Assaulted Caramel: An Amish Candy Shop Mystery by Amanda Flower

Image provided by Kensington Books.

            When I saw there was a book called Assaulted Caramel coming out, I looked forward to giving it a try.  To me, an Amish candy shop sounded like a really good premise.  Add on top of that, the fact that I have enjoyed other series’ Amanda Flower has written (Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries (written as Isabella Alan) and Magical Bookshop Mysteries), and I figured there was a good chance I would enjoy this one too.  And I certainly did.

                Chocolatier Bailey King is concerned for her grandfather’s well-being when she rushes from New York City to the Amish town of Harvest, Ohio at a moment’s notice.  Jebidiah is unwell and in the hospital, inciting Bailey to leave everything behind in the city to be by his side.  This is why it comes as such a surprise when the first sight Bailey sees after arriving in Harvest is her Amish grandfather arguing with another man in front of his candy shop.

The man is Tyson Colton, a developer who wants to buy Jebidiah’s candy shop, as well as all the other shops around it.  Jebidiah is refusing to sell, and the conversation he has with Colton about selling upsets Jebidiah so much that he collapses.  It is the start of many bad things to come.

                The morning after Jebidiah’s collapse, Bailey finds Colton dead in the candy shop’s kitchen.  She doesn’t know how or why Colton got into the shop, but she does recognize the knife sticking out of his chest.  It is a chocolate knife that Bailey was seen using just the day before.  With there being a witness to her using the knife, and her fingerprints on it, things do not look good for Bailey.  What makes it worse is the police seem determined to pin the murder on her, no matter what explanations she may have.  In the rare moment when the police aren’t looking at Bailey, they’re looking at her grandparents.  With the Sherriff hating the Amish, and Bailey being an outsider, the chance of any other officer seeing the case differently is slim.  In order to save her grandparents and herself, Bailey must solve the murder of Tyson Colton before something else terrible happens.

                As Bailey tries to solve the murder, she must also deal with things going on back in New York City.  She left just as an announcement was going to be made about who is to receive the big promotion at JP Chocolatiers, the elite chocolate shop where Bailey works.  Bailey is the front runner, but with her leaving town, everyone is worried the board making the decision will change its mind.  What nobody knows, though, is that there is another hitch to the situation.  Bailey has been secretly dating one of the board members.  If their relationship is somehow revealed, it could ruin everything.

                While Bailey deals with both of these situations, she also agrees to cater the desserts at a wedding.  The candy shop was supposed to do it, but with the shop closed because of the murder, they can’t any long.  This fact did not sit well with the mother of the bride, who threatens to destroy the candy shop’s reputation if she doesn’t get what she wants.  Determined to save all her grandparents have worked for, Bailey agrees to make the desserts in the church kitchen.  With so much to do in such little time, it is a great relief when her best friend turns up in town.  She came to convince Bailey to return to New York, but she ends up helping instead.

                As you can see, there is a lot that happens in the first book of this new series.  There are a lot of characters too, but not so many that they’re hard to keep track of.  Some of my favorites are Cass and Juliet.

                Cass is Bailey’s best friend.  A very different and unique person, especially in an Amish town, Cass can be a bit rude and abrupt at times.  However, Cass has a good heart and really cares about those in her life.  Something I also like, is how true she is to herself.  She does not let anyone tell her that who she is is wrong.  It’s too bad that Cass has zero interest in leaving New York City.  I think she would be a really interesting character to have around all the time.

                Juliet is a woman who lives in Harvest and is full of life.  She walks around with her pet pig, Jethro, and never lets those who are negative get to her.  Instead, she remains warm and welcoming in practically every situation.  Juliet also happens to be the mother of Deputy Aidan Brody, the man I’m pretty sure is going to end up being Bailey’s love interest.  Something I think Juliet would be very happy to see.

                With so many good characters, and some enemies already made, there are a lot of different directions this series could go.  What those directions will be, exactly, I don’t know.  But I definitely look forward to finding out.