Oh, Fudge! (A Candy-coated Mystery)

Oh, Fudge by Nancy Coco is the fifth story in A Candy-Coated Mystery series. Allie McMurphy arrives at The Mackinac Island Butterfly House when she hears a scream. She rushes in to find her cousin, Tori kneeling over a woman with a trowel in her chest. The victim is Barbara Smart with whom Tori was meeting with to discuss an upcoming fundraiser for the butterfly house. Tori, who lives in California, resents that Allie inherited The Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop from Papa Liam. When it is discovered that Tori argued with the victim, she ends up the prime suspect. Allie knows Tori did not commit the crime and sets out to find the real killer. She soon discovers that Tori is conducting her own investigation. Can Tori and Allie team up to discover who murdered Barbara and why? They will need to work quickly, because Allie has a wedding to attend (Frances is getting married).

Oh, Fudge is easy to read and has a nice pace. I thought the murder and secondary mystery were intriguing. However, the killer can be identified early in the book and the secondary crime is equally easy to solve (insert disappointed sigh here). I kept hoping there would be a twist that would catch me by surprise. I was not a fan of Tori and her attitude. She quickly grated on my nerves. My rating for Oh, Fudge is 3 out of 5 stars. There was a definite repetition of details regarding the crimes and some inconsistencies (could have used another going over by the editor). While Oh, Fudge is the fifth book in in A Candy-Coated Mystery series, it can easily be a stand-alone. The author provided all the necessary background details on Allie, how she inherited the hotel, and some of the crimes she has solved. I wish the author had not devoted so much time to Allie and her romantic entanglements. There is a love triangle (of course), and I tired of the jealousy (it was ridiculous and unrealistic). I like the cute animals included in the story, the beautiful setting, and the delicious fudge descriptions. There are fudge recipes included in the novel. The next story in A Candy-Coated Mystery series is a Christmas novella titled Deck the Halls with Fudge.