Give fudge a chance, p.1
Give Fudge a Chance, page 1
Mouthwatering Praise for Nancy Coco’s Mysteries
Death Bee Comes Her
“Personable characters and lots of honey lore.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Sprinkled with delightful notes on honey and its various uses, this debut novel in the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery series is a fun introduction to a new cozy series. Everett, the Havana Brown cat, is an animal delight, often proving to be smarter than the humans around him.”
—Criminal Element
“The author writes a captivating story with interesting characters. Naturally, Everett [the cat] contributes to the solution. A charming read.”
—Reviewingtheevidence.com
“This warmhearted book is fast-paced, with realistic dialogue and a captivating plot.”
—Mystery and Suspense Magazine
Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas
“Two nasty murders, charming surviving characters, plenty of Christmas cheer, and enough fudge recipes for a major sugar rush.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Forever Fudge
“Nancy Coco paints us a pretty picture of this charming island setting where the main mode of transportation is a horse-drawn vehicle. She also gives us a delicious mystery complete with doses of her homemade fudge . . . a perfect read!”
—Wonder Women Sixty
Oh, Fudge!
“Oh, Fudge! is a charming cozy, the sixth in the Candy-Coated Mystery series. But be warned: There’s a candy recipe at the end of each chapter, so don’t read this one when you’re hungry!”
—Suspense Magazine
Oh Say Can You Fudge
“Beautiful Mackinac Island provides the setting for a puzzling series of crimes. Now that Allie McMurphy has taken over her grandparents’ hotel and fudge shop, life on Mackinac is good, although her little dog, Mal, does tend to nose out trouble.... Allie’s third offers plenty of plausible suspects and mouthwatering fudge recipes.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“WOW. This is a great book. I loved the series from the beginning, and this book just makes me love it even more. Nancy Coco draws the reader in and makes you feel like you are part of the story.”
—Bookschellves.com
To Fudge or Not to Fudge
“To Fudge or Not to Fudge is a superbly crafted, classic, culinary cozy mystery. If you enjoy them as much as I do, you are in for a real treat.”
—Examiner.com (5 stars)
“We LOVED it! This mystery is a vacation between the pages of a book. If you’ve never been to Mackinac Island, you will long to visit, and if you have, the story will help you to recall all of your wonderful memories.”
—Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and Meows
“A five-star delicious mystery that has great characters, a good plot, and a surprise ending. If you like a good mystery with more than one suspect and a surprise ending, then rush out to get this book and read it, but be sure you have the time, since once you start, you won’t want to put it down.”
—Mystery Reading Nook
“A charming and funny culinary mystery that parodies reality-show competitions and is led by a sweet heroine, eccentric but likable characters, and a skillfully crafted plot that speeds toward an unpredictable conclusion. Allie stands out as a likable and engaging character. Delectable fudge recipes are interspersed throughout the novel.”
—Kings River Life
All Fudged Up
“A sweet treat with memorable characters, a charming locale, and satisfying mystery.”
—Barbara Allan, author of the Trash ’n’ Treasures Mystery Series
“A fun book with a lively plot, and it’s set in one of America’s most interesting resorts. All this plus fudge!”
—JoAnna Carl, author of the Chocoholic Mystery Series
“A sweet confection of a book. Charming setting, clever protagonist, and creamy fudge—a yummy recipe for a great read.”
—Joanna Campbell Slan, author of the Scrap-N-Craft Mystery Series and the Jane Eyre Chronicles
“Nancy Coco’s All Fudged Up is a delightful mystery delivering suspense and surprise in equal measure. Her heroine, Allie McMurphy, owner of the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop (as much of a mouthful as her delicious fudge), has a wry narrative voice that never falters. Add that to the charm of the setting, Michigan’s famed Mackinac Island, and you have a recipe for enjoyment. As an added bonus, mouthwatering fudge recipes are included. A must-read for all lovers of amateur sleuth classic mysteries.”
—Carole Bugge (Elizabeth Blake), author of the Jane Austen Society Mystery Series
“You won’t have to ‘fudge’ your enthusiasm for Nancy Coco’s first Mackinac Island Fudge Shop Mystery. Indulge your sweet tooth as you settle in and meet Allie McMurphy, Mal the bichon/poodle mix, and the rest of the motley crew in this entertaining series debut.”
—Miranda James, author of the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series
“The characters are fun and well-developed, the setting is quaint and beautiful, and there are several mouthwatering fudge recipes.”
—RT Book Reviews (3 stars)
“Enjoyable . . . All Fudged Up is littered with delicious fudge recipes, including alcohol-infused ones. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and look forward to reading more in this series.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Cozy mystery lovers who enjoy quirky characters, a great setting, and fantastic recipes will love this debut.”
—The Lima News
“The first Candy-Coated Mystery is a fun cozy due to the wonderful location filled with eccentric characters.”
—Midwest Book Review
Books by Nancy Coco
The Oregon Honeycomb Mystery Series
Death Bee Comes Her
A Matter of Hive and Death
The Candy-Coated Mystery Series
All Fudged Up
To Fudge or Not to Fudge
Oh Say Can You Fudge
All I Want for Christmas Is Fudge
All You Need Is Fudge
Oh, Fudge!
Deck the Halls with Fudge
Forever Fudge
Fudge Bites
Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas
Here Comes the Fudge
A Midsummer Night’s Fudge
Give Fudge a Chance
GIVE FUDGE A CHANCE
Nancy Coco
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Table of Contents
Praise
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Teaser chapter
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2023 by Nancy J. Parra
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
The K and Teapot logo is a trademark of Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 978-1-4967-3555-3
ISBN: 978-1-4967-3556-0 (ebook)
Chapter 1
“Are you entering the cornhole contest?” my best friend, Jenn, asked. She sipped a decaffeinated slushie. She switched everything to decaf once she found out she was pregnant. I don’t know how she stands it but she says she enjoys the flavor.
“I’ve got fudge in the candy contest,” I said. “That’s enough competition for me.” Unlike Jenn, I wasn’t coordinated enough to even consider trying to toss a beanbag through a hole a few yards away.
It was August, and that meant the Mackinac County Fair was in full swing. Usually, the fair was held on the Upper Peninsula, but this year they had moved the fair onto the island as they renovated the regular fairgrounds.
Tents and booths filled every inch of Marquette Park, which was a large lawn at the base
As winner of the fudge festival, I had moved on to the county fair, hoping to qualify for the state fair. The more recognition I received for my fudge, the better the publicity for the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop. The McMurphy has been in my family for over a hundred years, and I was the current owner and operator. With my friend Jenn’s help, we’d had a successful second season, and I wanted to continue that success.
The air was rich with the scent of funnel cakes and animal tents, as well as the sound of people riding rides.
“Oh, it’s the haunted murder mansion!” she squealed. “Let’s go inside.”
“But we have a haunted house on Main Street,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but this one is new,” she said. “I’ve already been through the one on Main Street twice.”
“Fine,” I said and gave the ticket guy my tickets. “You love these things, don’t you?” I asked Jenn as we walked through the dark entrance and into a spooky, green-lighted foyer.
“They’re so much fun!” Jenn’s eyes glittered in the strange light. The soundtrack began with loud, spooky laughter.
“Enter if you dare,” the soundtrack went on.
“Look, a bloody handprint on the door,” Jenn said. “It’s going to be great.”
We stepped inside, and a mannequin in a monster mask jumped out at us with a knife in his hand. We both screamed and ran to the next doorway. We entered a funeral home scene with the corpse rising out of the coffin. Ghostly music played as the coffin lid lifted and closed.
We continued to a man in a jail cell reaching for us. Jenn laughed and ran across the room. But he grabbed my arm. “Help me, there’s a murderer on the loose,” he said. “Be careful, or they’ll get you, too!” I broke free from his grasp, and he called out. “Wait! Please let me out!”
“What was that?” I asked Jenn. “He grabbed me.” Then a mechanical monster pushed out of a closet. We ran through the next door into a room where a man lay on the ground half in and half out the door to the outside. It looked like we would have to step over him to go out. “I’m not stepping over that,” I said. “I don’t want him to grab my leg.”
“But it’s the only way out,” Jenn said. “Just tell him not to grab you.” She walked up to the pretend corpse. “Look, I’ve got a dress on and I’m pregnant, so you’d better not grab me.” Then she took a big step over him and opened the door wide letting in the bright sunshine. Light flooded the room, and we could see bloody handprints on the floor next to the corpse. Curious because he didn’t even blink at the light, I squatted down to see if he was even real.
Oh, he was real, all right. A big pool of blood grew under him. “Those are some effects,” I said to the guy. Nothing. I snapped my fingers close to his face and still he didn’t flinch. My heart beat faster. “Mister,” I said and shook his shoulder. His head lolled to the side.
“What are you doing?” Jenn said. “Just step over him. He clearly isn’t going to grab you.”
I frowned and touched his neck. “He’s cold.”
“As in ‘not alive’ cold?” Jenn asked. “Because if he’s a mannequin, then I need to get my eyes checked.”
“As in ‘dead human’ cold,” I said. I’d found my share of dead bodies enough to know one when I saw one. “Don’t move,” I instructed Jenn, who held the door open.
Standing, I pulled out my phone and called nine-one-one.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”
“Hi, Charlene,” I said. “You’d better call Rex.” Charlene and I had never met in person, but we knew each other well, and Rex Manning was the lead police officer on the island and my boyfriend.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, we’re fine,” I said. “We’re at the back of the haunted house.”
“The one on Main?”
“No,” I said and blew out a breath. “The one in the carnival on the makeshift fairgrounds.”
“Right,” she said. “Got it. Don’t worry, the police are on the way.”
“Have him come quick and bring Shane.” Shane was Jenn’s husband and the county crime scene investigator. “There’s a dead man near the back door.”
“They’re on their way,” she said. “You said you were at the murder mansion attraction. My husband and I went through that last night. Are you sure it’s not just a prop?”
“I’m sure,” I said. “It’s a very real dead man.”
“Stay on the line with me until the police get there, just in case something happens. Is there anyone with you?”
“Yes, Jenn Carpenter is with me,” I said. “I think we’re safe. I don’t see anyone else around.”
“Stay on the line anyway,” Charlene replied.
“Will do,” I said and looked back at the corpse to see if I could recognize him.
“Does Charlene want you to stay on the line in case we’re in danger?” Jenn asked as she held the door open.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s standard—”
“Hi, Charlene,” Jenn called into my phone. “Allie and I are safe. I’m outside, holding the door open and no one else seems to be around.”
“Tell her I still need you to be on the line until the police get there,” Charlene said.
“We need to remain on the line,” I repeated to Jenn.
“This is kind of exciting,” Jenn said and hugged herself as she held the door with her back.
“A man is dead,” I pointed out.
“Oh, come on.” She shook her head at me. “You love murders. You practically live for solving them.”
“I’d rather make fudge.” I straightened, glanced out the open door, and caught two people having an intense argument next to the corn dog stand. “Is that Hazel Green and Isabel Frank?” I pointed toward the two women. Their hands were flying a mile a minute as they tried to make their points.
“It is,” Jenn said. “The argument looks pretty heated.”
“I heard Hazel was into parkour,” I said. “And she was jumping onto Isabel’s balcony to get to the roof of the next building.”
“Parkour?” Jenn frowned. “Is that where they train by jumping from thing to thing?”
“They challenge themselves to get from one place to another as quickly as possible. It’s crazy. You should look it up,” I said. “But I bet that’s why they’re arguing.”
The sound of ambulance sirens grew closer. Motorized vehicles had been banned from Mackinac Island for nearly a hundred years, but when it came to emergency vehicles, they were state of the art.
Rex and Officer Charles Brown came up on bicycles. The ticket taker from the front of the haunted house came around the back with them.
“What’s going on?” the ticket taker asked.
“We discovered a dead man,” I said.
“It’s a haunted house,” the ticket taker said. His name tag read Smith.
“With a real dead body,” Jenn said and pointed at her feet. I held the door open and illuminated the body.
“That’s the employee exit only,” the ticket taker said.
“Well, we saw the daylight and thought it was the way out,” Jenn said.
Rex squatted down and felt for a pulse. “The body is real,” he said and looked up at me. “And very dead.”
Easy Dark Chocolate Mint Fudge
Ingredients
3 cups dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, 70% chocolate.)
