Deck the Halls with Fudge

Candy-Coated Mystery #5.5

by Nancy CoCo

It’s Christmas on Mackinac Island—and homicide just rode in on a horse-drawn sleigh…Includes a yummy fudge recipe!

In the cozy warmth of their new home on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, newlywed seniors Frances and Douglas Devaney savor the picture-postcard snowy scenery through their kitchen window. But when they spy a horse-drawn sleigh dashing through the snow bearing a frozen stiff, their blood runs cold. The victim is banker Warren Engle, stepson of a close friend of Frances. With amateur sleuth Allie McMurphy, their boss at the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, busy filling holiday orders for peppermint candy fudge, the couple tackle the case themselves, plowing through clues to rein in the runaway culprit . . .

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Christmas, Cozy, Contemporary, Holiday

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2017

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from Frances viewpoint, the mystery is engaging and all the favorite characters from the series make appearances. Set on Lovely Mackinac Island at Christmas, this short novella is a treat!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

New prespective

As with the last Christmas novella that featured Jenn’s own mystery, this one is from Francis’ point of view. Francis and Douglas see someone fall out of a sled and that the sled run over the person. The body had been dead for hours and Francis decides to investigate the murder. She proves herself to be quite the sleuth and narrows the subject pool until she discovers the true murderer.
I give this and all Nancy Coco’s Candy-Coated mysteries 5 stars. This is the first series that I have loved enough to keep reading from first book to the last

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was told in Frances point of view. I enjoy how the author uses a secondary character for the series novella. I adore this series! This was very well written and gave you everything you needed to enjoy for a novella.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frances and Douglas are settling into their new home and looking forward to their first Christmas together. When they spy a man falling out of a sleigh and being run over, they immediately call for help. Rex determines the man, Warren Engle, was murdered. He leaves behind a grieving stepmother, wife and two young girls. Though Rex hates amateur sleuths and Douglas warns against it, Frances is determined to help her friend Leigh Ann find justice for her stepson and help those poor girls.

At first it was difficult to get used to Frances being the narrator and not having Allie and Mal find a body. This change took away some of the humor. Allie, Mal and Jen come into the story a little later than normal. That's when I became more interested and went back to review the situation. Frances is a terrible sleuth but her heart is in the right place. She wasn't simply being nosy.

The murder victim was not a nice man but I feel sorry for the family. They seem like nice people. Frances's friend Leigh Ann is trying to be strong for her daughter-in-law and granddaughters but is hurt as well. She raised Warren as her own and loved him too. Emma, the widow, seems nice.

The regulars are all here, eventually. Douglas is a bit less buttoned up around Frances. He loves her and wants her to be safe but knows he can't order her around like one of his students. Allie seems to be settling in and becoming a part of the community. No one calls her "fudgie" anymore and she seems more outgoing with people other than the nosy seniors. Mal is adorable as always and provides comfort to the mourners. Jenn is back on the island and ready to make her home there. She's always full of great ideas to help the island and have fun at the same time. The seniors are as nosy and gossippy as ever. Rex is all professional here. He's not in the story much, he's too busy trying to solve the murder. He's put in a tough spot at the end and I wonder what he will do. Liz is getting into serious journalism now her grandfather is too ill to run the paper. She's a bit nosy but she has good instincts and knows what will sell her paper without resorting to tabloid journalism.

Frances has three suspects for the murderer, all local men who had business dealings with Warren Engle. Ralph Finnish is massively grumpy. He has a good reason to be, yes, but he's rude to Frances without knowing what she wants. Barry Elmwater is scary. He seems like he has a temper and had good reason to want Warren dead. Henry Higginboom doesn't stand for bullies. Does that make him a bully who bullies bullies? He seems fierce and scary. Henry has a nasty wife. Could she have reason to hurt Warren or his family? The way Frances suddenly solves the mystery is a bit silly and I was shocked by how the murder happened.

Read this if you enjoyed the rest of the series. The novella contains one recipe for peppermint chocolate fudge! YUM! I have all the ingredients to make it...

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick trip to Mackinac Island for some fudge and not so merry murder solving.

“Deck the Halls with Fudge” is a short story that’s an out take from a mystery series by Nancy Coco. Altho’ these are established characters, this tiny tale is independent and stands alone quite easily.

A 70 something newlywed who manages the Island hotel is hot on the trail to solving the murder of her friend’s stepson. Her new husband is trying to reign her in and keep her safe but that’s easier said than done. The story tries hard at not being formulaic and tosses in some unexpected moments. I found it to read more bittersweet than cozy. It is clean and free from foul language and sexual content.

If you’re looking for a very quick mystery that’s just a bit different, this one should fit the holiday bill of fare📚

[Cozy Reader Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Deck the Halls with Fudge (Candy-Coated Mystery #5.5)" by Nancy Coco has a few less continuity issues than #3.5 did since it is a little later in the series. This one is Frances' point of view and has very little of Ali's involvement. However, the sleuthing might as well have been Ali since the pattern and tools used weren't any different. Frances still snuck around a bit behind her love interest's back despite saying she wouldn't, she still took Mell with her and utilized the senior center for her primary sources of gossip. The mystery wrapped up the same too, with two suspects that worked together in some way.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

This book was by Frances, long time employee of the McMurphy Hotel on Mackinac Island.
Newly married and witnessing a murder, Frances takes a page from Allie's book and decides to investigate.

A nice short pre-christmas story gives a little Scrooge like story on the island but with a different ending.

This was the perfect read for me. Wanted something good to read yet not to long.

My ever sharing husband has shared with me his cold and a case of the flu.
Surprise flu shot didn't work.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Christmas story

I enjoy that these novellas are told from the point of view from one of the secondary characters. It was fun seeing Frances get center stage and I enjoyed this mystery.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so used to the narrator of this series being Allie that Francis being the storyteller caught me off guard. Newly married and settling into a quiet evening at home, Frances and Douglas Devaney are enjoying the view from their cottage window when they see a body bounced out of a horse drawn sleigh. Rushing to the rescue, Warren Engle is found dead with neither the sleigh nor horses to be found.

Unfortunately, this was no accident and now Frances takes it upon herself to solve the mystery surrounding the death of the stepson of one of her dear friends. Much like her employer Allie of the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop in previous books, Frances finds herself both central to the investigation and in the middle of a few precarious situations. Seems that old Warren was quite the shady fellow and with several people on the island being ruined by him, Francis knows that she and the women from the senior citizen network can narrow down a suspect faster than the police chief and still get the Christmas tree up on time.

I usually complain about short novellas that do not move the story forward but I have always found Frances and Douglas to be adorable and was glad to see an investigation from their perspective. The story is charming and funny in just the right places and the perfect book to settling in with this winter season.

[Barb]

This is another half-step book I put on this year’s to-read list in order to knock out some of these shorter books. Most of them don’t really affect the storyline of their series, but I can’t bring myself to skip over them just in case there’s something in them that will come into play in the full-length series books.

I’m not really a seasonal reader – I don’t usually care when I read books set at Halloween, Christmas, or any other holiday or season – but it felt a little odd to think about Christmas at the end of June. The holiday was the perfect setting for this story, though, and the investigation being led by Frances and Douglas, rather than Allie and Jenn, was a nice change of pace.

Almost anyone in town could have been put on the list of suspects, but the story is short, so Frances and Douglas had to start with a considerably shorter list than they would have had in full-length novel. Even with the shortened story, there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming, so I was surprised when the killer was revealed, although given that character, the motive made perfect sense.

I’m planning to read the next full-length book in this series later this year, which I’m sure will make me want to book a trip to Mackinac Island – in the summer!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 or 3 stars. Similar to other cozies, small town, food - in this case fudge!, MC works at a historical hotel that also sells fudge. Nice little town with friendly folks until somebody got murdered. Of course the author throws you off the track until the very last chapter to find out whodunit.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful - I really enjoyed this novella told from the perspective of Frances. It was interesting to see the mystery and investigation from someone other than Allie.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars: Deck the Halls with Fudge is a novella in the Candy-Coated Mystery series, that centers on Frances Delaney, the manager of the Historic McMurphy Hotel on Mackinac Island. Frances has recently married handyman, Douglas Delaney and they have purchased and moved into a cabin on the island. While relaxing at home one evening, they see a sleigh drive down the main street, and a body fall out. Douglas immediately heads to the site, while Frances calls 911. Who is the dead man? Why was he killed?

I enjoyed this novella and getting to see Frances in the role of sleuth. Of course Allie and Jenn get in on the investigation doing what they do best. Jenn, the party planner, puts an event in motion very quickly in order to flush out suspects. When the victim is identified, it is quickly revealed that there were a lot of people that had a grudge against him. Did one of them murder him, or was it someone not on their radar. Finding the owner of the sleigh and horses that disappeared is the key to solving this one. I enjoyed this little story, but wished that the author didn't constantly tell the reader that the body fell out of the sleigh and was run over. I still can't figure out how the running over part could have occurred.

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frances and Douglas are settling into their new home and looking forward to their first Christmas together. When they spy a man falling out of a sleigh and being run over, they immediately call for help.
Warren Engle, was murdered, leaving a grieving stepmother, wife and two young girls. Though Rex hates amateur sleuths and Douglas warns against it, Frances investigates by going door to door pretending to collect for a scholarship fund for the deceased's daughters.
She learns Warren Engle ruined many lives by pushing foreclosures at his bank for his own enrichment.
I detest people who constantly think "oh he was a bad man but did not deserve to be murdered"... Not a fan of this nonsensical thinking.
I not only felt badly for the actual killer but for all the possible suspects whose lives he had ruined
/ Anyone who abuses his spouse and family.. well if it leads to their demise: terrific!! It's called justifiable homicide for a reason

[Kathleen Chrisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newlyweds Frances and Douglas Devaney witness a person fall from a sleigh while looking out the window of their new home. They quickly call the police and run outside to see if they can help only to find a dead man. The police find the much hated man, the stepson of Frances's friend, was already dead before he fell from the sleigh. Frances feels compelled to find the killer so that her friend and family can morn in peace. Douglas is not happy that Frances puts herself in danger and decides to help her find the killer so he can keep her safe.
This book is told from Frances's point of view. I enjoyed the story but missed Allie's point of view. Jenn and Allie are included in the book but more on the outside of the story.

[Marlea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like this was fan fiction. I really love this series and find it to be well written, but this one felt like a juvenile interpretation. The series typically narrated by Allie is great. The installment written by Jen was great. This one, narrated by Francis, was dreadful. I like the idea of doing short stories narrated by different characters but this one just didn’t work. I’ve always really liked Francis and Douglas, but this made them into such annnoying and blubbering characters that I don’t know if I can enjoy any other books in this series unless I forget I read this one.

[Jeroen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Better than the first christmas short in the same series, but not good enough to give it an extra star. What is interesting that the first book in the series and the two christmas stories are all told from a first person view, but all by a different person. I'm curious to see if that extends to the other books as well. Though I assume those are all told from the point of view of Allie, the main character of the first book. In this Christmas book Allie is more a secondary or even tertiary character.

[Mayisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, this was such a cute little story. I LOVED that it was from Frances' perspective because I absolutely adore her. It was so sweet to see her want to genuinely figure out who murdered a pretty unlikable guy and also raise money for his family. The plot twist (if you can even call it that) was still pretty predictable, but I felt like for such a sensitive topic, it was treated appropriately. And, of course, Frances and Mr. Devaney are still the sweetest little nuggets in town :')

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a super short novella, this was a thoroughly put together story! I have loved all of Nancy Coco's fudge books and this fun little Christmas cozy told from Frances' point of view is just as entertaining as all the others! The mystery was very interesting and the way Frances and all the other usual characters went about doing their jobs while solving the mystery kept the story moving smoothly. I loved it! I can't wait to read the next one!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely 3 stars. I have some issues with this series, but the biggest problem with this novella is that it was written before later books in the series, so there are massive continuity gaps. This story is told by Frances, recently married to Douglas, and preparing for their first Christmas together, when they witness a strange accident, that turns out to be a murder. Naturally Frances, along with her friends at the McMurphy, begins her own investigation.

[Chanover55 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances and Douglas Delaney have moved into their new cottage on Mackinac Island after their wedding. Try are enjoying married life but one night they happen to see a man fall from and get run over by a sleigh. After calling 911, they go to see if they can help but it is too late, the man is dead. Thus starts Frances foray into investigating. Allie m Murphy and Jenn take a backseat in this story and only one fudge recipe, but still a great read!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable novella, perfect for the holidays. This one is written from the view point of Frances. She sees a local man fall out of a sleigh and die in what looks to be an accident, but when the police arrive they find it is murder. It is up to Frances to figure out who the killer is so her friend can find peace before the Christmas holiday. A good quick novella with a cute story and great Christmas atmosphere.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story told from POV of Francis as she and her new husband see a body fall out of a sleigh. She is friends with the man's mother and wife and decides to help investigate so they can put it behind them faster.

Unfortunately it turns out the wife killed him in self defense and they both worked to hide the crime.

[Megh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the rest of the series

I’ve enjoyed these books up until now but this one was not good. The writing was stilted. I feel like Frances as a character wasn’t interesting enough or real enough to carry a whole book herself. The mystery was interesting, and getting a glimpse of the island from another viewpoint was nice, but getting through it was hard.

[Karen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old fashion detective story that reminds me of the television show, "Murder She Wrote". For those of you who are too young to know about the show, the book is about a murder in a small town on Martha's Vineyard and an older woman resorts to solving the case. I loved the book. It's a quick and easy read.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already a fan of the series, this novella really adds to the series. Told from the perspective of Frances was fun. I love how she looks to help her friend by investigating and getting help from the senior citizen network. It’s a quick, fun Christmas read. I enjoyed that even though it’s told from a different character’s point of view, all my favorite characters still had a role.

[Karla Martinsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this novella but I got the feeling it was rushed, that the author was tired of this story. I've read the entire series and was left wanting more in a lot of the story lines. Not sorry for having spent the time on them but sure would like Nancy Coco to return to Mackinac Island and give a good update and true ending for these fun characters she made us like!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fa la la la la Fudge

Sweet little novella with Frances doing the investigating instead of Allie. Winter on Mackinac Island before Christmas has a body falling out of a sleigh as the homicide rate climbs even higher for the island regulars. Who killed the banker? Frances, Douglas, and the crew throw a party to flush out the felon. Good stuff and recipes!

[Kathy Fair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. 5-star read

This is well written and a very enjoyable read. It was interesting since it is written with Francis's point of view. It has a murder that has everyone stumped as to who is the killer. I, especially liked the ending. A very good book.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cozy Christmas story

I follow this series and was delighted with this special Christmas e-book . It actually has one of the supporting main characters from the series as the sleigh this time. It was a great mystery with a sneaky twist at the end.