Hot Fudge Murder is a breezy and humorous cozy mystery. It is the second book in A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery series, but it can be read alone. Everything a reader needs to know is included in Hot Fudge Murder. Kate McKay opened Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe six weeks earlier and the shop has been doing well so far (fingers crossed). Catering a high end event for Omar Devane (loves ice cream) will introduce Kate's shop to a higher end clientele and, hopefully, provide her with more catering opportunities. She did not anticipate the host being murdered during the event nor the vast number of journalists who would overtake the town. Kate is worried if the murder does not get solved quickly, her ice cream shop will go under from the lack of customers. Cynthia Baxter is a descriptive writer which provides readers with details they need to visualize the story. Kate questions various suspects and looks around Omar's home in the hopes of identifying the killer. There are a limited number of suspects which makes it simple to solve this whodunit. I did find that Hot Fudge Murder slowed down in the middle with the pace picking up towards the end along with the action. Romance is in the air as Kate has two men interested in dating her. I sincerely hope the author will quickly nip the love triangle in the bud. Kate's niece, Emma is having romance troubles of her own and we get to hear about every single detail. I would have preferred less romance and a more complex mystery. I did like the change in Grams and her idea involving the seniors from the local senior center. Hot Fudge Murder is filled with delectable and some unusual ice cream descriptions. Kate is always coming up with new flavor combinations which has caused her pants to become uncomfortably tight. I like the historical tidbits on ice cream at the beginning of each chapter. There are recipes for ice cream, sorbet and hot fudge sauce at the end. Hot Fudge Murder is a lighthearted cozy mystery that will leave readers craving a frozen sweet treat.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Kate McKay is thrilled that after only being in business a short time people are booking her to cater ice cream desserts for their parties. She can't believe she has been asked to serve sundaes at Omar DeVane's gala. The prominent fashion designer will have many celebrities at his event and she hopes they will love the sweet treats she will be serving. She has been told Mr. DeVane loves hot fudge sundae's, she hopes his guests will too.
When she arrives at the mansion with her best friend, Willow, her niece Emma, and Emma's boyfriend Ethan, they are awed by the place but set up their Lickety Split Ice Cream Shoppe station and get ready to serve the guests. Things get really sticky when the housekeeper screams and Omar Devane's body is found. Murdered by one of his guests? That has to be the answer, but who?
Sadly, the public draws the line between the murder and Kate's shop. The press has camped out in front of her shop and isn't there for the ice cream. Could this murder thaw her right out of business? Leaving her shop in Emma's care she embarks down the path to find the killer herself, making Wolfert's Roost's Detective Stoltz very unhappy.
Cindy Baxter delivers another delicious mystery for her readers to enjoy.
Our protagonist Kate McKay is one busy woman. Running her shop, developing new and unique flavors, and tracking down a murderer. Her old high-school boyfriend Jake seems to be quite jealous when Hudson Valley Adventure Tours opens across the street from Lickety Splits and its owner seems to be interested in Kate. A good old fashioned romantic triangle in the making. Kate's grandmother is getting a little restless at home and has started visiting the Senior Center and having some grand ideas. I really enjoy the way Kate and her Grams evolved from the first story and throughout this one. It is a natural progression and not forced.
The murderer has to be someone at the party which could mean a lot of suspects but the focus quickly narrows down to just a few. There were some wonderful twists but I made my decision of whodunit early on, I just needed the motivation to fall better into place. I did enjoy all the work Kate put in to investigate and had fun following along.
As in the first book in this series, Ms. Baxter's descriptive writing style drew me in. Not only the people and the places but the ice cream. Being allergic to nuts I was sad to see all the recipes with almonds but love the direction she is going with Lickety Lite. If you don't have ice cream in the freezer when you start reading this book, put the book down and go get some. You will be wanting a scoop or two before you get through the first couple of chapters.
I really enjoyed this story. I am excited about the next story with both Kate and Grams having some bright ideas.
Kate McKay is thrilled that after only being in business a short time people are booking her to cater ice cream desserts for their parties. She can't believe she has been asked to serve sundaes at Omar DeVane's gala. The prominent fashion designer will have many celebrities at his event and she hopes they will love the sweet treats she will be serving. She has been told Mr. DeVane loves hot fudge sundae's, she hopes his guests will too.
When she arrives at the mansion with her best friend, Willow, her niece Emma, and Emma's boyfriend Ethan, they are awed by the place but set up their Lickety Split Ice Cream Shoppe station and get ready to serve the guests. Things get really sticky when the housekeeper screams and Omar Devane's body is found. Murdered by one of his guests? That has to be the answer, but who?
Sadly, the public draws the line between the murder and Kate's shop. The press has camped out in front of her shop and isn't there for the ice cream. Could this murder thaw her right out of business? Leaving her shop in Emma's care she embarks down the path to find the killer herself, making Wolfert's Roost's Detective Stoltz very unhappy.
Cindy Baxter delivers another delicious mystery for her readers to enjoy.
Our protagonist Kate McKay is one busy woman. Running her shop, developing new and unique flavors, and tracking down a murderer. Her old high-school boyfriend Jake seems to be quite jealous when Hudson Valley Adventure Tours opens across the street from Lickety Splits and its owner seems to be interested in Kate. A good old fashioned romantic triangle in the making. Kate's grandmother is getting a little restless at home and has started visiting the Senior Center and having some grand ideas. I really enjoy the way Kate and her Grams evolved from the first story and throughout this one. It is a natural progression and not forced.
The murderer has to be someone at the party which could mean a lot of suspects but the focus quickly narrows down to just a few. There were some wonderful twists but I made my decision of whodunit early on, I just needed the motivation to fall better into place. I did enjoy all the work Kate put in to investigate and had fun following along.
As in the first book in this series, Ms. Baxter's descriptive writing style drew me in. Not only the people and the places but the ice cream. Being allergic to nuts I was sad to see all the recipes with almonds but love the direction she is going with Lickety Lite. If you don't have ice cream in the freezer when you start reading this book, put the book down and go get some. You will be wanting a scoop or two before you get through the first couple of chapters.
I really enjoyed this story. I am excited about the next story with both Kate and Grams having some bright ideas.
