What a fun story! I had no idea it was a sequel and book 2 of 3. It didn’t seem to matter to me though or to the storyline and characters. The book could easily stand on its own.
Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian and current manager of the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop, lands a job supplying ice cream to an event at Moy Mull Castle hosted by former supermodel Maud Monaco. Moy Mull has an interesting history, as does Maud herself, including with Adam Blasco, the photographer who is highlighted at the event Maud is hosting. When Blasco is found dead, there are plenty of suspects, and Riley can’t help but do some behind the scenes investigating. The setting was amazing. It felt very realistic. The characters also felt very real. I didn’t like the title of the book though after reading it. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with the book.
Overall an enjoyable read!!
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

With a mysterious castle, a variety of interesting characters, and an unforgettable setting, Meri Allen creates a delicious sundae of a read – with a cherry on top! Mint Chocolate Murder is a yummy read that will make readers crave a second scoop of Meri Allen’s delicious Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. Grab a snack and your book and see if you can figure out 'who done it?"

In Meri Allen’s Mint Chocolate Murder, the 2nd installment in the Ice Cream Shop cozy mystery series, this delicious new tale will keep you suspense with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end. For Riley Rhodes, a former CIA librarian, and proprietor of Udderly Delightful Ice Cream Shop, she’s been invited to a festival by Maud Monaco at the legendary Scottish Moy Mull Castle in Penniman, Rhode Island to serve her delicious ice cream. At first everything went okay, until she witnessed an argument between famed photographer Adam Blasco and one of her team members. When he was supposed to attend his art show at the gala, he didn’t show up, and his protegee Vye had to step in for him. Later, his body was discovered in a hidden dudgeon in the castle. Now it was up to Riley to sleuth around Adam’s past and the secrets of the castle’s historical background.Before she knew it, her life wound up endangered when she’s literally toe to toe with the real culprit in a real cliffhanger ending.

This captivating cozy novel is as compelling and delightful as the ice cream recipes. I cared for Riley, since she looked out for her best friend Caroline, and her co-workers at the ice cream shop. She had a nose for sleuthing and for digging into the nitty gritty truth. I really liked the picturesque small town of Penniman, Rhode Island for the location and its majestic scenic settings. The theme of the story is be careful and watch your step, since your past might sneak up on you.

This intriguing cozy mystery is enchanted and fascinating to read. I rated this book, three out of five stars for no reason. If you love culinary cozy mysteries with dramatic action, plenty of, heart-stopping suspense, and lots of twisted turns, Mint Chocolate Murder is a delicious story for you to enjoy. This book is recommended for those who love culinary cozy mystery authors like Joanne Fluke, JoAnne Carl, Jessica Beck, and Hallmark movies.

This was so much fun and had everything I love about a cozy mystery. The character are great! The plot is super strong! The setting and travel aspect is amazing! The only downfall was that Riley did make some questionable decisions in this book that made me uncomfortable. But overall a lot of fun and a great read.

Riley Rhodes was coming home to help her best friend run her inherited Ice cream shop. Riley hadn’t been home in 17 years. Making ice cream was a far cry from her previous job as a Librarian for the CIA.
Riley had just been summoned to the Moy Mull castle to help with an Art exhibition by a photographer friend of the owner, Maud Monaco. Her shop was to supply the dessert for the dinner. She was famous for her unusual flavors.
Riley loved exploring castles and this one was as beautiful. Little did she know that it would become the place where a murder would take place and she would be in a position to help solve it.
This mystery will have you guessing until the end. It is a fun read!

The title is what caught my attention when browsing for something to read. I love Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, however it is not the feature ice crem in the book. The castle setting was so well described and the murder taking place in a locked room was intriguing. Riley is a great sleuth but does some pretty risky things that had me shaking my head. Over all a great book and I would recommend it

In the second installment of Meri Allen's Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, Mint Chocolate Murder, protagonist Riley Rhodes has been hired by the organizer of a local arts festival to provide specially created ice creams for the attendees. During the festival the highlighted photographic artist is discovered dead in a classic locked room mystery.

In this series, the author has created a unique setting for this series and the characters to inhabit the setting have been developed with a great deal of forethought and attention to detail with rich histories and focus on the dynamics of the various relationships. The combination of the various locales and plotlines make for a very interesting read and with the numerous twists and red herrings, the reader is kept guessing until the very end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martins Press and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Book two in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. This sequel had a fun setting and an intriguing case to solve.

The majority of this book takes place outside of the ice cream shop, Udderly Delight. Instead, it is set at a nearby estate that is made up of beautiful gardens, several quaint cottages and an elaborate castle that holds all sorts of hidden secrets. I enjoyed exploring this location. The mysteries surrounding this eccentric build definitely added to the murder case. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of chatter about frozen treats, especially Pumpkin Spice. Riley and her crew cater an ice cream social for the Princess of the estate, Maud Monaco.

The mystery part of the book was captivating and full of plausible suspects. I pegged the culprit early on and how they managed to get to the victim, even though the scene of the crime took place in a locked room environment! There were plenty of red herrings thrown in to make you second guess everyone’s motives. There was also a second side story involving the disappearance of an original resident of the estate. It tied into the big reveal perfectly at the end.

The furry felines, Sprinkles and Rocky definitely added some fun comedic relief and easily stole the scenes they appeared in. The book concluded with the author explaining how she was inspired by a ghostly Scottish legend. She also included a recipe for No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream. I look forward to continuing this series with Fatal Fudge Swirl, set to publish this summer.

The humor in Meri Allen's writing style is instantly noted such as meeting Riley's dog as he's facing the "indignity" of a cone around his neck, following getting neutered. The writing is very playful in describing him as not having forgiven her yet. This tone continues throughout the story and contains fun details that create whimsical (and humorous) visuals such as Bitsy waving a spoon in a way that is compared to how a fairy godmother "would magick a pumpkin" and Sprinkles' high opinion of herself, thinking "every side is her good side." This type of style makes it very easy to get interested in this series, especially this early on. I predict a humorous and zany journey to come for Riley, and can't wait to read it all.

Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen

Riley is a manager of an ice cream shop in New England. This book is filled with secrets and murder.

This’d was a good novel. I enjoyed the environment of the castle. Great characters. Kept us in suspense as to who the murderer was. I recommend this book.

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop mysteries. I enjoyed this one more than the first one in the series as Riley are amateur sleuth has settled into the town. But alas it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery unless there’s a murder. This one focused more on the mystery because the characters were built up in the first book.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone story. There were too many details and the main character was in her thoughts most of the time so the story was a bit muddled. I ended up skimming most of the chapters and went to the last chapter to see how it ends.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

I thought this was a great cozy mystery, that I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This was such an enjoyable read that I could not put it down once I started and finished it in one sitting. It moves along at a pace which made for an easy and relaxing read. It has characters that you want to know better and you cannot help but love them, no matter what happens. The story will grab you and keep you reading until the end and then you are wanting more. This book needs to be on your TBR list, no doubt about it.

This book was a fun, and entertaining cozy mystery! I loved the characters and the storyline was interesting! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

This is book 2 in the Ice Cream Shop cozy series and it can be read as a stand alone. Riley has be hired to create ice cream desserts for the local rich celebrity who is opening an art retreat in town. When the photographer Maud hires is found murdered the locals are all suspects. I like Riley and her rescue cat and her interaction with the small town locals who make her feel so welcome in the community. A good cozy with lots of suspects.

This was the first book I've read in this ice cream inspired mystery series, but I'm sure I'll be licking - I mean looking - up the first book in the series soon. Riley is hired to provide ice cream to two events at the local castle. When a murder happens, she is determined to find out how and why.

Things I liked a lot:
1. The descriptions of the ice cream and other food were fantastic. I loved all of the flavors and the mixtures
2. Riley isn't a clueless sleuth - she used to work for the CIA so she knows how to investigate.
3. The atmosphere at the castle was neat and I could picture it.
4. No love triangle!

Note: I kept waiting for mint chocolate chip ice cream (one of my favorites) to show up, but the only place it does is the title/cover. But pumpkin spice was a hit the rest of the book.

I really like this series. This plot was good and the characters were likeable. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.