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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Happens When the Past Rears Its Ugly Head and Murder Ensues?

by Chautona Havig · 7 Comments

Sprinkled in Time by Dana Mentink is due to release on Tuesday, and guys! You've got to read this book if you love cozy mysteries! via @chautonahavig

Back in Episode 62 of the Because Fiction Podcast, I talked to Dana Mentink about her newest series, the Shake Shop Mysteries.  Mentink’s first book in the series, Pint of No Return featured Trinidad Jones as the newest resident of Upper Sprocket, Oregon–and an ad-hoc sleuth when not creating her amazing freakshakes.

So, when I had a chance to snag a review copy of book two, A Sprinkle in Time, I snatched it up so fast it wasn’t funny.

a sprinkle in time

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

What Happens When the Past Rears Its Ugly Head and Murder Ensues?

Snappy dialogue and enough plays on words to make Shakespeare jealous.  That’s what.  This time, Trinidad Jones has the most bizarre experience stumbling across a murder (she’s got some seriously bad luck, folks). In a move reminiscent of Merry Kramer in Gayle Roper’s Amhearst Mysteries, a body shows up in her grandpa’s trunk… but unlike poor Merry, it disappears before she can get the cops there to do something about it!

May the small-town chaos, gossip, and backbiting commence.  Okay, so there’s a lot of sweet support, encouragement, and sticking up for folks who just “couldn’t have done it.” With characters you love and others you love to hate, it’s hard to know if you’re rooting for someone to go to jail or stay out of it!  And… more people could be guilty than not it seems.

About one-third of the way through, I decided I knew “whodunnit.”  About halfway through, I was no longer certain. Someone else had edged in and made me squirm. What if…?  Then, I had this wild idea… and in the end, yeah. I figured it out. I usually do.  But guys… this was not a cut-and-dried, cookie-cutter, cut of the same cloth… (Running out of idioms featuring scissors or other cutting implements to my cutting humor… yeah. I’m going to quit here).

So… the verdict?

If you love a good cozy mystery (and who doesn’t?) with quirky characters and enough ice cream puns to make you dream of delectable frozen confections, A Sprinkle in Time will keep you on your toes.  And this is a good thing because you’re going to need a workout after all the ice cream you’ll need to consume for the most authentic reading experience.

Oh, and try the browned butter apple bar recipe. Let me know how they are.  It’s summer here in the desert. I can’t turn on the oven until November! I will, however, be making mint chocolate chip ice cream after church tonight. #BecauseIceCream

P.S.  While this is a general market mystery, Dana’s faith shines on every page, and there are even a couple of Scriptures sprinkled in for good measure.

A Sprinkle in Time is on tour with Celebrate Lit

A Sprinkle in TimeAbout the Book

Book: A Sprinkle in Time

Author: Dana Mentink

Genre: Cozy mystery (general market)

Release date: May 24, 2022

It’s Alpenfest in Upper Sprocket! Yodelers are congregating in the square, tourists flocking to the town, and Trinidad Jones is scooping up some fall flavors at her Shimmy and Shake Shop.

The cherry on the sundae is her upcoming feature in Go West magazine. She’s determined to serve up the perfect interview, but it won’t be easy, thanks in part to her meddling Cuban grandfather Papa Luis who has decided to make Sprocket his home for the foreseeable future. Papa Luis has set himself up as a taxi driver in his classic 1951 Buick.

But things take a turn when Papa Luis tells her he’s found a corpse in his trunk. Upon closer investigation, they realize the body has disappeared. With the assistance of Juliette and Bonnie (her sisterhood of exes) and the way too handsome nut farmer Quinn Logan, Trinidad must solve the mystery of the disappearing corpse, before her father is up to his neck in a murderous mess.


dana mentink a aprinkle in timeAbout the Author

Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and the recipient of a Holt Medallion. She’s written over fifty titles in the suspense, lighthearted romance and mystery genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, and Poisoned Pen Press. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

More from Dana

Who wouldn’t want to visit Upper Sprocket? Sure there’s the odd corpse that turns up, but it’s a charming place, complete with a rail riders excursion business and the Shimmy and Shake Shop, run by the determined Trinidad Jones. It’s fall in Sprocket and the locals are hosting a series of Alpenfest events with everything from yodeling performances to sausage cook-offs. Papa Luis, Trinidad’s grandfather is happy to shuttle people around in his classic Chevy Bel Air until a body turns up in his truck. But other than that, Sprocket is an idyllic place with a newly opened train car inn operated by Bonnie, one of three women who were married at various times to the same rapscallion of a man.

Oh, and then there’s Noodles, Trinidad’s senior Labrador retriever who has learned how to operate the windshield wipers which comes in handy as stormy weather approaches. Trinidad, Papa, Bonnie, and Noodles along with other Sprocket residents are going to have their hands full as Alpenfest kicks off and gruesome items begin to pop up around town. Come along on the adventure as Trinidad wades knee-deep into the sticky mess.

Rail riding research with my sister!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 21

The Write Escape, May 21

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 22

She Lives To Read, May 22

Daysong Reflections, May 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 23

Texas Book-aholic, May 24

Pause for Tales, May 24

Inklings and notions, May 25

Blossoms and Blessings, May 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 26

For Him and My Family, May 26

deb’s Book Review, May 27

Blogging With Carol, May 27

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 28

Christina’s Corner, May 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 29

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 30

Simple Harvest Reads, May 30 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 31

Labor Not in Vain, May 31

Bigreadersite, June 1

Vicky Sluiter, June 1

Genesis 5020, June 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 2

Lighthouse-Academy, June 3

A Good Book and cup of Tea, June 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed book!!

(If the winner is outside the U.S., then he or she will receive an eBook.)

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/1df1a/a-sprinkle-in-time-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Previous Post: « This Novel Isn’t Even Available Yet, and It’s in My Top 5!
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Comments

  1. Bea LaRocca says

    May 22, 2022 at 3:51 pm

    Thank you for sharing your review of A Sprinkle in Time, this sounds like a great cozy mystery and I am looking forward to reading it

    Reply
  2. Tracie Cooper says

    May 22, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    What inspires your book plots?

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 26, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      This one isn’t my book, but I’d say life is what inspires mine. I hear something, see something, get a question that makes me go, “wait, what?” It’s crazy, but literally anything could spark a book that looks nothing like what actually sparked it.

      Reply
  3. Madie says

    May 22, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    A challenging mystery, likeable characters, and entertaining dialogue 🙂 ? Looking forward to reading it 🙂 !

    Reply
  4. Amelia says

    May 21, 2022 at 4:08 pm

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Roxanne C. says

    May 21, 2022 at 11:12 am

    A Sprinkle in Time sounds like the perfect cozy mystery for this ice cream lover! Dana Mentink’s stories are some of my favorite reads.

    Reply
  6. Cheryl Arcemont says

    May 21, 2022 at 7:48 am

    Great review, Chautona! I am so happy I can get these at the local library!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
byChautona Havig

Once again, I got to chat with the lovely Susan K. Beatty about her latest release, The Fragrance of Violets. It’s a powerful book about forgiveness–both from the forgiver’s side and from the side of one who doesn’t see that anything needs to be forgiven! Listen in as we unpack where Susy came up with the idea and what she learned as she wrote it. You can listen to her first interview HERE.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

You’ll Find the Power of Forgiveness in the Pages of This Book

Talking with Susan K. Beatty is always a lot of fun. Her passion for the Lord and sharing it through story comes through every time, and this was no exception. Our conversation gave a very real glimpse into what it’s like to be with authors as they get ideas from one thing and turn them into another. Susan said she got the idea for The Fragrance of Violets from seeing a situation handled all wrong and wondering what would have happened had it been approached in a Biblical manner. As usually happens with these things, by the time the story was done, there was no resemblance to the original story.

Welcome to the life of an author.

But after the lessons she learned while writing The Fragrance of Violets, she began telling us about her upcoming books–the novella in the Christmas collection, Keeping Christmas which are all Christmas stories that take place in castles (fantasy/historical/contemporary), she also told us about her next book. Relinquished. Guys. This book. I’ve not read a word and it’s my new favorite book by her.  How stunningly amazing is this story idea?!

The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty

Life crushes us with its weight sometimes.

Fiona’s father abandoned her when she was twelve. So when she learns that he’s the groom’s father in the wedding she’s been assigned to manage, all the old hurts resurface. Maybe if he’d just explain himself and ask forgiveness, she’d get over the pain he left her with—pain she obviously hadn’t left behind after all.

When Nason discovered he wasn’t Fiona’s biological father, and when her mother tried to sabotage his marriage, he felt like he had no other option but to leave and never look back. Running into her again—awkward to say the least. And he can’t understand why she feels betrayed—why she expects him to seek forgiveness.

As if life weren’t complicated enough, Fiona meets Trevor, which sparks a possible romance. New faith, an overdose, and revelations combine with Trevor’s discipleship and shows her how forgiveness really works.

What will it take for Nason to swallow his pride and see how his actions hurt an innocent child?

The Fragrance of Violets—as Mark Twain once said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

You can learn more about Susy, her books, and upcoming releases on her WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
July 5, 2022
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Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
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