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The Rocky Road to Ruin: An Ice Cream Shop Mystery (Ice Cream Shop Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Meri Allen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 264 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries

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Justice will be swirled by amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes in the first in Meri Allen's brand-new mystery series, The Rocky Road to Ruin!

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?

Book 1 of 3

Ice Cream Shop Mysteries
Print length

330 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication date

July 27, 2021
File size

6609 KB
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Enhanced typesetting

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A deliciously entertaining new series." --Dru's Book Musings

"Delightfully framed by the details of making ice cream and running an ice-cream shop, this cozy mystery series-starter is populated with well-drawn characters living in a vividly described New England town." --Booklist

About the Author

MERI ALLEN is the author of the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, which begin with The Rocky Road to Ruin. Shelives in a quiet corner of Connecticut, where she haunts libraries, used book stores, and vintage shops.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08FZ8M8X3
Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Paperbacks (July 27, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 27, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6609 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #581,752 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,296 in Cozy Culinary Mystery
- #3,508 in Cozy Culinary Mysteries
- #6,113 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 264 ratings

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Meri Allen

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Books? Travel? Ice Cream? Yes, please! Former librarian Meri Allen loves exploring the back roads - and ice cream shops - of her native New England. She also writes the award-winning Lobster Shack Mystery series as Shari Randall. Check out her travels, recipes, book giveaways and fun in her quarterly newsletter, The Scoop. Sign up on https://www.meriallenbooks.com. Happy reading!

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

264 global ratings

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Miss.Read.Alot

Intelligent, engaging cozy mystery

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2023

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4.5 stars
I fell into this series because I received an arc for the third book coming out next month, and given my nature, I had to go back and start at book one…and I’m SO GLAD I did!

The Rocky Road to Ruin is the first book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series by Meri Allen. This cozy mystery was a pleasure to read and so utterly engaging. It’s a complex, clever mystery and the heroine is sharp, intuitive, generous and kind. She is also an incredible friend and I was inspired by the friendship between Caroline and Riley, our main protagonist.

Riley Rhodes is a travel blogger and CIA librarian who occasionally works in the field. After an embarrassing misstep in her last assignment, she has decided to head home to spend time with her best friend, Caroline, as she grieves her mother’s death. There is some contention and pressure over the estate, and as tempers begin to flare and emotions fly, a murder occurs. What seems straight-forward, is anything but.

The mystery is intelligent, intriguing, and believable, and the atmosphere is tangibly descriptive. The ice cream shop business is interesting. The characters are a quirky, endearing crew, and their backstories and connections to one another are compelling.

This isn’t a “silly” or fluffy cozy mystery, but rather an astute, gripping, well-written, soft-mystery with a charming group of characters set amidst a lovely east coast town. I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.

One person found this helpful

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RoloPoloBookBlog

Book #1: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2021

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Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen
Book #1: Ice Cream Shop Mysteries
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4/5 stars

The Bottom Line: I needed a new type of cozy in my life and until this book, I didn’t have a single ice cream shop in the mix of cozies I read. Now I do and I won’t be giving up on this new series anytime soon. Though I had a bit of a hard time buying into Riley’s job background, I found the rest of the read to be rather delightful. Riley and her best-friend, Caroline find themselves in quite a mess when folks keep turning up dead, the financial situation related to the family farm is in question, and the ability to keep the family-owned and operated ice cream shop open is sketchy, at best.

Given her somewhat hard to buy into background, Riley is the perfect person to poke around into all the various piles of crap that seem to keep cropping up. Her inquiries lead her down some long-forgotten roads that will tie up not only the current murders but expose some truths long-buried and largely forgotten. In addition to the sleuthing, Riley has agreed to take over the running of the ice cream shop and this is where I found myself most excited about the read, all the ice cream. From the book of spells (recipe book!) to the wonderfully unique flavors and descriptions, I really felt a part of the environment and the crowd eager to get their hands on a scoop of their favorite flavor.

Between the beautifully described setting (town, farm, community), the ice cream shop, and the characters, I think this cozy series is going to quickly make its way to the top of my favorites list. Riley and Caroline have a tough road ahead of them, but they are two strong and determined ladies with a great community around them eager to see them succeed. Onward and upward!

5 people found this helpful

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Brian M. Steffen

So Good!

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024

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Great book, it kept me guessing until the last page! The small town setting and ice cream shop were so fun! I loved that it was a clean book free from language and innuendo! I will definitely be reading other books in the series!

One person found this helpful

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Donna R. W.

Great Read!

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

Ice Cream Shop Mysteries Book 1 was a delightful read. The characters were interesting, the setting--perfect, and the plot intriguing. I loved the read!

One person found this helpful

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D. M. Carlson

First in the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries!

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a very good start to this series. The characters, particularly Riley, are enjoyable. Riley has a unique background as a librarian for the CIA, a sometimes field operative and a travel and food blogger. The murder mystery was well crafted. Tying events in the past to the current murder was interesting and created a unique twist in the storyline. The one downside to the story was the number of characters. There were so many people introduced that played relatively minor roles in the storyline, which caused confusion at times. I really enjoyed this series debut and am looking forward to reading the next installment!

One person found this helpful

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Nancy

Close, but not quite there

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2021

After the first chapter, I was ready to put it down and say, Thank you, Next. I have never understood when an author has three hundred pages a need to introduce the vast majority of the characters at once. Let the wine breathe let each personality note come into its own at the right time. There is no urgency to rush and bewilder your audience.

As the story unfolds, there are parts of Riley Rhodes's past which did not add to the overall storyline. A background seemingly placed for intrigue rather than purpose. Then as Meri Allen gets the story rolling, she will suddenly take a left turn with unnecessary filler. The reader will find the usual set of friends, family, and pets, but most disappointing is a couple of undeveloped but appealing characters, which seem to have been forgotten at the end.

Hopefully, with her next book, she will expand in a few places, tone down the repetition, and add a humorous quirkiness to the town of Penniman, Connecticut.

One person found this helpful

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DONNA T. MCKENZIE

Ice cream shop mystery

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

Love the small town setting in a small New England town. Where it is set in an ice cream shop. There is a murder and a couple of accidents. A mystery from the past as well. Riley investigates with several suspects emerge. The ending is very well handled.

One person found this helpful

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Higgins Crew Master

perfect

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023

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This is a perfect cozy mystery! With small town charm, relatable characters and family bonds! I devoured it.

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Top reviews from other countries

jacqueline corbet

do not trustveryone

Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

enjoyed the ice cream making the ch aracters are intriquing and the story keeps readers on their toes murder is nasty business and riley should not be involved has a heart of gold for her friends

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The Rocky Road to Ruin: An Ice Cream Shop Mystery (Ice Cream Shop Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

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