Behind Chocolate Bars

A Chocolate Covered Mystery #3

by Kathy Aarons

DOUBLE, DOUBLE-BOIL, AND TROUBLE…

Best friends and business partners Michelle and Erica have a monstrous to-do list as they prepare for the annual West Riverdale Halloween Fair. Their shop, Chocolates and Chapters, will have a booth at the event, where Michelle will serve spooky delights while Erica displays an assortment of spine-chilling books. Thank goodness the teenagers from Erica’s comic-book club are chipping in to help. But one of their volunteers winds up in trouble after a woman’s body is found in an abandoned house—with the teen’s superhero key ring close by.

The teen swears he didn’t do it, but he’s obviously hiding something—leaving Michelle and Erica with a witch’s cauldron of questions. Soon they discover that the dead woman was tricking a whole bunch of people out of more than just treats. Now these two friends must go door-to-door if they hope to unmask a killer…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Halloween, Cozy, Fiction, Adult, Contemporary

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 4, 2016

Reviews

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best friends and business partners Michelle and Erica have a monstrous to-do list as they prepare for the annual West Riverdale Halloween Fair. Their shop, Chocolates and Chapters, will have a booth at the event, where Michelle will serve spooky delights while Erica displays an assortment of spine-chilling books.

Thank goodness the teenagers from Erica’s comic-book club are chipping in to help. But one of their volunteers winds up in trouble after a woman’s body is found in an abandoned house—with the teen’s superhero key ring close by.

The teen swears he didn’t do it, but he’s obviously hiding something—leaving Michelle and Erica with a witch’s cauldron of questions. Soon they discover that the dead woman was tricking a whole bunch of people out of more than just treats. Now these two friends must go door-to-door if they hope to unmask a killer…






I never used to be very fond of food/pet mysteries but the older I've gotten the more I've grown to like them and understand what makes them so likable.

Of course with Halloween being around the corner who can resist a sweet holiday related read filled with both tricks and treats?

I really feel like readers of any age can enjoy Behind Chocolate Bars. From teens to adults this book has it all for all ages.

I was happy that Aarons makes it easy for first time readers of the series to follow along, I love her town and her cast which are fun and fantastic I love her writing and personality.

Aarons has a great way of bringing a scene together that keeps you plenty entertained. Behind Chocolate Bars is a fun quick witty mystery filled with bounds of fun for all of us.

A great book choice for one of my Halloween reads!

















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Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.





Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from Berkley Publishing





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[taylor ⛅️ ann wright]

I honestly don't know what to rate this...
I didn't have a good time reading this story, I was hoping for something with more fall vibes than what there was.
Wasn't too satisfied with the mystery element either.

[Alise HARRIS · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but got this one because it had a Halloween picture on the front. It barely even mentioned Halloween, except for the sparse parts about the main character working at a haunted house/fall festival. The murder didn't even have anything to do with Halloween, or take place at the haunted house. The main character was so annoying. She falls into the category I call "Peppy Cheerleader Puke." She acts and talks like a 13 year old. She uses the phrase "make-out session" to talk about her previous date with her boyfriend. Adults don't say things like that. Make her grow up please.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3rd book in the series. A young boy who works part time for Michelle and Erica has been accused of murdering someone. Naturally, the girls investigate to see if they can help. They are also setting up a Halloween festival for the town. While I was starting to enjoy this series, it seems to be the last book she wrote for some reason. I don't feel like everything was concluded and relationships where left hanging.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Chocolate Bars, the third book in the Chocolate Covered Mystery Series. I found myself to be keenly interested and emotionally invested in this story of an unlikely sleuthing team of book store owner and chocolatier. I read book one but not book two in this series, somehow missing it and yet even though I had not read book 2, book three flowed very naturally and was I familiar enough with the characters to quickly fall into step. I like the concept of this series, the community involvement, the relationships that the duo Michelle and Erica, have with the local teens and with each other. I like the love interests, I love the mysterious relationships and I love the chocolate too! Kathy does an amazing job with the character of main character Michelle's brother Leo, who has a fantastic story line himself. He is a wounded veteran, who suffers from PTS and that story line feels very real and raw in this very emotional side of the story. It is a good story, it is an important story and this cozy mystery is a series to love and grow with.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle and Erica are getting into the Halloween spirit by helping create the annual haunted house to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. But their time gets distracted when a murder happens out of town, and Dylan, a teen they know, becomes the prime suspect. Can the duo find the time to help prove he didn’t do it?

It was fantastic to be back with these characters again. The series regulars are fantastic, and the new characters were just as good. This book was a little different because he didn’t meet the victim before the murder, but that didn’t hamper the plot at all with plenty of suspects and clues before we reached the logical end.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so bad and so hard to get into, I ditched it. I did not start with book one, so I came in on this one out of the blue. I was so confused. There were so many characters, so much going on, I could tell I was missing a great deal.

The author did not bother with back "storying", so I was left in the dark. Ive read many cozies leading up to Halloween and came in on them without reading their book ones, and had no problem. The authors gave you enough to know what was happening between characters, settings and situations. Just a sentence or two.

I saved this cozy for last, leading into the week towards Halloween. That was a mistake. This book was terrible. I could not get into it. Too many conversations and too many people. Not for me. No excitement. The murder occurs in the first chapter or so..No mystery here.

One star for the great cover.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the chocolate covered series. Michelle and Erica are preparing for the annual Halloween fair, where their shop, Chocolates and chapters, has a booth set up. One of their volunteers gets into trouble when his superhero key ring is found near a dead body. Michelle and Erica believe he is innocent and try to prove his innocence by catching the real killer.

I like this series. It has been a while since I read the first book and somehow I missed book two so that threw me off a bit since reading out of order drives me crazy, and I think I was missing major plot points. The mystery was good. I enjoyed Michelle brother , Leo, story about his PTSD regression. I thought it was very well done. I liked the characters of teenagers in this book and hope we see them again.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. I truly hope there are more books coming in the future for this series.

[Moondance · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We need more zombies," I said, sliding a latte across the counter.

Michelle and Erica are working on the annual West Riverdale Halloween Festival when a body is found at a nearby abandoned housing site. The only clue is a keychain belonging to a teen from the Comic Book Club. The two friends immediately jump in to free the young man from jail and prove his innocence.

Although I am not a chocolate fan, I love the idea of a bookstore with a chocolate shop attached. I enjoy the interaction of the two friends that run the stores so well.

Dylan, the youth accused of the crime, has had a rough year or so following a nasty divorce between his parents. Things get really messy when we discover that his dad, Oscar had dated the victim.

The victim, Faith, is quite something. We quickly learn that she has lots of secrets and has ticked off a huge number of people who would want to kill her.

The secondary story of Michelle's brother, Leo is well done. His regression into PTSD is sad and you want to reach out to help him. I love the deep feelings between the two of them and their code phrase to make sure that the other is ok.

Michelle's relationship with Bean is moving along nicely. As well as Erica's with officer Bobby. Bean is more involved in the investigating this time around much to Bobby's chagrin.

Detective Roger Lockett has some secrets of his own that are intriguing. That aspect of the story was handled nicely too.

And you can't forget Coco and her litter of kittens. She is not around as much this time but her kittens play a nice role. I'm also happy that the foster mom had her spayed when the kittens were weaned.

I somehow missed the second book in the series but it did not distract from my enjoyment. I will go back to read it just to catch up with everyone.

A nice afternoon read that kept me turning the pages.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confessione: ho preso 2 kg solo a leggere questo libro! Con tutti quei cioccolatini dai nomi invitanti e dalle descrizioni appetitose...
Detto questo, solito bel cast di personaggi: stavolta giocano un ruolo fondamentale i ragazzi del gruppo di amanti dei fumetti americani. Alla fine, ma proprio alla fine, sono riuscita ad azzeccare il colpevole, anche se per gran parte del libro mi ero orientata altrove.
La mia linea (reale e immaginaria) ne risentirà, ma spero di leggere un altro libro di questa serie.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my dogness, mom and I loved this book. It was a nice cozy mystery, and by number three it felt like you were sitting down with a long time friend, to a good cup of tea and maybe some nice chocolates on the side. The mystery it self was good. The characters and the relationships in them were amazing. It was fun seeing them move around a lot more. It is definitely a fun read and we tell the series is worth your time.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the series and again it is a great cozy. Michelle and Erica are trying to get ready for the West Riverdale Halloween Festival but another body is found and one of Erica's comic-book club teens is in trouble. Michelle and Erica do what they do best, they try to help him out by finding the real killer. Turns out the woman killed was tricking several people out of their money and Dylan thought his father might be one of them and tries to help him out. Of course Detective Lockett keeps telling them to butt out but until they can find the killer and help Dylan they are not stopping. Great mystery and a small town with the usually quirky characters. Enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delectable treat from author Kathy Aarons!

Halloween is the theme of this mystery. Series leads, Michelle and Erica are taking part in the Halloween Festival where they will have a booth offering chocolate creations and scary books from their shop, Chocolate and Chapters. Seriously, is that not the name of a store where you could spend all your time? Brilliant!

Of course, you won’t read many cozies without a body and investigation, and BEHIND CHOCOLATE BARS doesn’t disappoint! With writing as smooth as expensive milk chocolate, author Aarons tempered this tale of intrigue and mayhem, until it became the recipe for a perfect cozy mystery.

Between the covers of BEHIND CHOCOLATE BARS is a tasty center of Halloween, murder, and chocolate that you’re going to devour!

Make sure to check out the back of the book for yummy chocolate recipes!

[Cynthia Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michelle and Erica are best friends and business partners. Everything in their small town is going perfectly, until a local high school kid gets accused for murder. Then, the dynamic-duo throw on their detective cap, and jump into action to uncover the real murderer.

Initially, the book was hard for me to get into, especially with the bountiful cast of secondary characters, all with odd names such as Bean, Star and Kona. Eventually, I got my characters straightened out, but I still could not understand why two adult women continued to insert themselves into the lives of local teenagers.

Overall, this just wasn't my type of book. While the plot held my interest, I developed no emotional ties to any of the characters. Perhaps, the book was just a little below my desired age range. I would definitely recommend the reading age to be about 12-16 years.

[Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathy Aarons takes readers back to Chocolates and Chapters with best friends and sleuthing duo Michelle Serrano and Erica Russell, with Behind Chocolate Bars, the third book in her Chocolate Covered Mystery series.

I read the second book, Truffled to Death, and immediately fell in love with the characters from West Riverdale, Maryland. I couldn't wait for Behind Chocolate Bars to come out. I was definitely not disappointed. Picking up the book was immediately like sitting down and indulging in a nice mug of hot chocolate.

Behind Chocolate Bars finds Michelle and Erica doing everything they can to prove their sixteen-year-old intern, Dylan Fenton isn’t charged with murder. With the help of Bean, Erica’s brother (who happens to be Michelle’s boyfriend), Zane (Erica’s computer expert) and other teens who are part of Erica’s comic book club, they set out to discover all they can about the victim.

It seems there's more to the victim than meets the eye. The more information they uncover, the greater the suspect pool becomes. Just when it seems like they will be unsuccessful in their quest, the killer puts Michelle and the teens in their cross hairs. It's going to take paying close attention to catch this killer before they strike again.

Behind Chocolate Bars was simply a perfect cozy mystery. I found myself enjoying the journey Kathy takes readers on as opposed to singularly focusing on figuring out all the clues before Michelle and Erica did. I loved watching the relationships between Michelle and Erica’s significant others progress. I wish I had my hands on the next book in this series.

**Received a copy from the Penguin ~ Berkley Prime Crime and reviewed the book voluntarily.**

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another good entry in the 'Chocolate Covered Mystery' series. In this story, Michelle and her friend Erica have to solve a mystery that involves one of the teens from their Chocolates and Chapters' comic book club. The boy is suspected of murder when a woman his father had been dating ends up dead, with his keychain nearby. Michelle, Erica, and the rest of the teens put their minds to work figuring out who the real suspects are, of course all fueled Michelle's yummy chocolates as they work.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series that in my view keeps getting better and better, Michelle and Erica are helping arrange the Halloween festival (the haunted house section), with help from friends and the teens from the Comic Book Club which Erica helps run, sadly one evening a few nights before it is all due to start a woman is found murdered and one of the teens seems to be the guilty party - luckily for him Michelle and Erica don't believe it and set to to help find out the truth.

Add in the fact that Michelle's brother's PTSD is getting worse and he is pushing everyone away, Michelle and Erica are both getting closer to their respective partners, oh and their accountant and friend seems to have some good news and the book rattles along and takes you with it - roll on the next in the series!

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chocolatey Good ! Mystery

If you love chocolate and books you'll love the way Kathy Aaron's combines both. In this 3rd installment of her Chocolate Covered Mystery Series Michelle and Erica are participating in West Riverdales Halloween Festival. When a woman is murdered and volunteer Dylan becomes a suspect the duo springs into action to help him. Dive in and tag along with these two best friends as they try to find out whodunit. It's a wonderful mixture of chocolate, books, and mystery that leaves you wanting more.

[Kathy Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun who-dun-it with chocolate! Two business owners take steps to clear the name of one of her employees who's suspected of murder. Mix in some zombies, a couple of crazed reporters, and internet fraud for a intriguing mystery. Bit of a challenge to keep up with an extensive cast, but lots of fun!

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the first book in this series, but the 2nd was too over-the-top and unbelievable. This one was more in the vein of the first book. A good story, but I knew whodunit from the first time the character appeared. Still a good one to pass the time with.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good mystery? The clues, the suspects, the reveal... It's all so exciting!

Sure, mysteries are formulaic, but attempting to predict the twists and figure out whodunit is a game I like to play, even when I don't end up guessing who the culprit is. On the other hand, I don't think less of a book when I am able to figure out who the bad guy is. As long as I enjoy the ride, it doesn't really matter to me whether it's predictable or not.

Kathy Aarons writes in a simple but enjoyable style. I could feel the enjoyment she had while designing the different characters in the town of West Riverdale, from the main character, Michelle, to the unscrupulous reporter, Reese. To be honest, I had trouble keeping them all straight! I didn't have too much difficulty picturing them, except for some of the teenagers.

I did find myself finding the "amateur detective" actions of Michelle and her best friend, Erica, to be annoying. Although I know they were doing it to protect Dylan, I felt like there was really nothing convincing about the way they went about investigating. There was no reason, in my opinion, that they shouldn't have it up to police. It wasn't like the police wanted to implicate Dylan, and I feel like they would have found the killer in time for him to be prevented from doing any damage. It actually reminded me of a book I read years ago where the main characters refuse to call the police because they're convinced that they're going to get framed, even though they just found a human finger in a package of theirs.

I get that some people mistrust the police, but you know who's even less trustworthy? Criminals. Especially murderers. I could understand not going to the police after seeing someone who "looks suspicious," but murder is serious business. Erica and Michelle seemed more like they were playing a game than seriously investigating a murder.

That said, I couldn't help but like Aarons' characters. Michelle is a great narrator, and her voice is both heartfelt and funny. I was impressed by Aarons' knowledge of today's lingo. None of her characters' dialogue sounded stilted or forced. There were some touching moments, too, like when Michelle has a heart-to-heart with her brother, Leo, an Afghanistan veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Also, if you read this book, one of two things will happen: You'll either get intense cravings for chocolate, or you'll get sick of chocolate altogether. All I'm saying is that I would love to try some of Michelle's truffles.

There are also a truffle recipes in the back, but I'm not up to trying any of those out. Ganache and I have a complicated relationship.

I would definitely recommend this author if you like mysteries, and are looking for a light, easy, fun, and humorous read. It's probably best if you read the books in order, though. Unlike me. Don't be like me.

[Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

cozy mysteries have to navigate a weird concept, which is that people who are not professionals are investigating a murder, often at their own expense and against others' advice. that means having a good reason to investigate and a manner for investigating that is believable. I really can't see anyone going as far as Erica and whats-her-name (I forgot the main character's name). they bribe suspects for interviews, break into buildings, drive all over the place, use burner phones, get a new job to infiltrate a country club party, etc. it was just over the top. a lot of this story was unrealistic, but in a wonky way, not a fun way. most little blogs or even big news sites may have 0 or 1-2 comments, but this story has a local journalist writing a blog that's widely read and receiving tens of comments per article... for a very small suburban town! and when she accuses the main characters of harboring a murder suspect, within the day all of the townspeople decide to stop shopping at our main characters' store, so the main characters spread gossip that they're going to move to another town, so everyone apologizes and comes back (within 24 hours). it's a lot of goofy drama.
there are also a ton of subplots: Halloween festival; deciding whether to join businesses legally; the main character's brother, who's struggling with PTSD and ruining all of his relationships. it's a lot! because there's so much going on, it felt like there wasn't much space for character development, with a weird focus on characters who were completely random and like almost unrelated to the main plot (primarily Leo). I did enjoy the Halloween details and descriptions of chocolate, but I don't feel like this series is a good fit for my cozy reading interests.

[NinjaMuse · Rating 2 out of 5]

In brief: When a teen they know is wrongfully arrested for murder, Michelle and Erica, chocolateer and bookseller, are on the case! But can they balance the investigation, the town Halloween party, and romance? Third in a series.

Thoughts: This is a pretty average cozy. The writing is decent, the protagonists are reasonably interesting, the supporting cast is distinct from each other, the mystery has some good (but not great) twists, there are sweet moments of day job stuff and romance… but it’s also not super memorable or captivating and I’m not likely to read another in the series.

Aarons gets points from me for including queer characters without making that a plot point and for constructing a mystery that feels a bit more modern and topical than some other cozies do. However, she loses points on side plots, because it’s not just the three I mentioned in the summary and the romance felt kind of wedged in and by the book too. There’s a lot happening and a lot to keep track of, and I think she’s playing a long game with some of it but it didn’t quite work for me.

All in all, it was a good “fill the gaps in my day” book, which is what I generally use cozies for, but it never really grabbed me or felt “real” the way I like my books to, and like I said, I have no interest in following the series.

Warnings: Will make you crave chocolate.

5/10

[Julie Furlong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever it gets close to Halloween, I have to read at least one cozy mystery. Even though the cover is absolutely adorable and full of Halloween charm, it didn’t really get me into the spirit, and Halloween wasn’t even mentioned that often.

One thing that I always forget that I don’t like about cozy mystery’s is that the main character usually drives me nuts- they have a perfect boyfriend, a perfect small town shop, they think they know better than the cops and get in the way of them all the time.

Also, there were a lot of side characters to try to remember. I did like Erica, and Dylan. I would like to go into Erica and Michelle’s shop and have some chocolates and buy a couple of books. But it seems like chocolate and book stores are a dying breed in my city.

The good points:
🎃 I loved reading about the cat and her kittens being lotteried off to participants.
🎃 The chocolates in this book made me crave chocolate and coffee
🎃 the haunted house created sounded fun with all of the zombies and mummies inside

[Kathleen Chrisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle and Erica are busy running their combination book and chocolate shop while volunteering to help with a Halloween festival. The teens from Erica's comic book club are also participating in the festival. All of their lives become entangled in a murder mystery when a young woman that is dating one of the teens father is found dead with a super hero key chain next to the body.

Michelle and Erica will stop at nothing to prove the innocence of the teen they have worked so closely with at the store. Even if they must put themselves in danger in the process. This only adds to their problems when their loved ones are not happy with them often becoming targets for a killer.

Another great mystery with lots of suspects and hidden clues. I was surprised once I figured out the culprit just before the author showed me who it was. My kind of mystery. All the clues are there, you just have to look for them along the way.

[Khanson919 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again best friends Michelle and Erica team up to help a young man accused of murder. This time it is a teenage employee who helps out at Chocolate and Chapters. I really like Michelle and Erica's friendship and the other characters that the author surrounds them with, like their boyfriends and their family members. This time a con woman who preys on single men is murdered and the suspects include their young employee and his father. I very much enjoy these mysteries because the author comes up with a good plot for the mystery while advancing the lives of Michelle and Erica in their relationships and their business. I think the only thing that upsets me about this series is that this book is the last one. It looks like the author has started to write a new series under her original name instead of continuing with this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting entry in the series.

Our dead person is a 'catfish'. Can't call her a victim because she made victims of many unsuspecting men. She seemed to have no redeeming qualities. But because one of the teens that is in the comic book group (and helps out at the candy/book store is involved, Michelle and Erica get involved. The murder shows lots of anger, and Michele puts a spotlight on herself with her investigating. Might she become a victim as well?

I liked the currency of the plot - a catfish no less. I like that the police detective is competent, and in a twist, is gay. But that doesn't really play into the plot, more or less a fleshing out of who that character is.

I like the MC Erica much more than Michelle. Erica is super organized and super calm and collected.

Both ladies have a love interest going. Will have to see where that goes.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the third book in the Chocolate Covered mysteires. Michelle and her business partner, Erica, are heading the local West Riverdale Halloween Fair at the local high school. a teenager in Erica's comic book club disappers and a women is found murdered in an old apartment building. The teen's club ring is found at the crime. Meanwhile there is some difficulty with Michelle's brother, who is a war veteran with PTSD, he is involved in an accident and that has caused him to go further. Michelle is dating her best friends/business partners brother, Bengiman "Bean" Russell. He is a recurring charater and is a journalist that has written a couple of true crime books. The rest of the charaters in this series have been interesting, and the plot and mystery is good thought the book.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First one in this series I had read. It has promise but I suspect if I'd known some of the back story I would have been more invested. A lot of characters all at once nearly turned me off, but ended up rather enjoying it. The conceit is that two good friends operate businesses in one space, a bookstore and a chocolate shop. The cats showed up late but were cute. The tension between amateur sleuth and the police is almost always a factor in such books; this one, Erika and Michelle just ignore the police warnings to stay out of the investigation despite some pretty severe indications. And the police end up being okay with that. I might read another in the series but it's not a first pick.

I do give her props for an interesting murder plot, mainly because of the victim's background.