Murder at the Blarney Bash: A small-town bakery-café cozy mystery

Follow the aroma of shamrock sugar cookies to the Beacon Bakeshop, a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan where amateur sleuth Lindsey Bakewell is busy preparing for Beacon Harbor’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities – with a little help from her adorable Newfoundland, Wellington, of course!

Lindsey is baking up a storm—shamrock sugar cookies, Guinness chocolate cupcakes, Irish soda bread—for the well-timed grand opening of the Irish import gift shop, the Blarney Stone, owned by her boyfriend’s uncle, Finnigan O’Connor, recently relocated from the Emerald Isle.

But it’s Uncle Finn himself who seems full of blarney when he gleefully reveals a pot of real gold he claims he stole from an actual leprechaun. And Finn’s fortune takes a turn for the worse when he’s arrested for the bludgeoning of a small unidentified man dressed as a leprechaun—the murder weapon alleged to be his now-missing shillelagh.

Book Review:

Eccentric Uncle Finn may enjoy believing he’s outwitted a leprechaun, but he would never be so deluded as to clobber one with his walking stick. Now Lindsey will need more than the luck of the Irish to seize a golden opportunity to catch the real killer . . .

What a fun trip to Beacon Harbor. St. Patrick's Day, lots of green baked goods, leprechauns, and pots of gold all make for a great time, as long as you don't count the murder, 0f course. I love spending time with Lindsay and company, and the addition of Rory's Uncle Finn and Cousin Colleen to the mix just amped up the enjoyment. Colleen's shop of all things Irish was interesting, and I now want one of the walking capes that Lindsey coveted throughout the book. The mystery was particularly intriguing, and I only jokingly guessed the culprit just before the big reveal. I was quite surprised to be correct. The only downside to this book was Kennedy, Lindsey's BF. While Kennedy is always high maintenance, her high handedness is usually more humorous than obnoxious, but she was a brat of the first order in this outing. I do hope she is back to her old self before we visit again. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait until I am able to spend time with Lindsey, Rory, and the gang again.