Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold
Charlene has hired a van to ferry her B&B guests to an all-you-can-eat corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by Salem’s Irish community at the Ancient Order of Hibernians club, but she should have booked a hearse. It’s never a good sign when the family black sheep drunkenly crashes a party by punching the guy dressed as a leprechaun. But things go from troublesome to fatal when Charlene stumbles upon a second brawl in an upper room. In this fight, Connor Gallagher loses, his anonymous assailant rushing past Charlene, hidden by a hoodie.
Now Detective Sam Holden has another homicide on his hands, with Charlene as the only eyewitness. Even if she can’t give the police sketch artist much to go on, Charlene is determined to ID the murderer with the help of Dr. Jack Strathmore, the charming ghost who haunts her B&B. The answer lies in the motive, and to uncover that, sleuth and spook will need to shine a light on Connor’s shady past before the killer pulls another Irish goodbye.
The Details
Sreies: A Salem B&B Mystery – Book #6
Author: Traci Wilton
Genre/Category: Cozy – B&B/Paranormal
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496733053
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
My rating does not reflect the one I would like to give as there is no three-and-a-half star to pick from, but three stars work. I have had ups and downs with the entire “A Salem B&B Mystery” series and the sixth book, Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold is no exception. The story has good and bad in equal measures. It also has an Irish holiday, a leprechaun, a mysterious guest at the B&B, and murder. In a nutshell, it has everything a reader might want in a cozy. Yet, I still have some issues with this book.
Charlene is a gracious hostess, Minnie is wonderful as always, and Avery and Sam add emotion to the plot. Taking guests to an Irish holiday celebration in town at a very Irish pub delights Charlene’s visitors. The leprechaun gives children and adults ideas of riches unheard of and nightmares, but the party crasher, Connor, evokes tension and trepidation in the party-goers, and for good reason. After the party breaks up, Charlene returns to the pub to retrieve a forgotten coat for one of her guests, only to find Connor in an argument with a hooded figure; then the lights go out, but she can still see good enough to watch Connor fall to the floor, and the unknown figure shove past her. The victim doesn’t have any injuries that can be seen but dies shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Of course, Charlene can’t stay out of the investigation, nor can her resident ghost, Jack. Before long, they are knee-deep in searching for answers and find only suspects and more questions. Several suspects are very likable in this story; not all of them are Irish, and one we hope will be back in another book. There are a few twists, but for the most part, this is a straight-up murder with little need to search far for likely culprits. Automatically, the leprechaun and the victim’s family members are the prime suspects. Motives can be found in the past but don’t scream at the reader.
Even though Charlene and Jack, with a bit of help from Sam, track down the killer. I felt there was too much Irish myth in this book, mainly in the family and drinking area. Not all people who are of Irish decent are related, drink heavily, or run pubs. I did not feel the killer played a big enough part in Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold the killer was almost non-existent and not believable. The finale was where nearly all the action came into the book and gave it the spark it was missing. I still do not like the way Sam is treated in this series, and I feel it is well past the time when Jack should move on and Charlene should find a best friend that is alive. However, I love the ending of this story and hope more surprises are yet to come.
The Author
Traci Wilton is the pseudonym of Traci Hall and Patrice Wilton. From contemporary seaside romances to cozy mysteries, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over fifty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite story for everyone.
New York Times bestselling author Patrice Wilton knew from the age of twelve that she wanted to write books that would take the reader to faraway places. She was born in Vancouver, Canada, and had a great need to see the world that she had read about. Patrice became a flight attendant for seventeen years and traveled the world. At the age of forty, she sat down to write her first book–in longhand! Her interests include tennis, golf, and writing stories for women of all ages. She has more than forty books published and is best known as a popular romance author. She is especially proud of her best-selling contemporary romance series, Paradise Cove and Heavenly Christmas and the Wounded Warriors.
I would suggest readers begin the “A Salem B&B Mystery” series with the first book, Mrs. Morris and the Ghost, with no Irish or leprechauns involved, or with the holidays coming up, book three, Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past.
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