"When Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is summoned to Penniman's Moy Mull Castle, it's the cherry on top of a successful summer season. The gothic pile built by an eccentric New England Gilded Age millionaire has been transformed into a premiere arts colony by Maud Monaco, a reclusive former supermodel. As part of Moy Mull's Fall Arts Festival, Maud is throwing a fantasy ice cream social and hires Riley to whip up unique treats to celebrate the opening of an exhibit by Adam Blasco, a photographer as ...
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"When Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is summoned to Penniman's Moy Mull Castle, it's the cherry on top of a successful summer season. The gothic pile built by an eccentric New England Gilded Age millionaire has been transformed into a premiere arts colony by Maud Monaco, a reclusive former supermodel. As part of Moy Mull's Fall Arts Festival, Maud is throwing a fantasy ice cream social and hires Riley to whip up unique treats to celebrate the opening of an exhibit by Adam Blasco, a photographer as obnoxious as he is talented. As Penniman fills up with Maud's art-world friends arriving for the festival, gossip swirls around Blasco, who has a dark history of obsession with his models. Riley's curiosity and instincts for sleuthing - she was a CIA librarian - are piqued, and she wonders at the hold the cold-hearted photographer has over the mistress of Moy Mull. But when Adam is found dead behind the locked door of Moy Mull's dungeon, Riley realizes there's more than one suspect who'd wanted to put the malicious photographer on ice"--
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Fine. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 304 p. Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, 2. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen is the second novel in An Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. It can be a standalone if you have not read The Rocky Road to Ruin. I like Riley Rhodes who is a former CIA librarian (and spy) who now managing Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop in Penniman, Connecticut. Riley creates ice cream flavors that have lines out the door at the ice cream shop. The setting of Moy Mull Castle is unique. An eccentric millionaire recreated a medieval castle in Connecticut. It was a hotel for a time. Maud has brought back the Scottish charm and the antiques found in the attic. The festival seemed like it was fun with plenty of delicious treats. I did feel the pacing was slow. We follow Riley through her day-to-day routine leading up to the festival. The author�s detailed descriptions further bog down the story (do we have to know what each person is wearing along with hair color). xI am baffled as to how the title tied into the story. Mint chocolate ice cream is not a flavor mentioned in the book (pumpkin spice is mentioned several times). There are a number of characters in the story. It is challenging trying to keep track of all of them (just like in the first book). There are delectable ice cream flavors including the colorful unicorn ice cream (you will find yourself heading to the freezer for a pint). Mint Chocolate Murder is a colorful cozy with a fun fall festival, a modish ex-model, a disrespectful photographer, appetizing ice cream, a curious crime, a striking castle, and a sharp-eyed sleuthing librarian.
Lori
Jul 30, 2022
Pumpkin Spice Murder
Dollycas's Thoughts
Riley Rhodes has been given a unique opportunity to provide ice cream treats for Moy Mull's Fall Arts Festival at the medieval Penniman's Moy Mull Castle. The castle has had its share of owners but Maud Monaco turned it into a premier arts colony. She has invited famous photographer Adam Blasco to be the first exhibit at the festival.
Maud is excited as all her art-world friends start to arrive but Riley hears plenty of gossip about Adam Blasco. Her CIA librarian skills kick in as she wonders what the truth is about the photographer. His history is pretty dark but then why would Maud have invited him to exhibit his art?
When Blasco goes missing Maud does her best to follow through on her programs. Then Adam Blasco is found dead in the castle dungeon. After all Riley's heard she knows there is quite a list of people who could have done the deed including someone close to her. She just needs to follow the clues and get the scoop on the killer before they strike again.
First, I have to address the elephant in the room. That's a really cool cover, right? Sadly, it has nothing to do with this story and neither does the title. I love cozy mysteries with punny titles and how they are woven into the story but this title is pretty straightforward" Mint Chocolate Murder. Well, the word MINT is not found once in the text of this story and the word CHOCOLATE is just mentioned 6 times. But PUMPKIN SPICE is mentioned 29 times. Either the title should have been Pumpkin Spice Murder or everywhere "pumpkin spice" is used should have been changed to Mint Chocolate. I know sometimes the titles are out of the author's control but this should have been fixed in editing. Even the recipe at the end of the book is for No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream! It truly looks like the wrong story was matched with the wrong cover.
Riley Rhodes is a great amateur sleuth, especially with her CIA librarian background. It feeds her need to research and investigate while handling her day job of managing the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop. There her creative juices can flow as she comes up with some fantastic ice cream flavors. Riley is surrounded by a wonderful group of family and friends who can all pitch in to help so she has time to do a little sleuthing. It is a large quirky cast and they all feel true to life.
I really enjoyed the castle setting. It almost became a character on its own. All its secrets, the nooks, crannies, staircases, dungeon, and hidden features made an excellent place for a cozy mystery to take place. I was entertained following along as Riley tried so hard to find what she was looking for and finding something she wasn't looking for at all. I was working on a couple of theories of my own. I had the guilty party in my sights very early on but that sure did not take away from the big reveal that was compared to a Mission Impossible movie.
While Mint Chocolate Murder has nothing to do with mint or chocolate it was an appealing read. Terrific characters including two frisky felines, an intriguing setting, and a stirring mystery make this book a fine successor to Rocky Road to Ruin. I am looking for to the next book in this series.
