Lee McKinney Woodyard is the manager of a chocolate shop called TenHuis Chocolade located in the small Lake Michigan beach resort of Warner Pier. Owned by Lee’s Aunt Nettie, the shop is normally busiest in the summer when swarms of visitors gather for the great recreational opportunities. However, it is February and Valentine’s Day quickly approaches. The highly skilled “hairnet ladies” in the back of Lee’s shop are busy producing delicious edibles for the occasion.

While Lee tends the shop, a detective by the name of Derrick Valentine shows up looking for a woman who Lee and Aunt Nettie are hiding for a secret underground railroad-type organization that protects women who have been abused and are trying to escape their situation. Lee gets rid of the man, but when he shows up dead at the back door of the shop with Aunt Nettie standing over him holding the murder weapon in her hand, Lee reluctantly becomes involved in a murder investigation.

A number of unsavory characters surface including a violent Detroit mobster and a devious CEO who is under investigation and hiding out in Warner Pier. Also adding to the delicious mix are cagey cops who are less than forthcoming about their activities, including Aunt Nettie’s husband who is the Chief of Police, and Lee’s husband who is less than forthcoming about his own activities.

When all else fails, Lee takes to the internet to search for clues as to what is going on in her small Michigan town. What she finds shocks her into action.

Soon another body surfaces and Lee and her boat-building husband, who just happens to be the city attorney, find themselves in a perilous situation. When it looks like they will be the next victims, they take unusual means to protect themselves and find out who is trying to kill them and why.

The Chocolate Cupid Killings, the ninth book in the bestselling Chocoholic Mysteries series written by JoAnna Carl, provides readers with a delicious new offering. Carl is the pseudonym of mystery writer Eve K. Sandstrom, and she has provided a suspense story packed full of surprises.

While some characters are familiar to chocoholic mystery fans, others bring freshness to the series. The author takes a serious look at domestic abuse while providing an entertaining mystery story.

Along with an interesting story, the author offers plenty of tasty chocolate trivia throughout the book. Look for the Chocolate Chats, and savor the delicious tidbits Carl provides.