The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle (Chocoholic Mysteries, No. 4)

Western Michigan has a haunted past. In the 1930's a small time crook from Chicago rented a summer cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan for a few months when he waited out the cops who were on his tail. While there, he got romantically involved with a local woman. Both he and she left town at the same time under somewhat mysterious circumstances - never to be seen again. Fast forward to the present and the town of Warner Pier still hears echos of that long-lost event. A scion of the woman's family writes her version of the story and the book is published causing her to undergo a complete personality change. The local legend has now changed sufficiently to where the hoodlum is now a pirate and there must be buried treasure around the cabin that he rented! The publication of the book causes a purported film director to visit and start making the rounds looknig for local locations to shoot at, as well as sniff around for some financing. However, all is not as it seems and the dark clouds of crime and nefarious goings-on quickly envelop the town and its local sleuth - Lee. Lee has a habit of mangling her words when under stress. Add to this the fact that she is a blonde of almost six feet tall and used to compete in beauty pageants leads many to believe that she is not the world's smartest cookie. On the other hand, she is now an accountant and business manager of her aunt's chocolate shop and is also in love with the town's hunky attorney. So, do not discount her brains! Since she is also somewhat of an impulsive meddler in other people's affairs, it is not too long before she sniffs out that there is something wrong with the director, the local drama teacher in the high school, the whole pirate story, and a bunch of other storylines. One of the most fun ones, of course, is that the director has a chocolate lab puppy he works with which leads to the inevitable confusion between the chocolate puppies that Ten Huis chocolate makes, and the real puppy, and the culprits of the crimes, and the long-abandoned cabin and on and on. A murder, a kidnapping, creepy escapes through the woods, mysterious disappearances that has the whole town buzzing and more flow through the pages of this light mystery that has just the right amount of tension and information to keep you reading until you reach the reasonably satisfying conclusion. It is another in a line of enjoyable stories from JoAnna Carl.

Ok, first thing is first: I love chocolate, I love puppies and I love puzzles! So, how pleasing of a name is Chocolate Puppy Puzzle for a book?! Love it!! To top it off, this story does, indeed, contain chocolate, a puppy and a great puzzle of a mystery. Now, with that said, Chocolate Puppy Puzzle is the 4th in the "A Chocoholic Mystery" series. I've greatly enjoyed each and every book in this series, and this one is no exception. I think that I may even lean toward saying that this is my favorite so far in the series. The cast of characters are wonderful and quirky. First being Lee McKinney, who is the main person in the series - she is fun, smart and not afraid to do her own detective work. Next is Aunt Nettie who is a wonderful and sassy sort of lady who owns the TenHuis Chocolade where both she and Lee work. The 3rd main player is Joe Woodyard, who has come to be Lee's love interest and who is ready to take their relationship to the next level (marriage) - to Lee's unease. In this delightful edition, one of Warner Pier's residents, Maia Michaelson, has written a romance novel, based on true accounts that have taken place within the area. This brings around a flashy Hollywood producer, Aubrey Andrews Armstrong, whom no one has even heard of. He claims to be there to bring Maia's creation to life on the big screen. However, Lee suspects that Aubrey is not all that he says he is. Then when her Aunt Nettie seems to fall under his charm, Lee really kicks her "research" into full gear. Not long after Aubrey shows up, he suddenly disappears, leaving behind his constant companion, Monte, a sweet and mischievous chocolate lab puppy. With several of the townspeople linked to Aubrey is some way or another, no one is sure who is the cause of Aubrey's disappearance. Then there is an attempt made on Lee's life and the mystery heats up. Will the killer be found in time and will Aubrey be found dead or alive? With many fun and interesting chocolate trivia strewn throughout and with the author's quirky character names, this is a story sure to please. Grab a cup of rich delicious hot chocolate, sit back in a comfy chair and be prepared to visit Warner Pier, Michigan and all the lively and adventurous antics that take place.

I read the sixth book first and then purchased the first five and I highly recommend this "cozy mystery" series as engaging, fun and even poignant and touching at times. I tend to guess the outcome fairly early with this series, but it really doesn't detract at all from the reading experience and finding out the details of how it all fits together is always enjoyable. I read so much about those chocolates and the main character's favorites that I went ahead and ordered from the Dallas company upon which the chocolate company in this series is based. Fun! :-)

I LOVED this book. It was better than the first two. Could hardly put it down. Carl gets more and more clever with each new story. Plus I love dogs, so Monte was a great addition to the story. I highly recommend this mystery series if you're looking for something to do on a rainy afternoon. If you're looking for books with a lot of depth and substance, this mystery series isn't for you. However, if you enjoy reading and chocolate, pick this up along with a big box of See's candies. I especially like all the chocolate trivia. I learned something about my favorite food group. Bon appetite!

This book was just as great as the last. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. It was a good think hubby was working and my son had other plans. It was confusing at times and definitely keep you are your toes. Warner Pier should have had their first clue trouble was brewing when people start changing there names. Monte was a great new character I hope we see more of and I missed Joe's mom and the mayor only make a brief appearance, could be they were up to no good HaHa. I think everybody who loves Lee and Aunt Nettie will be pleasantly surprise in the end.