The rocky road to ruin

Travel blogger and CIA librarian Riley Rhodes, who occasionally works undercover for the agency, is back in her hometown of Penniman, Connecticut, to attend the funeral of her best friend Caroline's mother, Buzzy, and recover after being reprimanded by her employer for her screw-up in Rome. Riley soon finds Caroline's brother, Mike, murdered and his tennis-star girlfriend, Angelica, missing. When it looks like Caroline may be a suspect, Riley begins her own investigation, learning that Mike was planning to sell Buzzy's farm to a land developer. Suspects include those who would profit from the sale, Mike's present and former jealous girlfriends, and the Brightwoods, who have farmed the land for years. Buzzy also owned the popular Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop, which Caroline and Riley are determined to keep open. Using her research and investigative skills, Riley unravels the clues to identify the killer. Delightfully framed by the details of making ice cream and running an ice-cream shop, this cozy mystery series-starter is populated with well-drawn characters living in a vividly described New England town.