Review: The Rocky Road to Ruin

Title: The Rocky Road to Ruin

Series: Ice Cream Shop Mystery #1

Author: Meri Allen

Release Date: July 27, 2021

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Find it here: Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads: Riley Rhodes, travel food blogger and librarian at the CIA, makes a bittersweet return to her childhood home of Penniman, Connecticut - land of dairy farms and covered bridges - for a funeral. Despite the circumstances, Riley's trip home is sprinkled with reunions with old friends, visits to her father's cozy bookshop on the town green, and joyful hours behind the counter at the beloved Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. It feels like a time to help her friend Caroline rebuild after her mother's death, and for Riley to do a bit of her own reflecting after a botched undercover mission in Italy. After all, it's always good to be home.

But Caroline and her brother Mike have to decide what to do with the assets they've inherited - the ice cream shop as well as the farm they grew up on - and they've never seen eye to eye. Trouble begins to swirl as Riley is spooked by reports of a stranger camping behind the farm and by the odd behavior of the shop's mascot, Caroline's snooty Persian, Sprinkles. When Mike turns up dead in the barn the morning after the funeral, the peace and quiet of Penniman seems upended for good. Can Riley find the killer before another body gets scooped?

My Review: This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series. The small town Connecticut setting was great and I loved the Ice Cream shop and all of the creations mentioned in the book. I really liked the main characters and thought they worked well together. The writing was great and I really enjoyed the mystery. I look forward to book two.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All opinions are my own.*