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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Grab a Spoon and Magnifying Glass & Dig Into This Delicious Mystery

by Chautona Havig · 5 Comments

Pint of No Return provides a delicious, satisfying mystery that also leaves you wanting more. A great story with great characters. via @chautonahavig

Okay, confession. I love ice cream.  So much so that I actually make it.  Often.  The day I bought my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker, is the day that my life changed. Then I chatted with Dana Mentink about her book on the Because Fiction Podcast and the freakshake contest she had for her release, and I had every intention of entering.  Then it hit me.  I couldn’t.  It could look like I was trying to get an in on the contest or something, so my brilliant “Lavender Blue, Berry Berry” freakshake idea never saw anything but the inside of my very happy stomach (it took three days to eat that thing, folks!).

But what about the book?

pint of no return

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

Grab a Spoon and Magnifying Glass & Dig Into This Delicious Mystery

Few authors are what I would call “wordsmiths,” but Dana Mentink definitely is.  She doesn’t just write a good story or even pen beautiful or brilliant prose, she goes one step further. She’s clever with her word choice.  Sometimes I think she writes her books and then goes in and rewrites every sentence to have some burst of surprise in the middle of it. It’s genius! I find myself grinning on every page, not just because of a great story but also because of how that story is written.

Pint of No Return doesn’t disappoint in this area or any other. It’s a great mystery with a cast of quirky and delightful characters.  I wasn’t a quarter into the book before I was already anxious for the next.  I had to stop, take a breath, and remind myself to enjoy the book I had before me.

It was kind of when you go into an ice cream shop, taste a few tester spoons, and go… “I WANT THEM ALL NOW” but you know you can only eat one.  This book is that one.  But never fear, there’s more murder, mayhem, and merriment coming to the Shimmy and Shake Shop.

I’m so grateful for the free review copy of Pint of No Return. I loved it so much that I bought a paperback for myself. Recommended for lovers of words, clever writing, and clean, cozy mysteries.  Not recommended for folks who take themselves or life too seriously.

Pint of No returnAbout 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.

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Comments

  1. Roxanne C. says

    June 28, 2021 at 9:03 am

    Dana Mentink automatically had my attention with the ice cream theme, but after reading Chautona’s fun review, I really want to read this book and probably the entire series.

    Reply
  2. Dianne Casey says

    June 27, 2021 at 11:38 am

    Love the cover! Sounds like a great summer read. Looking forward to reading the book.

    Reply
  3. Lynn Brown says

    June 26, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    This sounds like a fun mystery. Love the cover. Very appropriate. Thanks for the chance.

    Reply
  4. Amelia says

    June 26, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Linda Palmer says

    June 26, 2021 at 6:50 am

    Pint of No Return sounds like a great book. And I do like Dana Mentink’s writing!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 574: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
byChautona Havig

I love women’s fiction when it tackles tough stuff, and boy does Laura DeNooyer’s House of Wind promise some hard topics. Listen in as we look at a pastor’s family and how things aren’t always as they seem.

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

Church hurt is a real thing, but what about for those who live with the perpetrator? AAAK. I knew the minute I read the synopsis that this would be on my TBR.

House of Wind by Laura DeNooyer

Wendi Burkham lives in an emotional prison she unwittingly walked into. Nobody understands and her captor holds the keys.

Married to a respected pastor, Wendi lives a life others admire—with two children and a home that reflects faith, stability, and love.

But behind closed doors, Wendi is trapped in a cycle of control, manipulation, and emotional abuse no one else can see—and no one would believe.

How do you escape when no one believes you need to?

For sixteen years, she has stayed silent. Stayed faithful. Stayed afraid. Until one night forces her to choose between the life she’s built . . . and the truth she can no longer ignore.

Her husband’s warning echoes: “Planting wind only reaps a harvest of tornadoes.”

But what if the storm is the only way out?

Learn more on Laura’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

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Episode 574: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
Episode 574: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
August 24, 2026
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August 22, 2026
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Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things. 1. Alpacas are gross. 2. Family is complicated. 3. Faith is even worse. He might have to spend his summer hawking devotionals and enduring yet another, "Have a blessed day," but he'll survive by driving his coworker crazy and trying not to annoy his parents. Much.
Panda Marie knew working with Judah would be awful, but finding out he's lost his faith? Now what?
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Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things. 1. Alpacas are gross. 2. Family is complicated. 3. Faith is even worse. He might have to spend his summer hawking devotionals and enduring yet another, "Have a blessed day," but he'll survive by driving his coworker crazy and trying not to annoy his parents. Much.
Panda Marie knew working with Judah would be awful, but finding out he's lost his faith? Now what?
One old bookstore, one new location, one last summer to survive and then they all get a new start on life. Question is, will it really be better?
https://amzn.to/4hveztT #affiliatelink
#Christfic
#Bookstrings
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Nothing says true love like a mutual admiration of Nothing says true love like a mutual admiration of books, right? Nine authors, nine stories, more matches than we may ever know. Preorder your copy before the price goes up! https://amzn.to/4hxAwIO #affiliatelink
#IvoryKeysPress
#BookedForLoveAnthology
#ChristFic
#Kindle99
#Preorder
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Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things. 1. Alpacas are gross. 2. Family is complicated. 3. Faith is even worse. He might have to spend his summer hawking devotionals and enduring yet another, "Have a blessed day," but he'll survive by driving his coworker crazy and trying not to annoy his parents. Much.
Panda Marie knew working with Judah would be awful, but finding out he's lost his faith? Now what?
One old bookstore, one new location, one last summer to survive and then they all get a new start on life. Question is, will it really be better?
https://amzn.to/4hveztT #affiliatelink
#Christfic
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Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things Judah Hensley knows three underacknowledged things. 1. Alpacas are gross. 2. Family is complicated. 3. Faith is even worse. He might have to spend his summer hawking devotionals and enduring yet another, "Have a blessed day," but he'll survive by driving his coworker crazy and trying not to annoy his parents. Much.
Panda Marie knew working with Judah would be awful, but finding out he's lost his faith? Now what?
One old bookstore, one new location, one last summer to survive and then they all get a new start on life. Question is, will it really be better?
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