Trinidad is one of the three former wives of a white-collar criminal named Gabe. She is now divorced from said con-man and has relocated to her ex-husband's hometown. Why? Well, the only good thing he seems to have done was leave her a building in Upper Sprocket, Oregon. Trinidad Jones is opening an ice cream shop that will feature fantastical giant shakes with loads of toppings that she calls Freakshakes. Just a few weeks before her July 4th opening, Trinidad stumbles across a dead body.
Dana Mentink's book includes everything that makes a cozy a cozy. We have a quirky small town, We have an amateur sleuth who is new to town. Trinidad has this wonderful dog named Noodles who flunked out of service-dog school and was rescued by her. Trinidad makes a friend and that draws her into the murder investigation. Trinidad also meets Quinn the nut farmer who is a military veteran that is also the caretaker of his brother. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not thinking Quinn is a great guy. There is a real tender friendship, leading to affection and a future romance (?) between Trinidad and Quinn that is so lovely to read.

The suspects all have good motives and the red herrings and clues make perfect sense in the story. I appreciated that in this series the police chief is not a love interest, and she is portrayed as very competent at her job. Additionally, as the story and the sleuthing goes on, Trinidad isn't out running around putting herself in danger and leaving the police investigation out of the loop.

I think this is an excellent example of a cozy mystery and I would recommend it to anyone looking to start reading the genre. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series!

5 stars, I don't really have any complaints!

I received an ARC of this book from #NetGalley, #PintofNoReturn. All of the opinions are mine!

Trinidad Jones arrives in Upper Sprocket to take over a storefront owned by her now-incarcerated ex-husband. There’s a lot of tension boiling under the surface in this quaint little town and Trinidad quickly finds herself knee-deep in it. One of the first people she meets is another of her ex’s exes, Juliette. Juliette is pretty much the only friend Trinidad has in town so when Juliette gets arrested for the murder of her erstwhile boyfriend, Trinidad knows the killer is still out there, hiding in plain sight.

The town of Upper Sprocket is awesome! Picture those vacations you’ve taken to idyllic little towns, filled with eclectic shops and friendly locals, that’s what was in my mind the whole time I was reading this book. A nice vacation for my brain :) I also really liked the characters, all facing their own challenges but there to support each other.

This book was just a nice cozy mystery, funny to say about a murder mystery, but it was a sweet story. I’m really looking forward to reading future books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

PINT OF NO RETURN, the first in the brand-new Shake Shop Mystery series by Dana Mentink, has all the ingredients for a temptingly delicious cozy mystery! Protagonist Trinidad Jones, and her adorable flunked-out service dog, Noodles, are newly arrived in Upper Sprocket, Oregon to take control of a commercial building left to her by her in-the-slammer ex. She’s opening the Shimmy and Shake Shop featuring over-the-top milk shakes and I couldn’t help but drool over the descriptions of her frozen concoctions. While Pint of No Return follows the usual formula for cozy mysteries, Ms. Mentink ups the ante with colorful and quirky characters along with glimpses into the Cuban culture and food thanks to Trinidad’s heritage and her charming grandfather, Papa Luis. Trinidad also finds herself in a highly unusual position of living in a small town with not one, but two fellow ex-wives. This creates the opportunity for some interesting scenes, especially when one of the ex-wives is accused of murder and she begs Trinidad to help prove her innocence. With plenty of humor interjected, I was highly entertained throughout the entire story.

The mystery is well-crafted and the included sub-plots dovetail nicely into the story. Between Trinidad trying to prepare the Shimmy and Shake Shop for opening, to settling into a new town and meeting new people, to getting embroiled in a murder, the action never slows down. I found the pacing spot-on and it kept me turning pages until the last word was read. The author makes effective use of Trinidad being a newcomer to town and not knowing anyone. She’s forced to work extra hard to unravel the clues to help out her fellow ex-wife. With plenty of suspects to keep a sharp-eyed reader on their toes, I was surprised by not only the final reveal of the culprit, but also why the crime had been committed. I look forward to reading more in this yummy new series!

As I mentioned before, Trinidad creates lots of yummy frozen concoctions for her new shop’s grand opening. Being a transplant from Miami, she has tropical and citrus-based shakes to offer. I was pleased to find that the author includes the recipe for Trinidad’s Easy Key Lime Ice Cream at the back of the book.

Pint of No Return is the first book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series.

The premise of this book drew me in with Trinidad ending up in the same small town as her ex-husbands two other ex wives. Trinidad was a likable main character that ends up being a successful amateur sleuth. I found the secondary characters to be interesting and well-developed. The mystery was a great one, with plenty of suspects and a realistic motive. Dana Mentink did an excellent job in misleading the reader and taking them on wild goose chases that distracted me from identifying who the killer was. I'd recommend this if you're looking for a small town cozy mystery that kept me guessing.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this cozy mystery series!

This was an enjoyable read with a comfortable tone that made it easy to follow along with what the author intended. The author did a great job with this whodunit that kept me glued to the pages so I don’t miss any details that may be prudent to the killer’s identity. With an abundance of suspects to whittle down, Trinidad must do a lot of digging to find the person responsible for the crime. When I thought I had a handle on the culprit, the author changed direction, all to the betterment of the story being told. This was an engaging read with a quirky cast of characters, and I look forward to the next book in this wonderfully crafted series.

Pint of No Return is an entertaining cozy mystery, the first book in a series.

At first it was hard to keep track of all of the characters and I kept confusing two of them, but after a while it became more interesting and I really liked the end. Oh, and of course, I adore Noodles, the dog!

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. I read and reviewed this book voluntarily. **

This book one of the Shake Shop Mystery series and is a cozy mystery book. Trinadad is recently divorced and moving to a new town to start over as owner of a Shake shop. When she gets to this small town, she realizes that 2 other women there are also ex-wives of her ex-husband. She meets them and befriends one of the ex'es when she is put in jail for the murder of the popcorn king shop owner next to the shake shop. Who could be the killer? Everything points to the ex-wife and it is up to Trinadad and the detective to prove she is innocent. Can she prove it before it is too late for the ex? How can Trinadad survive this small town that knows everyone's business? What does the item of interest have to do with the murder?

I loved this book, it is a cozy mystery with many characters and twist and turns that will be a surprise up to the very end. I love Dana Mentick books and especially how she puts rescue dogs in her books. As an avid rescue dog lover, this author is wonderful to include dogs into the storyline. The dog in this book keeps me smiling from beginning to end. Dana has become one of my favorite authors for her stories that keep you wondering until the end. I just have to read her new book as soon as they come out....... If you haven't read a book from her, read one today! If you have read her books, as usual this one will not let you down, can't wait for book 2 of the series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, "Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.

I really enjoyed this first installment in the Shake Shop Mystery series. Trinidad is a great MC, and I love that she ends up in Sprocket Oregon, with two other ex-wives of the same man. Her ex is in prison for embezzlement, and he gave each of his ex-wives a business or property he had in Sprocket. Juliette one of the ex-wives is accused of murdering another person from the town - Keven. There are a lot of other suspects, and Trinidad with the help of Quinn and Doug, and her dog Noodles, do some sleuthing to help Juliette go free. I had no idea who the murderer was until the end. Really fun and engaging story and I hope the author does more in this series.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

scream you scream we all scream for....murder?
Trinidad Jones moves to a new town to open an ice cream shop in a building left to her by her ex husband. But what happens when she finds the body of the owner of the business next door?
I really loved this book! It was a quick, easy, fun cozy mystery! I loved the town and characters and of course loved the idea/descriptions of the freak shakes Trinidad was making! Thanks to @netgalley and poisoned pen press for this arc! Pick up your copy when it hits shelves May 25th 2021!

Pint of No Return is the debut of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series set in Upper Sprocket, Oregon and featuring Shimmy and Shake shop owner, Trinidad Jones. Trinidad's life was turned upside down when she discovers that her husband Gabe is a serial cheater and a criminal - this as he's being led off to jail. With her work as a stenographer in Portland drying up and not wanting to move back to Miami with her grandfather and mother, she decides to take advantage of the storefront that Gabe deeded to her and open up a specialty milkshake shop. Thing is, Gabe's other two ex-wives are also living in the tiny town.

Trinidad is splitting a nut delivery with fellow business owner the Popcorn King, and is horrified when she enters his shop and finds him stuffed dead in the popcorn kettle. Fingers are quick to point and another of Gabe's exes, Juliette is named as the prime suspect. Trinidad feels connected to the other woman so she sets out with the help of the nut farmer, Quinn and her trusty canine companion, Noodles to track down the real killer.

A fast paced plot involving a junk collector, plenty of suspects, likable, quirky characters, a female Chief of Police and a trusty canine. Oh! and did I mention the delicious sounding Monster Milk Shakes? A perfect debut that makes for a tasty afternoon read.

I received an advanced copy of Pint of No Return from NetGalley via Poisoned Pen Press. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Set in Upper Sprocket, Oregon Trinidad Jones, owner of Shimmy and Shake Shop is getting ready to launch her shop in a week with the help of twins Carlos and Diego Martin, her new employees. Seeing as it's the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Trinidad hopes to attract locals and tourists alike.

She’s been divorced from ex-husband, Gabe Bigley who was not only cheating on her while they were married but was sent to jail for embezzlement leaving a trail of ex-wives in his wake but not before deeding them his properties and businesses.

Trinidad returns from picking up hazelnuts she ordered for her and her neighbor, Kevin Heartly—who owns a popcorn 🍿 shop called Popcorn Palace—only to discover his body in a huge iron popcorn kettle in his shop. The police is called in to investigate. Chief Cynthia Bigley of the Sprocket Police Department who happens Trinidad’s ex sister-in-law.

When one of Gabe’s ex wives is accused of murder, Trinidad sets out to find the real killer. Overall a good read and great start to a series.
Includes Trinidad’s Easy Key Lime Ice Cream recipe 🍨

Thank you to Dana Mentink, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed the book. A mystery, yet fun book. I did laugh a bit. I never saw the killer as the person. I would definitely recommend this for a weekend read.A good, clean book , and had me guessing

Bestselling author Dana Mentink debuts a new culinary cozy series, the Ice Cream Shop Mystery with Pint of No Return. This has all of the delicious elements for a fun series.

Our amateur sleuth, Trinidad Jones, is starting over. Her ex-husband Gabe, in jail for embezzling, left her the deed to a storefront in Upper Sprocket, Oregon. Trina's sure it's going to be the perfect spot to open her dream business, the Shimmy and Shake Shop, an ice cream parlor featuring over-the-top milkshakes made with her family recipe ice creams.

Upper Sprocket's a small, close-knit community which means she's got a bit of notoriety. She's not the only ex in town. Gabe deeded businesses to his other two ex-wives as well.

When she meets one of the exes, Juliette, Trinidad's surprised at how well they get along. She feels like she's finally settling into her new town, making friends, and nearing opening day for her new business.

And then she finds one of her neighboring business owners dead. The Corn King's been murdered and shoved into his popcorn kettle. That's awful enough but Trina's new friend and fellow Gabe ex, Juliette, is the main suspect. Juliette's alone so it's up to Trinidad to find the real killer before Juliette's sentenced for murder.

I love how the author takes the familiar pieces of a cozy, culinary mystery and puts them together in charming and fun ways.

Trinidad is resourceful, smart, insecure about how she looks, with a big heart. Her pet, because cozies have to have a pet in there somewhere, is an adorable, aging dog, Noodles. He was training to be a companion so when he senses that Trina's stressed, he does goofy things like brings her condiments from the fridge one at a time, in hopes that one will cheer her up. Or he hides her bills under his bed because he knows they make her sad.

You have the usual cast of colorful characters in a small town, full of quirks and tangled ties. I sense a love interest in former military guy and current farmer Quinn. I appreciated how sensitively his brother Doug's neurodivergence was handled by the author. Also, yay for including a character and truly integrating him into the story instead of making him a token.

And Trinidad's Cuban grandfather was an absolute gem. I loved Trina reminiscing about him teaching her how to make ice cream. And their phone conversation where he continually tries to set her up with his friend's grandson in Miami.

Instead of going the route of having a male police chief, I love that not only is Upper Sprocket's chief a woman but she's also Gabe's sister. That gives a different flavor to the required tension between the amateur sleuth and law enforcement.

The mystery was a fun puzzle. If you've read cozies, I don't think the killer will be a surprise but the fun is in the journey getting there.

I'm looking forward to more of Trinidad and Noodles' adventures. I hope, in the next book, the Shimmy and Shake Shop gets to open. I also hope we get to meet the third of Gabe's exes. This is the type of series that you get involved in because you love the characters and want to have further adventures with them.

The first in a new series Pint of no Return, there’s plenty of room in a crowded cozy mystery market for this one. Dana Mentink has a hot one on hand, I personally hope there’s more in store for the fans like me.