"Fudge and Jury"

Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research.

Alexander applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Fudge and Jury, and reported the following:

From page 69:

I did a little dance as she strolled away on four inch heels. Sandi Kramer was impressed with my cakes. By “talk” did she mean talk about featuring Torte in Sweetened? We couldn’t pay for that kind of exposure. Having a story or photos in Sweetened would basically ensure that our wedding cake business would skyrocket.

“Nice moves, Jules.” Thomas snuck up behind me.

I startled.

Thomas grinned. “You’ve got rhythm. I didn’t peg you as a dancer.”

“It’s not nice to sneak up on someone.”

“I didn’t sneak. You were too wrapped up in your dance moves.” He swayed his hips from side to side.

I punched him in the shoulder. “I don’t look like that when I dance.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Actually, you do.”

Glaring at him, I folded my arms across my chest. “Did you need something other than making fun of me?”

“But making fun of you is so easy.” Thomas smiled. “Okay, okay, back to business. I’m letting everyone know that there’s been a change of plans. We are not going to open the festival to the public tonight.”

“Why?”

“Your mom raised a valid concern, and the Professor agreed. If someone’s chocolate has accidently been tainted with nuts we can’t put the public at risk. I need to gather samples of every product here that is labeled nut free. The Professor is having me drive them up to the lab in Medford right away. We’ll get them tested immediately in hopes of being able to open the doors tomorrow.”

One of the challenges with writing a mystery series is finding ways to keep the murder fresh (pardon the pun). Since the Bakeshop Mysteries center around food and baking I thought it would be interesting to have Jules’s pastries get called into question. In Fudge and Jury she is a rising star in Ashland’s annual Chocolate Festival. That is until her biggest competitor drops dead on the ballroom floor after tasting bite of her decadent four-layer chocolate cake. On Page 69 our sweet chef learns that the entire festival is being put on hold.

Visit Ellie Alexander's website.

My Book, The Movie: Fudge and Jury.

--Marshal Zeringue