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In a Small Box of Chocolate: An Emmalene Morton Cozy Mystery

The first novel by Susanna McLeod has arrived at last. A cozy mystery, filled with the aroma of confections, the discovery of milk chocolate, dangers in all directions, and a splash, um, bash of murder, too.

Chocolate and murder? Not the usual combination for success.

Close your eyes and imagine the scrumptious aroma of warm caramel, fruity fondants, and luscious milk chocolate at Morton’s Morsels Candy Company. Mmm, so delicious… until screams of horrified candy workers jolt your eyes open and you see a bludgeoned candy master sprawled on the busy factory floor, bloodied and dead.

Not only was there a gruesome murder, the secret recipe for manufacturing Milk Chocolate was gone. The coded recipe was Morton’s new development, set to debut at the upcoming Philadelphia Confectioners Guild Candy Fair. In the industry race for new chocolate blends, the recipe held untold value. They must get it back.

Who was so brazen as to murder for the recipe? Was it a competitor? Was it an insider? With Charles Morton ailing from malaria after a cacao bean-buying trip to the Tropics, Emmalene Morton, his daughter and Head of Candy Research, resolved to find the answer.

Danger threatens Emmalene and others at every opportunity. Who could she trust in the chaos? The police were doing their best but had no breaks. Charming candy salesman Samuel Hillsen seemed always to appear at the wrong time. She wanted so much to trust him… and to fix his collar, too. Nearly killed in a suspicious buggy accident, Emmalene decided to have faith in Samuel.

Amid deadly disaster, love grows, along with Emmalene’s power as a role model for working women. But solving the grisly murder and madness before someone else gets hurt has to come first.

And then you can make a few of Emmalene’s Test Recipes, found at the back of the book.

Visit Amazon.com or Amazon.ca to purchase paperback or Kindle ebook.

Thank you, and happy reading! Mmm… chocolate.