Fudging the Books - Cookbook Nook Mystery Novel for Cozy Reading

FUDGING THE BOOKS by Daryl Wood Gerber is a fun rollicking cozy mystery read full of pirates, chocolate and murder. Jenna Hart runs the Cookbook Nook, a cookbook shop in Crystal Cove which is a small coastal town in California. Celebrating Pirate Week in the tourist town is frantic enough but in addition Jenna and her assistant and best friend, Bailey, host the monthly Chocolate Cookbook Club's meeting. Their good friend Coco Chastain, chocolatier and cookbook author, is the guest of honor along with Coco's publisher, Alison Foodie. Before the evening is over Coco and Alison are seen arguing and the next morning Alison is found dead...murdered.Coco is the prime suspect but even though she swears she has an alibi she won't tell anyone who she was with all night long. Jenna starts asking questions around town, wanting to clear her friend's name. Before long she has several people who may have had motives for killing the publisher and each of them appear to be lying in one way or another.The author's characters come to life on the pages and I would love to spend time in her Crystal Cove and especially the Cookbook Nook! FUDGING THE BOOKS is the fourth book in the Cookbook Nook series but is easily read as a stand-alone. I loved this book along with all the delicious sounding recipes Daryl included, and will certainly be reading all the books in this series!