Review of Game of Cones

Synopsis:

In Cynthia Baxter’s fourth Lickety Splits Mystery, ice cream shoppe owner and amateur sleuth Kate McKAy doesn’t waffle around scooping up new clientele at a historic hotel, but her hopes of becoming the Hudson Valley’s reigning ice cream queen melt fast when murder checks-in!

From the moment Kate arrives at the imposing Mohawk Mountain Resort, not even luggage brimming with hot fudge can sweeten her stay. Instead of savoring alone time with her on-again boyfriend Jake and leading workshops on whipping together delectable frosty treats, she finds herself stranded at the isolated hotel with a small group of nutty characters–and a dead body.

When the corpse of wealthy cosmetics executive Bethany La Montaigne is suddenly found following a blackout, any of the five strangers trapped with Kate and Jake could be the killer. Chilled to the core, Kate vows to discover whether the victim’s mortal enemy was a smooth-talking playboy, bubbly millennial, mousy librarian, charming Englishman, or the Mohawk’s creepy general manager…

Bethany’s life was chock full of scandals and there’s little doubt that someone refused to endure another taste. With just a sprinkling of clues, it’s up to Kate to bring justice to a culprit who believes that revenge is a dish best served cold… (Goodreads)
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Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. In this book, Kate and Jake head off to a historical hotel, where Kate is supposed to give some demonstrations for ice cream and its history, and spend some alone time with Jake. But when a storm hits and a fallen tree strands them at the hotel, things get a little tense. And when one of the guests is killed, they really have their hands full trying to figure out the murderer. Kate has to try and get close to the remaining guests and see who had the most reason to do the deed. It was good to spend time with Kate and Jake again, they have to figure out where their relationship is headed.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could picture the ice cream treats in my mind’s eye. The mystery was well plotted, and even though there were a limited number of suspects, I was still surprised at who the culprit was.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well plotted cozy mystery. Trying to solve the mystery and trying some of the ice cream recipes is a good way to spend your time.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.