First-Degree Fudge

Fudge Shop Mystery #1

by Christine DeSmet

New candy store owner Ava Oosterling specializes in making heavenly homemade fudge and fresh starts. But she’s just found out that her newest flavor is to die for….

Between getting her store up and running and uneasily settling back into her charming Lake Michigan hometown, Ava Oosterling has her plate full. She hopes using local fresh dairy and her own flavorful imagination to cook up one-of-a-kind fudge will also create a brand-new start for her. And if she can tempt wealthy ex-film star Rainetta Johnson to try her newest creation, Cinderella Pink, at a local fund-raiser, maybe her road to big-time success will be short and sweet.

But when Rainetta chokes to death on a stolen diamond hidden in the fudge’s fluffy depths, Ava is pegged as the prime suspect. Now saving her business and reputation means investigating a batch of townspeople who had numerous reasons to hate disdainful, hard-bargaining Rainetta. With Ava’s best friend and her former flame in the suspect mix, she must figure out who the real culprit is fast or face a very bitter end.…

Includes Delicious Fudge Recipes and Fudge-Making Tips!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Food, Adult

345 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

Christine is a novelist, screenwriter, short story writer, and playwright.

She teaches writing in the Continuing Studies division of University of Wisconsin-Madison. She’s the director of the annual June “Write-by-the-Lake Writer’s Workshop & Retreat” and the fall “Weekend with Your Novel.”

She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Jewels of the Quill. She is a past Golden Heart winner and finalist (three times) in the contests sponsored by RWA. Her romantic suspense novel, Spirit Lake, won RWA’s Golden Pen Contest before the book was published by Hard Shell Word Factory/Mundania Press.

Christine also belongs to the Writers Guild of America. A screenplay written with Peggy Williams and Bob Shill, “Chinaware-Fragile,” earned first place in a Slamdance Film Festival writing contest and was optioned by New Line Cinema once upon a time. She has optioned other projects as well and continues to write scripts and stage plays.

Christine was raised on a dairy and hog farm in Wisconsin where she learned the value and joy of hard work in the out-of-doors, then graduated valedictorian in a high school class of 29 students. She went on to get her academic degrees in journalism from UW-Madison.

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story!! This cozy mystery takes place on a small peninsula in Wisconsin. Ava opens up her fudge shop in her Grandpa's Bait & Beer shop, which doesn't sound very appetizing but she's determined to give it a go. Fixing her Cinderella Pink Fudge for a party for a retired, aging film star, Ava and her 18 year old assistant, Cody, just make it to The Blue Heron Inn, owned by Isabelle Boone, "Izzy", in time to set up their table of fudge. Ava hopes she has a chance to talk to Rainetta Johnson about helping her fudge get noticed by Hollywood's elite party goers. When Rainetta is found dead with a piece of Ava's fudge in her mouth, AND the sheriff finds diamonds in the fudge, and at Ava's shop.....the ball starts rolling to figure out where the diamonds came from; how they got in Ava's shop; and who killed the former movie star. If you're like me, you'll be surprised who the killer is!!

I won't give away anymore spoilers, but there is always action in this cozy mystery!! For a debut writer, the plot and characters are well thought out. The descriptions of Ava's fudge are beautiful! It was hard for me to imagine a fudge shop sharing space with a bait & tackle shop, but we'll wait & see what, if any, changes come about in future books in this series.

My reviews are not defined by anyone's opinion but my own.

[Danielle Gonzalez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since I enjoy cute mystery stories and love fudge, I thought this would be a great series to read. The main character, Ava Oosterling, has returned home to her lakeside town in Door County Wisconsin after a failed marriage while living in California. She left her job of writing for a TV series and opens a fudge shop in her grandfather's bait shop. When an old movie star comes to town and stays at the local B&B, Ava makes her famous pink fairy tale fudge in the hopes of getting some national press for her fudge making. However, when the star is found dead with a piece of Ava's pink fudge in her mouth, suspicion of the murder turns to Ava. Stoken diamonds are then found in the fudge and all the guests at the B&B start hunting for more of the jewels. Sounds like a good premise, but unfortunately it's not. The character comes across as a complete nitwit. When the sheriff questions her she tries to run, making herself look guilty. She catches one of the guests with some stolen diamonds and they pass the pouch to Ava like a game of hot potato. So what Does Ava do? Go to the sheriff like a normal person? No, she hides them in someone else's room to frame them for the murder. The writing was so poor that I already figured out who the murderer was immediately. With all of Ava's moronic stumbling around I'm surprised she wasn't inadvertently found guilty. I was extremely disappointed in the lack of ethics that the author gave her character - running from the police, lying to the police, hiding stolen goods, and framing an innocent party. This made her very unlikeable to me and no one that I could admire or root for. The only redeeming thing about the book was the fudge recipes in the back. Except for the fairy tale fudge. Who ever heard of pink fudge???

[Moondance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was cutting a pan of Cinderella Pink Fudge into twenty-four bite-sized squares on the white marble-slab table near the window that fronted the docks when my friend Pauline Mertens burst through the door, rattling the cowbell hooked to the knob.

Ava Oosterling has returned to Fishers' Harbor, Wisconsin after a failed marriage to run a Belgian fudge shop. She shares the space with her grandfather who has changed the family store sign to Oosterlings' Live Bait, Bobbers and Belgian Fudge. He had to drop the "and Beer" to make it fit. Ava's Cinderella Pink Fudge is a masterpiece that she hopes will soon adorn the Oscars' swag bags. Former bombshell Rainetta Johnson is in town to listen to proposals regarding town improvement. Ava becomes a murder suspect when Rainetta chokes to death on her fudge. Matters become more interesting when diamonds are found in the fudge.

The townspeople of Fishers' Harbor are a quirky group of people. I love Pauline, a kindergarten teacher, who speaks in alliterations. They are quite amusing. Ava's family adds just enough nuttiness to keep your interest.

I picked up on the murderer fairly early due to some repetitive actions. It was still interesting to discover the why behind the murder.

I love the pink fudge recipe in the back of the book that can be made in the microwave. I believe I will leave the crystals out. I'm not a fan of finding things in my food.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise for this one more than the actual book. While it was an okay read and the mystery was okay some of it seemed unbelievable and there wasn't always a good flow. I was surprised at the culprit. I did enjoy the fudge making aspects of the book although if I was a tourist there I'm not sure I'd want to buy fudge from a place where live bait was sold on the other side of the store. #readforkimberly

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Oosterling’s Live Bait, Bobbers, & Belgian Fudge is where Ava Oosterling sells her fudge right across the store where her grandfather sells bait, bobbers, beer and other things a fisherman may need. Located on the pier in Fisher’s Harbor, Wisconsin, in the heart of Door County.

Door County is a place we have vacationed at several times over the years and Fisher’s Harbor depicts clearly the life of the towns along the peninsula protruding into Lake Michigan. I enjoyed all the local references included those outside of Door County. Heck the town we are living in now even gets a mention. Door County is known for its lighthouses, fish boils and cherry orchards. Wisconsin is also home to the Green Bay Packers and fans just love their beer and brats. The author gives us a great overview of the entire area.

She introduces us to Ava who has returned to the area after short stints in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. One bad decision pulled her life off course and she has come back home to start over. Her parents own a farm that can supply some of the fudge ingredients and her grandfather (Gilpa) has some room in his store. Together they decided to add a few special things and make half of the shop a place for Eva to make and sell her fudge. She has a chance to really get her product off to a good start at an event ex–film star Rainetta Johnson will be attending but things go awry when the actress is found dead with a piece of Ava’s fudge in her mouth.

An author faces an uphill battle when debuting a new cozy series. They not only need to introduce to the characters and the setting but they also have to wrap it all in a mystery that keeps readers engaged while at the same time leaving room for the characters to grow in future installments. I think Christine DeSmet did this very well. The premise of the mystery was a little bit out there but I could see the possibilities. One major clue helped me to figure out who the killer was a bit before Ava but I did enjoy her following the breadcrumbs and catch the culprit.

The story has just the right amount of humor and romantic tension you could cut with a knife. The characters are charming and I want to know more about them. DeSmet has laid a good foundation for the series. I hope to read Hot Fudge Frame-Up soon. Five-Alarm Fudge. the 3rd book in the story will be out April 7, 2015.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25-3.5 stars

After a failed marriage and failing stint as a Hollywood screenwriter, Ava Mathilde Oosterling has returned to her hometown of Fishers' Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin. Her grandfather has generously set aside half his live bait, bobbers and beer shop for Ava to make and sell gourmet Belgian fudge. She is eager to launch her new Fairytale line of fudge with Cinderella pink fudge made with fresh local ingredients like cream from her parents' dairy and cherries from a nearby orchard. When ex-movie star Rainetta Johnson comes to town, Ava hopes the older woman will invest in her business. Sadly for Ava, her plans go from good to bad to worse when she discovers everyone else in town wants Ava to invest in their pet causes. Then the older woman declares she's allergic to chocolate! Ava persuades Rainetta to try a bite of Cinderella pink fudge, which causes the woman to spit it out and run for the bathroom! When Ava next sees Rainetta, the woman is lying dead with a piece of Ava's fudge expelled from her mouth. Ava becomes the chief suspect in the sheriff's investigation, especially after the cause of death is revealed to be a hot diamond lodged in the fudge. Ava has only a few days to prove her innocence before she gets locked up for murder and thievery.

The premise of this book sounded great. Who doesn't love fudge? However, I didn't care for Ava's single-minded focus on her Cinderella pink fudge. I wouldn't eat it. I would be vastly disappointed if I came to her shop looking for classic chocolate or peanut butter and all she had was white chocolate, cherry. I don't like white chocolate or cherries and I can't stand pink. The gender stereotyping in this novel drove me up a wall. It took Ava the whole book to develop a fudge that would appeal to men and boys. How about fudge that appeals to everyone regardless of their gender? Not all girls are girly and pink loving. Yuck. The recipes in the back sound delicious and I'd love to try some of them but not the Cinderella one.

The murder mystery plot was very good. I did figure out who did it long before Ava did. She is too naive and the police obviously didn't ask her the right questions. I was a little off on my theory but if I were the sheriff, I would have asked her the right questions instead of assuming she was the murderer, or worse, Cody. Kudos to Ava for eventually figuring it out before she stumbled into danger. She also called the police ahead of time. That doesn't always happen in this type of mystery. The story ends with kind of a cliffhanger. When I went to order book 2 from the library, it was checked out so I skimmed the excerpt in the back of this book. It doesn't pick up exactly where this one leaves off but eventually it answered my question.

Even though Ava figured out the mystery, something about her rubbed me the wrong way. Her single-minded focus on gender stereotyping flavors (not a good way to attract tourist business), her love for science (who draws scientific diagrams instead of a recipe?) and her smug superiority over the locals all annoyed me. Her lack of impulse control was also not very endearing. I'm a thinker, she's a do-er. Ava remains very naive through to nearly the end of the book though but I think she'll get over that after this experience, I hope. She comes across as a bit immature at times too. She does grow with some help from her grandmother, so I'm willing to give her a second chance.

My favorite character is Cody aka "Ranger", a young man with Aspergers' who works for Ava. He doesn't really fit the profile of someone with Autism though and I would think by 18 he would have had help. Autism wouldn't affect his intelligence or understanding and I got tired of the way everyone treated him like he had Down's Syndrome or some other kind of disability. Cody gets tired of it too. His poor decision making skills are not very endearing but he's only 18 and not very mature yet. He's a hard worker and loves his job; he's a loyal friend and a brave young man.

The other permanent residents of Fishers' Harbor include Pauline, Ava's best friend. She's a Kindergarten teacher and her repetitive alliteration drove me crazy. Once was cute, twice was OK, multiple times was downright annoying. Then there's Sam, Ava's ex-fiance. He's very guarded and tough to read. I think he cares about Ava for some reason. He's a very caring person though he doesn't show it. Isabelle is the owner of the Blue Heron Inn and shares a supplier with Ava. Isabelle is Ava's only other friend after Pauline. She is too busy to get to know very well. She seems like a frazzled, nervous type. Finally there's Gilpa, Ava's crusty, stubborn old grandfather. I didn't really understand why they emphasized their Belgian heritage so much. It wasn't clear whether Gilpa and Grandma came from Belgium or their parents or far off distant ancestors. It sounded more like they were making excuses for Gilpa being a cheap, crusty, stubborn old man. Still I liked him a lot and he genuinely loves Ava and wants her to succeed, even if it means giving up half his beloved shop. Then there's Grandma, who is not an old lady at 73 but described like one. She's wise and patient but also tough. She knows all the right things to say. Ava's parents flit in and out. They live farther away down in Brussels, which is apparently in Michigan not Belgium, on their dairy farm. They seem kind of flaky for being supposedly sensible farmers.

The other quirky characters are visitors to the Blue Heron Inn. Rainetta doesn't seem like she was a very nice woman and probably wouldn't have invested in anything the way everyone was sucking up to her. She came across as rude and unfriendly though once everything is revealed, she seems like she could have been kind and warm-hearted if the circumstances had been different. The rest of the guests include reporter Joe who is fond of sensational, alliterative headlines. He seems like a jerk at first but his character development is good. He grew on me. None of the others were at all appealing.

I'd like to give this series another chance and I might return to it at a later date.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like this book. I'm not sure if the author thought she was being funny, or if someone would really think the way that her main character thinks, but it seemed to jump around a little too much. Usually, an author tries to get you to LIKE the main character. I don't think I would even like to be acquaintances with her! I kept wishing she would fall into Lake Michigan and let someone else take over! She seemed to be overly dramatic and air-headed. And the recipes she hands out? Bogus! She spends all this time talking about her fantastic fudge (with her over-the-top buddy, who can only speak in alliterations)and then the recipe is for microwave fudge, which she disdains all thru the book...The only saving grace for this book was the end, when her ex (who was down on the docks, looking for his DOG...hmmm, I was wondering there for a minute-because it was obvious HE knew SHE was there)walks into her shop...BUT, there is an excerpt from the following book, and it does NOT continue from that point. Sorry, poor writing and NOT INTERESTED in the next one. The plot was ok, but Ava was not. And since the book was about Ava, well. I'm done.

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

The least enjoyable book I've read in quite a long while. The main character was unlikeable, the other characters were less than caricature, and the mystery was a bore. The writing style began as spastic and veered into a guidebook featuring the best of small town Wisconsin. The descriptions were boring to read and seemed more like a lecture from a teacher that should have retired long ago. Background information was repeated but changed ever so slightly almost as though two rough drafts were pieced together as a finished product that no one bothered to edit, or the character was doing some revisionist history as the book progressed. I'm not even going to touch the way those with Aspergers were portrayed. The main character constantly made statements and assumptions without any foundation in the factual or real. In fact, every assumption and statement she made was based in delusion and self-serving self-absorption. There were actually moments I had to dig deep to remember the murder victim. I'm not going to bother writing a proper review and I would suggest you not bother reading

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a great premise: a fudge shop, making unusual kinds of fudge. It has a great setting: Door County, Wisconsin, a beautiful and touristy peninsula just north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. And any cozy mystery is a great place to start. BUT ... the main character (and her sidekick friend) are both quite flaky, easily excitable, and way over dramatic. The proposal of fudge being MADE and sold in the same shop that sells live bait ... just YUCK ... and probably not even legal. And then the victim chokes ... on DIAMONDS in the fudge. Where did they come from? SeemsThe same old same old "divorced woman returns to home town and has men fighting over her" scenario just didn't work for me in this one. I am a HUGE fan of alliteration, but the friend who loves alliteration even had me gagging over some of her horrible sentences. I have to admit, the mystery kept me guessing ... and was a surprise in the end. But I really didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I do most of the cozies I read.

[Sallee · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in a new mystery series, this one is centered around Belgian fudge, Lake Michigan and door country. Ava, the main character, has ditched her life as a TV script writer to come home and open up a fudge shop in half of her grandfather's bait, tackle and beer store. When her pink fantasy fudge is found to have diamonds in them and an aging film star appears to have choked on it and died, Ava finds herself as a person of interest. This is a fast paced story with some likeable characters. You have a lovely harbor town as the setting. Enjoyable as a fast read, however, it ended up introducing a triangle romantic interest with the social worker, Sam and the Police Chief, Jordy. I am a bit weary of these triangles. It seems like in every once of those, a police romantic interest is necessary. It is getting annoying.

[Jeanne Adamek]

Dnf

[Baby Snakes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope

Nope. I thought I would enjoy a little mystery set in a familiar landscape, but nope-ity nope-ity nope nope nope. This book suffers from a lot of the same thing many of my recent reads suffer from: banality. There is so much discussion about miniscule details that do not advance plot or develope character or provide atmosphere. I do not care that a character brushed their hair and teeth, scrutinized their pores, put on their favorite jeans, licked their lips, went for a walk, thought about making soup for dinner, liked their lips again, bought some lip balm, and went to work, where they dusted some shelves and waited for customers for 2 hours before the police showed up to buy a doughnut and then go back to walking their rounds blah blah blah. After three pages of this kind of dull shit, I read the last few pages to find out who done it and called it a day. I didn't really hate the book, but I do not have enough life left to read books that do not offer me something I am interested in. This really felt like a good idea for a novelette that was instead padded out to a novel.

[Janet Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know fudge had a gender. Fudge with nuts is male.... hilarious!

[Julie Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. DeSmet introduces Ava Oosterling and her grandfather, along with her friend with a penchant for alliteration and a dog who loves fudge, but settles for goldfish crackers. She returns home to restart her life, transitioning from a screenwriter to a fudge shop owner sharing floorspace with her grandfather's bait shop. Off to a slow start, she gets her big break when a famous actress comes to town. Ava provides the fudge for the grand celebration, but when the actress dies, Ava must prove she had nothing to do with it, and find the killer before he or she strikes again.

DeSmet transports the reader to Door County, WI, to a small tourist town that reminded me of so many I've been to. She even includes the recipe for Ava's Fairy Tale Fudge. A delicious and delightful read.

[Mark Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ava Oosterling is setting up a fudge shop in part of her grandfather's tackle store. But when a visiting actress is found dead with a piece of Ava's fudge in her mouth, she's got to find the killer before she is arrested for murder.

The book was going along okay, although Ava could be a bit annoying. But then at the half way point, there was a twist that made no sense, and Ava went off the deep end. I wanted to like this debut, but it was another disappointment.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a rarity for me: a debut cozy that I only barely finished, due to lack of interest, uninteresting main characters, and a rather easily-detectable ending. I do feel disappointed when I can unravel the mystery fairly early on. If the book can keep me entertained, of course, then it's worth reading, but I felt frustrated by Ava and the pace of the book in general. None of the main characters provided much depth, and I found myself wondering how in the world a fudge shop can exist when it sells only ONE flavor of fudge! (Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) This series is off to a shaky start. If it picks up in the sophomore novel, I may keep reading.

[Mary (Biblophile) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't dislike this book, but I found it tedious and boring. Wasn't too enarmoured with the main character who seemed flaky and immature. Ava's friend was about as juvenile as she was. Same old tried and true formula of running home after a divorce and ending up with two guys wanting to date you. Are there no happy people out there?

Not sure if I'll give the next one a try. One can hope that the main character and her clan will grow and mature. It was a first try after all.

[Tracey]

didn't care for it...barely go thru a few chapters then decided there were better books out there to read and decided not to waste my time finishing it...disappointed

[KathyNV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella Pink Fudge (yum), diamonds, a dead movie star and Ava Oostering all collide in Fisher Point Wisconsin for one fun and mouthwatering tale! Poor Ava just needs to get out of L.A. Spending quality time with friends and family at home in Wisconsin will help her decide what to do next with her life. Once grandpa clears some space in his Bait Shop, Oosterling’s Live Bait Bobbers & Belgian Fudge is born! I love the small town vibes in “First Degree Fudge”. Ava has been away long enough that she’s an outsider and is striving to become a part of the community and grow her business. Then yep the unimaginable happens (the dead movie star)! With a piece of that heavenly fudge in her mouth no less! What’s a girl to do? Well Ava use to be a script writer so she should be able to figure this out right? I really enjoyed the characters from her friends and ex-fiancé to Ava’s grandparents..I want them to adopt me! This sweet mystery kept me guessing and hungry for fudge! Thanks so much to Christine DeSmet for the privilege of reading this mouthwatering and creative small town tale! I loved it!

[Delanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a cozy mystery this book definitely checks all the necessary boxes. Amateur sleuth dragged into a criminal case? Check! Idyllic or unique location? Check! a wide cast of characters each with their own defining personality traits? Check! I really wanted to give this book a 3.5 but I liked it enough to round it up to 4.

As someone who's from Wisconsin that has spent extensive amount of time with her also very germanic wisconsin family o’ farmers I can safely say that a lot of these characters archetypes for right on the money. But it did get mentioned to death. a little more show, less tell please.

The language used was occasionally clunky, and some words that were randomly plucked from a thesaurus or just the wrong kind of slang for someone from this area. frankly, I didn't recognize some of the terms used. But maybe that's cuz my family was Bavarian for the most part, and only a little Belgian.

Beyond all that though this was a good start to a series that I plan to devour like a whole block of fudge!!!

[Janet Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cozy mystery will intrigue lovers of Wisconsin's picturesque Door County, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and fudge lovers everywhere! Filled with suspense and memorable characters, it even includes some delectable fudge recipes.

Ava Oosterling returns to her charming lakeside hometown of Fishers' Harbor to make a fresh start in life. Here, she plans to turn her passion for creating homemade fudge into a small business adjacent to her grandfather's bait shop.

One of her specialties is Cinderella Pink Fudge. When she learns that Rainetta Johnson, the famous ex-film star, is visiting Fishers' Harbor, she sees a golden opportunity to promote her fudge. If Rainetta likes it and endorses it, her new business should thrive.

Her plans go awry, however, when the famous start chokes to death on a diamond that was mysteriously hidden in the fudge. Ava is the prime suspect. This sets off a series of dangerous twists and turns as Ava embarks upon her own investigation to clear her name and find the real killer.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava is starting up a fudge business. She is hoping to be endorsed by the wealthy ex-film star Rainetta Johnson. Unfortunately, Rainetta chokes to death on a diamond hidden in the fudge Ava wanted her to taste test, making Ava the prime suspect.

The story was interesting, but I have to admit that I found many of Ava's foolish actions throughout the story very annoying and it detracted from the story. I hope she shows more growth in the next book. I did enjoy some of the secondary characters. I also did like learning about the fudge making process and I liked that the author included some recipes. The mystery was interesting, and I did not guess the killer right away which is always a plus.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 2 out of 5]

First-Degree Fudge is the first in the A Fudge Shop Mystery.  The setting is a fishing town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Ava has set up a Fudge shop in her grandfather's bait and tackle shop and is trying to make a go of it in her home town after leaving in a cloud of disgrace some years earlier.  As Ava prepares for her grand opening and her first big public event a body is found with a piece of her fudge in their mouth.  Needless to say things don't look good for Ava's new business.  Ava's judgement is more questionable than most cozy mystery sleuths and local law enforcement depiction is more heavy handed here.  

[Jan Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to think of a reason not to give this book 1 star.
Good points:
1. It is set in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin and I am going there next week.
2. No cats were killed in the book. Not one.
That is all I got.

For what I did not like, I could not stand the main character. She was 32 years old and has the emotional maturity of a 12 year old. She makes poor decisions throughout the book. She finds crucial evidence and plants it in the room of a guest at an inn to frame someone. Another time she hides it on her grandfather's boat and gets him arrested for murder.
She proposes a wacky scheme to get the suspects together and have one of them confess. Sheriff tells her to back off. Guess what she does? Can you say obstruct justice?
She is a fudge maker in her grandfather's bait shop. She has no license and no health code permit. She lets a dog in her kitchen and there are tanks full of live minnows in the room.

The writing is full of plot holes. Her grandfather also runs a boat charter but has no employees, so who is minding the store? Not Ava, she is running around the county trying to blame people for the murder.
Ava promises her employee Ranger he can have a prom party at a local abandoned mansion. It is not hers to offer. She goes there and down to the basement to trip the breaker. If it is abandoned, the power would be disconnected.
Are the local church ladies in a fishing community really such morons they would feed minnows fudge? They are in this book. People tasting the fudge with the same spoon?

Her Bestie speaks in alliteration ala Michael from Newhart.

And Ranger. At times he is mentioned as highly functioned autistic high school student. Other times he comes across as barely functioning cognitively disabled.

I wanted the bad guy to kill her and somebody else to be the MC in the next book.

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel set in Door County, Wisconsin, will put a smile on my face. It doesn’t even have to be especially great. This mystery has many of the typical elements of good page turner but seemed to lack the tight story that sets the very good ones apart. There were many possible perpetrators, and the actual one turned out to be a surprise but the author seemed to leave out some of the details that explained why the clues that led to the others were wrong. In spite of that, I will probably look forward to reading more of her books set in DCW.

[Joy Ribar · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Degree Fudge, by Christine DeSmet, is a fast-paced cozy with many twists and turns. Ava and her Belgian-American companions leave the reader laughing and ready to romp around beautiful Door County with them, as they try to figure out who added diamonds to Ava's secret fudge recipe. If you're a wordsmith, you will enjoy the alliterative banter between Ava and her bestie, Pauline. There's a bit of romance, too, and at the end, it appears Ava will have more than one suitor to think about. Looking forward to continue reading the series.

[Sarah Niebuhr Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blustery day, a new fudge delicacy, and a little celebrity murder kick off this fun and energetic first-in-series from Christine DeSmet. The pages seemed to turn by themselves as I took my introduction to Door County, Wisconsin, and unlikely sleuth Ava Oosterling who is trying to make a go of it with her fudge business after returning home. This cozy mystery hits all the marks - community, friendship, insiders and outsiders, and a sweet (if a bit frozen) small town.

[Cayce Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cozy mystery was the perfect blend of quirky small town setting—a bait-and-fudge shop in Door County, Wisconsin—and a cast of lovable characters. The mystery unfurls at just the right pace, as you get to know the residents of Fishers' Harbor and the inevitable dead body turns up. DeSmet writes characters who are easy to root for, as the reader tries to figure out whodunnit. If you're looking for a satisfying cozy mystery, pick up this first in the series!

[Jackie Harrison-jewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it was in Door County in Wisconsin. I could really place myself there. Pretty classic "cozy" format. Less drama, more drama queen. And I don't know what it is, but I like the mysteries with recipes in them. I never make the recipes but it feels like it adds another dimension.

Overall, nothing too challenging here, but it keeps a nice pace and a relatively light touch.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

50 pages in and I called a DNF failure.

Frankly, the story was awful. Within the first 50 pages, there was a ton of unnecessary info dumping (including an apparent obssesion with Belgian everything), the main character tried to run from the cops, talked bad about her best friend, was rude and offputting, and that wasn't all, but is enough to show why I stopped reading.