More About Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery
Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland when Murder by Milkshake begins. 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 a part of his 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.
More About Elizabeth Maria Naranjo
Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall and The House on Linden Way. Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Fractured Lit, Hunger Mountain, Hospital Drive, The Portland Review, Reservoir Road, Literary Mama, and several other places.
Elizabeth’s work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essay, and Best of the Net. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.
Thoughts About Murder by Milkshake
Have you ever had an ice cream flavor that combines sweet and savory? Bacon ice cream with chocolate chips comes to mind. Initially, you think "No, these just won't work together." But somehow they do. This is Murder by Milkshake.
For a teenager, Genevieve Winterland is generally happy and, well...sweet. She spends her days surrounded by ice cream and ice cream lovers (she works in the family ice cream shop). She loves her job, she has a great (but a little sloth-like) best friend, family who love her. Then author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo throws in a little savory. Teachers disappearing, mysterious teenage boys, a wrench in Genevieve's future plans. Instead of being overpowered by these savory events, sweet Genevieve is determined to face them all. Genevieve and murder go together like bacon and chocolate!
I think this is a fun read for young teens. It gives them a taste of adult mystery (there is a bit of violence but it isn't gory - it leans toward the cozy mystery side) while still retaining the mishaps and fun of a teenage main character. At just 169 pages this is a fast read, especially since it takes place over just a few weeks. There are so many new developments you can't stop reading "just one more page". The supporting characters are quirky and I can't wait to learn even more about them in future books.
A Little Extra
Did you know that Murder by Milkshake started as a serial on Kindle Vella? It was a huge success so the author decided to release it as a paperback. Learn more about the transformation HERE.
Today, Elizabeth released the second book in the Sweet Dreams series: Pralines and Creamed. Watch out for more sweet and savory: Halloween and parties and horror authors and past love. And of course, a sprinkle of murder. And my review on November 26!
Follow Along the WOW Blog Tour
September 9th @ The Muffin
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s Murder by Milkshake. You can read an interview with Elizabeth and enter to win a copy of the book.
September 9th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Leslie Storey reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at StoreyBook Reviews will be dying to learn more about this cozy mystery!
September 10th @ Goodreads with Karen Brown Tyson
Stop by Goodreads and find out what Karen Brown Tyson thinks of the latest cozy mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Murder by Milkshake will leave readers wanting more stories by this talented author!
September 10th @ Rockin Book Reviews
Lu Ann at Rocking Book Reviews shares her thoughts with readers about Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s Murder by Milkshake - this is a fabulous cozy mystery readers won’t want to miss!
September 11th @ Book Woman Joan
Joan Nienhuis - known at Book Woman Joan reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!
September 11th @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf
Veronica Joy reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at the Burgeoning Bookshelf won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!
September 12th @ Life According to Jamie
See what Jamie has to say as she reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!
September 12th @ Writer Advice
Fellow WOW! Author, B. Lynn Goodwin reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Fellow authors leave some of the most helpful reviews - see how many stars Goodwin gives Naranjo!
September 12th @ Just Katherine
Katherine reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Just Katherine won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery so they can add it to their own TBR pile today!
September 13th @ What is that Book About
In the spotlight today at What is that Book About is none other than: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery by this talented author!
September 14th @ Chapter Break
Today’s guest author at Chapter Break is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: YA Cozy Mysteries: A Perfect Pairing!
September 15th @ Finished Pages
Renee Roberson is a big fan of Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Find out what Renee has to say and how many stars she will give!
September 16th @ Fiona Ingram Author
Today’s guest author at Fiona Ingram’s website is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: 5 Key Ingredients to Creating a Cozy Mystery.
September 17th @ Bibliotica
Melissa reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Bibliotica won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery so they can add it to their own TBR pile today!
September 18th @ Frugal Freelancer
Sara reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at the Frugal Freelancer won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery; others are raving about this fantastic read!
September 19th @ Knotty Needle Creative
Judy reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Knotty Needle Creative won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery! Enjoy!
September 20th @ Boy’s Mom Reads
Stop by Boy’s Mom Reads and find out what Karen thinks of the latest cozy mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Murder by Milkshake will leave readers wanting more stories by this talented author!
September 21st @ Book Bunnies
Gizem reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Book Bunnies will love this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery! Enjoy!
September 23rd @ One Writer’s Journey
Sue Bradford Edwards at One Writers’ Journey reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery!
September 24th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog
Fellow author Anthony Avina reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Fellow authors leave some of the best reviews - don’t miss Anthony’s thoughts on this cozy mystery!
September 27th @ The Faerie Review
Lily at The Faerie Review reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery and won’t want to miss today’s review!
September 28th @ Boots Shoes and Fashion
Short and Sweet: The Joy of Bite-Size Books
Today’s guest author at Boots Shoes and Fashion is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: Short and Sweet: The Joy of Bite-Sized Books!
October 1st @ Words by Webb
Jodi at Words by Webb reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery and won’t want to miss today’s review!
October 4th @ My Beauty My Books
Nikki at My Beauty My Books reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Stop by and see what Nikki has to say about Naranjo’s latest!
So glad you enjoyed Murder by Milkshake, Jodi! Thanks for the review :)