There hasn’t been this much intrigue in the Amish community since that 80s (90s?) film starring Harrison Ford as a detective undercover with the Amish. Premeditated Peppermint is the third book in Amanda Flower’s Amish Candy Shop mystery series. I was happy to find that I was able to join and follow the story without having read books one or two. The series is set in Harvest, Ohio and features chocolatier Bailey King and her family’s candy shop. The whole town is getting ready for Christmas when an unwanted–and unwelcome–guest arrives: bad boy chef Eric Sharp strolls into Swissmen Sweets and back into Bailey’s life. Eric and Bailey were in a relationship at one time, but it’s a chapter of her life that Bailey wants to keep firmly in the past. Eric, however, has other ideas–plans that not only get Bailey back in his life, but also advance his television career. Bailey’s head is still spinning when she stumbles on a body in the town gazebo–with Eric standing right over the poor victim. The story unfolds as Bailey tries to figure out who killed the television producer. Think Food Network meets Investigation Discovery–all with a holiday vibe. 

I liked this story a lot–it was a fun read; not too heavy and full of mouth-watering descriptions of delectable chocolate treats. 

About the Book

Someone’s sweet on revenge . . .
 
Christmas is Bailey King’s favorite time of year. For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate. But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother. New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas. Bailey’s not about to let her beloved town—and Swissmen Sweets—be turned into a sound bite. Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric’s executive producer is found strangled to death—and Eric’s the prime suspect. 
 
With Bailey’s sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric’s guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name . . . and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn’t who she seemed, Bailey’s edging dangerously close to a killer who isn’t looking to bring joy to the world—or to Bailey—this deadly Noel . . .