JoAnna Carl

A fan of both chocolate and cats, I pulled this book from the Mystery section at my library and was pleasantly surprised to read the acknowledgments thanking members of the Saugatuck community. Saugatuck is a small Michigan lake town that sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, about thirty miles from my home. I spend a lot of time in Saugatuck.

Lee McKinney, the star of this series, has also frequented this uniquely charming town, which the author has renamed Warner Pier, and now she’s moved show more here permanently after leaving both her husband and her home state of Texas. While working in her aunt’s chocolate shop, Lee delivers chocolates to a wealthy attorney/philanthropist’s lakefront home, where a murder happens and a story is born.

The protaganist and her Aunt Nettie are likeable and drawn with humor, as are other members of the community, and the story is engaging and paced well. However, I’m never a fan of accents showing up phonetically in dialogue; it’s distracting and even a bit condescending – toward both the reader and the characters. The author uses this technique, especially when Latino mayor Mike Herrera gets worked up and his accent is more pronounced (“weesh” for wish, etc). I see the technique in many cozies, and I can’t figure out why editors think this is a good choice.

I’ll probably keep reading this overall pleasant series, just to see what else the author has to say about Saugatuck – er, Warner Pier. A standard cozy mystery debut and a fast read, The Chocolate Cat Caper is worth three stars. show less

The Chocolate Raccoon Rigamarole is the eighteenth book in The Chocoholic Mystery series.

The residents and businesses of Warner Pier are unsure if they should laugh at or be worried about what is going on in town. There have been several break-ins around town that have been nicknamed the “Cookie Monster” burglaries. So far, the only thing that has been stolen is snacks.

When Lee is informed that there is a mama raccoon with babies, she hires Watt Wicker to catch the raccoons and release show more them into the countryside. But on the evening he goes to trap them, he is attacked with a brick and has to be hospitalized. Soon, Lee also hears an incriminating phone conversation, new Deputy Paige Timothy, is having on her cell phone. When Lee hears a disturbance in the alley behind TenHuis, her aunt’s chocolate shop, she sees what is going on and learns someone was seen leaving a garage. The police arrive and enter the garage. There, in her squad car, is Deputy Paige Timothy, dead. The police feel that her death is a suicide, but Lee has her doubts. Lee, with her employee, Dolly Jolly’s boyfriend Mike, being suspected of assaulting Watt, is determined to clear his name.

I love this series and have read all but two books. The books are well-written and plotted and have a well-developed and believable cast of characters. Previous books in the series have had interesting tidbits on chocolate, but in this book, Ms. Carl has included delicious-sounding recipes using chocolate.

I will be watching for the next book in this series. show less

After reading Carl's last book, I was afraid that the series had 'jumped the shark." I was very pleased to discover this book is Carl at her best!

It is time for Aunt Nettie's high school reunion and her best friends are visiting. The 'girls' used to work at The Castle whose owner died of a mysterious gunshot would 45 years ago. Now his wife has been murdered and Aunt Nettie asks her niece to find out where 'the girls' were during the football game they attended. They say they were all show more together during the game but Nettie knows better. show less

In this latest installment in the “Chocoholic Mystery” series, Lee is pressed into service by the lone remaining hippie at Warner’s Pier. She hopes that Lee can stop the suspicions of the townsfolk that her granddaughter is a murderess. But then, another person ends up dead and the granddaughter is again under suspicion. Can Lee discover the truth, and can she prove it? With few characters in the story, you may soon solve the mystery of who the real murderer is, but the motive remains show more to be seen. The tidbits of chocolate history throughout the novel are enlightening, and the recipe at end is truly satisfying for any chocoholic, but the real delight of this whodunit lies in the cozy setting in rural Michigan and the very real and likable characters who live there. Grab some chocolate candies, a cup of hot cocoa or cold chocolate milk – depending on the season – and settle in for a great read. show less