A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink is the second book in her Shake Shop cozy mystery series. Trinidad Jones is the owner of the Shimmy and Shake Shop in the small town of Upper Sprocket. Somehow she has once again become involved in a murder investigation. After all a body was dumped in the trunk of her Papa Luis' classic 1951 Buick. But then it disappeared before the police arrived to investigate. Thankfully Papa wasn't considered a suspect.

I like the characters in this series. They appear to be regular people, maybe like your neighbors. But they sure find themselves involved in all kinds of trouble with murders and disappearances. I especially like the complexity of the storyline. It kept me turning the pages until the end. And I love Trinidad's dog Noodles. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

What I really enjoy from this series is that the characters are so enjoyable. You immediately feel connected. Where in the first book Trinidad had to get used to the other exes of her Husband living in the same town as she is rebuilding in her life, in the second book they have build a real bond together and I really enjoyed that.

The mystery is very good, I at one point thought I'd knew who did it, but the ending was really surprising!!! Papa Luis finds a dead body in his trunk and when Trinidad comes to look, the body is gone! With the help of Juliette and Bonnie (the other exes of her Husband) and handsome nut farmer Quinn Logan, Trinidad must solve the mystery. I also enjoyed the relationship build up between Trinidad and Quinn. And of course doggie Noodles who builds a great bond with Doug, Quinn's brother, and Felice, Bonnie's daughter. I really recommend this series. It's just so much fun and the writing is really, really good!

This was an interesting mystery, which was set in a small Oregon town. It featured an amateur female sleuth who attempts to solve the murder of a town resident while running an ice cream shop. The murder victim wasn't liked in town very well, so many residents might have reasons to want him dead. I look forward to reading more books in the series. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

This is a new author for me but I am so glad that I found it because the book was so engrossing and well written. I really like the way the author writes because you are drawn into the story so far you feel as if you are actually apart of the story. Well written and I can''t wait to read more.

I’ll take a cozy mystery ahead of any of those mind-expanding huge novels of cross crossing characters and story lines that often involve backing up and scrambling through a book for a cohesive read. Not very relaxing. A page turner should not mean one that goes in both directions. A SPRINKLE IN TIME by Dana Mintick keeps every character within easy reach and with satisfactory grasp as a mysteries’ components come forth.
Trinidad Jones owns and runs the Shake and Shimmy Shack in the quaint Oregon town of Upper Sprocket. Like all ice cream shop dealers she worries about winter sales. A yodeler festival called Alpenfest comes to the area and Trinidad contributes to food vender promotional giveaways to spur her business. Amid this hobnob comes a confrontation with the town’s mayor and a tourist train owner hated for his desire to level precious local trees to expand his business.
Trinidad doesn’t have the most exciting life- her constant companion is a intelligent Lab, noodles, and her Cuban grandfather, Papa Luis, has crowded into her tiny rented home. She considers reading old cookbooks in bed as inriching. Papa thinks he’s bringing home blueberries and a body is found in the trunk of his beloved car.It’s the railroad owner.Before he and Trinidad can act, it disappears. The town sherif, having already dealt with Trinidad in the first book of this series(this is the second) is skeptical of everyone. Unfortunately for Trinidad, there is another suspect besides the mayor, her assumed boyfriend Quinn a hazelnut farmer who publicly proclaimed the victim should be killed like a snake. Quinn had curiously sold treasured land to the railroad after speaking out against it. And he won’t discuss it with Trinidad, breaking her heart. Not something she needs, as her unusual sisterhood in town comprises two other ex-wives of her criminally bent ex.
Trinidad’s teen employees dig up an old local mystery that further complicates her dilemma. And since, in a small town, no action seems to goes without a witness, she forges ahead, wondering if Quinn is yet another mistake- of the worst kind.

This offers the heroine a fresh start in a charming new series. Had fun and free spirited characters. Great plot line and I look forward to the next in the series.

This is book two of a series. I hadn’t read book one, yet I was able to follow the book and didn’t get lost as I have done in the past on other books that are read out of order in a series. This was such a charming cozy mystery as I always enjoy visiting little towns in my fiction travels. I really enjoyed the antics of the dog and Trinidad was a likable character that I was able to both relate to and root for. The suspense was enough to get me interested and the fact that there were various possible “killers” held my interest making me continually guess at the “who-done-it). The added bonus recipes at the back of the book were appreciated. I would most definitely recommend this book to others. It was fun - quick - entertaining- and a bit quirky.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A clever cozy mystery that has some surprises. An adorable dog and little girl add charm and fun to the tale. It was delightful to be back in the small town and visit the shake shop. Many familiar characters help round out the story. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

A Sprinkle In Time is the sequel to Pint of No Return by Dana Mentink. I really enjoyed Pint of No Return so I was really excited to read this one! It didn’t disappoint. A Sprinkle in Time had everything in it I loved about the first one. Good relationships, good clues, good twists, dogs, and ice cream! I loved seeing the relationships develop further in this book, and the surprises along the way. I love how the author makes you feel like you are a part of Upper Sprocket, it’s a nice place to be. 🤗 A solid culinary cozy mystery!

This was a quick easy mystery. A little quirky and just a fun read. There were a couple of twists that I appreciated in order to keep me engaged. I would recommend this to others.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Trinidad Jones’ ice cream shop is thriving with the fall festival season. Her busy-body grandfather moves to join her in Sprocket. He soon gets tangled up in the newest town mystery when a body is found in the trunk of his Taxi.

I love a cozy, small town mystery and A Sprinkle in Time is no exception. There are several unexpected twists and surprises.

Although this is the second book in the Shake Shop Mystery series, this one is easily read as a stand alone.

The author includes a couple yummy recipes to try at the end of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I loved every bit of this cozy, carb-y, cake-y mystery! Sometimes a little silly, but never dull. Great read when you still want a mystery but want to wade in a bit of a shallower keep-you-up-at-night-screaming pool.

I am always drawn in by a book title that is food related as I love food, love cooking and love book and reading. So when I saw this I thought I just had to read it.

I'm glad I did as I just 'whipped' through it, 'lapped' it all up and 'drank' it all in. The characters were great with each one bringing something unique to the story. There was humour, mystery, intrigue and even a bit of fun. With all the suspects bringing that 'Whodunnit' aspect to the book you never quite knew who did no it and therefore I just wanted to keep reading to get to the end and the mystery being solved.

An easy read, fun and enjoyable cosy mystery which I now have to go find book 1 to see where it all started.

This is a fun cozy with interesting, likable and imperfect characters. I liked the subtle inclusiveness and acceptance of different types of people. There is a little bit of everything in this book including some yummy ice cream and sweet treats-a couple recipes too.

Secrets. Ambition. Family. Justice. All these and more play a role in the murder mystery in "A Sprinkle of Time". Secrets kept are good, right? Not necessarily, especially if they allow ambition to rule one's actions, especially when others are involved. Family....secrets kept can destroy a family, even if kept with the best intentions. As for justice, to quote the book, "Justice was satisfying, but it came with consequences of so much pain for so many."

I have to admit to finding it slow going at first, maybe because I hadn't read the first book i the series, but I was quickly able to sort out who was who and how they were connected and was hooked. While it was intriguing to see Trinidad Jones' mind process the clues, we also learn quite a bit about not just her and boyfriend Quinn but her grandfather Papa Luis, who drives the 1951 Buick that becomes a vital element of the mystery. I also loved her old dog, Noodles, who seemed to know more about what was going on within the various characters than they sometimes seemed to realize themselves.

I won't detail the plot, plot recaps are easily available, but this was definitely the first cozy mystery I've read where it basically begins with the main characters finding a body that then disappears before the local police can arrive. Who was it? Where did the body go? How did someone get it from the trunk to move it elsewhere so quickly? Or, whoa, was the person even dead? Why did Quinn sell his timber acres? How did Gabe's three exes all become such close friends? Can one moment of carelessness change lives forever? The answer to all these and more can be found in "A Sprinkle in Time'.

Thank you #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for letting me visit Upper Sprocket for awhile. I'm looking forward to revisiting and maybe, just maybe, caging a ride in Papa Luis' '51 Buick, while eating an ice cream cone, of course.

Thank you NetGalley, Dana Mentink and Poisoned Pen Press for the Arc of A Sprinkle in Time. This is my personal review.
A festival in town is just the thing Trinidad Jones needs to keep making her ice cream shop a success. I really liked being back with everyone and the mystery in the book kept me guessing at what exactly happened and why.
This is a great second book in the series. I look forward to the next book and getting to spend more time with Trinidad and gang!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Trinidad Jones is making progress with her ice cream shop, and the festival in town is definitely helping to bring in the business. But when a body is found in Papa's trunk - and later disappears - it becomes clear that there's another murderer in Sprocket. Now what?

After reading the first book, I was excited to return back to Sprocket and the Shimmy and Shake Shop with Trinidad. Though some of the clues were a bit out there, they tied together really well! Nothing was so farfetched that I had to suspend belief, and though it was a journey, it was enjoyable!

CW: death, murder, human remains

Trinidad Jones and her ex husbands former wives have bonded in this second book of the Shake Shop Mystery series. Filled with tons of twists and turns. Loaded with intrigue! I really enjoyed this one! More please!! Thanks #netgalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I think what I liked the most about book 2 of Dana Mentink’s Shake Shop Mystery series were the wonderful characters. In book one Trinidad Jones had just moved to Upper Sprocket in Eastern Oregon and was getting to know her divorced husbands former wives. In this book they had bonded and became like family to one another. I enjoyed the intriguing mystery and there was a lot of clues and suspects who all had motives to murder the victim. I found the book to be a tad bit scary from time to time. A few situations caused me to shift to the edge of my seat. Definitely unpredictable and had its share of twists and turns. Kept me guessing and glued to the pages. Can’t wait for the next book in this series to be released.
Trinidad Jones swears she won’t get involved in this murder investigation when the town’s Wheeler Dealer, Forge Emberly is found dead in the trunk of her Grandpa Luis’s vintage Chevy. But then when Chief Bigley and her deputy arrive to investigate, the body has up and disappeared and nowhere to be found. Is it really murder when there’s no body?
Trinidad is insecure in her relationship with Quinn Logan. He lied to her and seems to be holding things back from her. Trinidad’s former no good for nothing husband Gabe Bigley lied to her too . Can she trust Quinn when he really seems to be no different than Gabe was?
In spite of Trinidad’s best efforts not to get involved in this murder investigation she finds herself being drawn in. Now there seems to possibly be another murder too. A girl had disappeared years ago but now clues seem to tie the two cases together. Trinidad finds herself once again deeply involved in the investigation and she doesn’t even like sleuthing.
I recommend A Sprinkle in Time to readers of Cozy Mystery and fans of the Author. If you liked book one of the series you won’t want to miss reading this book. This book is scheduled to be released on may 24th 2022.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book . All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
#asprinkleintime#netgalley

This is second in a charming cozy mystery series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. Ice cream, dogs, and mystery combine to keep the reader guessing until the surprise reveal of the killer. It was nice to see Trinidad's growth throughout the story. A fun, quick, enjoyable read.