Peppermint Fudge and Fears (Candy Covered Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

Author:    Patti Benning

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781708272043

Independently Published

130 Pages

$6.99; $2.99 Amazon

November 14, 2019

⭐⭐

A candy by any other name...Might just be murder.  Candy shop owner, Candice Rothberg, formerly Candice Darling, is excited for Christmas.  It's hard not to be, in a town as festive as Lake Marion, Michigan.  When Candice learns that a local bakery is hosting a gingerbread house building contest, she eagerly dives right in.  With her background in candy and all things delicious, she plans to rock the contest, whether she wins it or not.

What stars out to be a fund and delicious contest ends up being a holiday horror, when one of the competitors dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a mysterious candy wrapper and more questions than answers.  When the killer targets a second victim, Candice realies all of the mystery and intrigue, oddly, has something to do with her.  Will she figure out who the culprit is, before it's too late?  Or will this be a season of suffering for Lake Marion?

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Candice Rothberg owns a candy shop in Lake Marion, Michigan.  Her husband, Eli, was injured in a fire and hasn't been able to find a job he can work full time without pain, but he's trying.  Candice is looking forward to the local gingerbread house contest, which she hopes to win, but one of the contestants is a baker who has won the previous years, so she's a bit nervous about competing against her.

But before the contest begins, the woman eats a piece of candy and dies.  It's determined that she was poisoned, and now Candice wants to know who murdered her.  But will she find a killer before there's another victim?  Or will the killer target her instead?

I wanted to read this book because it was getting close to Christmas, and I wanted to 'read the season,' as it were.  However, I was, unfortunately, sorely disappointed in this book altogether.  The writing was sophomoric, and perhaps it is geared toward others, but not me.  

I didn't find the plot particularly interesting, nor the people in the book.  There wasn't really a mystery at all, and you really don't have to look for any clues.  It was tough slogging through this book, and when I came to the end, the murderer practically threw themself at the reader.  The reason for the killing didn't even make any sense to me.  Sorry, but I didn't enjoy this book at all and won't read any more of this series.

https://www.amazon.com/Peppermint-Fudge-Fears-Covered-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B081GHWP49/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4414687094

More on Patti Benning's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/patti-benning/

Pastrami Murder (Darling Deli Book #1)

Author:  Patti Benning
Genre:   Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781523677498
CreateSpace Publishing
98 Pages
$6.99; $0.99 Amazon
January 24, 2016

⭐

The shores of lake Michigan form the backdrop for smart and sassy Moira Darling's thriving deli shop.  Moira's small town world is turned upside down when one of her cross-town rivals is found murdered.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

No.  Just no.  The police do not give inside information about an ongoing murder investigation to reporters.  The news would not have reported that a bowl of soup from Darling's was found at the scene for two reasons:  1) it was an ongoing investigation and was evidence; and 2) if it turned out that no one from Darling's was guilty, and Moira's business closed as a result, she could sue both the police and the news agency; especially since the news agency was practically accusing Moira of killing the victim to save her deli.  This is just sloppy.

But, to make things even more unbelievable - Moira, whom we know owns a deli, is served by Danielle what is essentially a Cheesesteak - with the on;y differences being olive bread, steak sauce and no peppers - and she's floored by it.  Seriously?  She owns a deli but have never heard of a Cheesesteak?  She never thought to even make a roast beef sandwich with onions and cheese?  Not a very good deli if she doesn't offer this or has never thought of any variations herself.  If Moira is described as 'smart and sassy' I sure never saw it.

But the real kicker is the fact that the cops think she did it because of the takeout container.  Um, I believe I mentioned above that it's a deli.  She sells food and soups to go.  To.  Take.  Out.  Did the police think that anyone at all could have purchased the soup and left?  Did they question every single customer (because you'd have to).  Did they wonder why she would be stupid enough to leave her own container behind?  To leave incriminating evidence behind?  What a sorry excuse for a police department this is.

Nope.  I'm not buying it.  Learn your facts before you write.  This is a short book but not even worth the time it took to read it.  I don't know how it got any five star reviews.  I'm sure never going to read anything else by this author.

https://www.amazon.com/Pastrami-Murder-Book-Darling-Deli/dp/152367749X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2957554355

More on Patti Benning's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/patti-benning/