Book Review: Fatal Fudge Swirl | Meri Allen

It’s approaching Halloween (the best season in my opinion!) and it has been unseasonably warm in the Midwest. I’m talking it is still hitting 90 degrees when it is usually in the 60s right now. How do I find a Halloween book that suits this strange weather? I found Fatal Fudge Swirl and I couldn’t be happier that I did! Halloween, New England, ice cream, a wedding, and of course, a murder…

What is Fatal Fudge Swirl about?

A movie production brings drama―and murder―to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

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?

What did I think?

This is the third in this mini-series, but I actually jumped straight in here and loved it. Meet Riley Rhodes,, a former CIA librarian (did you know that is a job??) who has moved back to her childhood town of Penniman, Connecticut where she now manages the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. She’s trying to adjust to the woman her father married, who is a bit too pushy. The weekend before Halloween is always festive in Penniman—the team at the ice cream shop has been wearing costumes all week to serve up cold treats to the locals and the visitors in town for the filming of a romantic comedy on the town green.

Meanwhile the mother of the film producer, a socialite named Diantha, is hosting a lavish Halloween-themed wedding and Riley is making the spooky ice cream wedding cake. Meanwhile her best friend’s cat is starring in the film. There is so much drama (and not just on the film set) swirling around Penniman. When the bride Diantha is found dead at the inn on her wedding day, there are more than enough suspects to go around. The gold-digging fiancé who runs the inn’s kitchen, the caterer and chef who is the ex of the groom, the caterer’s assistant seems to have a skeleton or two, and the sons of the bride couldn’t be less concerned about their mother’s death. That is only the beginning of the suspect list and motives are aplenty. Diantha didn’t exactly make many friends with her behavior.

But when Mary Ann (the chef and caterer of the wedding) becomes a suspect, Riley steps in to help. Mary Ann certainly has a motive, but Riley is certain she’s innocent. The mystery kept me engaged, and I found this to be well-paced. There were a lot of characters with little mini plots and backstories that took time to get straight. There’s a bit of an historical mystery that ties in to the broader book that was fun. Riley is a likable character—she’s not ridiculous and quirky like many cozy mystery heroines, which I found refreshing. The mystery also stayed at the center of the plot, rather than the basic town happenings. I prefer a lot of mystery in my cozy mysteries, so this delivered!

If you like food-themed cozy mysteries, seasonal cozy mysteries, or are looking for a Halloween cozy mystery, this is your next read! Find it on Goodreads.

About the Author

Meri Allen is the author of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series and the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series (under the name Shari Randall).