Pralines & Creamed by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo Book Review

About the Book:

It’s the spooky season in Pinewood, Arizona, and when Genevieve Winterland isn’t creating killer new recipes for Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, she’s helping BFF Brandon Summers prep for the most lit party of the year. Brandon’s parents own Hidden Treasures Bookstore, where famed horror writer Jack Kelley is launching his latest novel on Halloween night.

Brandon’s dad isn’t thrilled that the arrogant Kelley, who was once sweet on Mrs. Summers, has chosen their store for his big event. Still, there’s no denying the author draws a huge crowd… which makes it hard to narrow down a suspect list when Kelley drops dead onstage—the victim of a shocking murder straight out of his own book.

My Review:

This is another fun mystery for teens featuring amateur sleuth and ice cream expert extraordinaire, Genevieve. With the help of her sidekick, Brandon, they solve another murder in their small town. But I can't forget Butterscotch, a dog who is smart and excellent at stopping murderers from escaping. The ice cream delights Genevieve creates are so yummy no one should read this book while hungry. I don't know how Genevieve and Brandon maintain their weight, eating the delicious treats. Maybe it is all of Genevieve's jumping to conclusions and putting herself in the middle of police investigations. 

Genevieve has an unusual relationship with her mostly absent mother. Some inroads are made in this novel toward a more consistent relationship between the two but it remains an odd relationship I don't really understand. I did like the information about reading and reviewing books. Potential book reviewers would get some hints here.

This is a good novel for high school readers who like an entertaining mystery. It happens around Halloween so would be fun to read around that time.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the first book in this series, Murder By Milkshake.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the award-winning author of The Fourth Wall (Wido Publishing, 2014), The House on Linden Way, What Was Never There, and the Sweet Dreams series. Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Fractured Lit, Reservoir Road, Hunger Mountain, Literary Mama, Hospital Drive, The Portland Review, Motherwell, and a few other places.

Elizabeth's work has been 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.

Independently published, 232 pages.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through WOW Women on Writing. My comments are an independent and honest review.