All You Need Is FudgeHi, I’m Marshmallow, Mal for short, and I’m a bichon poodle mix. My day starts by waking my human, Allie McMurphy. I wake her with kisses and happy jumps. I get down and wait patiently while she gets dressed. Then it’s breakfast for me and coffee for her. She likes to get up very early to make fudge. I’m not all together sure what fudge is, because Allie tells me that chocolate isn’t good for me. But I do know Frances, the receptionist at the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, sometimes will let me taste the peanut butter fudge. It is yummy. Not as yummy as bacon, but yummy. Wait-is there such a thing as bacon fudge? If not, I think there should be.

After Allie makes fudge we go for our morning walk. I love walks. Mackinac Island is full of great smells in the morning. It is quiet and the big horses are not out yet. This morning we walk to the marina. Allie said something about seeing yachts. I don’t know what a yacht is, but I smell something in the water. It smells different. So I go over to the side of the dock to see. There is a girl in the water. She smells like dead things. I want Allie to get her so I can roll on her. I love to roll on dead things. So I bark.

I can always count on Allie to pay attention when I bark. What I didn’t expect was for the silly human to jump in the water with her clothes on and drag the girl to the shore. It seems like a lot of fun. There’s splashing and muttering and spitting. I wag my stub tail. I love to play! I bark and run up and down the dock then around to the Marina shore, which has a short wall. I give Allie instructions on how to get the girl up over the wall so I can rub against her and roll on her. Allie doesn’t look happy, but she finally gets the girl up on the grass.

I go to sniff, but Ally pulls me away. She is talking on the tiny box she calls a phone. I wiggle in her arms hoping she will let me loose so that I can get to the dead girl. Suddenly I hear sirens. I like sirens. That means my favorite people are coming. Yes! There’s Officer Rex. Right on time. I escape my bonds and run to him. He pats me on the head and goes to see the prize I found.

They still don’t let me near it. But that’s okay, I found it and they seem concerned. I helped. Next comes EMT George. I like George and the other officers. They all have serious expression so I jump up on them to get them to pat me and see that it’s okay. I found a prize for them. They get to play investigation now.

My work here is done. I’m pooped. Glad when I get taken back home and given a dog treat. I curl up in my bed and take a nap. I’ll help more later. Being a pup is hard work. Thank goodness for naps and treats.

Napping is my favorite thing to do besides walks. What is your favorite thing to do?


All You Need is Fudge is the fourth book in the Candy-Coated mystery series, published by Kensington, July 2016.

Fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy is making fudgie treats for the annual yacht race–but a killer’s stirring up a batch of trouble. . .

Sailing Into Murder

The annual yacht race off the coast of Mackinac Island, Michigan, is a highlight of the summer season, and Allie is pulling out all the stops making chocolate centerpieces for the occasion. Unfortunately, she and her bichonpoo, Mal, also pull a dead body from the murky waters of the marina. When Allie’s boyfriend’s sister becomes the prime suspect, Allie dives into investigating the murder herself. Amid bitter feuds and hushed-up scandals, the courageous candymaker quickly gets in over her head. Someone is trying to fudge the facts to keep a secret worth killing for. . .

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About the author
Nancy Coco is the author of over 20 published novels which include three mystery series: The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), The Candy Coated Mysteries (Kensington), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime). Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world. Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and writes for the Killer Character Blog on the 8th of every month. Nancy loves to hear from readers. You can reach out to Nancy at www.nancyjparra.com, on Twitter and on Facebook.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of All You Need is Fudge. US entries only, please. The giveaway will end August 2, 2016 at 12 AM (midnight) EST. Good luck everyone!

All comments are welcomed.