A GAME OF CONES

4 stars out of 5

For the most part, cozy mysteries get notice by me only every once in a while as a respite from the tension brought on by the mind-twisting, gruesome mystery/thrillers that comprise my usual (and preferred) fare. I simply have no stomach for the typical whining, paranoid heroines who don't listen to reason, get themselves in trouble and - miraculously - manage to solve the crime du jour (just once, I'd like to find a male in that role; can't help wondering if he'd be made out to be as brainless and exasperating as most of the females are).

I needed such a respite a year ago when I read the first book in this series
, A Deadly Inside Scoop. What piqued my interest? Well, I'm a big ice cream fan; a chain that started in 1945 right in my backyard of Youngstown, Ohio - Handel's Ice Cream  - is a special favorite that gets plenty of my business and has amassed fans all over the country. But the big reason I was curious is that it's set in Chagrin Falls, Ohio - about 50 miles from my backyard not too far from Cleveland that I've visited many times.

The story this time out is similar to the first book, and I must note that plenty of space is allocated to "remembering" events from that one so new readers shouldn't feel lost. Bronwyn Crewse has returned to her Ohio roots from a too-hectic job in too-hectic New York City to renovate, and run, her family's ice cream shop in the picturesque city known for - surprise - its waterfalls. All of the cohorts from Book One are back, and in this case, more's the pity; her friend and employee, Maisie, was downright obnoxious in the first book. Despite my hopes that she'd drop by the wayside, she's back - and this time manages to drag the rest of the bunch down to her level before it's all over.

Bronwyn's family is close, though - from her elderly grandfather to her parents - and it really is a treat to watch their unique personalities interact. New to this one is Aunt Jacqueline, who left town to pursue other interests but has returned with, apparently, a big interest in taking over the ice cream shop and undoing much of Bronwyn's hard work. Needless to say, that causes more than a little headache for Bronwyn, who's sunk a ton of money into turning the shop into a very successful venture and is on the cusp of expanding.

But early on, Bronwyn's concerns turn to a different problem; an "outside" company appears to be buying up land in the close-knit, quaint downtown with the intent of building a (gasp!) shopping mall. Quite a few of the townspeople are upset, to put it mildly, and a public meeting with the developer's representative ends in a shouting match. The representative's personal end, though, comes shortly thereafter; his body is found in a downtown alley - and the primary suspect is one of Bronwyn's best friends who's visiting from New York.

After her experience trying to solve a murder in the first book, Bronwyn is reluctant to get involved in another one. Enter the ever-persistent Maisie, who probably wouldn't be able to sit down and shut up if she were tied to a chair and gagged (please, God, make it happen). She soon convinces Bronwyn and their other close friends and relatives that they and only they can get to the bottom of things (leave it to the police? Fuhgettaboutit). The rest of the book focuses on their plans, some of which don't go much beyond the talking stage, and still others lead up to a conclusion that adds another notch in the belts of the Crewse crew. 

Beyond the ending comes a special treat I expect will continue: recipes for three of the unique homemade flavors of ice cream mentioned within the pages. All told, another mystery that I'm sure will please cozy readers (especially those from the Buckeye State). Thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

A Game of Cones by Abby Collette (Berkley, March 2021); 352 pp.

A DEADLY INSIDE SCOOP

4 stars out of 5

My taste in mystery/thrillers rarely encompasses

the "cozy" kind - mostly because the "heroine" typically is a woman who has no common sense and charges ahead to put her own life, and sometimes the lives of others, at risk simply because she won't listen to anyone else. This one spoke to me, though, because it's set in Chagrin Falls, Ohio - almost, but not quite, in my own back yard - I've been there many times.

And then I found out the heroine - in this case, ice cream shop owner Bronwyn Crewse - doesn't fit that typical cozy mold, which kept me interested (well, that and an intriguing story that begins when Bronwyn ("Win" for short) bumps into a friendly stranger who claims to have found a lost puppy and is looking for its owner. Not long thereafter, she finds the guy again next to the town's waterfall - where she'd gone to collect newly fallen snow to make ice cream - only this time he's very dead.

She also learns that the stranger not only isn't friendly, but he's a familiar, if unwelcome, person in town. In fact, he's a con man who pulled some shady deals last time he made an appearance; quite a few folks, including Win's physician father, aren't particularly unhappy that he's dead. But when the police get wind of who the guy was and what he'd done, they zero in on her father. Understandably, Win pledges to gather evidence that will clear his heretofore stellar name.

Woven throughout the rest of the book, besides her attempts at amateur investigation, are her efforts to make the just-renovated long-time family ice cream store a success (even in the middle of winter in Ohio) that include a big catering job for the local college. Alas, in the middle of all this entertaining drama is this: Remember how happy I was that Win didn't exhibit that bull-in-the-china-shop attitude common to most cozy heroines? Well, the same can't be said about her friend and part-time employee, Maisie, who is absolutely insufferable - honestly, she's one of the most annoying characters I've run into in a long, long time. I hope she finds a job in New York or California before the next book in this series is released.

Otherwise, though, this is a very enjoyable - delightful, even - book and I look forward to the next one, especially if the author adds some of those yummy-sounding ice cream recipes at the end as she did here. Meantime, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it. 

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (Berkley, May 2020); 384 pp.