A Midsummer’s Night Fudge: A Candy-Coated Mystery
By Nancy Coco
Kensington
May 24, 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

Michigan’s tourist-driven Mackinac Island is celebrating the summer with their July Midsummer Night’s Festival of parades, masquerade balls, and pageant queen competition. Events start off a little rocky when the reigning pageant winner Natasha Alpine is disqualified, infuriating the Alpine family who focus their anger against organizer Winona Higer. No one really expects that the well-respected family will take retribution though, which is why the discovery of Winona’s body on the beach is so shocking. What isn’t surprising is that Allie McMurphy and her bichon-poo Mal are the ones to discover Winona with a bullet hole in her forehead, considering how they have become the de facto body-finders of the tiny island. Although Allie’s policeman boyfriend Rex Manning (again) warns her away from his investigation, she ignores his advice and immediately begins looking into the life of the festival organizer.

Allie still manages to fit in her daily fudge-making demonstrations at her family’s Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, but she’s far more invested in tracking down those with reasons to have wanted Winona dead. Not only did she have a near-obsession with her rose garden that led to combative confrontations with her gardener, Winona also built herself a reputation for stealing ideas and taking all of the credit. Having something of a reputation herself for solving a murder or ten, Allie is sought out by a witness too afraid to go directly to the police. When that instead leads to yet another death, Allie knows that she and Mal must act quickly to stop their summer from becoming a Shakespearean tragedy.

The casualty rate gets alarmingly high in this 10th of the candy-themed mystery series. Allie never hesitates when venturing into a new direction of the investigation, not to mention becoming an unofficial P.I. for a friend suspicious that her husband is having an affair. Always countering the death and deceptions is the unique beauty of Mackinac Island, where motor vehicles are banned and everyone commutes by bicycle or horse. It’s one of the few places where it would be entirely believable for a help wanted ad to be most effective when placed in the local newspaper and not online. A number of Allie’s delicious-sounding recipes are included throughout, including ones for a potent Fudgy Bottom Boozy Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake and decadent Turtle Fudge and Chocolate Swirl Coffee Cake. A light-hearted tone is kept throughout despite the rise in murder victims, with the humor stemming from Allie’s interactions with her closest friends and an extremely tolerant Rex. Beauty pageants, sewing circles, and competitive gardeners all make a charming hunting ground as Allie and Mal track down a vengeful killer. A monologuing villain determined that Allie know the brilliancy of the plan ensures that this cozy mystery very knowingly delivers a classic dénouement and emotionally satisfying conclusion.

Residents of Mackinac Island are celebrating Midsummer’s Night. After leaving the masquerade ball Allie finds a body floating in the water near the beach. The body was one of the committee members of the festival. Soon someone seems to be targeting all the other committee members. Can Allie figure out who is behind these terrible acts before someone else dies?

This is an enjoyable cozy. The characters are intriguing and relatable. The mystery is well plotted with plenty of interesting twists. There is no shortage of well placed red herrings to keep the readers on their toes. I recommend this book to cozy mystery fans.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

A great read! New to the series, but will definitely read the first ones. Mackinac Island makes a wonderful and different setting for a cozy! Characters are interesting, mystery was interesting. A quick, easy summer mystery!

I must admit that anthropomorphism in cozy mysteries is wearing thin; people can find dead bodies too. For some reason, animal super-sleuths are the continued go-to for many authors. Fortunately, this time around, the first body was found by a human, and the second, third, etc., continued the overused canine super-sleuth theme.

A great deal of repetition and inconsistency had me stopping, going back, checking, and restarting interrupted the flow and made for a frustrating read. Read the beginning, skim through the middle, and then read to the end--you will not be missing much.

Why do I continue with the series? Mackinac Island. Who wouldn't love to live on an island with no cars, quaint buildings, beautiful homes, and tasty fudge?

This is the second book I’ve read in the Candy-Coated series by Nancy Coco. I have enjoyed both and have started purchasing earlier books in the series. The book is a perfect cozy mystery. The characters are well developed and the relationships have you engaged in the story. Nestled amidst the well plotted mystery, there is humor. Allie is up to her usual habit of trying to solve the mystery. There are lots of twists and turns with lots of surprises as you rush through the pages to find out who is guilty. This is a great series to invest yourself in for a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was my 3rd in this series. Although it was book ten, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events and it worked for me as an individual story. The first Midsummer Night’s Festival on Mackinac Island, Upper Michigan is celebrating the opening of the summer season. A masquerade ball becomes a murder scene when Allie McMurphy finds a dead woman wearing a white dress with rainbow hair, floating in the waters of the lake. Protagonist and Historic McMurphy Hotel And Fudge Shop owner, Allie is a great character who I like immensely. She is smart and focussed though sometimes inclined towards recklessness. There was no shortage of engaging chapters so I was thoroughly invested in finding out what would happen next. The great cast of characters, including Allie's best friend, Jenn helped to zhoosh up this summer cozy.

The author really impresses me with her fluid writing; the details of the plot are very well-executed, and the story is amusing and easy to follow. I was kept guessing until the very end and really enjoyed this intriguing yarn.

There are quite a few instalments to catch up on and I can’t wait to visit Allie and her Bichonpoo, Mal (short for Marshmallow) on Mackinac Island again. If you adore a solid cozy whodunit with lots of yummy fudgy references, don't miss out on A Midsummer Night's Fudge.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Release Date: May 24, 2022

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Mackinac Island (home of the infamous grand hotel) is hosting a Midsummer’s night dream Festival, but the dream is turning into a nightmare when Allie finds two bodies just days apart. When Allie is offered the opportunity to join the festival committee to sit in for one of the murder victims, she’s thinks it’s the perfect chance to hear the gossip and find out what is going on but when the committee members start getting targeted by the killer, can Allie figure out who the killer is before she and the rest of the committee have their midsummers night curtain call?

This is the 10th book in the candy coated mystery series. I really did feel like I missed a lot by starting at book 10. The heroine, Allie, was down right unlikable at points and the scenarios that she finds herself in are unbelievable. Not like “wow that was unbelievable” but more “no way that would EVER happen”. I don’t recommend this book and therefore cannot recommend the series.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#amidsummernightsfudge #bookstagram #cozymysteryseries #netgalleyreads #candycoatedmystery

A Midsummer Night's Fudge by Nancy Coco takes us to Upper Michigan and a town that is full of fudge shops. It is fireworks time at the Midsummer Fight's Festival to celebrate summer. This is a new festival for the area and looks to have been very successful. There was one little kerfuffle with one of the Queen of the Festival contestants, when one of them was disqualified based on her community service hours. This was a prominent family and no one wanted to mess with them, but the rules were the rules, until the chairman of the festival committee turned up dead, floating in the water. Of course, Allie discovered the body. Then the next day, Mal, her dog, discovered another body hidden in some bushes. This could not be happening.

This was a good mystery and Allie is a natural sleuth, but she is also a busy body, and involves people who would better be left to their gardening. It gets her a roommate, twice, for several days each, in an attempt to keep them safe. It was an experience she was not eager to repeat. Rex, her boyfriend and a police officer, begged her stay out of it: to stay home and be safe. Did she listen? No. Jenn is pregnant and that fact causes a lot of joy for a lot of people. Allie keeps investigating until there is no turning back. What a terrific, character, business, town, and mystery!

I was invited to read A Midsummer Night's Fudge by Kensington, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #Kensington #amidsummernightsfudge #nancycoco

I've always enjoyed this series, but I have to confess this wasn't my favorite title. It had a promising start, with the summer festival and pageant, and I always love the Mackinac island setting (though I feel like that took a backseat this time).

But there were several things that knocked this down a peg or two in my opinion. While I really liked Allie in earlier books, she's going down that path of some cozy mystery characters who go beyond plucky and brave, and instead keep making poor decisions that put themselves and others in danger, and refuse to listen to reason. And there were a few small side plots and characters that were more distracting to the main story. I'll still be interested to check out the next in the series, and hope it moves back toward the original books.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Another excellent addition to this beloved series. It kept me hooked and turnining pages.
I was happy to catch up with the characters and travel to Mackinac Island. the mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the recipes are easy to follow and i love to read them even if I'm diabetic and can't eat fudge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This series never gets old for me. I love the characters, the pets, the mysteries, and all the recipes (there's actually several in this book I want to try). I just finished this book and I'm already ready for more Allie, Mallow, and crew.
After reading this series, visiting Mackinac Island is absolutely on my bucket list.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Midsummer Night's Fudge was my introduction to the Candy-Coated Mystery series. I found this book to be very enjoyable, with an interesting storyline. The settings are well described, which adds to the charm of the book. Allie is a nice main character, which contributed to my reading enjoyment. I had a pretty good idea as to who the culprit was after a little more than halfway through, not so much because of the clues but because I found the character unpleasant and irritating. I was happy to read how the book ended. I will go back and read the previous entries in the series as I am sure I will enjoy them just as much ad this one.

Nancy Coco has a winner with the tenth installment of her Candy-Coated Mystery, A Midsummer Night's Fudge. I have read most of this series and was delighted to be able to read an advance copy. This cozy series has everything I enjoy: engaging characters, a good mystery to solve, a great setting, and fabulous recipes! The turtle fudge is easy and delicious.
Mackinac Island has a Midsummer's Night Festival with a masquerade ball, bonfire ,and fireworks to celebrate the crowning of the Midsummer night's queen in July. That is such fun to read about, until our armature sleuth saves an apparent drowning victim...only to find there is a hole in her forehead. And just like that Allie is hip deep in mayhem, much to her cop boyfriend's dismay (and mine, too). The brisk pace suits me fine as I am pulled into the mystery by characters I love. Though this book can be read as a stand alone, I would start at the beginning of the series to get the most enjoyment from the character development.
Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Nancy Coco for the ARC to read and offer my unbiased, honest review. I review books I love so that others can find and read them, too.
#AMidsummerNightsFudge #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks

A Midsummer Nights’ Fudge (Candy Coated 10) by Nancy Coco


Bang! Bang! Book number 10 in the Candy Coated series starts off with two bangs. One we hear and one we find the results too.

Another first for Mackinac Islands’ newest chocolatier Allie McMurphy. On her way back to the costume party from comforting Mal, she sees what she believes to be a drowning victim. Only after rescue does she find out it’s event organizer Winona Higer, shot!

Coming after an action-packed book nine, I mistakenly thought Allie would have a more low-key mystery. Man am I glad to be wrong! This book had a smart killer that almost got away with her series of murders. Yep, you read that correctly we have a series of killings in this book!!!

I completely and wholeheartedly recommend every mystery and cozy reader give this book a try!

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I don’t recommend it. While the author does a good job of hinting at past events, like the drama of book nine. I think you would be missing out, because some emotions may seem over the top otherwise. Just my personal opinion.

I’d really love to see this series on Hallmark Movies! 5*****



Thank you to Nancy Coco, her publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

A Midsummer’s Night Fudge is the tenth book in the A Candy-coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco.

I always enjoy visiting the beautiful Mackinac Island, and this book was no exception.

The summer season has begun, and the island’s first Midsummer Night’s Festival has started. Winona Higer, chair of the festival, starts to name the queen of the festival but first announces that one of the contestants has been disqualified and continues to announce the winner. After the queen is crowned, the disqualified contestant creates a terrible scene, stating that she was wrongfully removed and would have won. Shortly after, the fireworks began, and Allie decided to take her adorable pup home as the fireworks were scaring her. As Allie returns to the festival, she notices a body floating a few feet offshore. Allie enters the water, pulls the body ashore, and sees that Winona Higer was shot dead.

The next day, Allie is surprised when she is asked to join the festival planning committee. Allie decides to accept the offer, not that she will get involved in an investigation, but she might be able to learn something that she can pass along to her boyfriend, Police Chief Rex Manning. But when Mal finds another murder victim, pranks and threatening messages are directed at some committee members, and Allie decides that she needs to get more involved. She soon discovers that several suspects would like to see Winona’s life ended.
I love this series. The book is well-written and plotted and reads at a good pace. Most of the regular characters are back to help Allie search out the killer. The characters are well-developed, engaging, and believable.

There are delicious recipes also included in the story.

I am awaiting the next book in this exciting series.

I have read most, perhaps all, of the previous books in this series. For the most part I’ve enjoyed them. I like catching up with the characters and their lives. Mal is a super cute dog. And the recipes all sound tasty. But Allie was a bit of an annoying brat in this book and almost TSTL. Plus. How many bodies and murders can there be on one little island? It’s starting to remind me of Cabot Cove and Jessica Fletcher! Definitely worth a read if you enjoy the series. I do t recommend starting with this one, though.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A Midsummer Night’s Fudge is book #10 in the Candy-Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco.

Allie is returning to a festival when she discovers a body. Along with her fudge making and new committee assignments, Allie starts investigating.

This was an interesting mystery with several suspects. I love the Mackinac Island setting. I’d love to go there one day. The relationship became a bit tiresome with Rex telling Allie to stay safe and not investigate and she seemed to started taking more risks. It went from her being a strong, smart woman to acting like a rebellious teen. The included recipes look really good. I think Mal should be hired by the police!

Thank you to the author, Kensington, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I like this series, setting and the characters. Rex, the cop boyfriend, leaves me a big cold but he has a small role.

This story starts off a little differently with the Midsummer Night's Festival, but the rest of the story and happenings are becoming a bit routine. We always know what the dispatcher is going to say and what role some of the locals will have.

I still enjoyed the book and the story, but I think some new elements need to be added.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Although I haven’t read all the books in this series, I really enjoyed the first few in the series. However, for A Midsummer’s Night’s Fudge, I was extremely surprised at the situations the sleuth, Allie was putting herself in. I read a lot of cozies and I know not all the circumstances are realistic. But Allie inserted herself in such extreme and unrealistic scenarios such as coming across three bodies herself within a short amount of time. And to be allowed to interrogate the suspect in the interrogation room is so outlandish that it turned me off from the story. There are smart ways to have the amateur sleuth within a cozy to be in the midst of a crime investigation without having it come across as reaching. And Allie in this book was certainly reaching.

What I did enjoy about the book were all the recipes included and I love that Mal, Allie’s adorable dog gets involved.

I won’t let this book detract me from reading the other stories, but I hope that the future books in this series scale back on the extremities of situations.