A movie production brings drama—and murder—to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.
Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend-long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween-themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.
But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long—each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?
MERI ALLEN lives in a quiet corner of Connecticut, where she haunts libraries, used bookstores, and vintage shops.
My Thoughts
I am not going to rehash what the book is about, just what I liked about the book. You can read what the book is about by reading the synopsis. That said, it is not very often that I read a cozy mystery.
Riley is a former CIA librarian who is now managing an ice cream shop. She is tasked with making a wedding cake for Diantha and her fiance. Halloween themed no less.
A woman, Diantha, is dead, murdered, on the eve of her wedding and everyone around her is suspect. Riley, knowing a bit about murders takes it upon herself to figure out who the culprit/culprits are. The setting is a very posh hotel and restaurant. Takes place in a small town with a lot of colorful suspects and Riley must dig deep to see who had a grudge against Diantha, was it her fiance, Dominic who has been the chef at the hotel for many years? Did I mention that there are two cats that have roles in the movie being made?
Cooper Collins, Diantha's son, is filming a movie on-premise. Could it be him or his brothers? Or was it someone else? Lots of clues to sift through with a cast of characters that is sure to delight the reader. The fact that I had not figured out who the murderer was until it was disclosed is what a good cozy mystery, that keep you hanging until the end is the mark of a good book.
I enjoyed the setting, the characters, and the fact that the whole story revolves around Halloween, my favorite holiday! I will have to go and check out the author's works and read more by her.
I give it 5 stars!
I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.
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