I’m so glad I came across this book. I’ve actually never read a cozy mystery before, but it was a pleasant change from the gritty police procedurals that I’m used to reading.

I loved Kate’s character right away. She’s a well-rounded character that I could identify with. She left behind a life she enjoyed to chase something she loves while devoting her time to caring for her family, but I could understand her ambivalence about giving a relationship a second chance after being hurt.

The setting was perfect for the story. The descriptions were great and made it easy to actually picture the scenery. It takes place at a resort in the Hudson Valley, in the midst of a nor’easter. When they get there, they realize that they’re stranded there by a downed tree, with no cell service and limited WiFi. So when a murder happens, they’re all stuck there together … knowing that one of them is a murderer.

In between workshops on the history of ice cream and how to make it, and trying to find some alone time with Jake, Kate also decides to do some amateur sleuthing to find out who the murderer could be. What she finds out about the other people at the resort is surprising. Everyone is hiding some secrets, and the murderer was the last person I expected it to be.

I loved how each chapter started with a fact about ice cream. I actually didn’t know any of the information that was presented, and they were surprisingly interesting. Sources were provided in case you want to learn a little more, as well. I especially liked the fact that there were ice cream recipes at the end of the book — things you could make at home, even without any special equipment.

I enjoyed this next in series that has a theme very much like a mysterious Agatha Christie ! This is the 4th installment of the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series. I have enjoyed this series from the beginning and find it charming with likable charcters and always a good sleuth .
Kate and her boyfriend, Jake are going to a mountain resort in the Catskill Mountains. A storm is happening that is blocking the way in right after they arrive. Only a few people made it into the resort before the storm. Right away I love the setting that is atmospheric and perfect for a murder.

Kate and Jake are to put on a Ice Cream themed workshop for the entire weekend. When a blackout occurs and a victim is found murdered their plans for a fun weekend are on hold. Now Kate wants to solve the murder and make sure no one else at the resort is harmed.

This was a fun sleuth with the perfect setting for mystery and murder. I look forward to the next in series.

I have not read any of the Lickety Split mysteries prior to this one but I found it quite enjoyable.

Kate McCay gets invited to an exclusive resort to give ice cream workshops to bring in business during the chilly November months. Except a large tree closes the main access roads, trapping all the guests inside. Add in the creepy hotel manager, her rather strange son and the setting reminiscent of the Shining and you've got yourself an ice cream laden mystery.

I really liked the protagonist. I thought Kate was spunky and funny and her nosiness seemed more charming than obnoxious, which can be the case with some characters. However, given that this book has about 8 characters total in a limited setting, maybe her questions came across more curious than nosy. I liked how the characters were developed and the very Christie-esque like plot of this book. It was quite reminiscent of another of Dame Agatha's classics. You get to read it to figure out which one!

My one complaint with this book is that there are several subplots that do not get resolved. I don't want to spoil anything but there is a lot of intrigue and good plot questions but they do not get explained. That's why I only gave it four stars. However, the book was good enough I would explore the other books in this series and add them to my TBR pile.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read another new author!

In this 4th installment of the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery, Kate and her boyfriend, Jake, arrive at Mohawk Mountain Resort, a short drive from their home in the Catskill Mountains of New York, during a major storm. A fallen tree blocks the road in and out shortly after Kate and Jake arrive. Only a few other guests, the hotel manager, and a mysterious bellman are able to make if for the Ice Cream themed workshop weekend that Kate and Jake are running. The first night, during a blackout at the resort, one of the participants is murdered. In between running the ice-cream workshops and trying to get in some alone time with Jake, Kate works to solve the murder mystery and find out who the other guests and manager really are.

This storyline was a bit far-fetched to me, but overall the mystery and the secrets of the other guests were enjoyable if somewhat predictable. I wish I had been able to get to know Kate a bit more. But, I have never read any of the earlier installments which could be the issue.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cynthia Baxter, and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

Kate McKay owns an ice cream shop and together with her boyfriend, Jake goes to Mohawk Hotel, which is said to be sort of haunted and owned by an eccentric Mrs. Moody. However, there was a storm and a large tree fell across the road, preventing them from leaving the place. Kate is hosting an ice cream workshop at the place and there were other people who also came to attend the workshop--Bethany and her boyfriend Jake, Yoko, Fanny and Naveen. Then a power goes off and Bethany was found murdered, stabbed. Who has killed Bethany?

I kind of enjoyed reading this book. This book is more like a cozy mystery thriller with Kate acting as as Nancy Drew. Each of the people in the workshop had their own vendetta against Bethany so it was kind of interesting to know who would be the killer. Also, learning about the different types of ice cream particularly the history of ice cream was interesting and I kind of learned a bit about ice cream. However, it was not really fast paced, a little bit of unnecessary parts but it was good thriller and quiet enjoyable and also sometimes funny.

Overall, this is a good thriller--learning about ice cream history is a plus factor and which I actually enjoyed reading. Worth four stars!

What should have been an excellant business opportunity and romantic getaway for Kate McKay turns into an Agatha Christie-like experience. Stranded at the historic Mohawk hotel (descriptively it sounds like the Stanley Hotel in Colorado) because of a downed tree, Kate and Jake are going to have to do more than to educate the guests on the many wonders of ice cream. Did you know that you can make ice cream with a machine? The recipe for lemon ice cream is found at the back of the book and Kate does a great job or telling us and her "students" how it is possible. So when she isn't teaching or sleuthing, because they are essentially trapped with a killer, she is trying not to freak out about Jake and how he stood her up on prom night more than 10 years ago. There is quite a cast of characters, very unique much like you would find in an Agatha Chritie story. They all seem to be connected to the victim in one way or another including the hotel manager. So which one did the deed? You're just going to have to chill until you can get your copy and read as the drama unfolds.

Kate and Jake are really excited to have a weekend at the Mohawk Mountain Resort. Not only will Kate lead some seminars on ice cream, they'll also have a weekend away. Unfortunately, the weather has other ideas and a storm wrecks havoc. Not so much as the person who murdered Bethany, who regular cozy readers know, is not a nice person. But which of the five people stranded at the hotel is the killer? It's not Kate and it's not Jake so they must investigate! This is more or less a locked room cozy so you know there's going to be some hairy spots for our heroine and her beau. It will be fine as a standalone as Baxter gives you enough background to appreciate the main characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fun read with ice cream recipes at the end!

Love ice cream. Enjoyed the factoids at the beginning of each chapter. The story was okay. There was too much repetition and kind of dragged on it places. The culprit was a surprise, so that helped.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I really enjoyed Kate and Jake's characters. The pacing of this story is good. Who doesn't love a good cosy mystery especially when it involves ice cream workshops. If you guys have not read this book yet you need to. And you learn about ice cream as well. This book is so good. You never would have known who did it. It is an enjoyable mystery.  I highly highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It will be in stores on November 24, 2020 for $26.99 (USD).

Ohkay!

This was such a reading experience but I am confused about my feelings. I think the story was very well spun but it kind of felt more like the suspects giving info by themselves. However, the twist was really surprising. The characters play their role really well. The plot setting of Mohawk makes sure to make the reader feel chills while reading the book.

Constant surprising revelations kept me on the edge and I loved it!
An add-on for those who love ice-cream! Definitely recommended.

Kate and her boyfriend Jake are off to a remote resort for a work weekend, where Kate will be hosting workshops about making ice cream while taking time to enjoy themselves as they explore the resort and the surrounding mountainous trails. Unfortunately, the weather has different plans -- as Kate and Jake make their way to the resort, a raging storm causes a large tree to fall, blocking the access road into and out of the resort. This leaves Kate and Jake to enjoy the weekend with only a few others, with only two hotel staff on site.

The small group is diverse, from meek, small-town Franny, to cosmetics mogul Bethany. The weekend has a rocky start, when after their first dinner together and the loss of power at the resort, Bethany's body is discovered and it seems she has been murdered.

Between workshops, Kate begins to investigate the other guests, to see who may have had reason to harm Bethany. We follow along as Kate's investigation reveals hidden connections among the guests, as she trie to find Bethany's killer.

This was a fun cozy mystery that will leave you wanting more fro Cynthia Barker, and a few scoops of ice cream! Although this book is part of a series, this was my first book from Baxter and had no issues reading it as a stand-alone. The characters, setting, and plot were well-developed -- you'll feel like you're at the ominous resort, weathering the storm in the company of a murder. While I was able to guess who the killer was, this book was still such a fun read!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book!

Game of Cones us the fourth book in Cynthia Baxter's Lickety Splits Mystery.
I'm a huge fan of mystrey novels, however this was a huge disappointment. The story was boring and the mystrey had no build up, no substance and when the mystrey was solved it was the most predictable ending ever.
Everything in this story just feels fake, especially the character's reactions to events that happen. I know that there was an attempt to distract everyone after everything that happens but it just made me want to crawl in and shake some sense into them.
The main character just doesn't feel like a detective, even with the little effort that is put in to actually solve the murder, she isn't my favourite amateur detective. Maybe she was better in the first books but in terms of 'mystrey and murder' this wasn't great.
The thing that I did like had nothing to do with the mystrey and that's the recipes provided at the end plus the facts we get before each chapter. That was interesting.

Perfect Halloween read. This is my favorite book in the series so far. I liked that the story was not in Wolfert's Roost, the manor was described as creepy and dark and I loved the sense of fear Kate had walking around alone. The cast of characters in this book were my favorite, they were all so different and all had a motive to kill so I could not guess who was the actual killer.

It felt like the movie Clue with ice cream as a treat, Can't wait for the next in this series.

I thought this was best Lickety Splits books in the series (so far). I'm not sure if it was the creepy cast of characters, the setting or the mystery itself but I enjoyed this one.

With a limited number of characters it was interesting watching Kate and Jake interact during the book and how each related to the others.

The mystery was well done and enough twists and turns to really keep it interesting. I stayed up way to late one night reading this one.

Kate once again gets herself involved in a murder investigation! I enjoyed the 4th installment of the Lickety Splits Mystery, but the story is a little farfetched. I missed the usual cast of characters from Wolfert's Roost. It is exciting to see Kate expand her ice cream horizons and get some alone time with Jake. There are a few loose ends, like what happened with Brody? Anyways, thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

GAME OF CONES is a sweet new twist on a classic setup. Kate has a nose for trouble, but when she agreed to host an ice cream-themed weekend at a mountain resort, all she expected was a decadent weekend with her almost-boyfriend. Instead, she finds herself cut off from the outside world - trapped with a murder victim and a limited number of possible suspects.

Kate is charming, the suspects are a fun set of characters, and the mystery blended in as smoothly as one of the creative flavors of Kate's ice cream creations. Most importantly (to me at least!) is that all of the clues are available and the red herrings are just tempting enough to make you doubt whether or not you're on the right trail. And, like the participants of the ice cream workshops, I learned some new things about ice cream.

Overall this book was a bit dull, but there were little twists that made it worth reading. The side-characters/suspects are your typical line up of quirky weirdos. Since it takes place up in the mountains with snow and all, it makes sense to have the phones be dead and be all trapped together in the hotel, so the plot devices seemed reasonable. The best part of this book was the recipes at the end. Did you know you can heat chocolate chips and coconut oil to make a hard coating/shell for ice cream? With it just for that little "recipe."

This is the fourth book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Would I read any more of this series? Um... not on purpose.

This fourth helping in the series is the best yet!
Let me give you the scoop-this is a delightfully delicious book.
The characters were written realistically and were entertaining. The whodunit was well written and kept me guessing.
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.

Kate is excited to go to Mohawk Mountain Resort for the weekend with her boyfriend Jake. She is there to do a seminar on Ice Cream and have alone time with Jake. A terrible storms comes through and only a handful of participants are able to come. Kate finds herself in sleuth mode when one of the guest is found murdered.
This was a fun cozy, great characters and well thought out plot.
#GameofCones #NetGalley

Kate McKay anther high school sweetheart Jake heart rustic inn to put on a weekend of ice cream workshops. When they get trapped there with a handful of other ice cream aficionados, the stage is set for murder.

As it becomes clear that every person who is trapped at the inn with them has a good motive for murder, Kate channels Nancy Drew and gets nosy. Can she find the culprit before the police can get into the inn?

Can Jake forgive her for spending her time poking around instead of spooning with him?

Kate is a down to earth sleuth and Jake is a supportive guy. We also learn a lot about ice cream and the story even includes recipes. The plot is complex and satisfying. I look forward to more of this series.