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

Murder with a Cherry on Top: A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery

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