If you will allow Poirot to offer you a piece of wise advice: the pursuit of revenge is rarely a good idea.

Another murderous visit to Penniman and Udderly Delicious Ice Cream shop run my former CIA librarian Riley Rhodes. We venture up to Moy Mull Castle, now an artist retreat, owned and operated by America’s Princess Maud. When Maud’s ex husband ends up dead in the dungeon Riley’s former operator’s cap goes back on before a new friend of hers can be framed for murder. Thoroughly enjoyable!

When a world famous photographer is murdered at a local castle/arts colony, former CIA agent and current ice cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is thrown into the midst of things as she tries to discovered the culprit as well as solve the disappearance of the former owner's wife. Another fun Ice Cream Shop Mystery from cozy author Meri Allen (aka Shari Randall), Mint Chocolate Murder was a refreshing treat to read on a hot summer's day! A+++

Mint Chocolate Murder by Meri Allen is the second in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. Riley Rhodes, former CIA asset and librarian, is now the manager of the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop in Penniman, a small New England town. When reclusive, former model Maud Monaco want to create a fantasy ice cream social at her summer art festival on the grounds of her home, Moy Mull Castle, Riley is thrilled to have her handmade specialty ice cream feature. When the featured artist Adam Blasco, a photographer with a darkside, is murdered, Riley can’t help but delve into the locked room mystery.

I found this mystery well-plotted and complex, with many characters and red herrings that kept me changing my mind about the identity of the murderer. The locked room aspect was intriguing and the bits of information about beekeeping very interesting. I wish that Caroline and Jack had factored into the storyline more and, as others have said, I couldn’t figure out what the title had to do with the story. Pumpkin spice was talked about constantly but to my knowledge mint chocolate was never mention. So the title was a miss for me. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.). Overall, a solid entry for this series.

Just the right relaxation read for me - a cozy mystery set at a New England ice cream shop.
Riley, an ex CIA librarian with field experience finds herself manager of the Udderly Delights Ice Cream Shop and is enjoying her calmer life. She is hired to create custom flavors for an art event being held at Moy Mull castle - a gilded age Scottish castle recreation. Since this book is set in late summer/early fall there is lots of demand for pumpkin spice ice cream but there are also many other flavors touched on - I will have to see what I can recreate with my ice cream maker. Not only does the ice cream sound delicious, but the mystery had me hooked from the beginning. It was a locked room mystery that kept me guessing lots of suspects, lots of motives, lots of potential access points that need to be discarded. I had not read the first one in this series but had a lot of fun reading this one as a stand-alone! I will read more in this series !

Min Chocolate Chip Murder was a delight! Better than an ice cream on a hot summer day! This time Riley has an ice cream catering gig at a castle. Doesn’t that sound divine? Everything is going well until a photographer mysteriously dies in a locked room. Riley isn’t fooled and starts investigating this perfect crime.

This book was sweet and made me crave ice cream! I was actually surprised by the twist ending which is a bonus!

This is book 2 of the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. When Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop manager Riley Rhodes is summoned to Penniman’s Moy Mull Castle, she's curious, but thinks this is a great opportunity for her and the shop. Maud hires Riley to whip up a bunch of special ice cream treats to celebrate the art opening of Adam Blasco. When Adam turns up dead, Riley has to figure out who did it and discover the dark past of the murdered man.

How does a award winning photographer die behind a locked dungeon door? Riley Rhodes, manager of Utterly Delightful Ice Cream, is on the case. Hired to provide ice cream treats and flavors for the Fall Art Festival at Moy Mull Castle, Riley's former CIA librarian's mind must work out who wanted him dead. With too many suspects and not much time, Riley must find out how someone got into the locked dungeon, killed Adam, and got out without leaving a clue.
This series is so much fun. Throwing ice cream and mystery together makes for a great tub of deliciousness. I love reading about the different flavors offered at the Ice Cream Shop. Riley and her crew are so relatable and would make working with them entertaining. The Castle became an integrate part of the story with its secrets. Who wouldn't want to explore passages, rooms, nooks and crannies? Although not sure why it was called Mint Chocolate Murder since Pumpkin Spice was the flavor of the story, I look forward to the next installment. What will Riley be investigating and inventing next? I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Another cozy murder mystery by an author I have not my read before. I found it e entertaining with several twist and turns that kept me engaged.

All words an opinions are my own. I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Cute story and keeps the reader entertained. Riley is a former librarian for the CIA and she seems to be in the right place at the right time to solve a murder. A famous photographer Adam is murdered and she is on the hunt for who did it and why.

MINT CHOCOLATE MURDER by Meri Allen
The Second Ice Cream Shop Mystery

Autumn may have arrived in Penniman, Connecticut, but the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop is still doing brisk business. Riley Rhodes, shop manager, is also joining forces with caterer Bitsy Bittman to provide ice cream for the Fall Arts Festival at Moy Mull Castle. Maud Monaco, the former super model who owns the castle, has brought controversial photographer Adam Blasco in as the featured artist. His edgy photography is not everyone's cup of tea and neither is the man himself. Missing his own presentation the second day, the errant artist is eventually found dead, in the locked dungeon. Was it an accident or murder?

A pretentious artist whose predilections are even more heinous is ripe to be murdered and we have a unique method in the second Ice Cream Shop Mystery. We also have a great setting within the charming Penniman environs. Moy Mull Castle and its grounds provide atmosphere and history too. What better place for a murder victim to be found than a dungeon? Rather fitting as well.

I enjoyed meeting the new characters and getting to know those from the previous book better. I commiserated with Caroline over Sprinkles behavior, laughing at the exit of the cat therapist while picturing my own Calumet doing something similar. Sigh.

MINT CHOCOLATE MURDER serves up a delicious mystery sprinkled with colorful characters, funny moments, and mouthwatering ice cream.

After reading this book I want all the ice cream!

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series my Meri Allen, and just like the first the story it combines mystery, humor, and ice cream to create a great story with an amusing cast of characters.

Riley is summoned to Moy Mull, a castle in Penniman. Maud wants Riley to create flavors unique to a celebration Maud is hosting for the art gallery being hosted at the castle. When Maud's friend Adam is found dead, there are many possibilities of who could have killed him. The problem is Adam was killed behind a locked door, so the possibilities are narrowed even more. Or are they?

This story takes many twists and turns and left me guessing. I love this series and cannot wait for the next one.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All views are simply my honest opinion.

This is a quite sweet (pun intended!) cozy mystery that is a pleasant read. I found the overall story and all the characters a little messy and convoluted, often having to re-read sections thinking I missed something. I enjoyed the creative ice creams, and the overall creatives that run throughout this book. Its quite fun and lighthearted, which fits the cozy mystery genre very well. I liked Riley, her character was unexpected to me and found her quite quick and smart. Overall this was a good read!

This was a fun mystery novel that kept me guessing until the end! The book setting was unique and added some great twists to the story. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions with one another. I wasn’t really sure about the cat storyline and it felt a bit unnecessary. Riley is very clever and I was rooting for her to solve the crime! The ice cream flavors sounded delicious and made me want a scoop for myself! Perfect for a quick summer read!

Kept getting confused between Moy Mull and Maud Monaco, but other than that, this was a fabulous read. I love a good locked room mystery, and this didn't disappoint.

This was my first book I read in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries by Meri Allen and it was such an enjoyable experience. There were castles, interesting and quirky characters, humour and of course, ice cream.

The second book of the series, Mint Chocolate Murder finds ice cream shop manager Riley hired to cater an art show at the town’s castle owned by a former supermodel and widow to a royal. Unfortunately, the main photographer who’s work was being celebrated is found dead the next day in the castle’s dungeon, and Riley’s friend is the main suspect.

Riley getting involved with the help of some nosey neighbours provided a revelry in the plot and the pace of the mystery was perfect. Although I figured out who the killer was probably mid-way through the novel, the little nuggets of clues throughout the story, along with the red herrings made this a fun cozy mystery.

But where was the mint chocolate chip ice cream in the book? My favourite ice cream flavour was a missing element and it would have been natural to assume that that would have been included in the story. There were a lot of references to pumpkin spice ice cream so my only criticism would have been the title changed to reflect that. Other than that, this series has some of the best cover art, though!

Thank you St. Martin’s press for the arc and finished copy. Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mint Chocolate Murder is book two in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. I did like the first book a little more, but this one was pretty good. There were a couple aspects keeping it from a 4 star read for me. I loved the mystery and had no idea who the culprit was until the end. I loved the castle setting, meeting new characters, and learning a bit more about Riley's past. The one thing that bothers me the most is the title. I like it to tie into the story, but this book mentioned pumpkin spice ice cream so many times that I think a different title would have suited it better. (There was no mention of Mint Chocolate ice cream at all.) Overall, it's a decent series, but I won't be in a hurry to pick up the next.

This is the perfect cozy mystery to curl up in a blanket and enjoy some ice cream!

The setting for this book is fantastic since it takes place at a fancy party at a castle. Riley gets to serve her shop's icecream at the event, but a famous photographer ends up dead from being allergic to bees. Was it an accident or foul play?

I really liked Riley playing the amateur sleuth, since she really got character details just from being a part of the party events.

I guessed whodunit closer toward the end, so there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Overall, I was pretty engaged in the book.

I think this book should have been titled Pumpkin Spice instead of Mint Chocolate since that was the true favorite flavor if the book. All of the different treats throughout the book sounded so delicious!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

I love this series and felt like it took book 2 much too long to drop! First, I love ice cream, so how can I not love this? Second, I adore puns and how can you say no to a series where the shop is Udderly Delicious? Third, I love that our heroine does not immediately meet someone who is supposed to be their love interest. And fourth, the mysteries are always well thought out with plenty of clues and red herrings to keep you wondering before they finally solve the mystery (as opposed to just blundering into a solution because the murderer thought they knew more than they did).

Lots of great ice cream and mystery. I love the setting in this book and would love to visit this house. Riley is trying to find out who is responsible for the death of the photographer and why. She realizes that there are several people who could have been responsible and has to find out who it really is and how they did it. Lots of twists and look forward to the next one

Book #2 in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. I have got to give it to Meri Allen, I had no idea who the killer was until that last clue was dropped. I love the idea of a Scottish Castle in Confection, Oregon. I also love how popular the ice cream shop flavors are becoming at events. I love Brandon's ice cream inventions, they sounds disgusting but my daughter would have ordered them for sure.

This is a fun and interesting mystery series and I am looking forward to reading more of these books in the future.