Dollycas’s Thoughts

Riley Rhodes has been given a unique opportunity to provide ice cream treats for Moy Mull’s Fall Arts Festival at the medieval Penniman’s Moy Mull Castle. The castle has had its share of owners but Maud Monaco turned it into a premier arts colony. She has invited famous photographer Adam Blasco to be the first exhibit at the festival.

Maud is excited as all her art-world friends start to arrive but Riley hears plenty of gossip about Adam Blasco. Her CIA librarian skills kick in as she wonders what the truth is about the photographer. His history is pretty dark but then why would Maud have invited him to exhibit his art?

When Blasco goes missing Maud does her best to follow through on her programs. Then Adam Blasco is found dead in the castle dungeon. After all Riley’s heard she knows there is quite a list of people who could have done the deed including someone close to her. She just needs to follow the clues and get the scoop on the killer before they strike again.

First, I have to address the elephant in the room. That’s a really cool cover, right? Sadly, it has nothing to do with this story and neither does the title. I love cozy mysteries with punny titles and how they are woven into the story but this title is pretty straightforward – Mint Chocolate Murder. Well, the word MINT is not found once in the text of this story and the word CHOCOLATE is just mentioned 6 times. But PUMPKIN SPICE is mentioned 29 times. Either the title should have been Pumpkin Spice Murder or everywhere “pumpkin spice” is used should have been changed to Mint Chocolate. I know sometimes the titles are out of the author’s control but this should have been fixed in editing. Even the recipe at the end of the book is for No Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream! It truly looks like the wrong story was matched with the wrong cover.

Riley Rhodes is a great amateur sleuth, especially with her CIA librarian background. It feeds her need to research and investigate while handling her day job of managing the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop. There her creative juices can flow as she comes up with some fantastic ice cream flavors. Riley is surrounded by a wonderful group of family and friends who can all pitch in to help so she has time to do a little sleuthing. It is a large quirky cast and they all feel true to life.

I really enjoyed the castle setting. It almost became a character on its own. All its secrets, the nooks, crannies, staircases, dungeon, and hidden features made an excellent place for a cozy mystery to take place. I was entertained following along as Riley tried so hard to find what she was looking for and finding something she wasn’t looking for at all. I was working on a couple of theories of my own. I had the guilty party in my sights very early on but that sure did not take away from the big reveal that was compared to a Mission Impossible movie.

While Mint Chocolate Murder has nothing to do with mint or chocolate it was an appealing read. Terrific characters including two frisky felines, an intriguing setting, and a stirring mystery make this book a fine successor to Rocky Road to Ruin. I am looking for to the next book in this series.

Another cozy mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed! Things I loved: our protagonist Riley, the darling little community and side characters, the small town setting with a local old castle, the art world tie-in, and the mystery itself. Things I didn't love so much: there were lotttts of side characters (but they did all matter in the end), the character Caroline who lives in Boston but Riley lives at Caroline's family home and runs Caroline's family business (maybe there was more about this in book 1?), and there wasn't any mint chocolate ice cream in the story. Overall, this mystery was just the escape I needed and was a fun mystery to attempt to solve. I love cozy mysteries always and forever and love the mental break they provide me! I would definitely be interested in reading more by this author and in this series in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-arc! Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen is out now!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed Mint Chocolate Murder. It was both my introduction to the series and to Meri Allen's writing. The mystery and the characters are well installed at the beginning of the book, which I appreciated. Riley is a good main character and I liked the way she investigated. As for Caroline, I just found her plain weird, and her cat, Sprinkles, is horrible. Perhaps they are meant to add a light, funny touch to the book, but I just found them annoying. Despite this aspect, the story is good and the book remains enjoyable. Perhaps after reading the first book in the series my opinion about Caroline and Sprinkles will change. To sum it up, Mint Chocolate Murder is a nice mystery book with a strong storyline. Quite enjoyable!

Riley Rhodes is back in her hometown of Penniman, a charming small New England town. She had left her last job as a librarian for the CIA, well, she’d been asked to leave, because of an assignment that went wrong. So when her best friend, Caroline Spooner, was left her mother’s ice cream shop, Udderly Delicious, Riley offered to run it. A quiet life spent making ice cream in her hometown sounded like a much needed break to Riley, and Caroline didn’t want to leave her job in Boston. It all worked out well.

And since Riley had taken over the shop, things were going well. They were creating new flavors of ice cream that locals and tourists alike found irresistible. As the leaves are just starting to turn, the pumpkin spice is a big hit, but when Riley is tasked with creating ice cream delicacies for the art festival up at the castle Moy Mull, she also brings their cherry vanilla, rhubarb crumble, and pear and Stilton, among others. And when Riley is asked to make a flavor especially for the dinner party that will close out the festival, she chooses an ice cream layered made with local honey and whiskey and layered with raspberries, toasted oats, and whiskey whipped cream, based on the Scottish dessert cranachan.

But Maud Monaco, the owner of Moy Mull and benefactor to the artists who stay at the castle, which she has turned into an artists’ colony. Maud had been a very popular model and went on to marry a prince. The art festival she is hosting this weekend is to honor photographer Adam Blasco. There will be an exhibit of his work, including his famous photo of Maud, and he will be giving a talk about his work as well as taking photos for a cookbook that Maud wants to put out about the festival and the castle, featuring some of Riley’s ice cream recipes as well as some recipes from the caterer Bitsy Bittman.

On Friday morning, before the official start of the festival, Adam and his assistant Vye come to Udderly Delicious to take some photos for the cookbook. Riley can’t help but notice Adam paying extra attention to her teenaged worker and art student Willow. Her boyfriend Luca also notices and isn’t very happy about it. And when Adam flirts with Willow again at the festival, Luca blows up and he and Willow argue about it.

But when Adam doesn’t show up for his talk on Saturday morning, Maud and her man Friday, Prentiss Love, recruit Riley to help search the castle for him. He’s not answering his phone, he’s not in his cabin, he’s not in the castle’s darkroom (although his bag is found there). It’s not until they try the room that’s called “the dungeon” that they find him, dead. Not so much of a dungeon anymore, as it had been when the materials had been brought over from Scotland for an eccentric millionaire. After his death, the castle had been turned into a hotel, and the dungeon had been turned into a bland conference room. Maud was restoring the castle to how it had been, but they hadn’t changed the dungeon back yet.

The room was windowless, and the heavy oak door had been locked. And yet, Adam had been found on the floor close to a dead bee. Adam had been deadly allergic to bees and always had an EpiPen in his camera bag, but his bag had been in the darkroom. How had a bee gotten into the room? Was it a terrible accident, or could it be something darker? Luca was a beekeeper, but did he know about Adam’s allergy? And Maud was also a beekeeper. She had known about the photographer’s allergy, but why set up the exhibit and the festival and the cookbook for him, just to kill him?

Riley’s investigative instincts are telling her that something is wrong about the scene she saw in the dungeon. But what is it that’s buzzing in her brain? And will she be able to figure it out before she’s the one who gets stung next?

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series, and author Meri Allen has crafted another masterful mystery. Riley and the cast of characters who help her at the store are full of personality, and the ice cream sounds delicious. The mystery itself is complicated enough to keep readers guessing, and if all that’s not enough, there are two scene-stealing cats to keep things interesting.

I really like Riley and her friends and I thought that Mint Chocolate Murder was very well written. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but I read this one pretty quickly, so I didn’t have too much trouble with that. I can see how some readers might struggle. Had I been more distracted, I would have forgotten who was who. And I kept waiting for the mint chocolate ice cream, but it was the pumpkin spice that was the big seller through this book, and it’s also the featured recipe at the end. But the castle is a fantastic idea for the setting, and after the story there is an afterword all about the castle Allen based the fictional one on.

Egalleys for Mint Chocolate Murder were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is preparing for a fantasy ice cream social to celebrate the opening of a photography exhibit by Adam Blasco. The exhibit is taking place at Penniman’s Moy Mull Castle. The gothic structure was built by an eccentric New England Gilded Age millionaire. It has been transformed into a premiere arts colony by Maud Monaco, a reclusive former supermodel. When Riley hears rumors that Blasco has a dark history of obsession with his models, her curiosity is aroused. But, when Adam is found dead behind the locked door of Moy Mull’s dungeon, Riley realizes there’s more to the stories, and she’s determined to find the truth.
This was an interesting cozy mystery. When I started reading, I couldn’t get a handle on who the characters were. The main character, Riley, was likeable and hard-working. She loved to investigate and search for clues. But I didn’t understand some of the other character’s roles. I felt like I had missed a part of the story. The plot was easier to understand as the story progressed. I was able to comprehend the mystery in the end. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Riley is managing a local New England creamery called Udderly Delightful after a career as a librarian with the CIA. A former supermodel Maud wants her to create a custom flavor for an event at the castle she is restoring into an artist colony.

Maud has hired a controversial photographer to take pictures at the event. Though when he ends up dead in a locked dungeon room, questions arise to just who might want him dead.

Secrets are revealed to his relationship to Maud and his current assistant, as well as enemies he made due to his behavior and obsession with young models.

Riley can’t help but use her former CIA skills to try and reveal the truth of who killed Alex.

This was a fun quick read with a quaint location in New England. The castle element and the mystery surrounding the previous owner and his missing wife added another element of mystery. Overall I was able to guess the mystery and killer early on so it was just an okay read for me.

Have you ever visited a castle? I’ve been to a few when I went to Germany. Swipe for pictures.

I received an arc for review, all opinions are my own and given freely.

A foodie mystery prominently featuring a delectable selection of ice creams makes this a perfect summer/beach read. All the flavours sound scrumptious, so be prepared to have some ice cream cravings while reading.

Ultimately, this book put a big smile on my face. The town and cast of characters of Penniman, Connecticut stuck in my mind and I kept catching myself thinking throughout the day how I wanted to check into this world and immerse myself back into this world.

While this is the second book in the You don’t need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one. That being said, I’m definitely going to check out the first one because I want to hear more about Riley history as a CIA librarian and how she came to be the manager of an ice cream shop.

Plus, who can resist a book that has hilarious cat characters and includes a little recipe at the end! You best believe I had to read this book with some mint chocolate ice cream in hand (which also happens to be my favourite flavour).

A really fun summer read. Riley Rhodes, manager of Udderly Delightful Ice Cream is an ex-CIA agent who gets involved in the murder of a photographer who had lots of enemies. The supporting characters are fun, and Sprinkles, the diva cat, deserves her own series of books. Riley herself is intelligent and relatable, and the mystery is entertaining with lots of twists and turns. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When Riley, ice cream shop manager, is summoned to a castle, she can't resist the temptation. She is having a good time, until Adam, an obnoxious but talented photographer, is found dead in a locked dungeon.
This cozy mystery is book 2 of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series, but the first one I read. The locked room mystery contains a lot of characters but runs at a quick pace, with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. I love a good cozy with recipes! I will go back to read the first book of the series.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

September has fallen, and the crowds have dropped off from their summer peak at Udder Delicious, but manager Riley Rhodes is finding life isn’t slowing down yet thanks to the art festival that former supermodel Maude Monico is hosting at the castle she’s purchased just outside of town. Riley is catering the opening night ice cream social, and that allows her to observe the weekend’s guest of honor, Adam Blasco, a controversial photographer. He fails to show up for his talk the next day, and he is soon found dead, locked in the castle’s former dungeon. Now Riley has to figure out not only how he came to be there, but who wanted him dead.

Yes, there is a reason that this castle (and a Scottish castle at that) is in the middle of Connecticut. That adds a fun layer to this mystery, but it does require a bit of set up at the beginning. Between that and meeting the victim and suspects, we are able to ease into the story. Since we have a locked room puzzle and in addition to figuring out who the killer is, there is plenty to keep us engaged, and the pages flew by until I reached the end. I enjoyed meeting the characters last year, and they were just as charming here. Meanwhile, the suspects were strong. While there actually isn’t much mention of mint chocolate here (a favorite flavor of mine), pumpkin spice proves to be a popular ice cream flavor in the story, and we get a recipe for it in the end. Whether you love ice cream or not, you’ll find this book a delicious sequel that you’ll enjoy.

This was a fun locked room mystery! I thought the different twists were well done and enjoyed learning about the characters. This was overall very entertaining and a great way for me to balance out some of the darkers thrillers that I love

Riley Rhodes loves her job managing Udderly Delight, an ice cream shop her best friend, Caroline Spooner, recently inherited from her late mother. Riley often works with Betsy Bittman at Creative Caterers to make delicious desserts.

When contacted by Maud Monaco, a wealthy, former model, who asks Riley to provide dessert at a special exhibit at the medieval castle, Moy Mull, where Maud lives; Riley becomes involved in a locked room mystery with layers of twists revealing in the author’s plot.

Skillfully using eclectic characters and clever clues, Author Allen dishes up a cool plot with a hard-to-figure-out killer and surprising twists and turns. I was impressed as the different suspects were brought front and center in scenes, then shuffled around as their alibis led away from the main murder mystery; however, there is more than one mystery at stake in “Mint Chocolate Murder.” Riley and her employees are fun and likable. Cozying up the storyline are two cats, Rocky—Riley’s rescue, and Sprinkles—Caroline’s diva cat who provides humor in the story! There are great ending action scenes, plus all loose ends to the mysteries are wrapped up nicely. I highly recommend this cozy mystery.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

Mint Chocolate Murder

An Ice Cream Shop Mystery

By: Meri Allen

Publish Date 26 July 2022

St. Martin’s Press

St. Martin’s Paperback

Mystery & Thrillers

#MintChocolateMurder#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to first thank both St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synposis:

Riley Rhodes returns in the second delicious cozy set in a New England ice cream shop, Meri Allen’s Mint Chocolate Murder!

When Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is summoned to Penniman’s Moy Mull Castle, it’s the cherry on top of a successful summer season. The gothic pile built by an eccentric New England Gilded Age millionaire has been transformed into a premiere arts colony by Maud Monaco, a reclusive former supermodel. As part of Moy Mull’s Fall Arts Festival, Maud is throwing a fantasy ice cream social and hires Riley to whip up unique treats to celebrate the opening of an exhibit by Adam Blasco, a photographer as obnoxious as he is talented.

As Penniman fills up with Maud’s art-world friends arriving for the festival, gossip swirls around Blasco, who has a dark history of obsession with his models. Riley’s curiosity and instincts for sleuthing – she was a CIA librarian – are piqued, and she wonders at the hold the cold-hearted photographer has over the mistress of Moy Mull.

Book Review:

I enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. I would suggest that you don’t read the synopsis of the book beforehand because it gives away who dies.

This cozy mystery was laid out a little different than others I have read because you know by chapter 3 who is going to die and how that person is going to die. The only thing you don’t know is why. The fun thing about this story is the finding out why. Was it an accident or was it murder?

There are also two smaller mysteries in this story that you receive clues if you are paying close enough attention.

There are also a whole lot of characters in this story that you will need to keep track of. Most of them are from the first book and you already know their roles. There are a few more people introduced that are mentioned in the synopsis. The other people you will need to know are the catering crew and the people who work with Maud in the castle.

I enjoyed this one more than the first one as it seems the issues I had have been worked out. Riley has found her place in Penniman and seems to have put down roots. I liked the addition of the castle and the yummy treats that were described throughout the book. The locked door mystery was intriguing and while I figured out who the killer was early on, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.

This is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series but can be read as a standalone. There is enough backstory given so that new readers to the series don’t feel lost. The castle setting for this installment is very interesting with its hidden passages, runaway wife and rumors of it being haunted by a weeping lady. Add in a modern locked room murder mystery and you have the recipe for an entertaining read.

MINT CHOCOLATE MURDER is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries by Meri Allen. I, for one, can’t resist a locked room murder set in an American Scottish castle rumored to have a weeping ghost. Throw in tubfuls of pumpkin spice ice cream amid a Fall arts festival hosted by a reclusive former supermodel turned royal and you’ve got yourself an entertaining and mouthwatering read. The author expertly crafts twists and turns with topsy-turvy secrets thrown into the plot for good measure. It kept me thoroughly mesmerized as I followed the protagonist, Riley Rhodes, in her investigation. An ex-CIA librarian and now manager for her friend’s Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop, Riley uses her training to get to the bottom of who might have killed the famous photographer, Adam, during his exhibit at the castle. The investigation on how Adam even got into the dungeon (now conference room), much less how he was locked in when security cameras show no signs of entry, is only the tip of the complex puzzle. With plenty of suspects—more people hated him than liked him—I found it difficult to narrow it down to even two or three. As the reveal unfolded, I was even more impressed with the cleverly plotted clues and the intricate way they fit together.

With unique characters such as an ex-CIA librarian (or could Riley more than that?!), a supermodel turned royal, a diva in fluffy cat form, and a bad boy photographer, I couldn’t help but be entertained. Each person (and animal, especially Sprinkles the diva cat), was well-developed with individual characteristics that made them come alive. Ms. Allen has a strong descriptive voice that made me feel like I was right there, experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and especially the tastes of all Penniman, Connecticut has to offer. It’s always a pleasure reading a book that has equally strong characters and plots to keep me glued to the pages, and Mint Chocolate Murder fits the bill!

Running an ice cream shop, Riley has her hands full mixing up ice cream in between investigating. Pumpkin Spice ice cream is the tourists’ and town’s flavor de jour, and she can barely keep up with the demand. Luckily for us pumpkin spice lovers, the author has included a recipe at the back of the book.

Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian, now the manager of “Udderly Delightful Ice Cream Shop” is happy to be have landed a catering at Penniman’s Moy Mull Castle, where former supermodel Maud Monaco is hosting a Arts Festival. Things turn a bit tipsy turvy when one of the guests ends up dead, in a locked room.
Great characters, lots suspect avenues to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Readers Copy.

Riley Rhodes an ex cia librarian now manages udderly delightful ice cream shop. she is hired by Maud at Moy Mull Castle to provide unique ice cream flavors for an arts festival. Very colorful and interesting story with complex and quirky characters. Lots of twists and turns, bees and maybe ghosts and a tempermental kitty. Murder and mayhem make this a real page turner. So many suspects it kept me guessing to the end. A must read!

Mint Chocolate Murder is the 2nd Ice Cream Shop Mystery. This one involves an art festival, a castle, and lots of pumpkin spice ice cream.
Not that anyone should be murdered but the more you learn about Adam, the deceased, the less you like him.
There is a large cast of characters. I found myself asking “who is that again?” even 3/4 through the story. Main people - Riley, Caroline, Jack, Prentiss, Maude, Willow, Luca, Tony, Adam and VYE - I remembered. It was just all the extras that didn’t really seem to be playing a huge role in the mystery that I had to pull myself out of story flow to remember. I think that’s what makes it 3 stars for me.
I did wonder why it’s called Mint Chocolate Murder when that flavor of ice cream wasn’t mentioned as far as I remember.
Sprinkles, the cat, was the topic of conversation and present on the page way more than I cared to read.
This cozy series involves a romance with the police detective, but it’s Jack with Caroline rather than Riley, the main sleuth.
There are detailed descriptions of the castle. Riley’s former profession as librarian and secretly as CIA asset is mentioned several times. I think Riley uses it as her license to investigate.
There are some smaller mysteries in the book that I don’t think I even caught until Riley resolves them toward the end.
A positive for this second book is that it didn’t leave me feeling down like the first one did.
It’s a well crafted mystery. I didn’t catch on until near the end who was responsible for Adam’s death.
I enjoyed reading the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

For book summary, please see publisher’s provided book description.
This is the second installment of the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. Taking place a few months after the first book, we see several of the established characters grow in depth throughout this novel as well as gain a handful of new characters. Characters are interesting and often quirky, relatable and entertaining. The descriptions of the ice cream sounded amazing and had me craving ice cream more than once in this story. I really enjoyed spending time with Riley in this beautiful Scottish inspired castle figuring out the who and how of the murder. Only one element is confusing to me, Ms Allen doesn’t seem to link the titles of her books to the actual action within the story at all. No Mint Chocolate to be found in this novel and no Rocky Road in the first one. I’d personally like to see her connect the title to the story. Let me see what I’m getting before I dive in…a tiny bit anyway.
With shades of the classic Agatha Christie locked room mystery and just a flicker of a modern action movie, Ms. Allen has created the cozy mystery…perfect for a relaxing summer read!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.