Reviewing Dana Mentink's Pint of No Return
Pint of No Return is the first of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The first in a cozy mystery series has its challenges to establish the characters, the setting and the initial murder the amateur sleuth is involved with.
The amateur sleuth in this series is Trinidad who is starting over in Upper Sprocket, Oregon by opening up an ice cream shop. I always enjoy food based mysteries as the decadent ice cream concoctions Trinidad came up with were mouth watering; especially during a time the temperatures are rising. This also adds a bit of lightness in what would otherwise be a dark situation dealing with a murder in such a small town.
This book also included a bit of anticipated possible romance, which makes a cozy mystery that much better and a lot of unique characters that come from all walks of life. My favourite is Papa Luis, Trinidad’s Cuban grandfather who provided a necessary steadfastness to the situation. I think he’s going to be a hoot throughout the series.
However, I couldn’t relate to how Trinidad instantly became friends with Juliette, her ex-husband’s ex-wife (yes, you read it right) that she felt so compelled to prove Juliette’s innocence when she literally just met her. I felt that friendship really needed to be developed more to make it more believable.
Overall, this is a quick and entertaining read and I look forward to reading more of the series.
Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for this gifted copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Pint of No Return releases today!
Book Description
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