Beacon Bakeshop #5
Darci Hannah starts Murder at the Blarney Bash mystery running. Literally. The main focus of the story runs full speed into our heroine Lindsey’s car on her way home with her trusty Newfoundland, Wellington. However, whoever it was got away before she could ensure their well being, or find out who they were. Or what they were. She does not have time to dwell on it, as a league of leprechauns is heading right to her Beacon Bakeshop. Leprechaun children, that is, from the local school who are all looking forward to a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration chock full of tasty green pastries. So Lindsey has to race to beat them there, or at least not be too late.
The town is in full swing for Saint Patrick’s Day. Adding to the Irish festivities, a new shop called the Blarney Stone is opening in town, specializing in Irish imports. The owner also happens to be the uncle of Lindsey’s boyfriend Rory, Finnigan O’Connor. He and Rory’s cousin Connie have come to start a new life and bring the luck of the Irish to their Michigan town. A little too much of it, in fact, when Mr. O’Connor happens to show up at the Bakeshop with a pot full of gold. He claims to have gotten it by outsmarting an honest to goodness leprechaun. This yarn seem harmless enough until a real leprechaun shows up dead, and the murder weapon may very well be Mr. O’Connor’s walking stick.
The lighthouse investigative team is off to prove Mr. O’Connor’s innocence. The usual suspects are rounded up, and an old friend returns to lend a hand as well. Mr. O’Connor isn’t doing them any favors, and frustrates local law enforcement with his stubbornness. While he is happy to regale the townsfolk with the tale of how he outsmarted the leprechaun, he won’t share where he found the gold or where it is now hidden. Despite his lack of cooperation, Lindsey and Rory are determined to see his name cleared and find out who could have killed the leprechaun. Not something I ever thought I would type, and not something Lindsey ever thought she would be investigating. Several times in the book she questions her own sanity, and that of those around her, as they investigate the leprechaun murder. But honestly, I don’t think she should question it too much, given her regular interactions with her lighthouse ghost.
While this is Darci Hanna’s fifth book, this is the second book of hers that I have reviewed. I very much enjoyed this installment and I recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy filled with whimsy as well mystery. The returning cast of characters are all properly introduced to readers new and old, and there are also plenty of new friends to meet as well. Whether or not Murder at the Blarney Bash is one’s first Darci Hanna book or their fifth, readers will enjoy the Saint Patrick’s Day adventure, and perhaps also find themselves dreaming of green filled doughnuts and shamrock lattes as well. — Carla Schantz