Publisher Description
It’s autumn in the Hudson Valley, and Kate McKay has some tricks up her sleeve for a deliciously spooky season at her Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe. But with a cold-blooded murderer thrown into the mix, the scares are about to become a little too real . . .
Kate receives the shock of a lifetime when she’s blindsided by an offer she can’t refuse. An assistant movie director desperately wants to shoot a key scene at Lickety Splits and she’s willing to pay big bucks to sweeten the last-minute deal. All Kate has to do is tolerate a bustling film crew for a few hours and provide one important prop—a scoop of handmade ice cream . . .
But when up-and-coming actress Savannah Crane drops dead after spooning down some chocolate almond fudge, Kate’s first taste of Hollywood might be her last. Determined to clear her name, Kate finds herself churning through a long list of unsavory characters to catch the real killer lurking around town. As she uncovers the truth about the jealous rivals and obsessive stalkers who haunted Savannah’s life, Kate soon realizes that tangling with the late starlet’s “fans” could make this her most terrifying fall yet . . .
Includes mouthwatering ice cream recipes from the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Baxter's sprightly third Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe mystery (after 2019's Hot Fudge Murder), Kate McKay, the owner of the Wolfert's Roost, N.Y., ice cream emporium, is in the throes of decorating for the upcoming Halloween festivities when Chelsea Atkins, the assistant director of a movie being filmed in the Hudson Valley town, strides through the front door. She asks to use the shop as a location for a key scene featuring starlet Savannah Crane. The jaw-droppingly high fee for the one-day shoot prompts Kate to accept the offer. Besides the location, Kate also provides a bowl, spoon, and a big scoop of chocolate almond fudge, which Savannah eats during the scene. After polishing off the last of the ice cream, Savannah drops dead, and Kate becomes a suspect in her poisoning. Even while investigating plausible motives and potential suspects, Kate finds time to think up tantalizing ice cream flavors and enjoy the company of family and friends. This cozy has everything genre fans could want: an intelligent and plucky protagonist, a soundly plotted mystery, and solid character development.
