Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third book in the delicious Ice Cream Shop Mysteries by Meri Allen. The series features retired CIA librarian Riley Rhodes, who has taken on a new career as an ice cream shop manager in Penniman, Connecticut.
Title: Fatal Fudge Swirl
Author: Meri Allen
Series: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries Book 3
First Published: June 27, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
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?
A delicious mystery to sink your teeth into
While summer is the time when most people enjoy frozen treats, Riley and her team are dishing up some spookily festive flavours for Halloween. While her staff manage the ice cream shop operations, Riley spends most of her time at the Inn on the Park, most of the time helping out as a housekeeper, and finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.
There was less focus on ice cream (unfortunately) but we still heard about some of the yummy-sounding flavours (my favourite would definitely be the Spiced Eggnog) and of course, there was Diantha’s Halloween themed-wedding cake – an ice cream creation with 3 layers (Pumpkin Spice, Chai Latte, and Fudge Swirl, with a filling of bitter chocolate ganache and caramel cookie crumbles – YUM) and the action was definitely more centred around the Inn, which was a nice change of pace.
The pacing is even – there were lots of suspects to question and follow, and the mystery was set up very nicely. If you paid attention, you would have a good chance at figuring out who the killer was as there were clues cleverly planted throughout the story, leading up to the final reveal. It was a very well though-out plot and I appreciated having my own “A-ha” moment when I figured out whodunnit.
A cast of interesting, but believable characters
Riley’s convenient placement has a member of the Inn staff allows her to snoop around and chat with the suspects fairly easily, but it never felt contrived or forced. With her background as an ex-CIA librarian, Riley has the skills to do research, background checks, and sleuth unobtrusively. I do like that she almost never takes too many risks – I always cringe when amateur sleuths in cozy mysteries do something dumb, like running after suspects into a dark cellar alone, or leaving their phone at home (who does that?) But Riley is competent, level-headed, and smart. She’s also warm and loyal, making her a great friend, and a main character that readers can cheer for.
While most of the characters we’ve met in the series take a back seat, there were lots of new ones to take their place. Diantha and her family, plus the Inn staff, were all very unique and interesting. While it may seem like a lot of characters to keep track of, they all had very distinct personalities and it was surprisingly easy to remember who was who, even only just a few chapters.
There are also some developments on storylines that have been running through the series, including Riley and Caroline’s relationships with their respective love interests that only offered the reader a glimpse of what may come in future books. While Fatal Fudge Swirl is the third in the series, you can read it as a standalone, but it’s definitely more enjoyable to read the books in order.
You can read my review of the other books in the series here:
Quote from Fatal Fudge Swirl
Fatal Fudge Swirl sounds fun. Oh yum, I would love to try some spiced eggnog ice cream!
One of the grocery stores here sells an Eggnog flavoured ice cream in December and I always stock up. I love it!