I Scream You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson

Goodreads Summary:  Recently divorced Tallulah Jones is mortified when she's stuck scooping sundaes for her two-timing ex-husband-and his bodacious new girlfriend, Brittanie-at his company luau.

But when Brittanie drops dead, Tally is suddenly the prime suspect in her murder investigation. To catch the killer, Tally will have to dip deep into her small Texan town's darkest secrets and churn up stories some would prefer to keep in the past. But can she uncover the real culprit before a murder charge puts her dreams on ice for good?

I really enjoyed this book. It had been on my to read list for a while.  Then in October 2010 a friend picked up an autographed copy for me, but I didn't want to run the risk of messing up my signed copy, so I waited to read it until I could get a copy from the library.  I recently had surgery and chose this as my get me through the ordeal read.  It was a good choice.

There were a couple of things about this book that were a good indicator that this would be a series I would enjoy: ice-cream and Texas. I'm a transplanted Texan living in Colorado (love both states by the way) and for me ice cream is second only to chocolate.   These are the two reasons I picked up the book.  Watson's creative and humorous storytelling are why I kept reading.

This is truly a cozy. Yes, there's a death, but there's not a lot of "danger."  In several cozy mysteries I read, our intrepid sleuth manages to find themselves in danger of some sort or another at least once during the story. Tally is a straight forward, no-nonsense character, though she does seem to have a hard time picking the right man.

Watson has created well developed characters (along with Tally we meet her cousin Bree and Bree's daughter Alice and a love interest from Tally's past - Finn) that the reader will want to learn more about.  Even though the murder plays a big part in this book, Watson does take the time to give us a clear picture of Tally and the other residents of Dalliance, Texas.

If you are looking for a well paced, light hearted read and love mysteries and ice cream, this is the series for you. Check back soon for my review of Book Two: A Scoop to Kill.  Book Three: A Parfait Murder will be released in June.

Booklady's Rating:  5 of 5