Synopsis

Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland. Her father owns Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, the cutest confectionery shop in their little town of Pinewood, Arizona. Genevieve loves her job, but when her father hires a broody newcomer with a dark past to provide extra security on her closing shifts, Genevieve bristles. Is this part of her father’s plan to send her away to college when all she wants is to stay in Pinewood and run the family business?

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite new teacher at Pinewood High, Miss Love, is receiving death threats, and then she goes missing. Genevieve suspects the crabby substitute, Ms. Pierce, who seems murderous about being passed over for the position. Or is the culprit Mr. Garcia, the longtime instructor who Miss Love replaced after he was fired for assaulting a student? Just when Genevieve thinks she knows the answer, she stumbles across the dead body of another missing faculty member.

Can Genevieve find the killer terrorizing the teachers in her beloved hometown—before someone else gets iced?

Amazon

Read for Free via Kindle Unlimited

Review

This was a different spin on a cozy for me since I rarely read mysteries with a teenager as the protagonist, or at least I haven’t in quite some time! That said, I really liked Genevieve’s character. She was intelligent, creative, and not afraid to stick her nose into the crime and solve the mystery. Of course, like any protagonist, she does find herself in a few sticky situations. Luckily, she comes out unscathed in the end.

I love dogs, so adding a stray, that Genevieve names Butterscotch, is a delightful addition to the story. She is one smart pup!

I enjoyed the friendship between Genevieve and Brandon. They are opposites, but it works for them. Kind of like a Mutt and Jeff friendship.

There are several mysteries to solve, and the ending answer was a little bit of a surprise to me. I didn’t catch some potential clues that might have pointed me in the right direction. But I enjoyed the journey until the end.

This was a fun read, and I only wish there were ice cream recipes at the end to try myself. I think I gained 10 lbs just reading this book!

We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall, The House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story “Windows” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

Website * X