Candy Coated Mystery #12
Three Fudges and a Baby is Nancy Coco’s twelfth book in her Candy Coated Mystery series. Allie McMurphy is our protagonist, and she has one of the most important jobs on Earth: Fudge Maker. She is also a hotel manager for her Mackinac McMurphy hotel, but that’s not nearly important as her attached fudge shop, at least as far as I’m concerned. Allie loves her hotel and fudge shop equally, but has a bit of a problem taking a step away from her work. She has integrated herself into the culture of the island, and has become a staple thanks to winning a fudge competition the year before. Her best friend Jen also lives on the island, and is expecting her first baby any day. Her support system is in place for her to have the baby on the island instead of on the mainland hospital. She even has a Doula, Hannah, to be there to advocate and support her through the birth.
As perfect as everything sounds on the fudge capital, as Allie has learned through her adventures things can suddenly take an explosive turn for the worse when you least expect it. For example: coming across a dead body after walking through an alley, and finding someone standing over them with a gun in their hand and covered in blood. If that isn’t shocking enough, the person with the gun is Jen’s Doula, Hannah, and the victim Hannah’s fiancé. Although she proclaims her innocence, things are not looking good for Hannah. Despite overwhelming evidence, Jen is determined to have her Doula present for the birth. So she makes Allie promise to look into the case herself when it becomes clear the police are already convinced they have the murderer in hand.
Allie’s boyfriend and local officer, Rex Manning, is less than pleased to hear she is once more poking her nose into dangerous police cases. However, he is also fully aware he can’t stop her. All he asks is that she be careful. Allie does her best, she always does, but in this case she has a deadline. Jen is two weeks overdue and, while she is desperate to have the baby, she is even more desperate to have Hannah present for the birth. Given the fact that the tourist season, or ‘fudgie’ season as they call it on the island, is only just beginning, the suspect pool isn’t too overwhelming. As if this isn’t enough to balance, however, Allie’s mother has blown into town with a rather unnerving surprise all her own.
Three Fudges and a Baby would be enjoyed by first time readers as well as longtime fans of Nancy Coco’s work. All the characters, backgrounds, and setting are described in a manner that is informative to new readers, but not overwhelming for those who know exactly what’s going on. Mackinac Island is known as a tourist destination spot, but Nancy Coco gives readers a look into the island beyond what a ‘fudgie’ gets to experience. Allie’s love for not only her business, but the people and island itself, is evident throughout the whole book. It’ll be hard for readers to not find themselves dreaming of a relaxing vacation to the historic, peaceful (at least outside the book) island for a little adventure of their own. And fudge. Can’t forget the fudge. On that note, I would be remiss to not also add that Nancy Coco does include some fudge recipes in her book and there are a few I plan to give a try myself. — Carla Schantz