Puss Reboots: Blog: October 2022: Pint of No Return

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Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 2: The Victim Syndicate by James Tynion IV, et. al.
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Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely and Lisa Reneé Pitts (Narrator)
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman and George Guidall (Narrator) (re-read)
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Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
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Into the Woods by J. Torres and Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrator)
The Marvelous by Claire Kann
Murder Is No Picnic by Amy Pershing and Patti Murin (Narrator)
My Dress-Up Darling, Volume 3 by Shinichi Fukuda
Noragami: Stray God, Volume 14 by Adachitoka
Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods by Catherynne M. Valente
Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
Pint of No Return by Dana Mentink and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker (narrator)
Poultrygeist by Eric Geron and Pete Oswald (Illustrator)
The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman
The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly and Emily Durante (Narrator)
Spy x Family, Volume 6 by Tatsuya Endo
The Suite Spot by Trish Doller
This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds by Danielle Belleny and Stephanie D Singleton (Illustrator)
Yokohama Station SF National by Yuba Isukari, Tatsuyuki Tanaka (Illustrator), and Stephen Paul (Translator)

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Pint of No Return: 10/18/22

Pint of No Return by Dana Mentink and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker (narrator) (2021) is the start of the Shake Shop Mystery series. Trinidad Jones is the third wife of an embezzler con-man. As part of his settlement before prison, he's given her an ice cream parlor in Upper Sprocket, Oregon. On a day when she's trying to get payment for an errand she finds the body of the Popcorn King in a bucket of popcorn.

Since the theme is an ice cream shop, I was initially reminded of the Ice Cream Parlor mysteries by Abby Collette. But the way the murder is presented is more like Caramel Crush by Jenn McKinlay (2017).

I spent much of my time listening to this mystery comparing it to other mysteries I'd recently listened to. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's certainly a starting point, especially when being introduced to a new series with a new town and new characters. On the other hand, sometimes I found myself distracted.

One bit, though, I especially liked was Trinidad's friendship with brothers Quinn and Doug. It felt more genuine and believable than the early relationship between Maggie and Xander as presented in Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron (2016).

The second book is A Sprinkle in Time (2022).

Four stars