This sounds like a farewell to a series I really enjoyed! With three books in the Shake Shop Mystery series I’m kind of surprised to see it come to an end so soon. This was another fun mystery that you get to follow Trinidad on as well as some of the other Upper Sprocket, Oregon townies. This series can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading in order to get a sense of place and where the established characters/relationships started out. Like the others this one will have you craving Trinidad’s signature milkshakes.

It's another tasty Shake Shop book! I like Trinidad and the mysteries she gets involved in. This book is a great balance of a murder mystery, small-business background, and family/friend stuff. The murder mystery is complicated, but it all works out in the end. And the small-business stuff is woven in so seamlessly that it's just part of who Trinidad is--and yet it also serves to move the plot forward in a logical manner. And the whole Cordell/Gabe/can't say...everything is maybe a bit melodramatic, but the sweet ending works for me. Now if I just had some hot chocolate bombs to enjoy while I read some more books, I'd be all set!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Spoon to be Dead you get to meet 3 women who all have one thing in common, the same ex-husband.
Said ex-husband has just been released from prison and is immediately under investigation for the death of a loved local bird watcher.

This is a cozy mystery involving lots of food and murder. Many paths that you could go down to figure out the why and who. I really enjoyed how the author built up the characters individually and how she wrapped them all up in the end. Sometimes we can hear plot lines that just sound so far-fetched that there is no way they can be real. But isn't that real life? Real people and real problems equal sometimes messy situations for all.

If you like a good mystery you can wrong here. Great characters, food, animals, and a touch of love.

This book wasn’t the best read I’ve had in awhile. It had some fun elements of a cozy. The friendships were very sweet. A lot of drama from some of the folks.
Not my cup of tea or milkshake of choice but I think some people would enjoy.

Spoon To Be Dead is the 3rd book in the Shake Shop Mystery series. This is a good cozy mystery series with likable characters and a cozy mystery to keep you guessing. Trinidad owns a shake shop. It is right before Christmas and she is trying to find ways to generate some revenue during the cold months. A celebrity is rumored to be.coming to town and there is going to be a big party. Trinidad is asked to create some festive ice cream desserts for it. Trinidad's best friends are Juliet and Bonnie who are all divorced from Gabe Bigley. Gabe shows back up in town but he can't remember possibly hitting and killing a local bird watcher. Gabe's sister is Detective Cynthia Bagley. There are a few suspects. I guessed the culprit but wasn't sure until the end. Trinidad's boyfriend is Quinn. He is not happy to have Gabe back in town. One of Bonnie's old boyfriend is causing problems. There is quite a bit going on! This is an enjoyable cozy mystery. I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for free and I voluntarily leave this review. #SpoonToBeDead. #ShakeShopMystery. #NetGalley. #PoisonedPenPress

A fun addition to this Cozy Mystery, reconnecting with characters throughout this trilogy. The author infuses a bit of humor along with the winter months which isn’t good for the Shimmy Shake Shop and the mad dash to come up with new recipes. Oh, and a murder.

Nothing seems to go right for Trinidad Jones, her pesky ex-husband is back in town, accused of murder, pulling her back into a situation she would rather not be involved in. She is busy trying to come up with new sweet concoctions and now she is once again, she is tasked helping solve a very serious crime.

A delightful cozy and the perfect end to this series.
I received a copy from Netgalley. Opinions are my own.

This is a sweet murder mystery story. How can a murder mystery be sweet? When the main character is the owner of a decadent ice cream shoppe, and she happens to have a naturally curious mind, you get a sweet murder mystery! Well, actually, there are som really sweet parts of the plot and characters in this book that made me just think this was the sweetest murder mystery I have ever read. Some parts of the story are humorous. Some parts are sinister, but not overly. But, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I hope many readers do as well. It is not a hard core suspense novel that might keep the reader up in the night out of fear, but rather an intriguing one that makes the reader want to stay up to read more without the extra fast heart rate.

I requested and received a copy of this book for review. The opinions expressed are wholly my own.

Holiday season, sweet treats, a Shake Shop, a murder and an ex-husband. Sounds like a bit of fun.

Trinidad Jones' ex-husband is suspected of murder and so she and her friends try to solve the mystery of the murder. With such fun and unique characters and a great setting this book is fun, entertaining and even a bit tasty. I have read one of the others in this series and enjoyed that one too so was glad I got the chance to read this one too.

A charming, easy to read book a one that is great for the up and coming holiday season.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I believe this might be the last of this series and I’m pretty sad I really liked this one! It was a great story with good red herrings, satisfying ending but sad it’s over

This is the third book in an interesting series. It takes place in Oregon. Love that it entails a shake shop and the characters are fun and free spirited. There was a lot of detail and was enjoyable to read. Look for to trying the others in the series. Will look forward to what else the auther has to offer.

This is the third book in the series and Trinidad is trying to prepare her icecream business to deal with winter and snow in the cold Northwest. Can she make it through the winter? Hoping that a big event on a local Steamboat, being but on for a celebrity, will give her the cushion and exposure she needs, she begins creating holiday ice cream treats! As she is preparing for the event who shows up but her ex who is bloodied and passes out on the floor to her shop! This starts a wintery wild ride, did her ex kill a man with his car on the way into town? Is he really planning on marrying Bonnie, one of his ex-wives? Why won't Bonnie explain to her other sister ex-wives what's going on? Who is the celebrity and how does that come into play? This is a tale that will keep you turning the page, and with Christmas as a backdrop as well as a lot of interesting ice cream flavors it is a sweet mystery. Thank you to #NetGalley and #PoisonPenPress for a chance to read.

This book is the third and final book in Dana Mentink’s Shake Shop Cozy Mystery Series. I’ve read all three books in the series and hate to see it come to an end. I’ve grown to love the characters and especially Trinidad and her old service dog Noodles. I found this book was witty but had its serious moments also. It was entertaining and drew me into the story line quickly. Near the end I found myself on the edge of my seat as an unpredictable intense situation took center stage. I felt that Spoon to be Dead was a five star Cozy Mystery.

Winter has come to Sprocket and Trinidad Jones worries that her Shimmy Shake Shop won’t be able to provide an income during the winter months. As if that isn’t enough her ex-husband Gabe Bigley is back in town. This isn’t good because Trinidad’s boyfriend Quinn Logan turns out to be the jealous kind. Gabe brings trouble with him but that isn’t anything unusual for him. Seems he ran over a birdwatcher on his way to town. He can’t remember a thing about it and now he wants help from Trinidad to keep him out of jail. It’s Christmas time but is that enough of a good reason to want to help Gabe after the way he cheated on her when they were married?

I recommend this book to readers of Cozy Mystery and fans of Dana Mentink. This is book three of the Shake Shop Mysteries. It can be read as a stand alone but characters have been carried over from the other two books . I recommend reading all the books in the order that they were written for a better reading experience. This book is scheduled to be released on 10/31/23

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

#SpoontobeDead# NetGalley

I enjoyed this book with some caveats. I found that the investigating for the murderer was annoying as it was pretty obvious who the killer is. That Bonnie and Gabe wouldn't share the secret of why they were marrying was also frustrating especially as they kept bringing it up. I loved Felice, Papa, Noodles, the Scooter. #SpoontobeDead #NetGalley

Book number 3 of the series, just as enjoyable as the first two.
Gabe is out of prison, literally stumbles back into Trinidad's life, being accused of murder. Now the ex wives have to come together to try to prove his innocence.
Love the quirky characters, the quaint setting, and the delicious desserts! Aa light cozy mystery that is sure to keep you captivated throughout.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I gave Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink 5 stars

A murder for the holidays is about to shake things up! Trinidad Jones is starting the festive season with sugary confections and a heaping scoop of worry as her shake shop enters its first Oregon winter. With snow abound and tourists trickling through, she'll do anything to keep her milkshake dreams afloat, even if it means catering a holiday steamboat party for some new arrivals in town. But when her good-for-nothing ex crashes through her shop's door claiming he's being charged with murder, things go sideways. With clues piling up like whipped cream on a sundae and motives abound, Trinidad and her fellow ex-wives must solve this murder before she's finally thrown for a scoop

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This has been one of my most anticipated releases for this year. I loved the two first books in this mouthwatering Shake Shop Mystery series, and this was no exception. This series is great if you love reading about the business part of a cozy mystery. With many descriptions and amazing characters, I feel like I am visiting and hanging out with them in Sprocket. I also have to mention the furry companions. Especially Noodles, he is such a sweet and lovely dog!

The mystery was great and kept me on my toes all throughout the book. I didn't figure out whodunit until the end.

I can't recommend this series enough. Read the first two books NOW and save this one for Christmas.

This book comes out October 31.

Thank you, Net Galley and Poison Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvW30KqrRC0/

Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink is different than her other mysteries. A few more individuals to keep track of, some sort of comical, some bewildered and the guilty. It had me clueless as to the guilty. Even had a dog and a bird thrown into the mix for added chuckles.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

Shake shop owner Trindad Jones is back in her third installment. This time she's catering a holiday party abroad a steamboat for some new arrivals in town. But oh no! Her ex is back and in deep trouble. It's up to Trinidad and the ex wives to solve. Another fun read. Grab yourself a shake of your choice and curl up. Thanks #Netgalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Spoon to be Dead is a delightful cozy mystery set in Oregon that follows Trinidad, as she enters her first northwestern winter. Trinidad is hoping that an upcoming event on the local steamboat will be just what her shake shop needs in order to survive the season. However, days before the event, a local birdwatcher is discovered dead by the creek, and Trinidad's ex-husband, who was just released from prison, is believed to be the killer. Trinidad, her fellow ex-wives, Papa, and an unseparable dog and parrot must work together to find the real killer before they strike again. I thoroughly enjoyed Spoon to be Dead. The characters were quirky and lovable, the setting was charming, and the mystery was intriguing. I'm not a huge sweet sperson, but this book had me craving all the desserts! If you love a good cozy mystery, I'd definitely recommend Spoon to be Dead.

With their ex husband out of prison, Trinidad, Bonnie and Juliette, the ladies are shocked to think he could have murdered someone as soon as he was released. While they may not have fond memories of their time together with him, none of them believes he’s a murderer. So Trinidad agrees to at least ask some questions to try and find out who really killed an elderly local out bird watching.

Will sweet justice be served along with Trinidad’s delicious desserts or will Gabe be heading back to prison? Only one way to find out…give the book a read!

The author closes the book out making it clear the sis the end of the series, and she does quite a good job at wrapping things up with a bow at the end. But I do hope that other readers will call for more and that we’ll see more in this series in the future. Why wait for a reboot? Just keep it going and we’ll all be there to read this series!

Received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
This is one of the better light mystery novels I have read. The dialogue was well written and the story interesting as well. I did not read the first or second book in the series but was able to follow along with the story quite well.
There were a few typos around pages 140-145 that I am sure will be fixed before final publication. I would recommend this series to someone who likes light, fun murder mysteries.