Hot Fudge Murder by Cynthia Baxter

Welcome!  Courage of the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell will be published on February 21 along with A Sister's Sorrow by Kitty Neale.  Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke plus Final Exam by Carol J. Perry release on February 26.  I wish they would invent a way to read while you sleep (osmosis)!  My TBR pile is spread all over my home (I have books on shelves, in stacks and hidden under furniture).  I tried to whittle down my book collection, but, in the end, I could not bring myself to part with any books.

Hot Fudge Murder by Cynthia Baxter has readers visiting Wolfert’s Roost, New York.  Kate McKay owns Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe, and she has been hired to cater an event at fashion designer, Omar Devane’s estate, Greenway.  Two of the guests include fashion model, Gretchen Gruen and Pippa Somers, editor of Flair.  The evening is rousing success until they hear the housekeeper screaming and stating that Omar is dead.  Detective Stoltz quickly arrives on the scene to take charge and question the attendees while Kate’s handmade ice cream melts.  The next day, journalists descend upon the town and send the tourists fleeing.  If Kate is to save her fledgling business, she needs to solve Omar’s murder.  In between creating new ice cream flavors and a delicious, light sorbet, Kate talks with various people from Omar’s life to learn the true story about his rise to fame.  Can Kate solve the crime, or will the killer put her on ice?

 

Hot Fudge Murder is a breezy and humorous cozy mystery.  It is the second book in A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series, but it can be read alone.  Everything a reader needs to know is included in Hot Fudge Murder.  Kate McKay opened Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe six weeks earlier and the shop has been doing well so far (fingers crossed).  Catering a high end event for Omar Devane (loves ice cream) will introduce Kate’s shop to a higher end clientele and, hopefully, provide her with more catering opportunities.  She did not anticipate the host being murdered during the event nor the vast number of journalists who would overtake the town.  Kate is worried if the murder does not get solved quickly, her ice cream shop will go under from the lack of customers.  Cynthia Baxter is a descriptive writer which provides readers with details they need to visualize the story.  Kate questions various suspects and looks around Omar’s home in the hopes of identifying the killer. There are a limited number of suspects which makes it simple to solve this whodunit.   I did find that Hot Fudge Murder slowed down in the middle with the pace picking up towards the end along with the action.  Romance is in the air as Kate has two men interested in dating her.  I sincerely hope the author will quickly nip the love triangle in the bud. Kate’s niece, Emma is having romance troubles of her own and we get to hear about every single detail.    I would have preferred less romance and a more complex mystery.  I did like the change in Grams and her idea involving the seniors from the local senior center.  Hot Fudge Murder is filled with delectable and some unusual ice cream descriptions.  Kate is always coming up with new flavor combinations which has caused her pants to become uncomfortably tight.  I like the historical tidbits on ice cream at the beginning of each chapter.  There are recipes for ice cream, sorbet and hot fudge sauce at the end.  Hot Fudge Murder is a lighthearted cozy mystery that will leave readers craving a frozen sweet treat.

The first book in A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series (what a mouthful) is Murder with a Cherry on Top.  I appreciate you visiting today and reading my review.  I plan on featuring  Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher tomorrow.  It is the first book in The Deacon's Family series. I hope you will stop by again soon. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader