The Rocky Road To Ruin
Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, Book #1
Meri Allen
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Justice will be swirled by amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes in the first in Meri Allen’s brand-new mystery series!
Riley Rhodes, travel food blogger and librarian at the CIA, makes a bittersweet return to her childhood home of Penniman, Connecticut – land of dairy farms and covered bridges – for a funeral. Despite the circumstances, Riley’s trip home is sprinkled with reunions with old friends, visits to her father’s cozy bookshop on the town green, and joyful hours behind the counter at the beloved Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. It feels like a time to help her friend Caroline rebuild after her mother’s death, and for Riley to do a bit of her own reflecting after a botched undercover mission in Italy. After all, it’s always good to be home.
But Caroline and her brother Mike have to decide what to do with the assets they’ve inherited – the ice cream shop as well as the farm they grew up on – and they’ve never seen eye to eye. Trouble begins to swirl as Riley is spooked by reports of a stranger camping behind the farm and by the odd behavior of the shop’s mascot, Caroline’s snooty Persian, Sprinkles. When Mike turns up dead in the barn the morning after the funeral, the peace and quiet of Penniman seems upended for good. Can Riley find the killer before another body gets scooped? (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Riley has returned home to Penniman, Connecticut, for her best friend’s(Caroline) mother’s funeral. She is enjoying seeing her friends and family and visiting her friend’s mother’s ice cream shop Udderly Delicious. Before Caroline and her brother, Mike, can talk about what they should with what they inherited, Mike is found dead. Now Riley and Caroline will have to figure out who the culprit is. I was surprised who was killed, I was not expecting that.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. I really liked learning more about the ice cream store and Riley and Caroline’s friendship. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider and it was not easily solved.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
mjbreviewers 