FOREVER FUDGE by Nancy Coco
It’s
Labor Day weekend, the official end of the tourist season, but things
are hotter than ever on quaint, historic Mackinac Island, as a TV murder
mystery pilot is being
filmed among the tree-lined streets, horse-drawn carriages, and fudge
shops. Best of all, hunky Hollywood heartthrob Dirk Benjamin is
prepping to play the part of police officer Rex Manning – so he needs to
get to know the local business owners, including
a flustered but delighted Allie McMurphy.
When
Allie and her curious pup, Mal, discover a dead man in the alley way
behind The Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, the murder is
definitely not part of the script.
The victim’s position makes it clear the killer wanted Allie to find
the body. And the note he leaves her is clearly the start of a vicious
game of cat and mouse. Drawn into a chess match with a devious killer,
Allie must keep her wits about her – and avoid
being distracted by show-biz shenanigans – in order to outsmart this
madman and stop him from killing again!
About the author:
Nancy Coco is the byline chosen by popular
author Nancy J. Parra for use exclusively with the Candy-Coated
Mysteries series. With degrees in engineering, journalism and a MA in
Writing Popular Fiction, Nancy has published in cozy mystery,
romantic suspense, and sweet western historical romances. An Air Force
veteran who rose to the rank of sergeant, Nancy is a member of an
on-line group of female veterans who are authors—“Military Women Who
Have Turned Sword to Pen.” The group’s website is
www.romvets.com.
Nancy is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in
Crime. She has given workshops on a number of writing topics and enjoys
doing author panels at fan conferences such as Malice Domestic
and Bouchercon. She lives in Oregon with her dog—a bichonpoo
affectionately known as Little Dog on Nancy’s Facebook and Twitter
accounts.
Website:
https://www.nancyjcoco.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/
FINAL ROASTING PLACE by Devon Delaney
Sherry’s
briny cucumbers are selling well at the farmer’s market, but when she
cooks in the finals of a local cable TV’s recipe contest, she’s the one
who finds herself
in a pickle. The beautiful on-air anchor monitoring the competition has
been stabbed and the weapon is one of Sherry’s father’s punch tools
from his Ruggery store. With her dad in attendance at the cook-off
without an alibi, it seems he may be the murderer,
but Sherry would rather use catsup on eggs than believe his guilt. She
sets out to clear his name with the first task involving uncovering who
hated the TV personality enough to leave her more lifeless than
overcooked filet mignon...
About the author:
Devon Delaney is a wife, mother of three, accomplished cooking
contester, recent empty nester and lifelong resident of the Northeast.
She has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last
twenty-plus years. Among the many prizes she
has won are a full kitchen of major appliances, top cash prizes and
four trips to Disney World. She has also won the Grand Prize in a
national writing contest for her “foodie” poem “Ode to Pork Passion.”
The art and skill of writing a winning recipe lends
to her ability to clearly organize her words and ideas in print. The
popularity of food competitions, like the Pillsbury Bakeoff (which she
has competed in 3 times) and TV programs like
Chopped (which she auditioned for) and Top Chef, prove the
market is currently sizzling for this subject matter. Her goal is to
share her unique expertise and perspective through an entertaining cozy
murder mystery series.
Website:
https://www.devonpdelaney.com/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/
FERAL ATTRACTION by Eileen Watkins
Cassie's
good friend Dawn is part of an organization trying to protect a colony
of stray cats on the property of a senior condo community in Chadwick,
New Jersey. The residents
have got their backs up over the cat invasion, and Dawn has come to her
grooming and boarding shop, Cassie's Comfy Cats, to ask her help in
talking sense to them.
Not
everyone's against the cats. Eccentric Sabrina Ward feeds them and has
even created makeshift shelters for
them in the nearby woods, infuriating her neighbors. Following a heated
community meeting—in which Cassie and her veterinarian boyfriend come
up with a proposal—Sabrina's body is found in the woods. The police are
calling her death an accident, but Cassie
smells a rat. Narrowing down the list of suspects may be tougher than
herding cats, but Cassie is determined to collar the killer before
another cat lover has a fatal accident ...
About the author:
Eileen Watkins
worked for daily newspapers for most of her career, writing and editing
stories on fine
art, architecture, interior design and home improvement. She also has
published paranormal mystery and suspense novels. A confirmed “Jersey
Girl,” she prefers older houses, has always shared her home with at
least one cat and makes frequent visits to the nearest
riding stable. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers
of America.
Website:
www.efwatkins.com
A CATERED CAT WEDDING by Isis Crawford
When
Libby and Bernie Simmons agree to cater a wedding for Natasha and
Boris, Susie Katz ‘s two Russian blue cats, the sisters think, it’s
weird, but they’ve done weird
before. It’s to be a small wedding, six guests only, but a deluxe one.
As the date nears, Bernie and Libby begin to understand why Susie Katz
is not well- loved in town. A self-made multi-millionaire, she thinks
that her money entitles her to do whatever
she wants to whomever she wants.
The
day of the wedding dawns and, despite Bernie and Libby’s trepidations,
things seem to be going well, or at least as well as can be expected,
for a wedding involving
a twelve- cat wedding party, not counting the bride and groom. Then
someone plays a nasty practical joke as the reception is about to begin
and it all goes to hell. The next thing Bernie and Libby know they’re
discovering Susie’s body in the study of her
recently renovated mansion. Now, they must solve her murder and solve
it quickly before they’re arrested for interfering with a police
investigation. But which of the guests is responsible? It has to be
one of them, since Susie only invited her ‘best enemies'
to the party...
About the author:
ISIS CRAWFORD was born in Egypt to parents who
were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to
the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester
County and her father became a university
professor. Since then Isis has combined her parents’ love of food and
travel by running a catering service as well as penning numerous
travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay.
Married, with twin boys, she presently resides in Hastings-on-Hudson,
New York, where she is working on the next Bernie and Libby culinary
mystery.
Website:
https://isiscrawford.com/
MURDER FLIES THE COOP by Jessica Ellicott
After
years of seeking excitement around the globe, Beryl Helliwell is
certain she has finally found her true calling as a private detective.
After all, the thrill of bringing
a criminal to justice is unlike any she has ever known. And
gallivanting down country lanes in her motorcar following suspects and
searching for clues with her best friend Edwina is a lot easier on her
aging joints than her previous exploits.
Edwina
is less certain their fledgling business is likely to succeed. After
all, how much call can there be for private inquiry agents in a small
English village? So she
is pleasantly surprised when she and Beryl are hired by the local
pigeon racing club to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the
association treasurer along with the club’s funds and a number of prize
birds. But no sooner do they agree to take the case
than the missing birds as well as a body appear in the club’s pigeon
roost.
But
business is slow to start. Finally, the president of the local pigeon
racing club hires them to investigate the mysterious disappearance of
the association treasurer
along with the clubs funds and a number of prized birds. But no sooner
do they agree to take on the case than the missing birds as well as the
body of the treasurer appear in the club's pigeon roost.
It
looks like their first case is over almost before it begins. That is
until the wife of the local colliery owner comes to them for help. It
seems she was conducting an
affair with the treasurer and had given him most of her extremely
valuable jewelry to finance a new life for the two of them. She wishes
to have it returned to her without her husband discovering her
infidelity. Despite the tawdry nature of her request the
pair of sleuths reluctantly agreed.
Their
investigation into the life of the victim and the disappearance of
their client’s jewelry soon takes them into the world of pigeon racing
and the complicated relationship
between miners at the local coal mine, the colliery owner and the
villagers of Walmsley Parva. When the police murder investigation leads
to an easy scapegoat, Beryl and Edwina sift through personal grudges,
shady financial schemes, and romances gone wrong
in order to unmask the real killer.
About the author: Jessica Ellicott
loves
fountain pens, Mini Coopers and throwing parties. She lives in
northern New England where she obsessively knits wool socks and
enthusiastically speaks Portuguese with a shocking
disregard for the rules of grammar.Website: https://www.jessicaellicott.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/