Riley Rhodes an ex cia librarian now manages udderly delightful ice cream shop. she is hired by Maud at Moy Mull Castle to provide unique ice cream flavors for an arts festival. Very colorful and interesting story with complex and quirky characters. Lots of twists and turns, bees and maybe ghosts and a tempermental kitty. Murder and mayhem make this a real page turner. So many suspects it kept me guessing to the end. A must read!

Mint Chocolate Murder is the 2nd Ice Cream Shop Mystery. This one involves an art festival, a castle, and lots of pumpkin spice ice cream.
Not that anyone should be murdered but the more you learn about Adam, the deceased, the less you like him.
There is a large cast of characters. I found myself asking “who is that again?” even 3/4 through the story. Main people - Riley, Caroline, Jack, Prentiss, Maude, Willow, Luca, Tony, Adam and VYE - I remembered. It was just all the extras that didn’t really seem to be playing a huge role in the mystery that I had to pull myself out of story flow to remember. I think that’s what makes it 3 stars for me.
I did wonder why it’s called Mint Chocolate Murder when that flavor of ice cream wasn’t mentioned as far as I remember.
Sprinkles, the cat, was the topic of conversation and present on the page way more than I cared to read.
This cozy series involves a romance with the police detective, but it’s Jack with Caroline rather than Riley, the main sleuth.
There are detailed descriptions of the castle. Riley’s former profession as librarian and secretly as CIA asset is mentioned several times. I think Riley uses it as her license to investigate.
There are some smaller mysteries in the book that I don’t think I even caught until Riley resolves them toward the end.
A positive for this second book is that it didn’t leave me feeling down like the first one did.
It’s a well crafted mystery. I didn’t catch on until near the end who was responsible for Adam’s death.
I enjoyed reading the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

For book summary, please see publisher’s provided book description.
This is the second installment of the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries. Taking place a few months after the first book, we see several of the established characters grow in depth throughout this novel as well as gain a handful of new characters. Characters are interesting and often quirky, relatable and entertaining. The descriptions of the ice cream sounded amazing and had me craving ice cream more than once in this story. I really enjoyed spending time with Riley in this beautiful Scottish inspired castle figuring out the who and how of the murder. Only one element is confusing to me, Ms Allen doesn’t seem to link the titles of her books to the actual action within the story at all. No Mint Chocolate to be found in this novel and no Rocky Road in the first one. I’d personally like to see her connect the title to the story. Let me see what I’m getting before I dive in…a tiny bit anyway.
With shades of the classic Agatha Christie locked room mystery and just a flicker of a modern action movie, Ms. Allen has created the cozy mystery…perfect for a relaxing summer read!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will admit that I was hesitant to start Mint Chocolate Murder. I wasn’t sure that a cozy mystery was what I was in the mood for at that moment. I am beyond thrilled that I was entirely wrong. I loved this cozy mystery! It has everything I love most; a castle, a locked room mystery, myths, legends, and most importantly, ice cream.

I am someone who becomes highly invested in characters very quickly and most of my love of books is very character driven. However, my enjoyment of this one stemmed mostly from the mystery itself. There were so many secret connections that I had a blast figuring things out with the main character, Riley. This is not to say the characters were bad in any way, just that this mystery was enticing!

The setting, Moy Mull Castle was beautifully described. I felt as if I was walking down the halls to the dungeon myself. I have never been to a castle, but this book absolutely reinforced my dream of going to one in real life. Not only were the settings described perfectly, but the food sounded amazing and I spent most of my reading time reminding myself that I really didn't need to go find ice cream or any other dessert.

The only place that I struggled in the book was that I didn't feel as if I got to know any of the characters very well. Given that the book was very plot based, this wasn't too much of a problem, but I would have liked to see more of all of the characters. I am sure that I would have gotten more from the characters if I had read the first book in the series, so I definitely plan on going back and enjoying the series from the beginning.

If you are looking for a great cozy mystery to get wrapped in, definitely check this one out!

Feel free to DM me for possible trigger warnings.

4.5/5

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second book in the Ice Cream Shop cozy mystery series by Meri Allen this latest installment was as delightful as the first where we met Riley, the manager of the ice cream shop in a small New England town. Riley‘s former job was with the CIA as a librarian but that is a secret that no one knows and helps Riley investigate. While catering an ice cream social at a local artist retreat Riley stumbles across the dead body of the featured photographer. Not a well liked person, and with mini guests at the event, there is no shortage of suspects for this crime. Though the local police are investigating Riley fears they are focusing on the wrong person, a young man close to Riley.

I enjoyed the story very much and was kept guessing all the way to the end. It was a fun, light read and I enjoyed the wide cast of characters. There are also a couple of cats who try to steal the show. You can’t go wrong with ice cream and cats! I recommend this book highly for lovers of cozy mysteries. It promises to be A very entertaining series.

I loved this cozy mystery about the murder of a well known artist during a gallery exhibit at the Scottish style castle owned by a wealthy socialite. It features an ice cream store manager with a passion for mystery and an unwavering determination to get her man (or woman). Surrounding our intrepid heroine is a cast of quirky and interesting characters, most of them suspects at one point or another, and the plot is complex and multi-layered. Ms Allen carefully reveals the clues with an Agatha Christie like flourish and made the story seem real and believable.
I highly recommend this one to cozy murder mysteries.

A solidly good book! I loved the duel mysteries! I could not put this book down & read it quickly. I was invested in the characters and the mysteries. The characters were well written and flawed like true people. The mysteries were engaging and kept me invested. I highly recommend this. Even though I didn’t read the first book, it was easy to pick up the plot and I enjoyed what I read.

Riley is an ex-CIA librarian and now manager of Udderly Delightful an ice cream shop. She’s part of an event at a local castle turned art colony. When a well-known but not well-liked photographer goes missing, Riley becomes involved. The body is found in a locked room creating the perfect murder mystery . This is a great fast moving mystery with some very interesting characters.

Reading this book was the perfect way to pass a Sunday afternoon. Riley, an ex CIA librarian, and current manager of Udderly Delights Ice Cream Shop is hired to create custom flavors for an art event being held at Moy Mull castle. Not only does the ice cream sound delicious, but they mystery had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the castle and it's history, the legend of the weeping woman, and the new characters that were introduced to the story. This was a locked room mystery that kept me guessing. I can't wait for more books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mint Chocolate Murder, the second installment in Meri Allen’s Ice Cream Shop series. I had not read the first book, but this was not a problem in following the action. The novel has all the cozy accoutrements (food and cats), but goes beyond the typical cozy by having a smart and likable main character, Riley Rhodes (a former librarian for the CIA turned owner of Udderly Delicious, the local ice cream shop). It also has a fairly glamorous plot for the small town of Penniman, Connecticut. Former supermodel Maud Monaco, the director of Moy Mull, the town’s artist colony, is planning a special exhibit on the heinous Adam Blasco’s photography. The murder is honestly pretty easy to figure out, but still fun. The biggest mystery for me is the title of the book: why is this the Mint Chocolate murder when there is no mint chocolate ice cream in the book??? 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book. All views expressed in this review are wholly my own.

When a mystery comes my way with mint chocolate ice cream in the title, in the cozy genre, set in New England, and has a Gilded Age connection I need to get my hands on a copy. It checked all of my boxes and added a cat with attitude named Sprinkles. On top of that I had enjoyed the first in the series, The Rocky road to Ruin. I was not disappointed.
Riley is a former CIA librarian and has changed her career to managing the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. Located in the town of Penniman, CT it's her homecoming. Her father owns a bookstore and her friend Caroline and her brother Mike own a dairy farm and the creamery. Her new life taps into her CIA days when murders intrude. This time Riley is being asked to create some special ice creams for a fancy upscale ice cream social to be held at Moy Mull, the Gilded Age mansion now owned by a former model, Maude Monaco. She has turned it into an arts colony and this event will be part of an exhibit opening. It will certainly be good business for Udderly Delicious. Things will take a turn for the worse when the photographer who's work is the exhibit, is found murdered in true locked room fashion....in a locked dungeon. Will Riley be able to unmask the killer? I was hooked start to finish and this series has a place on my TBR shelf.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing a NetGalley ARC!

Pub date: 7/26/22
Genre: cozy mystery
Series: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, book 2
In one sentence: Ice cream shop owner Riley Rhodes is whipping up delicious treats for an arts festival - until a photographer winds up dead.

Riley Rhodes' ice cream shop is called Udderly Delicious, and these mysteries are utterly delightful! The story took place at Moy Mull Castle, and Allen wove the castle's history into the narrative well. Riley is the kind of sleuth you'd like to be BFFs with - I loved her snark about pumpkin spice and her cat sitting adventures. I'm excited to see what she does next and get to know her employees a bit more! Make sure you read this one with ice cream handy - you will be craving it!

It was fun spending time again in Penniman, CT with Riley and all her ice cream crew and friends. I'd forgotten what a stinker that cat of Caroline's was, but someone in this story managed to tame the beast or at least make her more tolerable, lol. There were sure plenty of suspects, so I honestly never settled on just one but had random reasons myself for different people.

I really enjoy the Fairweather sisters' characters! They're both so different but I like both these ladies who're fun and crazy in their own ways. Vye was an interesting character introduced and I did find myself hoping she'd stick around town, although you'll have to read for yourself to see if she did!

The castle setting was so cool with all its rooms and creepiness but not super creepy since Maud was trying her best to get it looking nice again. From reading the author's newsletter, I know there's a castle in Connecticut she based this from and of course added some extra fun of her own to it. But it was totally picturable. Now I wouldn't mind going to see that castle she used for inspiration!

I loved how Riley came to the answer she did and the showdown was as Flo put it, very worth of a Mission Impossible movie! The ending was just so very Riley and now I'm eager to see what happens next! This book releases tomorrow, July 26, 2022.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This was a cute cozy mystery. I didn't read the first in the series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I might go back and read it now since I thoroughly enjoyed jack-of-all-trades, CIA-turned-Icecream-maker Riley and the cast of characters. There were some mysteries within the mystery, which kept me on my toes, and I liked all the descriptions of the castle, the town, and the two resident cats. Definitely recommend to cozy mystery fans.

A perfect cozy mystery! Riley's background as a CIA librarian is very cool. She has so much knowledge in her brain. The mystery is a locked room murder with so many suspects. The characters were fun and entertaining. And the ice cream sounded so good that I wanted some while reading! It's a quick read and moves at a good pace. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a fun cozy mystery. I liked the setting and the characters were very interesting. I will be looking for more from this author in the future.

The first twenty percent of the book is overly descriptive and does little to move the story forward. You know there will be a murder. You can guess who the victim will be, and you are ninety percent sure who did it and how. So why keep reading. That measly ten percent and the hope you have it wrong.

As you get to the final chapters, you realize you were correct from the beginning. The actual reason became inconsequential, and the reader realized there were many supplementary narratives Meri Allen could have incorporated early on to keep the reader engaged.

Now to the decision — should my radar be on for additional books by this author.

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second Ice Cream Shop storefront cozy mystery by Meri Allen. Due out 26th July 2022 from Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Small town shopfront cozies full of whimsy, easy to read, and with a puzzle to solve, are my favorites. This is the second book in a promising series with a self-contained mystery, fun eccentric local characters, a disagreeable murder victim who turns up dead and a stable full of potential suspects for former CIA librarian (and spy)-turned-ice-cream-shop-manager Riley Rhodes to untangle.

It's well written with light, non-intrusive (if not overly realistic) dialogue, and with a plot that moves along at a good clip. It's the second book in the series, but the necessary backstory is written in, and the mystery is self contained in this installment, so it's fine as a standalone. The language is clean (very light PG level with a single "damn" and nothing else to scandalize anyone's auntie).

This one also includes a tempting looking recipe for no-churn pumpkin spice ice cream.

Four stars. Definitely one for fans of shopfront cozies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Meri Allen is a new author to me but I will definitly be looking for and reading her books. Riley Rhodes is hired to create and provide ice cream for an eccentric castle owner and of course murder is involved. This was a fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Mint Chocolate Murder is the second in a cozy mystery series by Meri Allen. Riley Rhodes is a former CIA librarian who has returned to her hometown to run a local ice cream shop for a friend. In this installment, a murder at a historic castle connects the worlds of Scottish castles, photographers, models, and beekeeping in a whodunit that kept me guessing until the final reveal.

Having not read the first book in the series, I was able to easily jump into the world of Penniman, CT and appreciate the variety of characters that live and work there. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.