So I'm not usually a cozy mystery kinda girl. With the silly titles and cats and dogs having a starting roll, usually I pass them up. I gotta tell you, I might have been cheating myself out of some good books! Mint Chocolate Murder? The mint chocolate didn't murder, it's just a theme in the book, so serve me up a scoop please! I was hooked within the first few chapters with all the cute names and don't get me started on the descriptions of the ice cream, I wish these flavors were real! If you're like me and haven't given cozy mysteries a try please pick up Mint Chocolate Murder because it will change your mind.
Riley Rhodes works as a manager at Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop and helps come up with the most delicious flavors. The company is hired to serve unique treats at a party that turns into an offer to host an even bigger event at Moy Mull Castle. The demands are high but so is the payout. So Riley agrees to suit up and come up with a Scottish flavored treat to impress her high class clients.
Everything is going as planned and Riley's dessert is a hit, but what wasn't on the agenda was someone dying or were they murdered? Photographer Adam Blasco is set to speak at the festival when minutes for his time on stage he goes missing. At first no one suspects foul play but when the body is found Riley and the police have a different opinion. Adam definitely gives off creepy vibes, but who would want him dead? Temporarily Riley will switch rolls from ice cream creator to investigator!

The second book in this series is really a very well done cozy mystery. Plot is great, mystery is interesting, the victim is a complicated individual, plenty of suspects, an excellent side plot (with an interesting historical note from the author). I enjoy that Riley has a background as a librarian and uses it to help her research what's happening around her. I hope to see more!

Fun, enjoyable murder mystery. Locked room murder with a gorgeous setting and characters. The reader gets to know the character of the house and so many unknowns!! I loved reading it!!

When I got this book to review and realized it was the 2nd book in the series I had to go back and read the first book first. I like to read series in order :) I really enjoyed the book, Riley is a great character and is not only a great ice cream maker, but is also a great sleuth. I love the descriptions of the New England town - Penniman, CT - makes me feel like I'm actually there. The ice cream recipes at the end are great, I'd love to make one of them some day. I'd love to visit a farm like Fairweather Farm, fruits, vegetables and homemade ice cream what could be better? The castle, Moy Mull, where everything takes place in this book sounds wonderful! All the hidden places would be so fun to explore! I did not even come close to figuring out who was guilty, but it was fun trying to figure it out with Riley. Great read for a day at the pool or in the A/C!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Mint Chocolate Murder, by Meri Allen, is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. This cozy mystery is rather unique with its Medieval theme, castle setting and unusual cast of characters.

Riley Rhodes is a retired CIA librarian (and maybe more) who has recently taken over the responsibility of running an ice cream shop for a friend who inherited it. Riley needed a break from her former career and this was a perfect opportunity to help a friend and temporarily escape to a small, sleepy town in Connecticut.

Being known for her creative ice cream flavors, Riley is summoned to Moy Mull Castle to host an event as part of the Arts Festival for Maud Monaco, a former model. Also featured will be renowned photographer, Adam Blasco. When Adam fails to show up for the festival, questions arise. Later, he is found murdered in the castle dungeon and Riley, being the curious type, and well-within her former field, begins to investigate.

The setting is a key element in this story with its Scottish recreations of a castle, antiques, traditions and even the vivid descriptions of the fall festival. There are admittedly, quite a few characters, which make it a bit confusing, and at times I wasn’t as invested in the story as I’d like to have been. But it was a fairly entertaining cozy mystery and I’d imagine as the series continues, it will become easier to make a connection to the characters and therefore the plot.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the quaint town setting. The theme is fantastic, and the author does a great job of fleshing out the characters. The story was well-paced, and I had so much fun trying to solve the mystery. This book also made me crave all the ice cream.

Former CIA librarian-turned-ice cream shop proprietor Riley Rhodes is happy to accept a big catering job as the New England summer draws to a close, padding her coffers for the inevitably leaner winter months ahead. The owner of the nearby Moy Mull Castle, a grand estate patterned on actual Scottish architecture that was later turned into a hotel before its current incarnation as an arts colony, is throwing an end-of-summer ice cream social in honor of the acclaimed photographer Adam Blasco. Blasco, coincidentally, will be taking all the photos for Moy Mull’s next cookbook, featuring its glamorous if reclusive patron, Maud Monaco. Riley is a little thrown by what she sees as the contrast in styles:

QUOTE
I recalled a long-ago visit to an edgy art gallery in New York City. Blasco’s work had been exhibited in one of the galleries. I had vague memories of unsettling, life-sized images of half-naked models. His work included many techniques, like unusual exposures or the addition of painted highlights to create one-of-a-kind works. I recalled a particularly disturbing work that included slashes made by a box cutter.

Why on earth was an <i>avant-garde</i> photographer like Adam Blasco taking photos for a cookbook?
END QUOTE

Blasco turns out to be as obnoxious as he is talented, in stark contrast with the serene, collected Maud, whose modeling career was launched by his photos of her as a teenager. She later went on to marry a European crown prince, though retired back to her country of birth after becoming a widow some decades later. Now she spends her money supporting artists – including, apparently, Blasco and his small team – and indulging in rare but well-attended parties that she’s happy to spend generous sums on.

While Riley’s number one priority is earning her lavish paycheck, she’s also happy to be charmed both by Maud and by Moy Mull’s majordomo, Prentiss Love. They sweet talk her into doing extra work – all paid for, of course – but also prove to be excellent neighbors, offering her the run of the gardens and use of the archival library after a short tour of the fascinating premises. The castle even has a dungeon, though its use has been heavily modified since it was originally built:

QUOTE
“That is one disappointing dungeon,” I said.

“They did keep the chains!” He pushed aside a rolling white board revealing rusted chains, attached to the wall with iron fittings. I smiled at Prentiss’s excitement, but remembered colleagues in my previous workplace who’d undergone interrogation training–and worse. The low ceilings, lack of windows, and restraints–even though antique–gave me a less-than-pleasant sense of claustrophobia.

“I saw pics of the original room, it had wonderful rough brick walls. But when it was a hotel, they transformed it into a conference room,” Prentiss said. “Well, still used for torture as you can see.”
END QUOTE

Riley’s newfound knowledge of the grounds will come in handy after Blasco disappears overnight, only to be found dead in the locked dungeon the next day, apparently from a bee sting. While the scene was carefully set up to look like an accident, it quickly becomes clear that the photographer was murdered. When one of her employees is implicated in Blasco’s death, Riley will have to use all the skills she picked up while working with the CIA in order to find the real killer, before she becomes the next victim herself.

I really enjoyed the many little mysteries wrapped around the main plot of Blasco’s murder, and how entertainingly Meri Allen constructs and presents them all. There wasn’t a dull moment as Riley uncovered the truth behind these conundrums, even as my heart hurt with hers when she realized who was behind a string of seemingly unrelated thefts. Riley is a wonderful heroine, with lovely friends and charming pets. The scenes with the spoiled feline Sprinkles were a hoot, even if she’s the kind of cat I’d rather read about than live with.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of this fun series that’s loaded with both humor and smarts. This installment also included a recipe for pumpkin spice ice cream in the back: perhaps by the time the next book comes out, I’ll be brave enough to try making ice cream at home using one of Ms Allen’s delicious-looking recipes!

When I first saw the cover and title of Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen, I expected a cozy mystery full of ice cream shop sweetness. But this book surprised me, in a good way! The foodie references are there, but the story is perhaps a smidge darker than many cozies, not in terms of gore, but in the storyline surrounding the murder victim. He is a total creep in his treatment and exploitation of young women trying to get their start in modeling or art careers.
Riley Rhodes, a former librarian for the CIA, makes for a capable and likable amateur sleuth. She recently returned home to small-town Connecticut after a botched assignment derailed her CIA career. She is now reconnecting with family and friends and running a local ice cream shop, but her investigative skills keep coming in handy in this quaint small town.
This installment has Riley asked by a reclusive former supermodel to provide ice cream treats for an art festival at her home, which happens to be a castle built by a Gilded Age eccentric, and is now an artist's colony. The castle was brought from Scotland stone by stone, assembled by Scottish artisans, and holds its own secrets. When a famous and controversial photographer obsessed with young models is murdered on the grounds, in a locked room no less, Riley's investigative skills are tested.
I found this quick-paced, well-written, and layered, with multiple criminal subplots, including one twist I did not see coming. Riley is an engaging MC, her back story is interesting, and I think her character will become even more interesting as the series progresses. There are several interesting secondary characters, and the author casts suspicion in multiple directions. And I was invested in whodunnit and how. The gothic elements surrounding the castle were fun. We also get some adorable animals, yummy food references, and a delicious pumpkin spice ice cream recipe in true cozy fashion. Meri Allen is the pen name of the Agatha Award-winning writer Shari Randall, and this delightful new series of hers is one that I will be following! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC. I very much enjoyed it!

I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to finish this book, the second in a new-to-me cozy mystery series, but the story picked up about halfway through, and then I enjoyed it enough to finish it. The story takes place in a small town in Connecticut, and the main character, Riley Rhodes, is back in her home town, running the local ice cream shop. It seems she’s there temporarily, helping out her friend whose mother had recently died and left everything to the friend. Riley is on leave from her job as a librarian for the CIA and a sometime operative - it’s not made clear exactly why she’s on leave, but it has something to do with a “job” gone wrong in Italy. Perhaps it’s explained better in the first book, which I haven’t read. At any rate, the book felt really slow to me, with the murder not even happening until quite a ways into the book. The author spent too much time describing the decor of everything and what everyone was wearing, which slowed down the pace for me. I wound up skimming some of that and it didn’t seem to impact the mystery aspect at all. Essentially we have a locked-room mystery and the solution is pretty clever. Riley does some things that I hate about amateur sleuths, including being overly nosy and putting herself in danger.

There’s very little about the ice cream shop in this book, with most of the action taking place in a nearby castle, one that was built by bringing over stones from former castles in Scotland. In addition to the murder, there’s a subplot about a series of thefts.

I’m a former runner (injuries!) and I found it extremely annoying that the author kept calling Riley’s running “jogging.” For runners, that’s a bugaboo; most people won’t care. On the positive side, I loved the two cats, one of whom, Sprinkles, is a haughty former show cat and her antics are pretty funny.

I’m still puzzled about why the title of the book is Mint Chocolate Murder, as there is absolutely nothing in the book about mint chocolate! Perhaps it should have been called something like Pumpkin Spice Surprise, because there’s a lot of talk about pumpkin spice ice cream.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Nicely written standard cozy mystery. Two thumbs up for a good read. 2nd book in the series but at no time did I feel I should have read the first book. But now I WANT to read the 1st book. I'm hoping it will give me more background on the main character, Riley Rhodes. But I suspect that will be revealed in future installment. Her little tidbits of a past with CIA really drew me in. There are many more layers to be revealed of Riley. And I, of course, want to hear more about Sprinkles, the cat. Sprinkles little diva reactions are a fun addition to the story. Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC. I've really enjoy this book and I'm already looking forward to the next in the series.

Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian and manager of the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream Shop, is back in Mint Chocolate Murder, the second book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series by Meri Allen! Riley is hired by former supermodel, Maud Monaco, to come up with unique treats for a fantasy ice cream social. Maud is having this party during the Fall Arts Festival at Moy Mull, a gothic Scottish castle turned premiere arts colony in the small town of Penniman, Connecticut. When one of the artists is found dead in the castle’s dungeon, Riley is determined to figure out whodunnit, how, and why!

This twisty and fun cozy mystery was even better than the first book! It can definitely be read as a standalone, but I’m glad I read The Rocky Road to Ruin first because it was a great intro to the characters and the town. Riley has found her niche creating gourmet ice cream flavors, which sounded beyond amazing! I wish I could try all of them, especially the pumpkin spice! Luckily, there’s a recipe for this flavor included in the book! I was surprised that so little time was spent at the ice cream shop and the farm, but it was wonderful to see more of the town. I loved the castle setting, even though it was rumored to be haunted! It had a library, a secret garden, an apiary, a storybook style cottage, and even a dungeon! There were lots of hidden secrets behind the castle walls and plenty of suspects to keep me (incorrectly) guessing whodunnit! I also loved how well the fascinating history of the castle was woven into the story! I can’t wait to scoop up the next book in this udderly delightful series (🙄😂 sorry not sorry)!

Murder in a New England castle? Yes please!

Riley Rhodes is a former CIA librarian, a ice cream shop manager, and an amateur sleuth. Between concocting delicious ice cream treats and hobnobbing with the local elite, she manages to find herself embroiled in a scandal. She must untangle the clues to solve three stymying mysteries - including one that is as old as the castle itself.

There's something for every cozy fan to love in MINT CHOCOLATE MURDER: quaint New England town, lots of suspects, a castle filled with secrets, 2 cats, a fun supporting cast, a library, and of course - ice cream!

"Mint Chocolate Murder" contains elements of both gothic and cozy mysteries. The gothic part includes rumors of weeping ghosts, secret passages, locked rooms, and disappearing wives. The cozy part revolves around the owner of an ice cream shop and her sleuthing to try to solve a mysterious death in a locked room. The ice cream treats sounded delightful, although there was no mention of the mint chocolate (found in the title). I had a hard time keeping up with the many different threads of mysteries, although some readers might like this kind of novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This was a fun second installation in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. This time there is a locked door murder up at the Mull Moy Castle during a photography exhibition. There are plenty of suspects and a really interesting location.

I also like, as I did in the first book, that this series isn't also juggling a potential romance with the local cop or a love triangle with two town vendors. Instead the local cop is dating her best friend so she still has a connection without a conflict of interest.

I hope in future books Riley gets to use more of her CIA training besides reading upside down and hiding in bushes.

However, I don't know why this is called Mint Chocolate Murder when the ice cream featured throughout the story is Pumpkin Spice. Riley's eye rolling at the obsession with everything Pumpkin Spice did make me laugh.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian (and occasional operative), is ow managing an ice cream shop. She's preparing for special occasions including an art festival at an actual castle right there in Penniman, Connecticut. When someone does, she has seen and heard enough clues to start digging into the mystery.

This is the epitome of a fall read. It made me want to go to nearby farms for apple picking and pumpkins. And I started craving pumpkin spice ice cream and local honey.

As with most cozy mysteries, there were lots of possible suspects and motives for murder. Nevertheless, I found the mystery quite easy to guess (even before the death, I was pretty sure who the killer would be). But it was a fast and fun read.

Although it's the second in a series, I felt fine jumping in without having read the previous book. It stands alone well.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

Another cute sequel of cozy mysteries! My only issue with this book was that it didn't hold my attention as well as the first one did. But you can't beat the location and the ice cream.

Riley Rhodes is creating unique ice cream flavors for an event at Moy Mull Castle owned by Maud Monaco, a former model. As part of the Moy Mull Arts Festival, there will be an ice cream social. Maud is also featuring Avant Garde photographer, Adam Blasco at the festival. When it is time for Adam’s talk on the first day of the festival, he is MIA. Adam is later found dead in the castle’s locked dungeon. Riley can think of several individuals who were disgruntled with the insufferable photographer. Unfortunately, one of the suspects is Willow’s boyfriend, Luca. Riley dons her sleuthing cap and works to expose the killer. Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen is the second novel in An Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. It can be a standalone if you have not read The Rocky Road to Ruin. I like Riley Rhodes who is a former CIA librarian (and spy) who now managing Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop in Penniman, Connecticut. Riley creates ice cream flavors that have lines out the door at the ice cream shop. The setting of Moy Mull Castle is unique. An eccentric millionaire recreated a medieval castle in Connecticut. It was a hotel for a time. Maud has brought back the Scottish charm and the antiques found in the attic. The festival seemed like it was fun with plenty of delicious treats. I did feel the pacing was slow. We follow Riley through her day-to-day routine leading up to the festival. The author’s detailed descriptions further bog down the story (do we have to know what each person is wearing along with hair color). The murder does not occur until almost a quarter of the way into the book. By the time the victim was killed, I already knew who would die and who committed the crime. I am baffled as to how the title tied into the story. Mint chocolate ice cream is not a flavor mentioned in the book (pumpkin spice is mentioned several times). There are a number of characters in the story. It is challenging trying to keep track of all of them (just like in the first book). There are delectable ice cream flavors including the colorful unicorn ice cream (you will find yourself heading to the freezer for a pint). Mint Chocolate Murder is a colorful cozy with a fun fall festival, a modish ex-model, a disrespectful photographer, appetizing ice cream, a curious crime, a striking castle, and a sharp-eyed sleuthing librarian.

Maud hired Riley to make a special ice cream dessert for a party at her castle, which was imported stone by stone from Scotland not to find out who killed Adam, a hateful photographer, but that's what happens! Adam is found dead in a locked dungeon (love the idea of a dungeon) and, of course there are multiple suspects. Riley is a former CIA librarian (the rest of her back story is not plausible, btw) who uses her research skills to find the killer. Big quibble- while there's lot and lots of ice cream, never is there mint chocolate! Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Second in the series but fine as a standalone for cozy fans.

This is my first time reading this author. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to more. Wonderful characters and a story that kept me guessing right till the end.

3.5 stars

This is a readable (if somewhat unbelievable) series featuring former CIA operative and librarian Riley Rhodes, now managing her best friend's family ice cream shop in small town New England. Riley is helping with a big event at a historic old castle owned by a famous model who married minor European royalty and was then widowed.

The photographer for the event is arrogant and has relationship ties to most everyone involved: the model, his assistant, the major domo at the castle -- so when the photographer is found dead inside the dungeon there are plenty of suspects.

The characters are nicely drawn and the setting is fun. Riley's snoopiness knows no bounds but it's a fun read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.