Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book:

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?

Murder by Milkshake is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon.

My Review:

I liked this cozy mystery for young readers. The heroine, Genevieve, is a capable high school student. There is a scary teacher, a murder, and a good bit of suspense near the end. There is a good friend to Genevieve in Brandon. He is quite unlike her but they are the best of friends. He helps her but also gives some reality to her enthusiasm. There is a twist when the villain is revealed, something I did not see coming at all.

Naranjo's writing style is good. The plot moves along at a consistent pace. There is an interesting issue explored in the novel as Genevieve really wants to stay working at the ice cream shop rather than go away to university as her father wants. She also sort of breaks the law but gets away with it. These are two issues that could be discussed with adults after reading the novel.

I found this to be an entertaining mystery for high school age readers.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

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.

Independently published, 232 pages.

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

(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.)