Review: Rocky Road to Murder

ROCKY ROAD TO MURDER by Lena Gregory

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Danika Delaney is thrilled that her old fashioned malt shop, the Coffee & Cream Café, has gotten a catering contract for the biggest party of the season, the Rutherford Manor Fourth of July gala. She’ll be providing desserts for the party as well as attending the exclusive event on Eastern Long Island. However her path to the gala quickly becomes a rocky road… Dani arrives at the event, only to find the gala’s hostess, Cressida Rutherford, dead! What’s worse, one of Dani’s signature parfaits sits next to the dead woman, with what looks like peanuts in it—a food Cressida is severely allergic to. Amid the melted ice cream mess, Dani initially blames herself, thinking she made a mistake while rushing with the desserts. However she quickly learns that what appeared to be an accident was actually foul play, and suddenly Dani has to spring into action proving that she isn’t the perpetrator. Along with her friends, Dani uncovers a string of people in Cressida’s life who might have wanted the socialite dead. Can she prove her innocence and make sure the killer gets their just desserts?

THOUGHTS: This is the sixth book in the “Coffee and Cream” series of cozy mysteries. They take place in a small town on Long Island. Dani (Danika Delaney) runs a small ice cream parlor that once belonged to her Uncle Jimmy (who still works there a lot). Dani, along with her best friends Gwen and Eli, have helped solve several murders in their small town, and now they’re working to do so again—this time because Dani is being accused. When her boyfriend/cop Jake takes her out of the café in handcuffs, the town gossip tongues really start wagging – and her family takes offense. You do not rile the Delaney family! In this one, an heiress, Cressida, has been killed at her own party. In digging into the people who might have done the deed, a lot of dirt is dug up on family and friends. Dani, Gwen, and Eli sift through it all, giving what clues they come up with to the police and, eventually, solving the case. But not without danger to themselves.

I love Dani and her family and friends. Dani may make incredible desserts, but she is incredibly inept when it comes to coordination—especially when trying to do yoga on a boogie board in the middle of the bay. I love how her entire family rallies around her and how Uncle Jimmie defends her against the gossips. There were a few nits in the story that confused me, but overall, this was a fun, decent cozy with a satisfying ending. I look forward to more stories about Dani and crew.

Recommended.