I don’t understand how I get myself into such sticky situations! I completely lost track of time, and this raspberry swirl taffy isn’t finished yet. I start pulling the taffy with more gusto, hoping to aerate it quicker.

I know that I shouldn’t be too worried if I’m running late because 1) I am the boss of the taffy shop and 2) we haven’t officially opened for the season yet, but my best friend is doing me a favor by helping me set-up, and I don’t want to make her wait. Then again, knowing Trina – she won’t mind waiting a few extra minutes if it means that there will be something sweet to eat.

My name is Lydia Doherty, and I’m about to open a salt water taffy shop at the Jersey Shore called Doherty’s Taffy and Trinkets. I am excited about this opportunity, but also a little terrified. Trina is going to be my moral support before I open today and start handing out free samples to people on the boardwalk.

I didn’t sleep very well last night. I think it was a combination of anticipation for the shop opening, anxiety about the family drama I’m a part of, and possibly too much late night sugar. I woke up early and decided to start the day.

I made a spinach omelet because I usually try to have the healthiest breakfast I can (out of the options in my fridge) to make up for whatever else I’ll end up eating later in the day. My dog, Sunny, pulled herself out of bed to investigate the smells and I gave her a few bites of food.

Sunny is a French bulldog mix that I rescued, and she really is a beach bum. She loves nothing more than laying in the sand and sunbathing. She’s a little bit lazy, but I don’t blame her for being tired this morning.

After that early breakfast, I decided to make some taffy until it was a reasonable time to head to the boardwalk. At the shop, I have a taffy pulling machine that can handle large batches to fill the shelves. However, I still like to make some batches by hand for personal use. I can experiment with my recipes for new flavors, and I can work off some steam by pulling the taffy.

Truth be told, I have been pretty stressed lately. Not only do I have to deal with the usual troubles of opening a small business and dealing with a catty ice cream shop owner who decided we’re rivals, but things haven’t been great with my brother, Leo, lately.

You see, we were both very close to our uncle who passed away earlier this year. Uncle Edgar and Aunt Edie raised us since we were kids. It was really hard to lose him.

My brother also hasn’t been happy because Uncle Edgar left me enough money is his will to open the taffy shop, but our uncle didn’t leave Leo very much. I think this was because I needed a little push to make my dream come true, but Leo had already achieved his dream when he became a detective for the Ocean Point Police. However, Leo thinks I did something to turn our uncle against him. I know that he only thinks this right now because he’s hurt. I keep trying to extend the olive branch in the form of candy and calls, but he’s been ignoring me.

I keep telling myself that I should give him some space, but as I look at the nearly finished taffy, I realize that I’ve just made Leo’s favorite flavor.

I try to shake this off and roll the taffy out so I can snip it into bitesize pieces. Sleepy Sunny opens one eye to look at me as I work. I promise her that as soon as the shop opens, I’ll fall into a better schedule. I’ll have breakfast with her and go to the shop. I think my days there will be fun. When the summer gets underway, there will be a lot of tourists who I hope will become happy customers. My employees seem really great, and I’m looking forward to learning all their quirks (even if working with Kelsey does make me feel old because I remember when I used to babysit her as kid!) After my work days, I’m sure I’ll be able to spend some time on the beach and relax. I can take Sunny to the dog beach, and we can chase the waves, or I can go with Trina, and we can see if we can learn anything about the handsome, new lifeguard in town.

I’m sure everything will go according to plan. What could happen to derail these plans? A murder? Me appearing as the prime suspect in the crime? The friction between my detective brother and me growing into a real issue? No. That’s too sticky a situation even for me.

You can read more about Lydia in any one of the seven books (Pineapple and Poison, Double Chocolate and Death, Cinnamon Swirl and Suspicions, Cotton Candy and Corpses, Banana Split and Bodies, Dragonfruit and Dread and Strawberry-Kiwi and Slayings) in the “Sticky Sweet” cozy mystery series.

Sometimes life’s a beach.

Ever bitten off more than you can chew? Sticky sweets can lead to a sour case of murder.

Lydia Doherty is about to achieve her dream by opening up her very own saltwater taffy shop on the Jersey Shore boardwalk. A sweet dream soon turns into a nightmare, however, when a prominent local realtor is poisoned, apparently after consuming one of Lydia’s free samples.

Determined to clear her name and save her business, Lydia dives into investigating, despite the potential danger.

Who would have wanted the realtor dead? What was the real motive behind his murder? And why did the killer choose her delicious pineapple taffy as the way to commit this crime? Lydia is determined to get to the bottom of it all – no matter how sticky the situation becomes!

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Meet the author
Allyssa Mirry is a Jersey girl who loves both reading and writing cozy mysteries. When she’s not busy plotting fictional murders, she writes plays for young audiences, designs puzzles for her family escape room business, and enjoys spending time with her rescue dog, Phoebe.

To learn more about Allyssa, visit her on Facebook.

All comments are welcomed.