A Midsummer Night’s Festival is a draw for tourists on scenic Mackinac Island in Lake Michigan. Allie McMurphy is part of the family that runs the hotel, and she has a small fudge shop at the back for a personal income. All her hard work gives us A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S FUDGE, which unfortunately sparks a crime spree.

Regular readers of the Candy Coated Mysteries series will have seen Allie and friends solve many crimes. On this occasion, all is quiet until the judging of the young ladies who compete for the title of the pageant Queen. One of them is disqualified. I think there was no need to announce it in front of everyone, but bad feelings started, and amid the fireworks following the last event, someone was shot. Allie had gone to bring her little dog home because the fireworks scared it, and on her way back, she found Winona Higer, committee member and that evening’s judge, lying in the water.

Now, I love that these books include recipes for fudge and other goodies. But I don’t love that the recipes follow immediately after the character finds a woman’s body or a shooting incident occurs. I think the recipes would be better left for the back pages.

Allie agrees to be a parade float judge the next day and talks matters over with her friends. She also talks with the man she’s dating, police officer Rex Manning. Some odd incidents occur. A threatening note is found at the hotel. Talking to Elias Sumner, Winona's elderly gardener, Allie learns that Winona accused him of killing her prize-winning roses. No garden lover could do such a thing. Then, local lady Amy Houseman asks Allie to do unpaid PI work by investigating if her husband is having an affair. This is so strange. Why does Allie agree to be an unpaid PI in the middle of summer when she has endless work all day and night? Why is it any of her business what someone gets up to in or out of their marriage?

The list of suspects can vary with each book, as some people are residents on the island and some only arrive for the summer, while tourists, casual workers, and the longer-term visitors add to the character potential. Sadly, the main suspects are usually residents. Don’t let this deter you from visiting this beauty spot, where cars are banned and life is fun-filled. Nancy CoCo keeps her books fresh, with the progress of Allie’s business and relationship, plus her cat and dog to entertain us – always a pleasure to read. Cherry and dark chocolate fudge for me, please!