Tallulah "Tally" Jones, owner of Remember the A-la-mode, a
gourmet ice cream parlor, is barely making ends meet since
opening up earlier this year. Although it galls her, she
agrees to cater dessert at her ex-husband's end-of-summer
shindig because it could be the break she needs to make her
store a household name in the small town of Dalliance,
Texas. Wayne Jones may be a two-timing, womanizing jerk but
his business, Wayne's Weed and Seed, is one of the biggest
businesses in town. Adding to her turmoil, Tally's old
flame, Finn Harper, has moved back to Dalliance nearly
twenty years after Tally broke his heart.
When Brittanie Brinkman, Wayne's new girlfriend, gets drunk
at the luau and has a screaming hissy fit, Tally is sure
it'll be the talk of the town. However, Brittanie turns up
dead the next day, and the gossip mill turns Tally into
prime suspect number one, with Wayne running a close second.
Tally doesn't want Wayne back but it's hard to convince the
good townspeople of Dalliance of that fact. Sure that
something in Brittanie's life led to her death, Tally starts
looking into Brittanie's three main interests--her exclusive
gym, her sorority, and Wayne's Weed and Seed.
With her cousin Bree and Bree's daughter Alice holding down
the fort at Remember the A-la-mode, Tally tries to worm her
way into Brittanie's world. It's a little hard for her to
blend in with the wealthy, fit, and oh-so-beautiful people
but Tally does the best she can. Along the way she learns
about some of Dalliance's deepest, darkest secrets. Does one
of those secrets hold the key to Brittanie's murder?
Readers will just adore Tally and her no-nonsense attitude.
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM is an enjoyable visit to small-town
Texas with a helping of murder to boot. Ms. Watson has
introduced characters who will stay with you after the last
page. If you're a fan of Southern living and cozy mysteries
be sure to read this first book in the Mystery à la Mode series.
Recently divorced Tallulah Jones is mortified when she's
stuck scooping sundaes for her two-timing ex-husband-and his
bodacious new girlfriend, Brittanie-at his company luau. But
when Brittanie drops dead, Tally is suddenly the prime
suspect in her murder investigation.
To catch the killer, Tally will have to dip deep into her
small Texan town's darkest secrets and churn up stories some
would prefer to keep in the past. But can she uncover the
real culprit before a murder charge puts her dreams on ice
for good?
Excerpt
Wayne spooned up a big glob of ice cream and sucked it in.
Wayne’s sweet tooth rivaled my own, so I was anxious to know
what he thought. “Damn, Tally. That’s some fine ice cream.
What do you think, sugar?”
I almost responded. After all, I’d been Wayne’s
“sugar” for most of my adult life. But I caught myself just
in time as Wayne handed the spoon to Brittanie.
She dipped the tip of the spoon into the ice cream and
held it to her lips. She shuddered. “Ooh, it’s way too rich
for me.”
Wayne rolled his eyes. “Ah, geez, Brit. Lighten up and
have just a bite.”
Brittanie thinned her glossy lips and narrowed her
deep blue eyes. In a heartbeat, the curvy coed went from
looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth to looking
meaner than a skillet full of rattlesnakes. I dang near got
whiplash watching the transformation.
“I would think you’d be happy if I didn’t pig out on
ice cream, Wayne. I mean, you don’t want me to get fat, do you?”
Whoa. Low blow. Behind me, I heard the synchronized
gasps of Alice, Kyle, and Bree.
Apparently I was going to have to learn to count to
twelve with Miss Fancy Britches Brittanie.
Wayne had the good grace to look abashed. He clicked
his tongue against his teeth. “Dang it, Brit. Don’t be a
sore winner.”
Winner? Winner? I couldn’t count high enough to let
that one slide.
“Lord a-mighty, Wayne, do you really think you’re some
kinda prize? I hate to bust your bubble, but I washed your
BVDs for over fifteen years, and you ain’t a prize.”
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