Riley Rhodes, formerly a CIA librarian, has settled in Penniman, CT and is running the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream shop…and she has scored a summer coup. Former supermodel Maud Monaco now owns Penniman’s Moy Mull castle, built by a Gilded Age millionaire. It’s an authentic Scottish castle, but Maud has transformed and repurposed it into an arts colony and is hosting a Fall Arts Festival. Udderly has been tapped to provide the unique treats for an ice cream social. Riley is looking forward to the festivities and the publicity for Udderly.

Things are going great until Adam Blasco, who has a featured exhibition at the festival and a complicated history with Maud, turns up dead. Blasco has made many enemies along his path to fame and there are plenty of suspects to choose from.

Riley gets involved and finds herself in real danger when she comes face to face with the killer, who has no qualms about killing again.

Author Meri Allen has created an interesting cast of characters, a mystery with plenty of twist, turns and suspects enough to keep you turning the pages to see if you’ve figured out whodunit. And there’s even a no-churn ice cream recipe to tempt your taste buds. Although, given the book is set in the fall and Riley spends a lot of time making pumpkin spice ice cream, maybe the title should’ve been Pumpkin Spice Murder!

4 stars