An Interview with Shari Randall/Meri Allen By E. B. Davis

 

This was an opportunity. I wanted to get back to the Inn, see why there’d been something bothering me since I’d seen Diantha’s body…. Unfortunately, it also meant I had to scrub bathrooms and vacuum. Poirot never had this problem.

Meri Allen, Fatal Fudge Swirl, Kindle Loc. 943

 

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long―each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?

Amazon.com

 

This is the third book in An Ice Cream Shop mystery series written by Meri Allen, who, of course, is none other than our own Shari Randall. Shari set up main character Riley to have quite a few problems in Fatal Fudge Swirl among them solving the murder. While Riley is making a Halloween themed ice cream wedding cake, she’s also been enlisted to read the newly-found Collins family letters from the colonial era. Unfortunately, they’re as boring as yesteryear’s grocery list.

 

On top of that, she’s creating fall/holiday ice cream flavors, such as Pumpkin Spice and Spiced Eggnog. Her application for Gelato school has been accepted. Not only could she attend the course in New York City, but also in Rome, Italy, a place she’d love to revisit. But, she got into big trouble there with her old employer, the CIA.

 

This is a great time of year to read a book based on ice cream.         E. B. Davis

 

To concoct the ice cream cake, in which the bride requested a black layer of chai-latte, Riley uses culinary-grade charcoal to get the black color. It’s favorless. Why is culinary-grade charcoal so popular now? It has medical uses, but what are its qualities for use in food?  One thing that has fascinated me since I started writing mysteries involving food is culinary fads. Culinary-grade charcoal has found its way into ice cream because it looks amazing - check out all the images of black ice cream on Instagram at Halloween. Diantha Collins is not only mad for the spooky holiday, she’s a savvy businesswoman who will share every detail of her Halloween wedding on social media.

 

How do Riley and Mary Ann know one another?  Riley and Mary Ann went to high school together. They weren’t close friends – they were several years apart – but were teammates on the track team. They reconnected at the Penniman Women in Business Club. Riley definitely sympathizes with Mary Ann, who has to cater the wedding of her ex and his new bride.

 

Chef Dominic, Mary Ann’s ex and the bridegroom, is into molecular gastronomy. What is that? Is he like Alton Brown, explaining the chemical reactions that happen in cooking/baking?

Molecular gastronomy is two things: one, the science of food and cooking (what Alton does); and two, the use of scientific techniques to create unique dishes. You see this on shows like Top Chef, when a contestant uses liquid nitrogen to make instant ice cream, or foams, or tiny spheres of olive oil that look like caviar. Chef Dominic has become famous for his molecular gastronomy, which put Penniman on the foodie map.

 

When using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream, it isn’t used directly in the ice cream, it’s used to cool and freeze the ice cream ingredients, right? Or is it added to the ingredients and evaporates out? Dry ice could be used in the same way. Do both give off the fog when they “melt?” Is it really minus 109 degrees at room temperature? Here’s a video to explain making treats with liquid nitrogen, and why you should take care when you do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1CFpvXJSs

 

 

Who is Marley Wagner, and why does Riley find him smarmy? Marley is a chef at the Inn on the Green who dreams of opening a restaurant with celebrity Chef Dom. Riley keeps catching Marley eavesdropping and snooping around the hotel, so she’s sure he’s up to no good.

 

Diantha’s family, the Collins, were one of the original settlers of Penniman. She owns the Inn on the Green as well as several other historic buildings near the Inn. Riley’s former Girl Scout leader, Ruthie, and her granddaughter Lucretia, live in one of those buildings. A retired teacher, Ruthie provides maid services at the Inn. Why does she fear for her job, and that she’ll be kicked out of her house? Ruthie is the sole support for her granddaughter, Lucretia. Lucretia’s father has never been in the picture, and her mother abandoned her as a baby, so Ruthie is the only family Lucretia has. Lucretia is a high school senior and is looking at college, and Ruthie doesn’t know how she’s going to pay for it.

 

Riley’s mother died when she was three. She and her dad, now owner of a bookstore in town, were alone for all of her upbringing. Her dad married the irritating Paulette five years ago. What is it about Paulette that irritates Riley so much? Oh, Paulette! She’s one of those people who’s just a little too perfect, plus her not-so-subtle attempts at matchmaking keep Riley on her toes.

 

To seal the deal of using the bookstore as a set in the movie, Paulette offers to use Sprinkles as the bookstore cat when the movie producers ask about adding a cat. Riley is irritated, but secretly, she’s amused. Why? Riley thinks that Paulette has met her match in Sprinkles. The neurotic furball has scared off her pet psychologist and Riley thinks it’s only a matter of time until Sprinkles melts down again. She thinks it would be just desserts if a meltdown happened while Paulette was wrangling Sprinkles for the movie.

 

Tillie picks up a side gig in this book. What’s she doing? As we all know, Tillie longs for adventure beyond what she finds as the administrative assistant at the Penniman Police Services building. Tillie has started her own private investigation firm, and winds up with a very famous and demanding client – the star of the Skylark movie that’s shooting in Penniman.

 

Caroline and Riley pick men whose time is not their own. Are they undermining their romantic success? This is an interesting point I’d never considered. (Elaine, you ask the best questions!) Caroline is inexperienced in love, and has simply fallen head-over-heels. Riley let a dangerous attraction get the better of her, and now is second guessing her instincts when it comes to dating.

 

Jack seems passive-aggressive in this book. He calls Riley ”Penniman’s own Jessica Fletcher.” What’s with him? Jack, the police chief, is a perfect example of the saying still waters run deep. I threw a lot at him in this book. He has a media circus with the murder of a socialite and the movie filming in town. He’s facing an emotional and romantic crisis, plus he’s been walking a fine line with Riley, whose unofficial sleuthing has solved several murders. He’s smart enough to know that she’s an asset, but she’s also “not by the book” and he’s a by-the-book guy. I think he needs a nice, quiet murder-free vacation at his cabin in the woods. Will I give him one? Hmmm….unlikely.

 

I thought church bells rang to get people into service. Why do Penniman’s church bells ring at the close of service? Are they celebrating getting that chore over for the week? Penniman’s beautiful old church on the green has bells that chime on the hour. Still, I bet some of the churchgoers are celebrating!

 

Why doesn’t Udderly use no-churn recipes? Isn’t gelato no-churn? Udderly’s ice cream is top quality, made in small batches with the freshest organic ingredients. If you don’t have an ice cream machine to churn the ice cream, you can make ice cream in the freezer using sweetened condensed milk instead of the traditional custard base. Not churning means you give up a lot in terms of texture and taste.

 

Gelato (Italian style ice cream) has a lower fat content than ice cream and is churned at a slower rate, incorporating less air and leaving the gelato denser than ice cream. Less fat means that you experience more of the flavoring of the gelato as opposed to the creaminess of ice cream, so gelato flavors are more intense. Gelato is also stored at a lower temperature, so it will melt faster on the tongue, another attribute that gives more depth of flavor.

I have learned way too much about the science of ice cream with these books!

 

I was shocked when Riley got the note from Paolo, her former boyfriend in Rome. And then she didn’t open it for the longest time—why? It was exasperating! Everyone’s dying to know what’s in that note! Riley’s struggling with her feelings for the handsome thief she left behind in Rome. That’s all I can say without spoilers!

 

What are amuse-bouches? An amuse bouche is a small, savory appetizer – usually only a bite or two – that’s offered free of charge by the chef to guests. It translates from French as “amuse the mouth” and is meant to be a showcase of the chef’s creativity.

 

What was Newgate? Where was it? Newgate was a notorious Connecticut prison that housed Tories during the Revolutionary War. The prison had been constructed over an old copper mine, and prisoners were housed in underground caverns and shafts, allowed above ground only during daylight hours. It was a cruel and filthy place, and eventually closed down by prison reformers in the 1800s.

 

What is a black box theater? They’re simple, unadorned performance spaces - usually the walls are painted black, which gives this type of theater its name.

 

Will we go to Rome with Riley next? Must you do research there? Research in Rome is definitely on my bucket list!