Monday, September 15, 2014

To Fudge Or Not To Fudge-Nancy Coco

To Fudge Or Not To Fudge
Nancy Coco
Kensington, Sep 2 2014, $7.99
ISBN: 9780758287120

On Mackinac Island, Michigan Allie McMurphy owns and manages the Historic Registered McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop.  As such she prepares for an invasion of guests arriving for the annual Lilac Festival, but accepts she needs help.  Thus Allie and her Bichon-Poodle Mal heads to the island paper, the Town Crier, to place an ad for a part time summer maid.  Outside the newspaper office, Mal digs up a sock containing a bone that proves to be human.

Meanwhile Allie’s former cooking instructor Peter Thomas adds her onto his reality show Candied Chef he is filming on the island. In turn, Allie hires Sandy Everheart as her kitchen assistant at the hotel.  As Mal unearths more bones, a visitor dies while possessing one of Allie’s fudge treats.  Prompted to investigate by being a person of police interest, Allie fears Mal will soon uncover her buried remains.

The second Candy-Coated mystery is a pleasing cozy due to the captivating location and the quirky cast (locals and TV crew).  Although once again the overused premise of an amateur sleuth making inquiries to stay out of jail detracts from an otherwise delightful cozy, Allie remains awesome at the hotel, cooking fudge and especially investigating a murder; while trying to stay alive and out of jail.


Harriet Klausner

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