Once a librarian (albeit for the CIA), Riley has settled down in small town Connecticut to run an ice cream shop. Winter's approaching and so is the annual closure of the ice cream shop..once they get past Halloween and the big fancy wedding taking place at the historic Inn in town. Unfortunately, her beautiful Halloween themed ice cream cake.for the wedding was found mutilated, and then the dead body of the would be bride is also found. To keep her best friend from being arrested, Riley starts investigating. Another good book in this well-done series. Full of interesting characters and a twisty plot.

Fatal Fudge Swirl
by Meri Allen
Book Three in the Ice Cream Shop series

Book Details

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

My Thoughts

Fatal Fudge Swirl is a quick, enjoyable read. Suspects include employees of the wealthy murder victim’s inn, family members not happy their money flow was cut off, and the ex-wife of the victim’s fiancé. The murder victim also has links to the movie currently filming in the village but were those links strong enough for someone to commit murder? It’s a possibility, which expands the number of potential suspects.

Not only is the ‘why’ of the murder a mystery, but so was the method. Keeping the murder weapon an unknown until the murder was solved added another layer to the novel. For this reader, I enjoyed trying to figure out the murderer’s identity as well as the method he or she used to accomplish the deed.

Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third book in this series, and I haven’t read the first two. Some problems/issues/relationships clearly have their beginnings in the earlier books, but enough context was given that I wasn’t left confused as to what was going on in this book. Reading the books in order though would mean not having those “I wonder what happened prior to this” questions.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Fatal Fudge Swirl. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-copy for review.

Publishing Information

Published by St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250267108
Genre: Mystery
320 pages

"Fatal Fudge Swirl" by Meri Allen is a delightful and atmospheric cozy mystery that immerses readers in the charming town of Penniman, Connecticut during the Halloween Happening. As a fan of the genre, I thoroughly enjoyed following Riley Rhodes, the former CIA librarian turned ice cream shop manager and amateur sleuth, as she unraveled the murder of socialite Diantha during her lavish Halloween-themed wedding. With a long list of suspects and chilling motives, the suspense kept me guessing until the very end. The Halloween theme adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the story, making it a perfect treat for cozy mystery enthusiasts and those seeking a festive read.

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries then for sure add Meri Allen’s FATAL FUDGE SWIRL to your tbr. It’s actually book 3 in the series and I imagine it’ll be fun to read the first two but I don’t think it’s necessary. I didn’t feel lost at all. Diantha, rich socialite owner of Inn on the Green, a beautiful hotel, is murdered the night before her lavish wedding and Riley is determined to solve the case.

I really enjoyed this book. I love that it opens up on Halloween weekend. I only wish the rest of the book centered more around the spooky season. But other than that, it was a super fun read. Former CIA librarian turned ice cream shop manager Riley is such a delightful main character. She felt so realistic and I found her to be smart and creative, not to mention so caring about those around her.

The small New England town had the perfect vibe for the mystery. Although toward the end, I felt it got a little long but I was invested in the story and really wanted to know who killed Diantha!

All the ice cream flavors mentioned made me crave ice cream every time I was reading it 🤤. There’s even a recipe at the end for a yummy hot fudge sauce.

Even though the book takes place during the Fall, I feel like it’s a good summer read! It really made me anticipate Autumn even though summer basically just started here lol.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the e-arc!

I am not going to rehash what the book is about, just what I liked about the book. You can read what the book is about by reading the synopsis. That said, it is not very often that I read a cozy mystery.

Riley is a former CIA librarian who is now managing an ice cream shop. She is tasked with making a wedding cake for Diantha and her fiance. Halloween themed no less.

A woman, Diantha, is dead, murdered, on the eve of her wedding and everyone around her is suspect. Riley, knowing a bit about murders takes it upon herself to figure out who the culprit/culprits are. The setting is a very posh hotel and restaurant. Takes place in a small town with a lot of colorful suspects and Riley must dig deep to see who had a grudge against Diantha, was it her fiance, Dominic who has been the chef at the hotel for many years? Did I mention that there are two cats that have roles in the movie being made?

Cooper Collins, Diantha's son, is filming a movie on-premise. Could it be him or his brothers? Or was it someone else? Lots of clues to sift through with a cast of characters that is sure to delight the reader. The fact that I had not figured out who the murderer was until it was disclosed is what a good cozy mystery, that keep you hanging until the end is the mark of a good book.

I enjoyed the setting, the characters, and the fact that the whole story revolves around Halloween, my favorite holiday! I will have to go and check out the author's works and read more by her.

I give it 5 stars!

This mystery has a lot of fun going on including the cozy small town feel, Halloween themes, famous people, and an upcoming spooky themed wedding that has a death in the wedding party.

I like Riley's character and sleuthing with dessert and ice cream in the mix. While the plethora of characters kept me guessing as to whodunit, there were almost too many to keep track of.

I'm looking forward to the next sweet treat mystery in the series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Fatal Fudge Swirl: An Ice Cream Shop Mystery is book #3 in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries series by Meri Allen.

It’s Halloween and Riley Rhodes has created an ice cream wedding cake. Along with the Halloween wedding, there is a movie being filmed in the town.

This was such a fun book! Riley and her friends and family are fun to visit. It was an interesting mystery and I liked how Riley had a legitimate reason to be at the crime scene. All the ice cream talk leaves me craving some. The recipes at the end for hot fudge look really good.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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.