A Sprinkle in Time is the second book in Dana Mentink’s delicious Shake Shop cozy mystery series. It’s the perfect book to read during the hot days of summer, but only if you have some ice cream or a thick milkshake nearby!
Title: A Sprinkle in Time
Author: Dana Mentink
Series: Shake Shop Mystery #2
First Published: May 24, 2022
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
*** Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
It’s Alpenfest in Upper Sprocket! Yodelers are congregating in the square, tourists flocking to the town, and Trinidad Jones is scooping up some fall flavors at her Shimmy and Shake Shop.
The cherry on the sundae is her upcoming feature in The Scoop magazine. She’s determined to serve up the perfect interview, but it won’t be easy, thanks in part to her meddling Cuban grandfather Papa Luis who has decided to make Sprocket his home for the foreseeable future. Papa Luis has set himself up as a taxi driver in his classic 1951 Buick.
But things take a turn when Papa Luis tells her he’s found a corpse in his trunk. Upon closer investigation, they realise the body has disappeared. With the assistance of Juliette and Bonnie (Trinidad’s sisterhood of exes) and the way too handsome nut farmer Quinn Logan, Trinidad must solve the mystery of the disappearing corpse, before her grandfather is up to his neck in a murderous mess.
A charming cast of characters
Just like the young Felice collects odds and ends in her Treasure jar, this cozy mystery series collects interesting characters like they’re treasures. The unique trio of “sisterhood of exes” is a different take on how people can come together in friendship. Although it’s only the second book of the series, the bond between Trinidad, Juliette and Bonnie is easy to believe and makes a lot of sense.
As Felice (Bonnie’s daughter) continually finds things to add to her eclectic collection (stones, feathers, etc) I like how she found “treasures” in everyday items – it’s a perfect look at how imaginative children are. I also knew that her compulsive collecting would come into play with the mystery solving.
One thing about this series is the variety of relationships illustrated throughout. There are links between mother-daughter, grandfather-granddaughter, the three women who shared a common ex-husband, 2 brothers, and now 2 brothers and their estranged mother. While the story is lighthearted, it shows that relationships can be complex and not always straightforward.
As for the main character, Trinidad is definitely growing as a character. When we first met her in Book 1 (Pint of No Return – you can read my review here) she was just opening up her new Shake Shop and was finding her place in Upper Sprocket. Now, she’s more comfortable with her place in town and is coming to realise that she is able to depend on her newfound friends. I like that Trinidad doesn’t take on too much and isn’t too much of a risk-taker.
The mysterious disappearing corpse
The “murder” shows up pretty early in the story in the form of a corpse that Papa Luis finds in the trunk of his beloved car. When he and Trinidad call the police and go to show them the body, it’s gone! And thus begins the mystery (and assumed murder).
It’s a fun, twisty mystery that wasn’t too complicated. I found that the murder mystery plotline almost took a backseat to some of the other things that were happening in the story (including Quinn’s estranged mother making a sudden, and unannounced, reappearance.
I enjoyed the book immensely, not just because the ice cream and milkshake descriptions constantly had me drooling and reaching for some frozen treats myself. While I highly recommend this series, I do not recommend reading this book if you don’t have any ice cream on hand!
Quote from A Sprinkle in Time
