Hotelier and fudge maker Allie McMurphy’s best friend, Jenn Carpenter, is past her pregnancy due date and about ready to pop. She’s determined to stay on Mackinac Island and deliver her baby naturally, though, with the help of her midwife, Sarah, and her doula, Hannah. The latter, especially, has proven invaluable in helping Jenn get ready for the birth of her very first child.

So when Hannah doesn’t answer her phone one day, Jenn gets a little emotional. To help her stay calm, Allie offers to walk Jenn over to Hannah’s apartment. They’re both shocked to find Hannah sitting outside, holding a gun, and staring at the dead body of her boyfriend, Matt.

Under pressure from the ambitious new district attorney, the local police immediately arrest Hannah for murder. Jenn is distraught–and not just because she knows that kindhearted Hannah would never do such a thing. She’s terrified that she’ll have to give birth without Hannah’s support and begs Allie for help in finding the real killer before she finally goes into labor.

Complicating matters is the arrival of Allie’s mother, who has brought with her an unwelcome surprise. Brett Summers was Allie’s boyfriend all throughout high school and college. He proposed marriage immediately after graduation but expected Allie to give up her dream of running the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop on Mackinac Island in favor of being the perfect politician’s wife. Allie turned him down, but her mother has never given up hope of a reconciliation–especially since learning about Allie’s feelings for the twice-divorced police officer Rex Manning. Now, she’s come to the island with Brett and is insistent on throwing him and Allie together.

This is the last thing Allie needs while trying to clear Hannah’s name, be supportive of her heavily pregnant best friend, and run her hotel and fudge shop. When Brett offers her a solution that will help solve at least some of her problems, will she take him up on it, risking her reputation even before a killer endangers her life?

I really loved the subplot involving Allie’s mother, who is definitely a handful but is at least capable of explaining the reasoning behind her exasperating actions to her daughter. The ticking time clock of Jenn’s impending labor also added an exciting layer of suspense to the proceedings, as did the ongoing ups and downs of Allie’s relationship with Rex.

There were eight yummy dessert recipes included here, and I decided to try out this one:

Fudgy Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

Top and bottom

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups quick-cook oatmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Fudgy middle

12 oz dark chocolate chips (semisweet will do in a pinch)

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment first and then grease. Set aside.

Melt the butter. In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Slowly add flour, baking soda, and salt. Once well mixed, add oats and mix thoroughly. Put ⅔ of mixture into the bottom of the pan and pat down until flat (leaving about 1 ½ cups for the top.)

In a medium saucepan combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until everything is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Gently pour over the uncooked bottom crust and spread gently until even. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool completely and cut into 2-inch squares. Makes 24. Enjoy!

While I did give in to the temptation of carving myself a slice before the pan had fully cooled, I do agree that the bars taste much better when set. They’re certainly much easier to eat! This is a sweet treat that definitely feels healthier for the addition of the oats.

I actually used semisweet chocolate for this but made sure to compensate for the increased sweetness by cutting down a bit on the sugar content. I brought the pan to a game night and my friends adored them–as did my incorrigible children once they stopped turning up their noses at a “healthy” treat.

Next week, we travel to the Southwest to sort out what happens when sports and sweets collide to deadly effect while baking up a craveable cupcake. Do join me!

See also: Cooking the Books: The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico