Joanna Carl dishes up her third Chocoholic Mystery with THE CHOCOLATE FROG FRAME-UP.  If you’ve missed the first two, I suggest reading them.  Though it is not necessary to understand the characters, I just cannot imagine missing the previous stories.

Newly divorced, Lee McKinney packed up and moved from Texas to Michigan where she now works in her aunt’s store, TenHuis Chocolade.  In Warner Pier, Lee has made a new life for herself and has a slowly blossoming romance going with Joe Woodyard, ex-attorney and owner of the town’s boat shop.

Lee’s current dilemma starts when a local man, Hershel Perkins, confronts Joe in the post office.  Before he knows what hit him, Joe finds himself being pummeled by Hershel over a property that Joe is planning to sell.  The scuffle soon ends, but this is really the beginning.  After purchasing a chocolate frog at TenHuis Chocolade instead of just asking for his usual sample, Hershel goes about his usual business only to come up missing.  Police suspect Hershel is the victim of foul play.  When Hershel’s canoe is discovered out side of Joe’s boat shop, Joe becomes their prime suspect.  Lee will do whatever it takes to prove Joe’s innocence, but someone is sabotaging their every moment together.

Two things set this book apart from others.  First is the inclusion of some interesting chocolate trivia.  You’ll learn some fascinating facts about the history of chocolate.  My favorite to date was that dark chocolate is full of antioxidants.  What better excuse for eating chocolate than to say it’s good for you!  The other is that Lee and Joe are not rushing into this relationship.  The reader learns more about their characters with every page.  Reminiscent of my favorite culinary mysteries, I know a Joanna Carl mystery will be a winner.  The trivia and vivid descriptions of the luscious confections are enough to make you hunger for more!