Blood & Chocolate

by Mark Zero

When Marnie Hawthorne inherits her family fortune, a candy empire built on the world-famous Hawthorne Toffee Bar, she also inherits the dark secret her reclusive grandmother concealed for half a century. The truth behind the Hawthornes' rise from small town candy makers to international chocolate magnates is as disturbing as it is unbelievable, and the only man who knows the whole story has a reason not to tell it. As Marnie becomes entangled in the mysterious drama of her grandmother's life, she finds that her future depends on the ghosts haunting someone else's past. Spanning four generations, Blood and Chocolate tells an epic story of longing, forbidden love and the unpredictable consequences of desire.

Genres: Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2006

About the author

Mark Zero has been a gourmet ice cream manufacturer, magazine editor, funeral home attendant, German instructor, photographer, music agent, film archivist, farm laborer and patient care technician to the physically and mentally disabled. He has lived in many places throughout the United States and in Paris, France; Leipzig, East Germany; Heidelberg, West Germany; and Santa Elena, Costa Rica.

In his twenties, Mark wrote and performed comedy in clubs and theaters around Southern Arizona. He was half of the comedy duo Blind Rage and Nick, who toured New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California before deciding that Vaudeville was, indeed, dead. Mark thinks fondly of the time his one-act play "Lost in the Promised Land" was staged by the Happy Accidents Theater Troupe in Tucson, and he still juggles and plays the ukulele out of nostalgia.

Reviews

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood & Chocolate is a superb story about a toffee empire and the cursed Hawthorne family to whom that empire is tied. The novel is full of things like extra-marital affairs, murders, family secrets, shady inheritances, insanity, etc., however it is not to be mistaken for a cheap mass-market thriller. The writing is at a pace that matches the setting and allows the reader to be swept away by the story. There are several classic film references dotted throughout the text which for me was a special treat. Marnie Hawthorne could not really be called the protagonist but she is by far the most interesting character in the story. She lived a quiet life in England until her grandmother Dorothy passes and leaves Marnie the Hawthorne Toffee empire. I'm always fascinated by stories of people whose lives changed drastically and how they react to that change. The way Marnie deals with this new phase in her life is by no means predictable and she will keep you intrigued like she does the members of the small community she is now a part of. I recommend this story to anyone who likes a fine yarn that is well-written and interesting.