Give Fudge A Chance is the eleventh book in the A Candy Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco.

The Mackinac County Fair is taking place on the Island this year. Allie and her BFF, Jenn, decided to take in the fair, and when they come to the haunted house, Jenn talks Allie into checking it out. As they enter, the first thing they come to is a man in a jail cell pleading for them to let him out. A few steps further, they almost trip over the leg of a man whose body is lying part out of a door to the outdoors. Upon closer inspection, they find that the man is dead but not part of the haunted house. The next day Rex, the police chief, and Allie’s boyfriend ask if any of the workers from the fair are staying at her hotel, as one of the workers has been reported as missing. Later, Allie will head to the fair to see how her Easy Dark Chocolate Mint Fudge did in judging of candies. Allie is related when she finds that she has won Best In Show. She is hurt when Christine Keller, who had won the previous twenty contests, accuses Allie of bribing the judges.

Rex finally got Allie to limit her investigations to close friends and what might happen around her hotel. When the body from a local group of parkour, those who jump from rooftop to rooftop or other tall structures, is found in the alley behind Allie’s hotel, Allie will start investigating whether she slipped or was pushed from the roof of the hotel. The book club members at the senior citizens' home will help Allie, and hopefully, Allie will remember to bring some of her fudge to the meetings. Allie will have her investigations hampered by a popular podcast following her wherever she goes. It’s not a well-known fact on the island, but there are tunnels that were used when smuggling was prevalent. Allie will find herself being held captive in them. B&B owner Harry is also wooing Allie; what will she do, and what will Rex’s reaction be?

The book is well-written and plotted, with interesting, believable, and well-developed characters. The book reads at a swift pace and was hard to put down. There were plenty of twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end of the book as to who the murderer was.

It’s always a wonderful visit to Mackinac Island.

Recipes are also included in the book.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. ( )

3.5 Stars
A light-hearted cozy mystery set in a provincial town with country fairs, baking competitions, sleuthing book clubs, and smugglers tunnels. This novel is part of a long-running series but can be read as a stand-alone (I've only read this one so far, but I look forward to going back and reading the previous works). The MC's pets are as important as the human characters, and there are some yummy recipes scattered throughout. A scene or two may be a bit over-the-top, but overall, it's a pleasant read. For cozy mystery readers and especially a good choice for the Spring or Summer seasons.

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recipes, Mackinac Island, island-life, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, small-town, small-business, amateur-sleuth, friendship, pets, series, cozy-mystery, hotelier, county-fair, book-club,*****

PARKOUR!
Oh yeah, that was the SECOND murder.
The characters nice (except for the whiney one) but realistic, the twists are really different, the location is almost a character by itself, and the red herrings really add a lot.
I originally came for the location and the recipes, but now I'm hooked on the cozies and recipes.
The book is punctuated with delicious chocolate fudge recipes every few chapters. Good read!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )