cover image I Scream, You Scream

I Scream, You Scream

Wendy Lyn Watson, . . Obsidian, $6.99 (312pp) ISBN 978-0-451-22835-2

Watson (A Dark Day for a White Wedding ) launches a flavorful cozy mystery series about Tallulah Jones, who struggles to keep her ice cream parlor afloat while dealing with the failure of her 17-year marriage to smarmy entrepreneur Wayne Jones. Swallowing her pride, Tally caters dessert at Wayne's annual luau, but his trashy girlfriend, Brittanie, keels over from poison in specially marked containers of ice cream sauce. Determined to clear her name, Tally probes the gossipy social circles of Dalliance, Tex., where it seems everyone had a reason to hate Brittanie. The return to town of newspaper reporter Finn Harper, the high school flame Tally once dumped for Wayne, only complicates the situation. This lighthearted peek into smalltown secrets and rumors carries enough good humor, emotional honesty, plot twists and recipes to entertain and satisfy. (Oct.)