by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Fudge Bites. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

As Halloween arrives on Mackinac Island, Michigan, residents are celebrating early with a “Night of the Walking Red” American Heart Association charity walk and costume contest. McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop owner Allie McMurphy has already donned her zombie pinup girl, but it is her cat Carmella who arrives covered in very real blood. For once it is the feline and not “Grim Reaper” Allie who has discovered a corpse, with the zombie-costumed victim definitely dead and not just walking dead. Allie’s sporadic suitor Officer Rex Manning warns her from investigating, but pressure from gossipy seniors and the victim’s own mother make that impossible. When the victim’s death appears to be a case of mistaken identity, helpful seniors with an eye for rear-view and rear-end identifications narrow the pool of suspects but make Allie the target for a criminal.

On the tiny Mackinac Island, where motorized vehicles are prohibited, visitors are labeled as “Fudgies,” life seems to move slower, and crimes are usually limited to pranks and minor crimes. This murder, followed by a bomb explosion at the senior center, has Allie grateful for her hotel’s advanced security systems and high tech capabilities. It’s an added expense to her planned renovations, which are pricey but with the approval of the town’s historical committees will make the hotel an enviable tourist destination. If only Allie wasn’t feeling left behind by her newly formed family, as with the island businesses mostly shutting down for the winter most are leaving for the bigger – and warmer – eastern cities.

This is charming cozy mystery that lives up to its title as “A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes.” While Allie is appalled at the suggestion of an amateur confectioner invading her kitchen – a police officer was attempting to make a point regarding her own amateur involvement in official investigations – there are “downsized” fudge and brownie recipes that should have readers willing to break open a bag of cinnamon chips. Witnesses and suspects are rather forthright with their secrets, but perhaps that is due to Allie’s genialness and genuine likability. It helps that commerce on Mackinac Island includes a lot of friendly bartering, with Allie able to negotiate lower construction costs in exchange for her own delectable creations. Her vulnerability and sense of being alone is brought forth by her determination to fulfill her dream of being a year-round Mackinac Island resident, while the most sensible decision would probably be to close and leave for the winter.

Being in the “off” mode of her on-and-off relationships with Rex Manning and wealthy Islander Trent Jessop furthers her isolation, although a twist in the love triangle is as unexpected as it is delightful. Allie’s fur babies, Bichon poo Marshmallow and the feline Carmella, not only provide companionship and comfort, they play crucial roles in tracking down the wrongdoers. The author of numerous series written under the name Nancy J. Parra, she ensures that this long running series of seven novels and two e-novellas continues to make Mackinac Island an enviable place to live filled with characters one would want as best friends.

To enter to win a copy of Fudge Bites, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “fudge” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 26, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Click on this link to purchase this book & a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Fudge Bites (A Candy-coated Mystery #7)

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.