Regular cozy readers know that things aren't going to go smoothly for Kate when she moves home and opens an ice cream shop- especially when Ashley, the high school mean girl, begins to sell ice cream at her own bakery, which is directly across the street. And, of course, Allison is found dead and Kate will be the main suspect, despite Ashley still being a rotten one. The saving grace- an old flame, Jake, is also back in town and he's an attorney prepared to help Kate. Kate snoops around, there are twists, there are recipes (for ice cream fans), and there's a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this fast paced and entertaining novel.

This is a new series and a new to me author.
First books in a new series are always a challenge.
The author has to pack a lot knowledge into a first book and making it flow smoothly is an amazing talent.

Murder with a Cherry on Top has the potential to become a great new series.
The story did hit a few bumps where the mystery fell a little flat, but the strong characters kept it interesting.

High school rivalry flows into adulthood, leading to murder and mayhem.

I think mystery fans will enthuse story.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this story grows.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I love this first in a series Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed going to the Hudson Valley and the mood created by the location. The mystery was intriguing, and totally surprised me in the end. There is a solid sense of family and a hint of romance and second chances. All in all that combines for a wonderful reading experience. I'm looking forward to more!

Murder with a Cherry on Top is the debut of the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe mystery series set in the small town of Wolfert's Roost, NY and featuring ice cream shop owner, Kate McKay. Having left her Manhattan PR job to come back home and take care of her ailing Grandmother, Kate follows a dream and opens Lickety Splits, an ice cream shop featuring Kate's new and inventive flavors.

The shop is off to a great start thanks to the help of best friend Willow Baines, until Kate realizes that her high school nemesis, Ashley Winthrop, owner of the bakery, Sweet Things, located across the main street has put a sign up in her window proclaiming the new addition of ice cream to the menu. Ashley has been a thorn in Kate's side since kindergarten and determined not to let her ruin her new business, Kate engages Ashley in a loud verbal altercation out on the sidewalk. When Ashley is discovered dead the next morning, all spoons point to Kate.

A fun, easy read with ice cream descriptions that will have your mouth watering and your freezer door open. Interesting characters and relationships that hopefully will continue to develop in future installments.

I received an advanced copy of Murder with a Cherry on Top from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

Ice cream, yum. The only problem with this book and it's ice cream descriptions is that it kept making me crave some. Well written interesting mystery with fun characters. Looking forward to more.

Murder With A Cherry On Top
A Lickety Splits Mystery, Book #1
Cynthia Baxter
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Kate McKay had doubts about swapping her high-powered life in Manhattan for Wolfert's Roost, the quaint Hudson Valley village where she grew up. But when she moves back to care for her ailing grandmother, Kate decides to start fresh and indulge her dream of running an ice cream shop. All goes smoothly--until she's reunited with old acquaintances nuttier than a vat of rocky road . . .

Kate should be thrilled about opening Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe in the heart of town. Instead her spirits melt like soft serve in the summer when she learns that her childhood frenemy, Ashley Winthrop, has started selling frozen treats in the bakery across the street. Turns out, Ashley hasn't sweetened since high school. And, once again, she's game for some very unfriendly competition . . .

But before Ashley can kill Kate's new business, someone kills Ashley--stabbing her to death inside the bakery. Worse, the murder occurs right after the two rivals drew crowds with a heated argument, leaving half of Wolfert's Roost speculating that Kate was finally pushed over the edge . . .

With rumors swirling and her reputation in serious trouble, Kate is determined to get the real scoop on the crime--even if it means joining forces with a former flame. As she pieces together clues to a chilling scandal, Kate soon realizes that she'll need way more than a sprinkle of wit if she wants to expose the killer and live to see another sundae . . .

Includes mouthwatering ice cream recipes from the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe! (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I really enjoyed getting to meet Kate, her grandma and her niece, Emma. Kate is a hard working woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it. Opening her own ice cream shop is a dream come true for her since she is obsessed with everything ice cream. And when her rival is found murdered and she is a person of interest, she will become obsessed with finding the culprit, before she’s put into the deep freeze for life.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there watching all of the action taking place. I almost felt like I could taste all of the wonderful ice cream concoctions that she was serving at Lickety Splits. I really liked the interesting facts and tidbits that the author included at the beginning of each chapter, as well as the recipes found at the end.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was fast paced and kept me entertained. There were enough characters to consider and clues to sift through. Throw in some red herrings along the way and it was not an easy mystery to solve. I really liked how Kate methodically went through all of the clues and did her snooping without putting herself in very much danger. The culprit was a surprise to me and I like when I am surprised.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I really liked the premise of an ice cream shop owner being the protagonist. Who does not like ice cream? I am looking forward to reading more books in the delectable series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Murder with a Cherry on Top is the debut book in Cynthia Baxter’s A Lickety Splits Mystery series and is a fun and easy read. The characters are well developed and likeable. There isn’t any gratuitous adult situations, no graphic violence, and just a small amount of adult language, with an interesting mystery and sprinkled with humor and a touch of romance. The reveal surprised me.

After attending college and then spending the past ten years in Manhattan, Katherine “Kate” McKay returns to her childhood home in Wolfert’s Roost, New York, a quaint Hudson Valley village, to help her grandmother who suffers from arthritis in her knees and had taken a fall. Kate loves any and everything related to ice cream and is the proud owner of the only ice cream parlor in town, Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe. The week of the grand opening, she has a loud and public confrontation with her childhood frenemy, Ashley Winthrop, the owner of Sweet Things Pastry Palace, who announced she’s now selling ice cream in her bakery which is just across the street from Lickety Splits. Her best friend and yoga instructor, Willow Baines, who’s helping in the ice cream parlor that afternoon, encourages her to take the rest of the day off and Kate decides to look into the possibility of creating ice cream treats made with organic products. She drives to Juniper Hill Organic Dairy and is shocked when she learns Jake Pratt is in charge. Jake was supposed to be her prom date fifteen years ago, but he never showed up or even called and suddenly left town, but had returned to run the family business after his uncle passed away. When Ashley is murdered in her bakery the night of their confrontation, Kate becomes Detective Stoltz’s prime suspect. During her interrogation, Jake shows up and announces he’s an attorney and that he represents her. While attending Ashley’s funeral, she overhears several people talking about the police questioning her and her possible involvement in the murder and decides to take it upon herself to investigate. She uncovers illicit activities and multiple suspects.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is a first in a hopefully long running series.
This was a delightfully delicious book.
"A Lickety Splits Mystery" was already a big selling point to me, and the writing lived up to my expectations!
The characters were written realistically and were entertaining. I have to admit I groaned at first at the thought of a childhood rival being killed off and the subsequent blame being pinned on our protagonist, but this storyline was well written and did not feel overused.
I was entertained from start to finish and look forward to reading the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Murder with a Cherry on Top, I haven't read this author before, I wasn't to sure what to expect going into this one. The cover alone is cute as pie, I just adore covers like this one. This was a cute murder/mystery, I will be definitely checking out the authors other work. The characters were fun to read about, I was surprisingly spooked, I enjoyed it. The writing flowed nicely and come release day I hope everyone who likes this genre will give this guy a go!

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning with its descriptions of the delicious ice cream creations at Kate McKay's new ice cream shop Lickety-Split. It is an ode to ice cream as well as an interesting mystery with a great cast of characters, a compelling plot and a delightful small town atmosphere. Kate has returned to her home town to care for her grandmother and open her shop. She finds that her youthful enemy, Ashleigh, who owns the bakery across the street is now going to also serve ice cream and has a loud argument with her. When Ashleigh is murdered in her bakery the same night Kate becomes a suspect, and when she overhears local folks talking about her as a murderer, Kate starts to investigate on her own and, after finding herself in danger, finds the real culprit. With humor and a touch of romance, not to mention ice cream, this is a winner!