The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up

Informationen zum Autor JoAnna Carl is the pseudonym of a multipublished mystery writer. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, feature writer, editor and columnist. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and also studied in the OU Professional Writing Program. She lives in Oklahoma but spends much of her summer at a cottage on Lake Michigan near several communities similar to the fictional town of Warner Pier. Klappentext For the Fourth of July, Lee McKinney and her aunt debut their latest confections-chocolate frogs-at TenHuis Chocolade. The first customer to buy a croaker is the town crank. But when he later disappears and police suspect foul play, it's a chocolate clue that leads Lee to the killer. An Excerpt for Chapter 1 If you’re going to have a fistfight in a small town – and avoid a lot of talk about it – the post office is not a good place for the battle. And shortly before five o’clock in the afternoon – when it seems ever merchant in town is dropping off the mail and lots of the tourists are buying stamps – is not a good time for it. The fight between Joe Woodyard and Hershel Perkins erupted in the Warner Pier Post Office at 4:32 on a Monday afternoon in late June. Later I decided that it had been planned that way. And I didn’t think Joe was in on the plan. I was one of the local merchants who witnessed the fight, since I walked into the post office with a handful of outgoing statements for TenHuis Chocolade just in time to hear Joe speak. He sounded calm. “What are you talking about, Hershel?” Hershel Perkins did not sound calm. He was almost shouting. “It’s about the old Root Beer Barrel. Don’t try to act innocent!” “The old drive-in? I’m trying to sell it.” “Yes, you money-grubbing piece of…” Those were fighting words to Joe, I knew, because Joe – who happens to be my boyfriend – was in a financial hole right at the moment. It’s a long story, but he needed the money, even if he had to grub for it, and the sale of the dilapidated and abandoned drive-in restaurant might be the raft that kept his business afloat. Joe raised his voice just a little when he answered. “What is your interest in this, Hershel?” “I hear you might tear it down!” “Tear it down? It’s already fallen down.” “It’s a piece of history!” “History?” Joe sounded puzzled, as well as annoyed. “It’s a bunch of boards lying in a parking lot. It’s junk.” I was all the way inside the post office now, and could see Hershel. He seemed to be puffing himself up. Not that Hershel was all that small. He was at least five nine, just a few inches shorter than I am. He was around forty, with a broad face and a wide, narrow-lipped mouth that made him look like a frog. It was a resemblance he seemed to relish – he combed his thin hair flat and a always wore green shirts, flannel in winter and cotton in summer. Even his voice was a froglike croak, and he went places in a green canoe named the Toadfrog. He gave an angry grunt. “Junk!” You call it junk? It’s vernacular architecture!” Joe laughed. Hershel went nuts. He rasped out incoherent phrases. Words like “typical commercial,” “innovation,” “rehabilitation,” “social geography,” and “culturally significant.” None of it made sense to Hershel, either. Hershel is not one of the brightest bulbs shining on Warner Pier, Michigan. Joe tried to talk over the ranting, which meant he had to raise his voice. “Hershel, I already talked to the Planning Department. The Historic District Commission has no interest in that property since the building was destroyed by an act of God.” Hershel kept up the angry bullfrog act, although hollering out “architectural ethnicity!” is not an effective way to argue. Finally Joe did absolutely the worst thing he could have done – even worse than l...

Product details

• Authors: Joanna Carl
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 02.12.2003
• EAN: 9780451209856
• ISBN: 978-0-451-20985-6
• No. of pages: 240
• Dimensions: 107 mm x 170 mm x 15 mm
• Series: Chocoholic Mysteries; Chocoholic Mystery; Chocoholic Mystery
• Subject: Fiction > Suspense