Mystery
It all started with a runaway dog. Meet Serena Lavinia: part-time ice cream truck driver, part-time reporter, and full-time woman of mystery. She never expected to find a cute little terrier while on her morning ice cream route on the island of Lantern Beach. Nor did she expect the dog to be carrying a bloody shoe. When a dead body is discovered floating in a nearby pool, Serena becomes fully immersed in her very own who-done-it. But her investigation hits a snag when a new foe arrives in town. Webster Newsome has been appointed the town’s new newspaper editor—a job Serena wanted—and the man is entirely too bossy. ASIN: B087CC6JF6 | When ice cream lady Serena Lavinia’s best customer doesn’t show up to buy his daily treats, she has no choice but to find out if he’s okay. She didn’t expect to find him lying dead amid the wrappers of her wares. As an investigation begins and all the evidence points to Serena, she has no choice but to clear her name. With the help of her trusty dog Scoops and her new frenemy Webster Newsome, she’s determined to find the bad guy before her life gets the ultimate shake up and she spends the rest of her days behind bars . . . and not of the frozen indulgence variety. ASIN: B088Q2S5WY | Something deadly is bursting in air . . . An explosion rattles Serena Lavinia from her morning ice cream route. When she catches a friend abruptly leaving Lantern Beach, her suspicions rise. Could there be any connection between his departure and the pipe bomb? As Serena races to find answers, she’s caught in a quandary far bigger than chocolate or vanilla. She must decide which is more important—exposing the truth or maintaining her loyalty. With the island’s Fourth of July celebration looming, Serena and her trusty dog Scoops must find answers before more danger lights up the night. ASIN: B089Y1YLT9 | Strawberry sauce. That’s what Serena Lavinia tells herself when something red is found splattered on the front of her ice cream truck. As much as Serena wants to believe the liquid is from one of the banana splits served at a local children’s festival, she can’t. When the Lantern Beach police confirm that the substance is blood, Serena’s good vibes melt like ice cream on a hot day. To make matters worse, both her ice cream truck and her dog seem determined to drag Serena into the heart of the murder mystery. With tourist season in full swing, there’s no shortage of personalities who might be guilty. Can Serena find answers? Or will the guilty party split before justice is served? ASIN: B08DN7QLL9 |
Deadman's Float: What an adorable introduction to this fun ice cream themed cozy mystery series from one of my favorite authors! Deadman's Float is a novella so I read it pretty quickly. I enjoyed the fact that the crime in the book was not the same ol', same ol', and I had fun trying to figure out who was behind it all while getting acquainted with Serena and Co. Milkshake Up: Oh boy! In this fun novella Serena is is the main suspect! Can she, and readers, find the the killer before it's too late? But that's the fun of reading this book! Oh, that, and Serena's crazy costumes every day. I am also really loving the ice cream theme, this one is Milkshake Up, in these stories. Of course, that might be because I'm reading them when it's in the 90s outside... Bomb Pop Threat: Serena only has one day to solve the case or this Bomb Pop Threat will go kaboom and a friend will go to jail for a crime they didn't commit. But who-done-it? I think this was the one that kept me guessing the most and and that my guesses were the the farthest off. Sure, I considered the person for about 5 seconds but let the author skillfully sidetrack me... | These Books received a 4 Bark rating. |
Overall: Crime a La Mode is an adorable cozy mystery series from Christy Barrritt. The novellas are all short and very quick reads, easy to finish if you only have a spare hour or two. I read the series, at least the 4 books currently out, back to back and it was so much fun. I will admit it here and now, my favorite characters weren't 'people' but they sure were real characters. The two being Scoops the dog and Elsa the ice cream truck. Those two had me laughing all the way through. If you are a fan of Christy Barritt or cozy mysteries Crime a La Mode is a cute series you shouldn't miss!
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Crime a La Mode by Christy Barritt a 4 Bark rating.