by Tracy Condie, Sarah Erwin, & Sandra Murphy

This week we have reviews of three more mysteries to end your February-The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany, Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert, and Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, Liz Ireland. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany
Review by Tracy Condie

Book 10 of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery has Gemma and friends back across the pond for Pippa’s nuptials. Pippa is Gemma’s rather secretive and very business-like older sister who supposedly works for the Ministry or Department for Transport … sure she does. Turns out Pippa isn’t the only one with a secret––no one knew that Gemma had been previously married (GASP). The last person Gemma expected to run into was Paul Erikson, her ex-husband, and the last thing she expected to do was find him dead in the bookstore they once co-owned.

Trafalgar Fine Books, the bookstore that Gemma and Paul owned, is anything but fine, and has become a used-book shop. Paul found a book that was “the real deal,” an enigmatic statement sure to create curiosity. Gemma is a curious person who loved the charmer once upon a time. Paul wasn’t a bad guy, just not the right guy, so the least that Gemma can do is ask a few innocent questions. Chances are the local authorities are busy, and the information she obtains could be useful even if unwanted. Gemma’s boyfriend, police officer Ryan Ashburton, admits that Gemma has a talent for getting people to open up to her. The game is afoot, and Jayne Wilson, the co-owner of the Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, is a trusted friend and sleuthing companion. In addition, there is the umbrella wielding Sherlockian, Donald Morris, to add a little muscle on clue-seeking outings that take them from London to Yorkshire, from the old bookstore to tea at the Wolseley.

Gemma has her work cut out for her since she isn’t a local any longer and hasn’t seen Paul in seven years. Suspects are varied but scarce which draws the reader into the story wondering where the next clue will lead Gemma. She is unlike any other cozy sleuth I have come across. She has a very logical side much like the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. While she is still quite British with her emotions, she has warmed up a bit since the series starter, and her wit is highly entertaining.

This is a very good cozy that was a quick read and does well as a stand-alone, much like Ms. Delany’s Tea by the Sea series.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

Schooled in Murder: Campus Sleuth Mysteries by Victoria Gilbert
Review by Sarah Erwin

I was delighted when I saw that Victoria Gilbert had a new series coming out, as I am a big fan of her Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. Schooled in Murder is book one in the new Campus Sleuth series and is set in the same area as the Blue Ridge Mysteries, but with new characters.

Jennifer ‘Jenn’ Dalton is the director of the writing center at Clarion University (which is the same college where Amy’s husband Richard from the Blue Ridge series teaches). Jenn is also a successful cozy mystery author, so she’s busy with working full-time and writing.

Despite her busy schedule, Jenn is happy to mentor students like Mia, a talented romance writer. Many in the English Department at Clarion look down their noses at genre fiction, and Mia has several unpleasant (and loud!) encounters with one professor in particular.

So it doesn’t look good when that professor is found murdered, clutching one of Mia’s assignments. The police zero in on Mia as the prime suspect, but Jenn just knows Mia is not guilty. Using her sleuthing skills she’s acquired writing cozy murder mysteries, Jenn dives into an investigation of her own, along with Christine Kubiak, a cafeteria manager at the university, Zachary Flynn, the charming but annoying campus psychologist, and Brianna Rowley, a university librarian.

This was such a fun read. The mystery is well-plotted and layered and readers along with Jenn and her sleuthing crew are faced with not just one murder, but two. No spoilers here, of course, but the ending had me sitting straight up in bed!

This new series introduces readers to excellent characters. Jenn is a likable and determined sleuth. I am especially fond of her sleuthing team and especially enjoy that each team member comes from a different area of the university. This representation broadens the access of the team when investigating, and as a reader, I enjoyed seeing the various areas of the campus.

For readers of the past series, the crossovers feel like fun Easter eggs to notice. Jenn lives in Taylorsford, for example, which is featured in the Blue Ridge series.

There’s also a romance subplot that is entertaining and just the perfect amount to balance the mystery.

Wonderful cozy details bring the story to life. I was sad when I finished!

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, Liz Ireland
Review by Sandra Murphy

Three authors have joined together with a common theme—Irish soda bread. Enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor

Tara Meehan relocated from the States to Ireland when her mother passed away. She met her Uncle Johnny, fell in love with the townspeople, and started a business. Now she’s also found the love of her life and is getting married.

First, they have to get through the Psychic Fair/Bake Sale. Crystal balls, a palm reader, psychic, magician, a woman who reads auras, and Dave the Debunker have set up in Uncle Johnny’s salvage mill since it’s the only building large enough to house them all. Meanwhile the baked goods are piling up on a long table to tempt everyone. Even Uncle Johnny made a batch of Irish soda bread under Aunt Rose’s supervision—she being too ill to join the festivities.

Ronan is the mind reader even though his life partner is Dave the Debunker. Dave claims everyone is a fraud except Ronan. Before the event starts, everyone gathers around to get a drink and a sweet treat. That’s when the fire alarm goes off and they have to evacuate the building. It’s only a dumpster fire. However, Ronan didn’t leave the building.

He couldn’t, what with being dead with a piece of Uncle Johnny’s Irish soda bread in his mouth.

O’Connor has written 11 Irish village mysteries, two Home to Irelands, three County Kerry books, and four combination books like this one—two Christmas and two others that are food related. At the end of this episode, find a recipe for traditional Irish soda bread, inspired by Darina Allen.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart

Pamela Patterson and Bettina Fraser are neighbors and best friends. Pamela works from home as an editor for magazine articles about fibers. Bettina is a reporter for a small newspaper (the free one that ends up under the shrubs or in the middle of the driveway). They belong to the Knit and Nibblers group that meets at a different member’s home each time.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Arborville (New Jersey) Advocate, Bettina’s newspaper, is sponsoring an Irish soda bread baking competition. When a popular councilman begins to judge the entries, he takes a big bite—it’s his last. Pamela and Bettina have helped solve murders before and they’re sure the councilman’s death qualifies as murder. One potential killer is the councilman’s sister, just returned from her travels and as usual, broke again. How handy to inherit his estate.

Bettina doesn’t cook or bake so on knitting nights, Pamela supplies the goodies. She’s graciously shared recipes for Irish whisky bars and, of course, Irish soda bread.

Ehrhart has written 11 Knit and Nibble mysteries and three of the combined author books.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Irish Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland

Usually when Mrs. Claus leaves the North Pole to return to her former home, now a B&B, she travels alone or with Santa. This time, she’s smuggling three elves with her. It’s bad enough they stand out in a crowd due to their small size but they also tend to talk before thinking. Telling them to keep a low profile is a waste of breath.

The B&B has suffered damage from a water leak. Ernie the handyman was supposed to repair it but has proved unreliable. Actually, he’s more a thief than a repairman and thought using the B&B as a warehouse to stash the goods was a stellar idea. When an accomplice is found dead, it’s natural to assume Ernie is the killer. Mrs. Claus isn’t entirely sure he’s not but is willing to keep an open mind. Until the murder weapon appears inside a decorative loaf of Irish soda bread in her craft fair booth. Now she has to deal with a smitten elf who thinks she loves a cop, two elves who tend to wander and talk too much, and Ernie disappearing and reappearing, all while she’s a suspect too.

Liz Ireland has written five Mrs. Claus and the… mysteries and three of the combined books. No recipes from her this time.

I like these three author books. Each story runs about 100 pages, each author uses their own settings and characters, and a common theme. Topics are usually holidays or a food item. Longer than a short story but shorter than a full length book, these stories are just right for when there’s time to read but not much of it.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “end of February 2025” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 1, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.