The first in new dessert cozy mystery series! A murder in town is bound to shake things up…
The Shimmy and Shake is set to serve up killer milkshakes until Trinidad finds her neighbor the Popcorn King dead—knocked upside the head and face down in the kettle corn. Sleepy Upper Sprocket turns out to be a double dip of murder and mayhem, chockful of suspects and Trinidad is caught in the middle.
Pint of No Return is a fast-paced cozy mystery that whips together the romp of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and the sweet charm Pushing Daisies from a two-time Carol Award, Holt Medallion and Reader’s Choice Award Winner.
Pint of No Return: A Dessert Cozy Mystery (Shake Shop Mystery, 1)
by Dana Mentink
I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley; however, all opinions are my own, and I was not required to give a review. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Pint of No Return
by Dana Mentink
Publisher : Poisoned Pen Press (May 25, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback : 288 pages
After her divorce from her thrice-married embezzler husband, Trinidad Jones is finally ready for a fresh start. So when she’s left one of ex’s businesses in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, she decides to pack up her dog, cash in her settlement, and open her dream business: the Shimmy and Shake Shop, introducing the world to her monster milkshakes. And even with a couple sticky situations underway, namely that the other two ex-wives also call Sprocket home, Trinidad’s life seems to be churning along smoothly.
That is, until she discovers her neighbor, the Popcorn King, head down in his giant popcorn kettle. When one of Trinidad’s fellow ex-wives is accused of the murder and Upper Sprocket descends into mayhem, it’s going to take a supersized scoop of courage to flush out the killer.
My review of Pint of No Return
Pint of No Return is an entertaining first book in the new cozy mystery series, Shake Shop Mysteries. I loved the premise of this book: woman falls in love, man turns out to be a crook with 2 other ex-wives, ex leaves wife one of his businesses, both other exes live in the same small town…..and so it goes. Trinidad Jones just happens to be that woman, and she just happens to have a dream of opening an ice cream parlor. What better opportunity than to do it now? What could possibly go wrong? Well, you know how these cozy mystery books go…a lot can and usually does go wrong!
I really enjoyed getting to know the various characters, many of which I’m sure will return in more books in the Shake Shop Mysteries. We only meet one of the exes in Pint of No Return, but since she’s good friends with the other ex, I’m sure we’ll meet her soon! I love the teens that work for Trinidad as well as several of the other characters. I won’t spoil this for you, so I can’t really say much about the other characters I loved. Trust me; you’ll adore them.
Be prepared to crave freak shakes while reading Pint of No Return. Haven’t heard of them? They’re huge, over-the-top milkshakes in glasses rimmed with sweets, topped with sweets…not just whipped cream and sprinkles….sweets like cookies, brownies, donuts, whole candy bars….you get the picture!
I thought the murder mystery in Pint of No Return was well-plotted with enough clues for us to solve the mystery, and enough red herrings for us to not solve it too quickly! I’m looking forward to more of the series, mainly for the wonderful characters it includes.
About Dana Mentink
DANA MENTINK is a national bestselling author. She has been honored to win two Carol Awards, a Holt Medallion, and a Reviewer’s Choice Award. She’s written more than thirty novels to date for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense and Harlequin Heartwarming. The Shake Shop mysteries is her debut cozy series.
Find Dana online: www.danamentink.com
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