Welcome! The Road Home by Beverly Lewis along with Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge and Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons by Erin Johnson will be published on April 3.
Murder with a Cherry on Top by Cynthia Baxter is the first installment in A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series. Katherine “Kate” McKay has
opened Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe in Wolfert’s Roost, New York. It is a dream come true for Kate and the
start of a new chapter in her life. Then
she notices Ashley Winthrop of Sweet Things Pastry Palace posting a sign in her
window stating that they are now selling homemade ice cream. It seems Ashley is continuing the rivalry
that began in kindergarten. After having
a public argument with Ashley in front of the store, Kate heads out to Juniper
Hill Organic Dairy where she encounters her old high school boyfriend, Jake
Pratt. The sight of him still makes her
heart skip a beat. The next day Kate is
awakened to pounding on her door and Officer Pete Bonano on her doorstep. Ashley was killed in her bakery the night
before, and Kate is at the top of the suspect list courtesy of her vocal
disagreement with the victim. With
gossip causing a decline in business, Kate sets out to find Ashley’s killer
before her dream melts away.
I liked the premise for A LicketySplits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series. Ice
cream and mystery in one book (I love ice cream and have a bowl every day). The author created an adorable shop for Kate
McKay to sell her homemade ice cream treats as well as a charming small town. Readers are entertained with delectable
descriptions of ice cream throughout the book (the Tahitian Vanilla sounds
scrumptious). Every ice cream that Kate
sells to a customer is described in detail. The book is nicely written and has
a steady pace. The author has an easy,
breezy writing style. There are some
quirky characters like Willow Baines, Kate’s best friend. I liked Grams and Kate’s niece, Emma. I fell in love with Gram’s beautiful
Victorian home (I want it). The mystery,
though, was lacking and it was not the primary focus of the book. The investigation consists of Kate asking questions
and speculating on the identity of the guilty party (no action or suspense).
Instead of Kate identifying the killer, she stumbles upon the solution. I wish the author had put as much effort into
the mystery as she did into coming up with the ice cream flavors. Of course, there is are requisite cliché nasty
detective (thankfully we do not see much of him). My rating for Murder with a Cherry on Top is 3 out of 5 stars. Murder with a Cherry on Top is a cute and entertaining cozy mystery that will have
readers pulling their favorite frozen treat from their freezers.
If you like my book reviews, please consider following my blog (upper right). Thank you for stopping by today. I will return next time with my thoughts on Plain as Day by Laura Bradford. I hope you have a rewarding day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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