I liked this one better than the second one of the series. But I didn't love it enough to continue the series.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Netgalley for my honest review. This was a new author for me. It could easily be a Hallmark movie, instead of a Skylark movie. Everyone is somehow related to the murdered matriarch. Her children are all in town for her 6 th wedding. A lot of suspects to sort through. Kept me guessing until almost the end. One clue helped me figure out the who, but not the accomplice. Lots of hints of romance yet to bloom. I can envision a sequel focused on Riley and Caroline. Well developed storyline. If you like cozy mysteries, this would be perfect.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Adorable cozy mystery with an amazing setting. I love the characters in this quirky town.

A movie production brings drama―and murder―to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long―each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?



Halloween, ice cream, a bit of sleuthing. What’s not to love. I enjoyed this one a lot. This,I believe, is the third in the series. Pick them all up you won’t be disappointed.

What a fun mystery! In this Halloween themed book, Riley is out to prove her friend Mary Ann is not responsible for the murder of the wealthy woman who caused the breakup of her marriage. Problem is, Mary Ann left a disturbing message which makes her the #1 suspect!

I've loved this series from the beginning. As a former CIA librarian, Riley has skills she never thought would come in handy as manager of an ice cream shop. I enjoyed the quirky and lovable supporting characters and the book kept me up until the "wee hours" of the morning.

If you're looking for a different cozy character, check out this series. This book can be read as a standalone.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Halloween is occurring in this little New England town and the ice cream shop is scooping up the last dairy delights. A body is also served up and Riley, former CIA librarian and ice cream server is on the case.
I liked the location of the book the book. The town is nestled in the heart of New England. I also liked the small doses of history interlaced within the mystery.
It’s a swift read and likely to get readers in the fall mood, along with a big cone to ponder as the mystery melts into answers.

Former CIA Librarian, Riley Rhodes, is enjoying her new job as manager of a quaint ice cream shop. Riley loved the town, the people, and the seasons that came with it.

When Riley is commissioned by her best friend and chef, Mary Ann Dumas, to construct a Halloween ice cream cake for a wedding, Riley was overwhelmed but grateful for the opportunity. The cake could boost the shop’s presence and showcase Riley’s skills. Especially since the bride was none other than socialite, Diantha Collins — a name everyone recognized.

But when the wedding date arrives, Diantha is found dead in her bedroom. And all fingers point to Mary Ann who’s ex-husband was to be Diantha’s latest groom.

Like all cozy mystery novels, the story takes place in a small town with lots of atmosphere. And Fatal Fudge Swirl is no exception. The pacing is on the slower side of the spectrum. But that’s the charm of a cozy mystery. It’s a nice respite from those adrenaline-filled mystery/thrillers.

Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third novel in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery Series. But I found it possible to read as a standalone.

There are quite a number of characters and I almost lost track of who’s who. But it really helped that the author saw fit to have the protagonist/amateur sleuth (Riley) compile a suspect list during the course of her investigations.

Fatal Fudge Swirl wasn’t one of the best cozy mystery novels for me, but it still ranks up there with four noteworthy stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

A cozy cat mystery that made for some easy reading.

MV Rating: 6.5/10
•a Halloween themed murder mystery in a cozy northeastern town.
•The characters are loveable, and the story is hallmark-y. You won’t be shocked by the plot, but that’s why I liked it.
•It’s the perfect read for anyone looking to escape for a short while into a fun, low impact story

There's a great cast of characters in this fun cozy mystery. It's part of a series, but I never read the prior book and felt that this story could stand alone. I like that it contains an unusual murder weapon. There are a lot of suspects, as well as enough clues to keep the reader guessing and engaged.

My thoughts

- cozy mystery!
- fun plot!
- likable characters
- Halloween themed
- great cover!

This was a fun twisty cozy mystery that I think anyone would enjoy!

Fatal Fudge Swirl is another nice entry in Meri Allen’s Ice Cream Shop cozy mystery series. In this one, Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian, and current manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop, finds herself helping the police investigate a murder at the Inn on the Green which is not only being used as a movie set but a wedding that is cut short by the murder. Both the movie setting and wedding setting (the book takes place at Halloween allowing a Halloween-themed wedding) are both well done, especially the movie parts involving Sprinkles the cat! Both settings add much to the mystery including plenty of suspects both within and outside the family. There are plenty of twists and turns in the mystery and the murder plot is well done and Agatha-Christie like. The solution to the murder is sad but there were also some moments where I smiled. All in all another well done mystery by Meri Allen.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Fatal Fudge Swirl is a fun cozy mystery in a which CIA librarian turned small town ice cream shop manager & amateur sleuth, Riley, finds herself investigating the death of a (very wealthy) bride on the day of her wedding at the local inn.

Meanwhile, the brides children are also in the process of filming a movie in the small town so the list of suspects is filled with the rich and famous.

This book is the third in the ice cream shop mystery series but the mystery itself can be read as a stand alone. As someone who has not read the first two books (but definitely an interest in after finishing the book), I had no trouble getting into the story. That being said beyond the main mystery, I did wonder if I was missing a little bit of background context. The biggest mystery of the whole book was why Riley seems to have unexplained beef with her seemingly kind and sweet step mother?? Very odd.

There is a lot going on in the story which I think takes away from the main mystery, lots of side quests happening which was kind of confusing to me.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to others.

This is the third in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries series by Meri Allen. Our story begins the day before Halloween in Penniman, Connecticut. Riley Rhodes, former CIA librarian and currently ice cream shop manager, is mixing up frightful ice cream flavors and readying a wedding cake for a Halloween wedding at the Inn on the Green. The owner, Diantha Collins is marrying the chef that recently divorced his wife, Mary Anne Dumas.

Diantha is a prima donna who pits people against each other to get what she wants. Her sons are present and are involved in filming a Skylark production. Diantha winds up dead under mysterious circumstances and the main suspect is Mary Anne Dumas, a friend of Riley’s.

There are plenty of twist, turns, and mis-directions to keep the reader on their toes. Even though I guessed the killer, I enjoyed every minute. I learned about the side effects of using dried ice. So much to be careful about in order not to cause yourself any issues.

I was given an advanced readers’ copy and am not required to leave a positive review.

A full review will be added at a later time. Wanted to get this book added for the June reviews. The review will be added later.

This was cute. It was a like, not love, but it was a fun, curl up with a cozy mystery book, which was exactly the vibe I was hoping for. ⁠
This is actually the third book in the series and while I was able to figure out who folks were, I think I would have benefited from reading the first two books. I felt like we jumped in pretty quickly, which isn't a complaint at all; I wouldn't expect the author to take the time introducing the same characters with ease as they likely did in the beginning of the series, just a note to readers who are are interested. ⁠
I thought most of the characters were likable and given how unpopular our murder victim was, the suspect list was long, making for a fun little mystery to solve.

This series is such a fun cozy mystery. In this one, there is a movie being shot in Penniman's fancy resort inn. The owner of the inn, Diantha's family has owned it for generations. Her son Cooper is a child actor, Sam is an extreme sport junky and stepson Chip directs movies.
The night before Diantha is about to get married to cooking show sensation Dominic at the inn, Riley is asked to help housekeep because the main character of the movie Jenira fires 2 of the maids. Riley is given a room at the inn so she can help in the morning as well. In the morning, Ruthie find Diantha's body in her room and of course, Riley is there as well.
There were a lot of characters in this book, but since this is the third book, we are already familiar with a lot of them. All the characters at the inn and in the movie are new, but it was actually quite easy to remember who was who which doesn't always happen. I actually don't think there was a character I didn't like. None of them seemed unnecessary. Riley was curious and nosy as always, but I think that's kind of the typical heroine of cozy mysteries. I love her friendship with Caroline as well as all the people she works with at the ice cream shop.
While a lot of this book did focus on the mystery of what happened to Diantha, there was a lot of just life, which I think is what makes it cozy. It was just a fun slice of Riley's life, murder and all. I kind of did guess the murderer, but it didn't really take anything away from the story and I was still happy to read the whole thing. The climax was really exciting and had me on the edge of my seat. Then we get a few chapters of kind of a wrap up and it just brings everything together and you get this sense of satisfaction.
The only thing that I really could think of that wasn't my favorite was that there were 2 times during this book where Riley listed suspects and for pages and pages went on about every little thing about them and their potential motives. The first time it happened, I got a little bored with it but it was ok. I liked listing the suspects and stuff but it felt a little long. Then the second time, I just felt was not necessary.
Riley gets some news at the very beginning of this book and makes a decision about it at the end, and I'm really hoping this will be the storyline for the next book because it would be so much fun! Even if I'm wrong, I already can't wait for the next book!

This was my first cozy by Meri Allen but it won't be my last!!

This book was just a delight from start to finish, from the cast of characters to (as everyone else is saying in their reviews) to the method of murder! Bravo!

Former CIA librarian turned ice cream shop manager Riley Rhodes makes a Halloween themed wedding ice cream cake for socialite Diantha Collins. At the same time Diantha’s son Cooper is using his mother’s Inn on the Green and Riley’s father’s bookshop for his new movie. However, the movie might be put on hold as the wedding is called off due to the fact that the bride has been murdered. Riley must save her friend as suspicion begins to fall.

I still think something is missing. There’s really no attachment to the characters. Detective Jack is just kind of there. He acts annoyed with Riley and seems to ignore her calls. After two other murders and dating Riley’s BFF Caroline, the reader would expect him to behave better. Alas, he does not. Then there are the people at the ice cream shop, Flo, Gerri, and Pru. Readers get a basic communique with these characters, but it is superficial and a bit judgy in Gerri’s case.

The mystery was unique. The main suspect was suspected, but the evidence doesn’t point to the actual murder victim. There doesn’t seem to be many motives for any of the other suspects, and the reader has to work hard not to be dragged in only one direction.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

A predictable but satisfying cozy mystery with great characters. Those who enjoy themed cozy mysteries will likely gobble up this installment, starring an ice cream shop manager and set in a historic bed and breakfast. As Riley is a former CIA librarian, I would have loved for that to play a bigger role in the book than it did, but I'm hoping that will play out in future installments in this series.

A charmingly twisty mystery set against a lovely fall backdrop with the fun addition of a movie filming in town. The small town of Penniman leans into the Cozy Mystery genre quite nicely and the gaggle of ridiculous side characters is quite a trip. This book definitely kept the reader guessing until the end as to who did it and why, but I felt it wrapped up a bit too fast and could have stood a hair more explanation. HOWEVER, I adored the main character, Riley, her cohorts, and all their antics. I'd absolutely pick up another one of these without a second thought.