It’s a regular crime spree! Shops are being broken into, but the thieves only steal snacks and junk food. It escalates some when a shop owner is tied up and imprisoned in a closet, but the elderly man is mostly unharmed. Still, the thieves must be stopped. Meanwhile, Lee has problems of her own and calls on an animal expert to relocate a pesky mama raccoon living under the steps of her chocolate shop. An attack on the raccoon trapper in the alley nearly kills him, and a missing person later turns up dead. Suicide or murder? There is a lot of action as Lee and her friends ponder the crimes. And as the darling animal on the cover indicates, raccoons are featured in the tale. JoAnna Carl always gives her readers a Three-E story: it’s an entertaining, enjoyable and exciting read. ( )

The Chocolate Raccoon Rigamarole is the eighteenth book in The Chocoholic Mystery series.

The residents and businesses of Warner Pier are unsure if they should laugh at or be worried about what is going on in town. There have been several break-ins around town that have been nicknamed the “Cookie Monster” burglaries. So far, the only thing that has been stolen is snacks.

When Lee is informed that there is a mama raccoon with babies, she hires Watt Wicker to catch the raccoons and release them into the countryside. But on the evening he goes to trap them, he is attacked with a brick and has to be hospitalized. Soon, Lee also hears an incriminating phone conversation, new Deputy Paige Timothy, is having on her cell phone. When Lee hears a disturbance in the alley behind TenHuis, her aunt’s chocolate shop, she sees what is going on and learns someone was seen leaving a garage. The police arrive and enter the garage. There, in her squad car, is Deputy Paige Timothy, dead. The police feel that her death is a suicide, but Lee has her doubts. Lee, with her employee, Dolly Jolly’s boyfriend Mike, being suspected of assaulting Watt, is determined to clear his name.

I love this series and have read all but two books. The books are well-written and plotted and have a well-developed and believable cast of characters. Previous books in the series have had interesting tidbits on chocolate, but in this book, Ms. Carl has included delicious-sounding recipes using chocolate.

I will be watching for the next book in this series. ( )