Book 80, 2022

[chez_jae]

The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Last night I finished the book The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen. It's the first in the author's "Ice Cream Shop" cozy mystery series. The narrative is in first-person point of view, and the main character is Riley Rhodes--CIA librarian and travel blogger.

After a mission in Italy goes awry, Riley needs a break. Nothing beats returning home, but she wishes it wasn't for the funeral of family friend Elizabeth "Buzzy" Spooner. Buzzy's adopted daughter, Caroline, is Riley's BFF, and Riley is eager to help in whatever way she can, especially if that means helping out at Buzzy's ice cream shop, Udderly Delicious. The night of Buzzy's funeral, Riley learns that Caroline and her brother, Mike, are at odds with how to go forward with Buzzy's assets. Mike is keen to sell, but Caroline wants to hold on to the family's organic farm and the ice cream shop. When Mike is found murdered the day after, Riley puts her investigative skills to work in an effort to find out who did it and why. There's no shortage of suspects, from jealous exes to those who didn't want Mike to sell, and even the players in a long-ago scandal. It's up to Riley to sort through the clues before anyone else is iced.

I was udderly enthralled with this story. Riley is someone you'd like to know. She's smart, tough, and loyal. Secondary characters were portrayed well, including the pets. Buzzy's snooty Persian, Sprinkles, was quite the diva! The plot was smooth and paced just right, with a good mix of Riley's sleuthing and her being engaged in other activities. When the hot cop was introduced, I rolled my eyes, but the author surprised me by having him be a romantic interest for Caroline, rather than Riley. Huzzah! I spent most of the book figuring I knew who dunnit, only to be surprised at the end.

Favorite line: She looked back at me as if to say, Give me some privacy. Understandable. I wouldn't want anyone watching me drink water out of a toilet bowl either.

Fun, engaging story, and I am eager to read more in the series. Five stars!

First in a series gets put to my
1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes, Riley is taking over the ice cream shop.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? She lives within walking distance...
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) There was no clear love interest for Riley.
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she adopts a cat.
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes, she did
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? No. Huzzah!
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, her mother is dead.
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? Buzzy was, but she's also deceased now.
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes, she is child-free