WOW! Women on Writing Presents
Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo
Check out an author interview at The Muffin!
Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland. Her father owns Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, the cutest confectionery shop in their little town of Pinewood, Arizona. Genevieve loves her job, but when her father hires a broody newcomer with a dark past to provide extra security on her closing shifts, Genevieve bristles. Is this part of her father’s plan to send her away to college, when all she wants is to stay in Pinewood and run the family business?
Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite new teacher at Pinewood High, Miss Love, is receiving death threats, and then she goes missing. Genevieve suspects the crabby substitute, Ms. Pierce, who seems murderous about being passed over for the position. Or is the culprit Mr. Garcia, the longtime instructor who Miss Love replaced after he was fired for assaulting a student? Just when Genevieve thinks she knows the answer, she stumbles across the dead body of another missing faculty member.
Can Genevieve find the killer terrorizing the teachers in her beloved hometown—before someone else gets iced?
5 out of 5 fairies
This was a fun, cozy read, with an interesting mystery. This would be perfect for any readers who also enjoy books like Nancy Drew, whether they’re young adults or, like myself, a bit older. The biggest disappointment is not being able to actually step through the pages and try the ice cream yourself! Naranjo has done such an excellent job of bringing the town and characters to life, that it feels like you could go visit and pop in for a sweet treat. There’s not a lot of twists, but just enough to keep things interesting, and it moves along at a good pace. Overall, it’s a great read to hold onto that last little bit of summery feel as the days turn cooler.
Murder by Milkshake is available in print and as an e-book at Amazon
You can add it to your Goodreads reading list as well
Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall, The House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story, “Windows,” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.
Elizabeth can be found online:
https://www.elizabethmarianaranjo.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8124819.Elizabeth_Maria_Naranjo
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