February 15, 2015
Beautiful Mackinac Island provides the setting for a puzzling series of crimes. Now that Allie McMurphy has taken over her grandparents' hotel and fudge shop, life on Mackinac is good, although her little dog, Mal, does tend to nose out trouble. A strange message from technician Rodney Rivers that someone has tampered with the Fourth of July fireworks sends Allie, who's in charge of the display, straight to the warehouse, where she arrives just in time to see Rivers apparently dead before the building seasonally explodes. Her cuts, bruises and broken finger make her more than willing to accept help from her friends and employees, who take over the fudge making. After Rivers' partner, Henry Schulte, refuses to help despite his contractual obligations, Trent Jessop, Allie's handsome, wealthy boyfriend, helps her look for another fireworks provider. When Mal smells out a fire, Allie and the police realize that all the little fires that have popped up in the vicinity are arson and may be connected to the warehouse fire. Although the police warn her off, Allie and Mal keep finding fires, and she brainstorms with friends in an attempt to find the guilty party. Not only the police, but the killer take due notice of her sleuthing, with predictable results. Allie's third (To Fudge or Not to Fudge, 2014, etc.) offers plenty of plausible suspects and mouthwatering fudge recipes. But enough already with the detailed descriptions of every character's hair and clothing.