Riley Rhodes is living the life of riley in her small New England village.

She is now operating an ice cream shop (yum) and has settled into the daily village life.

The rural peace is shattered when a group of actors descends and a murder ensues.

I found the mystery engaging, and Riley's investigation understandable without too many "putting oneself in danger" moments.

A nice addition to the cosy mystery genre.

Meri Allen’s latest novel in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series and it brought all the Halloween feels.

Allen has a knack of detailing the setting that draws the reader right in. The author smartly has the main character, Riley, assist with housekeeping at the Inn where her friend works and inevitably where the murder of the Inn’s owner takes place. Because Riley is in this new position, she was able to put herself and overhear a lot of conversations that otherwise would have made it difficult to come across. Although the pacing of the story was a bit on the slower side, Riley’s movements and picking up clues kept the plot going.

I also really enjoy the angle of Riley’s mysterious past working for the CIA and I hope the next book takes place overseas when she is accepted into a prestigious gelato making school. This CIA tie I believe allows for a number of possible future interesting storylines.

I really enjoy this series, and the ways Riley uses her background as a CIA librarian to investigate the local crimes makes it really interesting. I liked the Halloween setting of this one, and the touches of rich people behaving badly made this all the more interesting to me.

The Ice Cream Shop Mystery series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Mary Ann finds herself working the wedding of her ex-husband and his fiance. When the bride to be is found murdered and her ice cream wedding cake has a knife in it, Mary Ann is the main suspect. Riley who finds herself working housekeeping as well as ice cream duties is determined to clear Mary Ann's name. The book ends with a bit of a twist from Riley's past to leave readers wanting the next book in the series!

Riley is back and this adventure has an old love, history, a movie set, and, of course, murder. 

Riley is branching out from just ice cream at Udderly Delicious and is in charge of making a wedding cake for Diantha Collins, owner of the exclusive Inn on the Green. Riley, somehow, gets roped into helping clean the Inn after the pre-wedding party, but instead of a wedding, Diantha is found murdered by Ruthie, the maid. 

There are no shortage of suspects, from Diantha's sons, her fiance, Dom, and Dom's bitter ex-wife (Riley's friend, Mary Anne), just to name a few. Riley has a lot to contend with in this story - her Italian flame, who ruined her CIA career, resurfaces; Caroline and Jack (hunky policeman) are having relationship woes; Riley is trying to figure out how to earn Udderly money during the winter; and Paulette wants Sprinkles (spoiled cat) to be in the movie that is filming in their town. On to of all this, Ruthie's granddaughter, Lucretia is a force of nature all her own (that's all I can without spoiling anything). 

I really enjoy Halloween-themed cozies (all holiday-themed cozies really) and this one did not disappoint. Riley is such a great character and she seems to be more settled in her role at Udderly and back in her hometown, than in the two previous stories - she has finally laid to rest the loss of her former career and is excited about going forward. At least until she hears from her ex - since the next book takes us to Rome (assumptions based on this story), maybe we will get a little more backstory on her previous life. 

Again, without giving anything away, I really liked Lucretia's character and I hope we get to see more of her in the coming books. I felt that Lucretia had the most twists in this story, and this story had a lot of them! Put this on your TBR list right away!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

4.5*

"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."
This is an excellent mystery. The ice cream shop is the place to be. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen
Published: June 27, 2023
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Pages: 287
Genre: Cozy Mystery
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Meri Allen is a former librarian who loves exploring the back roads - and ice cream shops - of her native New England. She also writes the award-winning Lobster Shack Mystery series as Shari Randall.

“Drat.”

Riley runs an ice cream shop and is known for her delicious flavors and for having worked for the CIA. When big things start happening in their sleepy town, everyone seems to have a motive.

I wish I had read the previous two books in this series before I jumped into this one. I think there were quite a few minor details and character introductions that would have made more sense.

Overall, this was a charming read. I enjoyed the characters and the way the story was built up. I found the pacing a tad slow for my taste, but being fair, I have just finished several thrillers, so my brain may still be in that mode.

I liked Riley and her shop. She was sweet, kind, and curious. She was a great leading lady. I loved the descriptions in this book and the way history was mixed in.

This cozy mystery will make you want tea and ice cream!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Penniman is buzzing as Hollywood comes to town. Not only are they filming a romance film but the director’s mother who owns the fancy inn in town is planning a Halloween wedding. The cast of characters is assembled but during the night before the nuptials, the bride dies. It does not take long to realize death was not by natural causes but the precise source is baffling.

That is where former CIA librarian and now ice cream maven supreme, Riley, figures out the clever but heinous means. Now if she could just figure out who had the best motive for wanting to murder. Nothing really jumps out even though there are a lot of moving parts. By helping out a friend, Riley is able to infiltrate the inn and overhear what is being said in private. But will she be able to put all the pieces together before someone else gets hurt or worse.

Entertaining and enjoyable. The only problem is it makes the reader crave ice cream. We all should have such problems. Four purrs and two paws up.

Really enjoy the adventures of Riley and her gang of helpers at the ice cream shoppe. The neat flavors they come up with make me crave ice cream, although I wouldn't try some of the ones that her part-time high school guy comes up with. This was a good mystery and I thought it was clever that she kept using housekeeping as a way to keep spying at the hotel. Very clever.

Ice Cream, Halloween vibes, and a cozy mystery, what is not to like.
Enjoyed the third installment of the Ice Cream Mysteries. The twists and turns in the story left me wanting more and the last few pages....I can't wait for the next book.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#FatalFudgeSwirl #NetGalley

Riley Rhodes and her ice cream shop Udderly Delicious are ready for Halloween. In addition to the town’s Halloween Happening Fall Fair that is bringing in extra customers, she’s also made a Halloween themed ice cream wedding cake for local celebrity Diantha Collins. Diantha is the owner of the Inn on the Green, a swanky inn where the wealthy and celebrities come to stay when in Penniman, Connecticut. She’s in the process of renovating the Inn and adding a restaurant, and she’s getting married to the man who will be the chef in her new restaurant, Dominic Dominello.

As if that’s enough action for Halloween weekend, there is also a film being shot at the Inn and around town, a small-town romance with two well known stars. Riley also has a date with the town’s handsome, popular vet, and as her birthday falls on Halloween, her family and friends have planned a party for her the day after. So there is a lot going on, not just for Riley but for everyone in town. Even for Sprinkles, the beautiful cat that belongs to her best friend and roommate Caroline, as Sprinkles has scored a role in the movie.

When the young women hired to help clean at the Inn get caught trying to take photos of the movie stars, they’re fired, and the Inn’s housekeeper Lucretia calls Riley in to help her out. Riley has wanted a glimpse in the Inn for a while, so she agrees. There are no paying guests, but Diantha has some family in town for the wedding, and the actors and director of the movie are staying there also. However, it’s clear that someone is against the wedding of Diantha and Dom when Riley’s fabulous ice cream cake is destroyed.

But the real problem starts the morning of the wedding, when Riley awakens at the Inn to find out that Lucretia has found Diantha, dead in her room. The police show up right away and start investigating, but that doesn’t stop Riley from taking a good, long look around to see what she can find out herself. As a replacement part-time housekeeper, Riley finds out that she’s invisible in her housekeeper uniform, so as she cleans up around the family and the filmmakers, she finds bits and pieces of the whole picture. But even though she thinks she’s slipping in and out unnoticed, the killer can see what she’s up to, and they want to stop her from getting all the dirt on them.

Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third installment of Meri Allen’s Ice Cream Shop Mystery series, featuring Riley Rhodes as the former CIA librarian turned ice cream shop proprietor. These books are filled with strong characters, delicious ice cream treats, small town charm, intricate mysteries, and the obvious stars of the novels, pampered Sprinkles and rescue cat Rocky Rhodes.

I like these books a lot, and Fatal Fudge Swirl is no different. There is so much going on with this story that it’s hard to put the book aside. But as much as I liked the storyline of the filmmakers and the Inn, I couldn’t help but wish we were spending more time at Udderly Delicious. I love hearing about the ice cream flavors and concoctions. But as part of this story, Riley was accepted into a prestigious gelato class, so I can’t help but hope that is a bit of foreshadowing for the next book. Book four in Rome? Count me in!

Egalleys for Fatal Fudge Swirl were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars

[ Thank you St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

THOUGHTS:

“Well, if it isn’t Penniman’s own Jessica Fletcher.”

This was the first book I read in the series and even though it can be read as a stand alone I really felt like I needed to read the first two before this one! The author does a good job on giving you background info but I still felt like I didn’t quite understand some of the relationships and why.

I appreciated the list of characters at the beginning of the book! I love when those are added in. So helpful to understand and easy to reference back when needed.

This cozy would be the perfect book to read this fall. It takes place in Penniman, Connecticut during Halloween! 🎃

I liked Riley! She was a good amateur sleuth and I know that with her background with the CIA, that certainly helped her. I loved her ice cream shop, such a fun profession! And we also got two recipes in the back for hot fudge sauces! Yum! Plus, I enjoyed that Riley wasn’t in grave danger at the end and confronted by the killer. That was a great change of pace for what I typically read and see in cozy mysteries!

Overall, a good installment in this series! Time to go back and read books 1 and 2 now!

It was great to be back in Penniman for this newest installment in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries.

This time the setting is an inn and a wedding. As usual, Riley finds herself or rather places herself smack in the middle of the investigation. This time she much clear her friend, the ex-wife of the person marrying Diantha. The suspects are numerous and Diantha’s death is quite mysterious. There are no clear cut causes.

As Riley uses any chance she can to find information, she develops her own list of suspects. Her process of elimination is nothing short of entertaining. I did not pick up on the clues and was surprised by who the guilty part was. Meri Allen tends to have me so wrapped up in the ice cream and the setting I have yet to guess the bad guy! I truly enjoy this series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third book in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries series. The main character, Riley, is a fun character, with a CIA background. Flo and Gerri add to the charm of the series. The setting, murder and a Halloween wedding, was absolutely unique. There many suspects to keep you guessing, and the storyline is strong, with Riley trying to solve the mystery. I recommend this book to readers who love good mysteries, great characters, Halloween and ice cream. An enjoyable book with which to relax at the end of the day or on the weekend.

This was an opportunity. I wanted to get back to the Inn, see why there’d been something bothering me since I’d seen Diantha’s body…. Unfortunately, it also meant I had to scrub bathrooms and vacuum. Poirot never had this problem.
Meri Allen, Fatal Fudge Swirl, Kindle Loc. 943

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?
Amazon.com

This is the third book in An Ice Cream Shop mystery series written by Meri Allen, who, of course, is none other than our own Shari Randall. Shari set up main character Riley to have quite a few problems in Fatal Fudge Swirl among them solving the murder. While Riley is making a Halloween themed ice cream wedding cake, she’s also been enlisted to read the newly-found Collins family letters from the colonial era. Unfortunately, they’re as boring as yesteryear’s grocery list.

On top of that, she’s creating fall/holiday ice cream flavors, such as Pumpkin Spice and Spiced Eggnog. Her application for Gelato school has been accepted. Not only could she attend the course in New York City, but also in Rome, Italy, a place she’d love to revisit. But, she got into big trouble there with her old employer, the CIA.

This is a great time of year to read a book based on ice cream.
E. B. Davis

To concoct the ice cream cake, in which the bride requested a black layer of chai-latte, Riley uses culinary-grade charcoal to get the black color. It’s favorless. Why is culinary-grade charcoal so popular now? It has medical uses, but what are its qualities for use in food? One thing that has fascinated me since I started writing mysteries involving food is culinary fads. Culinary-grade charcoal has found its way into ice cream because it looks amazing - check out all the images of black ice cream on Instagram at Halloween. Diantha Collins is not only mad for the spooky holiday, she’s a savvy businesswoman who will share every detail of her Halloween wedding on social media.

How do Riley and Mary Ann know one another? Riley and Mary Ann went to high school together. They weren’t close friends – they were several years apart – but were teammates on the track team. They reconnected at the Penniman Women in Business Club. Riley definitely sympathizes with Mary Ann, who has to cater the wedding of her ex and his new bride.

Chef Dominic, Mary Ann’s ex and the bridegroom, is into molecular gastronomy. What is that? Is he like Alton Brown, explaining the chemical reactions that happen in cooking/baking?
Molecular gastronomy is two things: one, the science of food and cooking (what Alton does); and two, the use of scientific techniques to create unique dishes. You see this on shows like Top Chef, when a contestant uses liquid nitrogen to make instant ice cream, or foams, or tiny spheres of olive oil that look like caviar. Chef Dominic has become famous for his molecular gastronomy, which put Penniman on the foodie map.

When using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream, it isn’t used directly in the ice cream, it’s used to cool and freeze the ice cream ingredients, right? Or is it added to the ingredients and evaporates out? Dry ice could be used in the same way. Do both give off the fog when they “melt?” Is it really minus 109 degrees at room temperature? Here’s a video to explain making treats with liquid nitrogen, and why you should take care when you do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1CFpvXJSs


Who is Marley Wagner, and why does Riley find him smarmy? Marley is a chef at the Inn on the Green who dreams of opening a restaurant with celebrity Chef Dom. Riley keeps catching Marley eavesdropping and snooping around the hotel, so she’s sure he’s up to no good.

Diantha’s family, the Collins, were one of the original settlers of Penniman. She owns the Inn on the Green as well as several other historic buildings near the Inn. Riley’s former Girl Scout leader, Ruthie, and her granddaughter Lucretia, live in one of those buildings. A retired teacher, Ruthie provides maid services at the Inn. Why does she fear for her job, and that she’ll be kicked out of her house? Ruthie is the sole support for her granddaughter, Lucretia. Lucretia’s father has never been in the picture, and her mother abandoned her as a baby, so Ruthie is the only family Lucretia has. Lucretia is a high school senior and is looking at college, and Ruthie doesn’t know how she’s going to pay for it.

Riley’s mother died when she was three. She and her dad, now owner of a bookstore in town, were alone for all of her upbringing. Her dad married the irritating Paulette five years ago. What is it about Paulette that irritates Riley so much? Oh, Paulette! She’s one of those people who’s just a little too perfect, plus her not-so-subtle attempts at matchmaking keep Riley on her toes.

To seal the deal of using the bookstore as a set in the movie, Paulette offers to use Sprinkles as the bookstore cat when the movie producers ask about adding a cat. Riley is irritated, but secretly, she’s amused. Why? Riley thinks that Paulette has met her match in Sprinkles. The neurotic furball has scared off her pet psychologist and Riley thinks it’s only a matter of time until Sprinkles melts down again. She thinks it would be just desserts if a meltdown happened while Paulette was wrangling Sprinkles for the movie.

Tillie picks up a side gig in this book. What’s she doing? As we all know, Tillie longs for adventure beyond what she finds as the administrative assistant at the Penniman Police Services building. Tillie has started her own private investigation firm, and winds up with a very famous and demanding client – the star of the Skylark movie that’s shooting in Penniman.

Caroline and Riley pick men whose time is not their own. Are they undermining their romantic success? This is an interesting point I’d never considered. (Elaine, you ask the best questions!) Caroline is inexperienced in love, and has simply fallen head-over-heels. Riley let a dangerous attraction get the better of her, and now is second guessing her instincts when it comes to dating.

Jack seems passive-aggressive in this book. He calls Riley ”Penniman’s own Jessica Fletcher.” What’s with him? Jack, the police chief, is a perfect example of the saying still waters run deep. I threw a lot at him in this book. He has a media circus with the murder of a socialite and the movie filming in town. He’s facing an emotional and romantic crisis, plus he’s been walking a fine line with Riley, whose unofficial sleuthing has solved several murders. He’s smart enough to know that she’s an asset, but she’s also “not by the book” and he’s a by-the-book guy. I think he needs a nice, quiet murder-free vacation at his cabin in the woods. Will I give him one? Hmmm….unlikely.

I thought church bells rang to get people into service. Why do Penniman’s church bells ring at the close of service? Are they celebrating getting that chore over for the week? Penniman’s beautiful old church on the green has bells that chime on the hour. Still, I bet some of the churchgoers are celebrating!

Why doesn’t Udderly use no-churn recipes? Isn’t gelato no-churn? Udderly’s ice cream is top quality, made in small batches with the freshest organic ingredients. If you don’t have an ice cream machine to churn the ice cream, you can make ice cream in the freezer using sweetened condensed milk instead of the traditional custard base. Not churning means you give up a lot in terms of texture and taste.

Gelato (Italian style ice cream) has a lower fat content than ice cream and is churned at a slower rate, incorporating less air and leaving the gelato denser than ice cream. Less fat means that you experience more of the flavoring of the gelato as opposed to the creaminess of ice cream, so gelato flavors are more intense. Gelato is also stored at a lower temperature, so it will melt faster on the tongue, another attribute that gives more depth of flavor.
I have learned way too much about the science of ice cream with these books!

I was shocked when Riley got the note from Paolo, her former boyfriend in Rome. And then she didn’t open it for the longest time—why? It was exasperating! Everyone’s dying to know what’s in that note! Riley’s struggling with her feelings for the handsome thief she left behind in Rome. That’s all I can say without spoilers!

What are amuse-bouches? An amuse bouche is a small, savory appetizer – usually only a bite or two – that’s offered free of charge by the chef to guests. It translates from French as “amuse the mouth” and is meant to be a showcase of the chef’s creativity.

What was Newgate? Where was it? Newgate was a notorious Connecticut prison that housed Tories during the Revolutionary War. The prison had been constructed over an old copper mine, and prisoners were housed in underground caverns and shafts, allowed above ground only during daylight hours. It was a cruel and filthy place, and eventually closed down by prison reformers in the 1800s.

What is a black box theater? They’re simple, unadorned performance spaces - usually the walls are painted black, which gives this type of theater its name.

Will we go to Rome with Riley next? Must you do research there? Research in Rome is definitely on my bucket list!

This book made me want Halloween to get here! I love Halloween and Fall and this book just made me want a nice cozy fire to read in front of. If you are looking for a book about small town, glamorous and everyday people, many many suspects, touches of romance, and fast moving then this book is for you. I highly recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Great follow up in the series! The mystery was fun, we saw a ton of our side characters, so and plenty of time spent with our MC actually sleuthing, but in a safe way. The series has continued to grow and I can’t wait to read the next book!

I enjoyed this fun cozy with a Halloween setting and an entertaining mystery. I love the ice cream shop angle of this series and was craving ice cream from page one. Highly recommend to cozy fans.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Fun and fast-paced cozy mystery with great characters, an interesting mystery with many twists and turns, a Halloween-themed wedding, a picturesque small town, and an ice cream store...could you need anything more for an entertaining cozy? I really don't think so. I was hooked from the very first page.
Highly recommend.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Fatal Fudge Swirl brings us back to Penniman, Connecticut with Riley Rhodes. Riley is still running Udderly Delicious Ice Cream shop for her best friend, Caroline Spooner. However, the big news in town right now is Diantha and Dominic's wedding and the Skylark movie being shot at Diantha's Inn, Inn on the Green. The producer is Diantha's step son, Chip and assistant producer is her son, Cooper. However, before the events an happen someone dies or was it murder? Even though there are no signs of foul play Riley an tell things just don't seem right.
Fatal Fudge Swirl was very fast paced and kept my attention and left me wondering what happened right to the very end.