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.

Book Summary

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?

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