Katie Thorne woke suddenly, a nose full of something preventing her from breathing deeply. Not knowing what caused the reduction in air flow, she sat up quickly, banging her forehead against the roof of her ice cream truck. The loft bed she occupied with her cat, Jaspurr, didn’t have much space to accommodate such a knee-jerk reaction.
“Buddy, enough sleeping on my pillow, okay?”
The orange cat that shared her space was a great travel companion, except when he felt entitled to a little too much real estate around her head at night. What she assumed was a tail-in-nose situation, caused her to reassess her sleeping position.
“Moving forward, I think I’m sleeping on my side.” Jaspurr let out a small sound that resembled a bark before getting up to stretch.
She rolled off the mattress and climbed down the small ladder that dropped her between two banks of chest freezers. On either side, gallons and gallons of ice cream teased her by simply existing so close to her bed.
The days were fairly similar, and this was one that would ultimately bring her closer to owning her first soft-serve machine for her traveling ice cream truck. A black-tie wedding was her next engagement, and the sequined dress hanging off the back of the passenger seat reminded her that it was quickly approaching.
This was Katie’s last day in Brattleboro, Vermont, and she was going to sell for a few hours in the parking lot of the thrift store where she had purchased the dress then take off for western Massachusetts.
“As long as we break even, I’ll be happy,” she reported to the friendly feline who had joined her on the lower level of their mode of transportation. “Let’s get ready to scoop.”
Katie moved into the cab of the truck and added dry food to Jaspurr’s bowl in the footwell of the passenger side before changing into clothes that would be acceptable to enter the local gym for a shower. Since she lived out of her truck, a membership to a chain facility meant she could typically find somewhere to clean up after spending the night without running water.
With Jaspurr occupied, she prepared to pilot the vehicle, removing privacy panels and hopping into the driver’s seat. She located some Tylenol for the budding headache after bumping the sore spot on her forehead on her transition to the front of the truck and waited for her co-pilot to jump onto his throne. Once they were both buckled in, Katie pulled out of the parking lot for what was going to be the start of her next adventure.
“Let’s hope this wedding is not just part of the honeymoon phase of gigs that don’t involve a mystery for us to solve.”
Twist the Knot: An Ice Cream Truck Mystery, Book 4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
What are the most important unwritten rules of a wedding? Do not arrive late. Refrain from disruptive behavior. Never upstage the bride.
Katie is looking forward to serving from her ice cream truck at a black-tie wedding on a palatial estate in Massachusetts, when an incoming snowstorm suddenly moves up the start time. Thanks to the housekeeping staff, she avoids breaking rule number one. Shortly after the cocktail hour ends, however, she manages to find herself breaking rules two and three at the same time, along with help from an involuntary participant.
The Chadsworth family is thrown into chaos when one of their own is discovered unresponsive beneath a table when they should have been part of the bridal party introductions at the reception. Of course, Katie Thorne, ice cream scooper extraordinaire, is the first to discover not only the body but also the details that keep the suspicious circumstances from getting swept under the dance floor.
What will it take to prevent the unofficial royalty of New England from keeping their bouquet of dirty little secrets to themselves and allow Katie and her friendly feline, Jaspurr, to serve up some justice?
About the author
When she’s not writing on her couch with her two cats, Twyla and Geo, Virginia is busy teaching middle school math, grocery shopping, cooking or spending time her husband and son. Together, her small family loves to go geocaching and visit theme parks.
Mysteries have always been an interesting challenge for Virginia, much like watching a magician perform. Unless you want to hear the entire thought process behind who she thinks is the killer and why, you might want to avoid watching any movies together.