This ninth in series book is an interesting closed room cozy mystery with all the frustration and twists such stories entail. The story centers around a baking competition in a small Irish village. Our clever and most intuitive protagonist, Siobhán O'Sullivan, a member of the Garda Síochána (Irish Police), is assigned to keep an eye on the proceedings as there has been a bit of a protest on premises. After a couple of odd deaths, it isn't long before Siobhán's beloved Macdara, Detective Sergeant Flannery to the general populace, is brought in on the case. Two heads are better than one and perhaps together they can catch the perpetrator before another life is lost.

Even though the books can stand on their own, the personal stories which unfold around the various mysteries is well worth reading them in their order. As cozy mysteries go, this is one of the most enjoyable series for its charm, wit and warmth. The delectable sweets are a wonderful draw as well. ( )

Another fun installment in the Irish Village Mystery series. I love the O'Sullivan clan and how they have accepted all of the changes in their lives (Siobhan's marriage, the move to the farm, the new restaurant, etc.).

I love Siobhan and Macdara's work and home relationships, they always take the time to listen to each other. I was able to guess who the killer was about halfway through this book but I didn't mind because I needed to find out if I was correct about the motive.

As always, I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Murder at an Irish Chipper. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’m not a cozy mystery fan and didn’t expect it to be of interest to me. I thought, however, a free book is a free book. Well, I quickly became a fan of this book: who can resist a small, quirky Irish village where murder has to contend with scrumptious desserts?

One aspect of Carlene O’Connor’s writing that I appreciated was how she peppered the right amount of backstory as needed to maintain the flow of the story, and also to give clarity to relationships, the character’s lives, village history and eccentricities. Since I was starting with book nine of the series, this was welcomed.

The basic premise is a baking contest in Kilbane in county Cork, Ireland. The elusive and famous baker Aoife McBride will be going head-to-head against five other bakers at Pie Pie Love, a non-working flour mill. The owner—Fia O’Farrell--is hoping that this event will help her raise the funds necessary to bring the mill back to working order. But more than tea is brewing as one of the contestants is murdered unnoticed—even by the Garda (Irish police). Will Siobahan—now a member of the Garda--be able to find the culprit and thwart any other murders? More importantly, will she also be able to sample the pies, pastries, and cakes?

I highly recommend you give this book a try. This is a warm, humorous, and pretty good whodunit which may have you baking as you read so just like the characters, you get to partake of the aroma and pleasure of treating yourself.

I would like to thank LibraryThing, and Kensington Publishing Corp for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

Murder at an Irish Bakery by Carlene O’Connor takes us to Kilbane, Ireland where a baking competition is being filmed in the old flour mill that houses the local bakery. Garda Siobhan O’Sullivan, who has a legendary sweet tooth, is thrilled that she is one of the officers handling crowd control. At the end of the first timed bake, the curtains are pulled back and a legendary chef is dead. Siobhan and her colleague sift through the suspects and clues. Can they serve up the killer by the end of the contest? Murder at an Irish Bakery is the ninth An Irish Village Mystery. It is best if you have read the first book in the series before embarking on this one. There are a number of characters (Siobhan has a large family) and it can be challenging to keep them all straight. The story is well-written with a developed main character. I did find the pacing to be lethargic. The repetition and detailed descriptions aided in the sluggish pacing. The mystery was entertaining. I enjoyed solving this whodunit. I liked that the author was creative. She really thought out of the box with this mystery. I appreciated the solid wrap up at the end during the interesting reveal. It appeared that Siobhan and Macdara spent more time yearning for baked goods than solving the crime. It was funny at first, but it does become tiresome after the tenth time. If you like pastries, you will enjoy all the luscious descriptions (there are so many of them). There is humor sprinkled throughout the story. Siobhan has a large, loving family. She has done a wonderful job raising her siblings. You can also tell that Siobhan loves her husband and is happily married. I liked the heartwarming family scene at the end. Murder at an Irish Bakery is a Celtic cozy with competitive contestants, a bevy of baked goods, a departed protestor, an anonymous supporter, a butchered baker, a happy husband, and special siblings. ( )

This was an authentically Irish book – the names of people and places, the phrases and terms, the location, the food. While it was #9 in the series, it was my first one and read like a stand-alone.

The murders happened right away, during a baking competition held in an Irish bakery. Lots of food descriptions made me crave desserts and especially chocolate. The author provided several red herrings and a variety of possible suspects, with a total of three murders.

But even with the authentic atmosphere, I had trouble with the book holding my interest. I didn’t care all that much about any of the characters, their motivations, or relationships. The novel felt formulaic and predictable. The humor was shallow and immature. I was expecting an enjoyable cozy murder mystery but this was disappointing. ( )