Caramel Drip Murder

Spies and Food Truck #3

by Rosie A. Point

A cooling corpse on the beach. A cone-cerning trail of clues. Can our sleuth scoop out the killer before it’s too late?
When spy on the run, Delta Mission, sets up her food truck overlooking the water in small town Carmel Springs, Maine, she’s expecting a peaceful day of serving up ice cream. What she gets is an eyeful of a corpse on the beach. And an earful of her cute doggy friend, Sir Barkington, yapping over the find.
A local newspaper columnist has been murdered.
There are zero suspects.
And the only clue? A mysterious message in a bottle clutched in the victim’s fist.
The mystery is too tempting not to solve, especially when a second bottle washes up on the beach, the note inside implicating the owner of the Oceanside

Genres: Cozy Mystery

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

Rosie A. Point is a USA Today Bestselling cozy mystery author who loves writing about food, small towns, and cats. Her favorite books are ones you can snuggle up with under a cozy blanket on a winter's day. Born and raised in South Africa, her books are all set in small towns in the United States. She dreams of visiting the places she writes about in her books.

Rosie wants to hear from you. Whether it’s about a recipe or one of her books, you can contact her on her website. Join her reader club today!

https://www.rosiepointbooks.com/

Reviews

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet short cozy mystery, that isn't to complex and you can read all in one sitting. Perfect as a beach read that you can pick up and put down.

This is book three in the series and so far the stories work as standalone alone mysteries but it seems like there is change on the horizon and a shake up for the series, but I am not telling. I like the characters and the way April has to hide her identity from everyone, well expect her annoying babysitter Smulder. I don't think Hentie and sir Barkington were involved as much as unusual but it is a quick read which could be why.
As for the mystery there was a fair bit going on with a treasure hunt, mystery bottles washing up on the beach and of course the murder, there friend Sam is accused of. There wasn't a great deal of suspects but April got to use her gadgets to help find the killer.

Serving up ice cream shouldn't be so stress full but when you are a spy that is supposed to be staying under the radar, the last thing you need is to discover a dead body on the beach. Especially when a bottle with an article about there guest house owner washes up near the body, making Sam the police's prime suspects. And that's before they learn she band the nosy reporter from the guest house just the night before. Afraid there friend is about to be arrested April looks into the death. Will following up on the washed up bottles lead to a clue to her killer? Especially when it seems like that was the story the reporter was working on.

[Giannina Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie has put out another great read in her Spies and Food Truck series. Hentie and April (Delta) witness an altercation between Hope (a reporter) and Abigail. The next day as they are setting up the ice cream truck they see a body on the beach. Along with the murder, they find out that bottles containing messages have been washing up on the beach. Several years earlier bottles with messages had washed in with the tide. Hentie and April find out there was some history between Sam (the owner of the inn) and Hope. Does this relate to the murder or is something else at work? Will April and Hentie have to leave or will April's cover be discovered. How everything turns out is a must read. Totally enjoyable.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wild and crazy case but this time everyone’s favorite innkeeper was rumored to be the killer. April hadn’t known Sam long but she knew the woman couldn’t kill anyone, so she felt invested to solve it. It’s always so cool when she hauls out her spy equipment just like Charlie and Gamma did in their series.

And now that good old Smulder’s back in action, April was definitely getting a dose of what her cuz Charlie had dealt with when he babysat her. As always I love when the spies set it up for the police to find the perps then disappear. Looks like the threesome themselves are disappearing from Carmel Springs. Should be interesting in the next town, and I’ve already borrowed that book.

[Dennis R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spy on the run and a murder for fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like that it wasn't real long. I finished it in a couple hours. And with only 30 pages to go I still hadn't figured out who done it! The lead characters are endearing. There's lots of adventure and lots of humor! And a little bit of romance thrown in. And it had a satisfying ending that kept me guessing. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone in Caramel Springs assumed Sam was guilty just because she had troubles years before, again due to the people of the town assuming things. Rosie left several points unanswered in the story which makes us wonder if somehow there will be a follow up completing Sam's story and the undercurrent between Smulder and Delta. Rosie has done an incredible job of the twist and turns plotting out this mystery, that I only had a slight idea who did it. A definite five star.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carmel Drip Murder

Delta, undercover as Alice and a businesswoman selling ice cream from a truck allowing her to move from one location to another is dangerously tempting fate when she makes friends with Hentie and hires her to work on the ice cream truck. When the two of them discover a dead woman and Sam the owner of the Oceanside Inn where they are staying becomes a key suspect they set out to discover the truth. A great fun read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick cozy series in Kindle Unlimited. April is a spy who's hiding from 'enemies'. Hentie is her friend who assists her on her ice cream truck -- her cover. Her 'handler' also hangs around though Hentie doesn't know who either of them really are. The thing is, she keeps risking her cover by getting involved in local murder investigations.

If you need a quick read, especially to cleanse your palate between 'deeper' books, this series is a great choice.

[Debi Paglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new addition to the Spies and Food Truck Mysteries! I love the protagonist, Delta Mission. She’s tough, but fair and she is determined that the guilty will be punished. The Maine setting in a small coastal town in the fall is lovely. The storylines are attention-keeping and come together at the end nicely. It’s an easy read with a surprise ending. Looking forward to the next one!

[Janice E. Ryberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caramel Drip Murder Book 3 4.7 stars

Another successful cozy mystery for our heroine and Hentie with Barkington's assistance. After solving this murder and setting up the guilty parties to take the fall, Oliver requested they leave the area and keep on the move for awhile. Nice and cozy for our three musketeers.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

April's agency shadow, Brian though attractive annoys April with his shadow/ babysitting monitoring. This murder mystery had a lot of loose ends and red herrings from an obnoxious marine biologist, quick tempered husband, Elias Clark, messages in bottles, Samantha, Inn Owner, to April doing what she needed to do to help and distraught friend before moving on.

[Jean Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick cozy series. April is a spy hiding from enemies while working in a food truck with her assistant Hentie. April's handler is also hanging around and Hentie doesn't know who they really are. April drives her handler crazy as she decides to get involved in a murder investigation, possibly endangering her cover. Well-written story with interesting characters.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

A new day, a new mystery to solve. Can Delta/April figure things out and not blow her cover? Pick up a copy of this great cozy mystery and find out. Very enjoyable, quick read.

[Amary Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running a food truck, Delta must stay off the grid, but she just can't ignore a murder. Fun short cozy. I received a gratis copy to peruse and offer my opinion in the same.

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and interesting I really enjoyed this book!!

[Karen Geurts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting story! April and Hentie help solve another murder and pick up a helper, Smulder, along the way!

[Beth Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I loved this book. Making friends while being a spy on the run may not have been April's best interest.