St. Patrick's Day in Salem and Charlene is bringing all of her B&B guests out to celebrate. Although the reservations are muddled and the woman in charge seems a bit overwhelmed everyone seems to be having a good time. That is until a drunk relative of the organizer forces his way in and makes a scene. Determined to ignore him, Charlene has fun with her guests until the event ends. A scarf left by one of her guests leads Charlene back inside only to be pushed aside by someone in a hoodie as she discovers the family black sheep on the floor. At least no one is dead...yet.