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Review of “Pint of No Return” by Dana Mentink—A Celebrate Lit Book Tour with a giveaway!

Pint of No Return

About the Book

Book:  Pint of No Return

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release date: May 25, 2021

The first in new dessert cozy mystery series! A murder in town is bound to shake things up…

After her divorce from her thrice-married embezzler husband, Trinidad Jones is finally ready for a fresh start. So when she’s left one of ex’s businesses in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, she decides to pack up her dog, cash in her settlement, and open her dream business: the Shimmy and Shake Shop, introducing the world to her monster milkshakes. And even with a couple sticky situations underway, namely that the other two ex-wives also call Sprocket home, Trinidad’s life seems to be churning along smoothly.

That is, until she discovers her neighbor, the Popcorn King, head down in his giant popcorn kettle. When one of Trinidad’s fellow ex-wives is accused of the murder and Upper Sprocket descends into mayhem, it’s going to take a supersized scoop of courage to flush out the killer.

My Review:  
As you read this book, you may develop a strong craving for ice cream! 

I’m a “cozy mystery” fan, and I throughly enjoyed this first book in the “Shake Shop Mystery Series”.  It has every element that makes a cozy mystery series great:  Interesting main characters that you immediately like; a small town community that’s always eager to gossip, but also always eager to help in time of need; and a plot with plenty of twists and turns to make the reader unsure of how the mystery will be resolved. This book has the extra bonus of having a loveable dog named Noodles and a grandfather (Papa Luis) who add fun and humor to the story.


The main interest in this book is not a romance, but the storyline itself.  As Trinidad is getting ready to open her ice cream shop, she accidentally finds herself entangled in solving a mystery.  As I mentioned earlier, I liked the characters in this book and that added to my becoming involved in the story. I did not anticipate everything that happened at the end of the book, which added an extra element of surprise.  I’m glad we’ll have the opportunity to solve another mystery with these characters.


Although this book is not listed as Christian fiction, it contains no foul language and is clean and sweet.  Readers of Christian fiction would be comfortable with this book.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of over forty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, and a chubby box turtle. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

More from Dana

Freakshakes. The name says it all, right? Allow me to explain. A freakshake is a milkshake festooned with so many extras (sprinkles, cookies, candy, donuts, cake, slabs of pie) that it is hardly liftable. It is the stuff my sugar fantasy dreams are made of! Now picture a freakshake shop called the Shimmy and Shake in the quaint and quirky town of Upper Sprocket in Eastern Oregon. Known as the “Swiss Alps” of Oregon, this fictional place is the new home to a woman named Trinidad Jones, a lady starting out on the second phase of her life after her husband’s betrayal. Sprinkle in a dose of Papa Luis, her darling Cuban grandfather (inspired by my own Cuban grandfather) who drives a classic Buick, and a devoted service dog flunk out named Noodles. You know what’s missing? A murder, of course! That happens shortly after Trinidad opens her new shop, and from there on out it’s a sticky, spine tingling, sweet and satisfying and slightly funny adventure in mystery land. I had an absolute blast writing the first installment in this series, and I’m knee deep in the second as I write this. Thank you for coming along on the adventure and I hope it’s as satisfying as a monster milkshake!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 25

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 25

The Avid Reader, June 25

The Write Escape, June 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 26

Texas Book-aholic, June 27

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 27

Blogging With Carol, June 27

Inklings and notions, June 28

Genesis 5020, June 28

Among the Reads, June 29

Daysong Reflections, June 29

Bigreadersite, June 29

For Him and My Family, June 30

Betti Mace, June 30

Worthy2Read, July 1

deb’s Book Review, July 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 2

Through the Fire blogs, July 2

EmpowerMoms, July 2

Blossoms and Blessings, July 3

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 3

Lighthouse-Academy, July 4

Labor Not in Vain, July 4

Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 5

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 5

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 6

Vicky Sluiter, July 6

Simple Harvest Reads, July 6 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

She Lives To Read, July 7

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, July 7

KarenSueHadley, July 8

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize of a a signed copy of Pint of No Return, an ice cream bowl and spoon set, and a $30 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10e05/pint-of-no-return-celebration-tour-giveaway

6 Comments

  1. Lori Smanski

    Thank you for your review. This sounds like a wonderful story and desserts for a series? YES PLEASE A fun cover. I look forward to reading it

  2. Roxanne C.

    I have always enjoyed Dana Mentink’s inspirational romantic suspense, and this cozy mystery sounds so good, especially with ice cream on the side.

Comments are closed.