The Chococate Cat Caper by Joanna Carl

In this first Chocoholic Mystery series, Lee McKinney, who has given up her career and position as a Trophy wife in Texas to come and once again work at her Aunt Nettie's Ten Huis Chocolade store as its business manager and unravel the books. Her aunt has had a tough time of it since her husband died a year-and-a-half-a-ago.  Lee intends to stay and help her aunt out until she gets her CPA and then she plans on leaving for a large firm or something more permanent.

Aunt Nettie really doesn't want Lee to fill the order for Clementine Ripley's party, but the check for $2,000 is too much to turn away for a personal vendetta.  They make cat chocolates that look exactly like her Champion Cat, Yonkers, as well as Amoretto truffles.  Lee ends up working for the party as a waitstaff for Mike Herrera's catering company thanks to her old friend Lindy who is his daughter-in-law.

So when Clementine Ripley falls down dead at the party, cyanide becomes the culprit and the amaretto chocolate becomes very suspicious which makes both Aunt Nettie and Lee suspects since Clementine kept the man who was drunk driving and killed Uncle Phil on the streets by getting him off a previous charge.  But they weren't the only ones to not like her.  Her ex-husband, Tom, was there heard arguing with her about money, it seems that her loyal assistant Marion was up to something and her investment man was conspiring behind her back. Also, Mike Herrera, the Mayor, was supposed to get the land her home was on for use as a public center, but instead she builds an ugly house on the property.   And of course, there are all the people that she screwed over in court.

There really isn't much to say that is nice about Clementine.  She is pure Evil. But even she deserves to have justice and innocent people are threatened just for knowing too much.  I really liked this book.  Lee has a speech impediment that causes her to say the wrong thing. Such as "I need the password today" for "payment".  Her tongue gets her into so much trouble and embarrassment.  Also, includes Chocolate Facts such as how the cacao bean and chocolate were first counterfeited.  This is a book worth reading.

Link to Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Caper-Chocoholic-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B005XT36D6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505146399&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chocolate+cat+caper