I totally didn't need to begin yet another cozy mystery but I couldn't resist this when I ran across it. The sluether is the owner of an ice cream shop and the cover was neat. Happily, so was the story. Bronwyn Crewse has an already busy and challenging day on the re-launch of the ice cream shop that's been in her family for years.
It's winter and her renovations aren't quite complete. On the upside, she is now in possession of her grandmother's handwritten recipes (thanks Granddad) and is in the process of procuring some newly fallen snow to make one of them when she trips over a dead body. It's not the best day and given the snowstorm, opening day is a complete bust. Before too long, Bronwyn is reluctantly pulled into solving the murder along with the help of her grandfather and best friend.
I liked the way the mystery unfolded and did not find the culprit to be obvious. I loved the relationships Bronwyn had with her family most especially her grandfather. He was quite the character. I also liked that Bronwyn came across as a small business owner. So often in cozies, the amateur sleuth is either giving away all their wares or don't even attend to their business as though rent won't be due and profit isn't necessary. The business here never felt like an afterthought so that won points with me. The resolution was well done and I loved that so much hinged on an uninformed and mistaken hotel clerk. It was hilarious. Honorable mention goes to Felice the cat who lives above the shop. That's her on the cover and she had all the aloof regal sassiness one would expect.
Also to the good, there were recipes in the back of this book. I don't foresee myself actually making ice cream but they were nice to read. The Snow Ice Cream sounds very interesting and I'd never heard of such a thing before.
Looking forward to the next installment. Recommended.
I liked the way the mystery unfolded and did not find the culprit to be obvious. I loved the relationships Bronwyn had with her family most especially her grandfather. He was quite the character. I also liked that Bronwyn came across as a small business owner. So often in cozies, the amateur sleuth is either giving away all their wares or don't even attend to their business as though rent won't be due and profit isn't necessary. The business here never felt like an afterthought so that won points with me. The resolution was well done and I loved that so much hinged on an uninformed and mistaken hotel clerk. It was hilarious. Honorable mention goes to Felice the cat who lives above the shop. That's her on the cover and she had all the aloof regal sassiness one would expect.
Also to the good, there were recipes in the back of this book. I don't foresee myself actually making ice cream but they were nice to read. The Snow Ice Cream sounds very interesting and I'd never heard of such a thing before.
Looking forward to the next installment. Recommended.
Summary: Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family's ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she's going back to basics. Wyn is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.
To make matters worse, that evening, Wyn finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Wyn’s father is implicated in his death. It's not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Wyn is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she'll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown . . .
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