Trinidad Jones is just trying to start over. When her ex-husband Gabe was sent to prison for embezzlement and fraud, she found out that he’d deeded his small hot dog shop to Trinidad. Her plan to turn it into an ice cream shop specializing in monster milkshakes has the residents of Sprocket, Oregon buzzing about it already.
At least, Trinidad hopes that’s why they’re buzzing. She was Gabe’s second ex-wife. She had divorced him when she found out he was cheating on her with Juliette. Juliette had then ended up marrying him and quickly divorcing him. But one neither one knew about his first wife, Bonnie, until his trial.
And now all three ex-wives are living in Sprocket.
Trinidad tried to keep her head down, keep to herself, and focus on opening her Shimmy and Shake Shop. Just spend her energy creating delicacies like the Fourth of July Freakshake, a giant milkshake made with handmade ice cream, syrup, marshmallows, and a star-shaped brownie on top. But when she had to get something out of her storage unit, Trinidad came face to face with the owner, Juliette.
Because it’s a small town, and because both women had shared some of the same unfortunate experiences in their marriages (and divorces), Juliette suggests that they become friends. Trinidad agrees, since it would make things easier on everyone and because she hadn’t made any local friends yet, except for Noodles, her recently adopted Labrador who flunked out of service animal training but not before learning several great tricks.
But then Trinidad finds her shake shop neighbor, Kevin Heartly, owner of Popcorn Palace, murdered. And the girlfriend he’d been cheating on is the prime suspect. That girlfriend? None other than Juliette.
Trinidad doesn’t believe that Juliette killed anyone, but she knows from her days as a court stenographer that proving it is another story. Although she’s busy getting ready for opening day at Shimmy and Shake, Trinidad is determined to find out who really killed Kevin. And in order to do that, she’ll have to get to know some of the locals and figure out who can be trusted . . . and who is a murderer.
Pint of No Return is the first in a new series that features Trinidad and a host of fun characters in Oregon. With mouth-watering descriptions of her ice cream concoctions and plenty of small town drama, author Dana Mentick brings Sprocket to life (and to murder) in sharp detail. This is her first mystery series, but this first book shows a lot of promise, and I can’t wait to go back to Sprocket again soon.
I really enjoyed Pint of No Return, but I do have to be honest about one thing. Trinidad is a fun character, but she gets completely upstaged by her dog. Noodles steals the show, from bringing her salad dressing when she’s feeling down to chasing after the loose chickens. He may be the emotional support I need these days, which is surprising, because I thought that would come from her milkshakes.
Egalleys for Pint of No Return were provided by Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.
