This was a cozy mystery style story, with, what I envisioned to be a dreamy, idyllic setting. There seemed to be almost 2 different books going on with this one. The main character, Celia, is an ice cream shoppe owner, who is hosting a competition to coincide with a big festival in her town. the festival is, in part, to celebrate a new space that was recently made- but it uprooted an old gravesite. During the moving of the coffins, it was discovered that one of the coffins was empty. Celia is recruited to help solve the mystery of Vivian Westlake, whose body is missing from her coffin. The story bounces back and forth between present day with various members of the community and the past and what happened to Vivian Westlake.

The other mystery takes place, when a member of the orchestra playing for the festival is murdered. This part seemed to be very random and didn't make much sense to me.

This was a well written book with lots of details to help the reader imagine the scenery. I do feel it would have been better if the 2 storylines were separated into different books. I would have loved to have learned even more about Vivian and the story leading up to the murder of the orchestra player.

A graveyard relocation gone wrong, this was looking good, a missing 1920 body from her grave, it gets more curious, which piqued my interest. Although it didn’t start on an exciting note, it captivated me.

Fascinating
An empty coffin leads to the reinvestigation of an almost 100 year old mystery and it’s up to exNYPD forensics worker Celia and her friends in town to try and find out what happened but things get complicated with a modern day murder
I liked the characters in this book, they were obviously their own people but they melded together really well and although Celia was a key character, she wasn’t the only one and I think the book benefited from some of the other characters and especially from seeing the story and each other from different peoples perspective was a twist that I haven’t seen for a while but which I felt really worked
I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy read with great characters which pulled me in and kept me hooked right from the very first page. I think my only gripe was the modern day murder which, whilst I understood the context and reasoning behind it, at times seemed like an unnecessary distraction but that’s probably just me because I was so caught up in the other storyline
I’m aware that there are other books in the series and I’m definitely looking forward to reading those but I must add that having not read them didn’t stop my enjoyment of this book and although there were some plot points that clearly flow through the series, it does work as a stand-alone book
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a cosy crime drama with a historical twist that will keep you reading

A very fun read excellent story telling and great characters. Worth the read I would recommend to everyone.

I enjoyed this book, especially the mystery of what happened to Vivian. I feel like the murder just distracted from that. I found the Vivian mystery more interesting than the murder. I’m glad what the ending is. #MurderSundae #NetGalley

I usually don’t like multiple viewpoints, but in this cozy mystery it works. I could feel what the character was trying to say and felt connected to each of them.
There are different view points from Cecelia to the deputy, and also a view of what’s going on inside the ice cream shop when there’s a group. There’s other viewpoints as well.
Chapter 11 is the first flashback we see of Vivian. Each flashback we see lets us see what she was thinking/feeling during that time.
This was a very quick read that had a great pace. I absolutely loved it! It’s the fourth in a series and was able to follow along without reading the others.

Several mysteries entwine in Murder Sundae. Underlying everything is the reason Celia Strong left her job with NYPD as a forensic analyst to relocate to Blue Lake and buy an ice cream shop. Seems her late husband was murdered while undercover, and she is quietly trying to solve his murder. While that may or may not be resolved in this book, two other ones are the focus. One, an empty casket that should have contained the body of young woman who died on her wedding day back in the 1920s. And the other, the death of a classical musician. Both have extremely clever and interesting solutions. Yet, I didn't relish getting to that point. Every time I put the book down, I procrastinated picking it back up. Perhaps if I had read the first 3 books in the series I might have been more invested in the characters, but the puzzle hooked me more than the people.

A fair cozy mystery but must admit the jumping around and techy blogs, etc. were more distracting than interesting to me. Might be my age of 60+, if I was in my 20s I would have enjoyed this more. Still though, would recommend.

Former NYPD forensics expert Celia Strong and her daughter, Katie, moved to Blue Lake for a slower, more peaceful life. Although this was my first read of this series, it doesn't sound like those aspects have quite worked out yet. She is, however, fitting in after about a year and has made new friends and even managed to be accepted by the local police. That's a nice change from the usual adversarial tone of many cozies where the police/detectives shove aside amateur sleuths, no matter how talented they are at ferreting out clues. In this case, after being recommended for what is basically a private investigative job by the local deputy (the sheriff is out of town), she finds herself also involved in deciphering a murder.

The book opens with a newsletter type chapter, detailing not only the events upcoming but some of the news about local residents, including Celia and Katie. We also get a peek into Katie's diary, detailing her being cast as Maria in the school's upcoming play, "Sound of Music". This diary entry is a wonderful bit of insight into Katie. As the actual story opens, Celia is approached by Lottie Porter who wants her to find out what happened to the body of, let's see if I remember correctly, her great-grandmother's sister. I think. Celia will have the help of the local historical group for this task, whose characters we get to know. New read for me or not, I pretty quickly sorted out who was who and the connections, so it worked as a stand-alone. 4.5 rounded to 5 star.

As for the actual murder, that was a tricky one. It takes awhile for the method to even be sorted out for sure. As noted, I didn't find myself quite as caught up in this case as the one of the missing body, but it was interesting to see how Celia, with the help of friends (and her daughter), works through the evidence using her own knowledge and what they find. I'm not going to detail either case further, including how they are connected....or are they?.... but after a bit of adjustment to the time travel, so to speak, regarding the empty casket case, as well as the varying advantage points, it was an interesting read. A somewhat slow start, true, but other than that and my own wish that I'd read the previous books simply because I was curious, not because something was lacking, it was a fun read. I liked Celia and the cast and will definitely be catching up with their past while looking forward to her next venture into investigation. Thanks #NetGalley and #StolenKeyPress for introducing me to Blue Lake and Celia. And, oh, readers, did I mention that there's actually a third, seemingly ongoing mystery: What's the story behind the murder of Celia's undercover cop husband? Yep, definitely lots to look forward to.

The story in the book follows a typical pattern of cozy mystery novels, comprising of two separate mysteries that are connected with a common thread - the chapel.

In the first mystery, Celia plays a crucial role in solving the case of a missing body from a casket during the relocation of an old country cemetery. In the second story, a well-known quartet performs at the same chapel where one of the violinists is found dead. The deputy sheriff seeks Celia's help to solve the case.

The author deftly ties both storylines together with Celia as the leading force of the investigations, making it an ideal read for cozy mystery enthusiasts who appreciate well-developed characters, a skillfully crafted plot, and a satisfying ending.

Book 4 in this cozy mystery series had some clever points. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read the earlier books in the series. Still a nice read.

Sometimes I read a book that I just don’t enjoy and this is one of them. It read like a debut novel instead of the fourth book in the series. It had too many unnecessary parts to it. I skimmed through most of the book to get on with the story. Half of the book was written in HF prose and the other half like a cozy mystery. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and the characters didn’t seem to connect either. I did like Celia’s character. She was strong, smart, and down to earth. I also liked the plots of the two mysteries in the story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Stolen Key Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the 4th release in the series "Blue Lake Cozy Murder " Mysteries. This is my 2nd book in series and I was easily able to follow along with the characters from the previous books. This can be read as a stand alone. Thank you to the publisher, Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own,

We are introduced to idyllic Blue Lake Village in the Adirondack mountains. The small village is described perfectly endearing . We meet our protaganist Celcia who has opened a ice cream shop looking for a quieter life. She was formally with the NYPD. She is attending a village celebration when a murder occurs. Ceclia and her daughter along with her friends are on the case with the local police chief away. Her quiet life is on hold as red herrings and clues abound .

The sleuth was captivating and kept me guessing to conclusion. The protagnist has a talent for finding clues . I like the supporting characters and small town vibe created in this series. I look forward to the next in series.

"Murder Sundae (Blue Lake Cozy Murder Mysteries #4)" by Hadley K. Knox follows the usual layout I'm seeing with this series. Some odd mystery (not murder necessarily and if it is not modern times), then over halfway through the book the modern murder finally happens. Kind of like it remembered it's supposed to be a murder mystery and thrown in there to qualify it that way. In some ways the two different mysteries would be okay as separate things as they barely relate to each other to begin with.

The first mystery was about a missing body from casket that was being moved when the town decided they needed to move an old country cemetery. The living relative was curious as to why it was empty and enlisted Celia and the historical group's help to figure it out. We get a few flash back scenes with this mystery story line.

The second story line follows a famous quartette who is coming to town to perform in the cities unveiling of some renovations done at a local chapel, same one that had the cemetery moved. There are tensions over contracts between the members and their manager. During their performance, one of the violinists ends up dead. Of course, the sheriff is out of town and the deputy sheriff needs Celia's help because it's his first murder on his own.

Really, the only thing tying the two mysteries together is that Celia is guiding the investigations and they're both tied to the chapel. Both could have been done without Celia. Neither ended up having anything to actually do with the other. It was an interesting story though.

This cozy mystery was an easy page turning read. The characters were amazing, and it included a mystery within a mystery. I love to figure out the who and the what while reading if I can and while 1 of the mysteries I had a hint of what was going on, the other one I was dumbfounded on who done it.

The character of Celia Strong, the ice cream shop owner, was of a strong woman who is much much more than just an ice cream shop owner and a solver of mystery. I loved her and wanted to be her friend.

If you're looking for an easy cozy mystery without all the psychological thrillers aspects, which is my niche, then please pick up any of the series from this author. I loved the townspeople so much I cnat wait to visit them again.

2 stars
This is a very confusing be ok with multiple viewpoints. It is part of a series so many that is why. There's just to much too keep up with.

Celia Strong is a good character and I enjoyed Murder Sundae very much.
The book revolves around a death that happened over thirty years ago, when a few graves are moved, and a coffin is found without a body. This isn't the only mystery Celia is involved in, as a musician drops dead during the 150th anniversary of her small town, Hope Chapel.

This story was well written and I loved the way the mysteries unraveled.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.