As is so often the case in Cozies, the series begins with a girl coming home to her small town after getting fed up with big city living. Well… this time, it’s actually more like a long-planned return, as Allie McMurphy has been studying in the big city to earn both a cooking degree and a degree in hotel management so she can take over the old family business, in this case an old run down hotel and fudge shop in Mackinac Island, Michigan, in Lake Huron. Allie may not have been raised on the island, as her father wanted nothing to do with the old family business or small town living, but Allie had spent large parts of her childhood there and fallen in love with both the hotel and community.
Unfortunately, the return is a bittersweet one. She had originally planned to learn from her grandfather over the course of months if not years, as he relaxed in semi-retirement as she took over the business. However, just a few months after her arrival, he suffered from a fatal heart attack. Still, Allie is determined to stay on, despite most of the locals assuming that she’ll be running back to the mainland soon enough.
The book doesn’t start there, though. Instead, it does what more Cozies could probably stand to do, and begins right from the beginning with a dead body – in this case, the dead body of one of Allie’s rival hotel owners she locates in one of her storage rooms. The deceased was also a very beloved member of the community, and increasing questioning from the community if Allie had something to do with his death further increase Allie’s woes regarding her tight schedule to renovate the hotel before the beginning of the busy tourist season.
One interesting thing about All Fudged Up is that Allie doesn’t seem to consider solving the murder the first and foremost thing on her mind for most of the novel. Indeed, it often feels like she’s actually… assuming that the police will catch the killer! As a result, she does spend significantly less time sleuthing out the murder than is often the case in Cozies, and instead more of the novel seems to focus on her efforts to both deal with her hotel’s renovations as well as deal with the community of Mackinac. And as is usually the case in more modern Cozies, there are a number of potential romance interests involved in the case in one way or another.
Though this series may be the only mystery series under the name Nancy Coco, Coco also writes several others under different pseudonyms. Under the names Nancy J. Parra, she writes the Wine Country Mystery Series, starring the owner of a family winery in Sonoma, California, the Baker’s Treat Mystery Series, starring a gluten-free baker in Kansas, and the Perfect Proposals Mystery Series, starring an event planner specializing in proposals. She also writes the Kensington Palace Chef Mystery Series starring a personal chef to the royal family under the name Nell Hampton.
PS: For those who may be swayed by this sort of fact (and I know there are plenty of you out there!), this series does in fact include a number of recipes, all of them fudge in consideration of the novel’s theme.
Susy S says
I LOVE this series. Allie doesn’t consider herself a sleuth and since her pup finds the bodies, it adds a little twist in the manner that they are found.
For those who are more cat than dog people, there is a cat in the series as well.
My only complaint (and I have this complaint about many series) is that there are a couple of releases that are only available as e-books. Since my eyes are not fond of reading on electronic devices, this is a real annoyance. I know this is the will of the publisher in many cases, so I don’t hold it against the author or the series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susy, it’s definitely an interesting twist that the “sleuth” doesn’t really consider themselves to be such.
I’m sorry to hear that the electronic only releases give you trouble for this series. In recent years, I’ve had an easier time with electronic releases than physical, as I can increase the text size, but I suppose that sort of thing affects different people different ways.
Tari Hann says
This is one of my favorite series! This series and the Cycle Path series by Duffy Brown are what inspired me to want to visit Mackinac Island, which my family and I did just this past September. I was able to start the most recent of Nancy Coco’s books “Forever Fudge” while I was still on island, which I thought was cool. I visited the little bookstore where she’d done book signings. The owner was so nice and told me that Nancy had sent them a gift basket–of course by now there were no more signed copies left of her series or Duffy’s. It’s just hearing fun things like what the book lady told me that make me love these authors more! Now it’s even more fun to read this series since I know where things are on the island!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Tari, that definitely sounds like a really great vacation idea for Cozy lovers! It’s always nice when authors include “real world” places for this sort of thing.
Alice M says
Just a note Mackinaw Island is not in Lake Huron but in the straits of Mackinaw between Huron and Lake Michigan. I’ve been enjoying the series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Alice, that’s interesting – I mention it as being in Lake Huron because they mention that sometimes the lake freezing could allow residents or tourists to travel to and from, but I guess that perhaps Huron is more likely to freeze more significantly?
Melanie says
Danna – I’m so glad you featured this series. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s one of many on my wish list, and thanks to your description, I moved it up on my list. It sounds like an interesting series with a likeable main character.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Melanie, it’s definitely an interesting series worth trying out!
Nancy Coco says
Thank you so much for sharing!! You all made my day. As a sneak peek- next year’s Fudge Bites will be out in the Fall and is Halloween themed.
And I’m so excited to announce the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery Series will be launched in spring 2020. A brand new series by Nancy Coco that is set in a honey shop on the Oregon coast.
Thanks again for making my day!! Nancy
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nancy, you’re very welcome! And thank you for letting us know about your upcoming releases – you’ve certainly made our days as well!
Wanda Doss says
Mimi D
I have all but two of Nancy Coco’s Candy-Coated Mystery Series books. The two I am looking for are Oh Say Can You Fudge & All I Want for Xmas is Fudge. Would like these in paperback. I have been to book stores and they can’t order them. Any suggestions so I may have the complete set.
Thanks
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Wanda, I’d suggest trying a used online seller like eBay or Amazon. If you’ve already tried those, I’m afraid I don’t have any great ideas.
Tari H says
To help Wanda: Oh Say Can You Fudge is available from marketplace sellers on Amazon as a paperback, so it should be available on eBay as Danna suggested or ThriftBooks, BetterWorldBooks. Unfortunately, All I Want for Christmas Is Fudge is one of the novellas that is only available as an e-book. I’m not sure if the author ever plans to put both this one and her other novella from 2017 Deck the Halls with Fudge into a paperback or not. (Amanda Flower is going to do that with some novellas) Nancy Coco is a super nice lady, maybe you could reach out to her through her Facebook author page and ask her.
Bonnie Nickles says
try a place called thriftbooks.com
I have just finished up getting the last ones in the series there. Very good prices and NO shipping charges.
Beth says
I am late to this series but I am catching up very quickly. I have been a fan of Mackinac Island for years and enjoy visiting and sampling the different fudge varieties. These books make we want to return and maybe see if I can find my new friends at all my favorite places on the island. I hope this series will continue for many more years.
Sarah Cavitt says
I have read the Wine Country Series, the Perfect Proposal Series and the Kensington Palace Chef Series. I’ve been “left hanging” waiting for a concluding book in each of those series, especially tying up both romantic and business loose ends. Will there be a concluding novel in these series?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sarah, at this point, I wouldn’t expect definite conclusions for most of those, but hope springs eternal!
Bobbi says
I love these books!