MACARONS CAN BE MURDER

The prolific Betancourt introduces a new series whose heroine loves all things French, especially pastry.

Marci Beaucoup, who’s never been to France, lives in Paris, Kentucky, where her delicious French pastries are rumored to act as love potions. When a handsome Frenchman walks through the door of her bakery, both her everyday life and her love life become more exciting, though not necessarily in a good way. Along with Antoine Dubois, the bakery gets a visit from his former girlfriend Kellie Lowry, who wants him back and stages a scene just outside the door to help grease the wheels. When Marci finds Kellie dead the next morning in front of the bakery, she has any number of reasons to want Antoine to be innocent. Her landlord is planning on selling the bakery building, and if Antoine bought it, he would renew her lease, unlike the other potential buyer, who plans to tear down the building. Det. Maverick Malone, who has a long history with Marci, is in charge of the investigation. Marci’s aunt Barb, who runs the bakery and is plugged into all the town gossip, thinks Maverick is perfect for Marci, but Marci has never gotten over his accidentally standing her up for their senior prom. Deciding that she must solve the murder and prove Antoine innocent, Marci embarks on a long string of bad decisions. Her snooping does turn up some clues to who might have murdered Kellie, but it also provokes a series of notes warning that she may be the next to die.

Romance and mystery combine in a tale that makes one hope the heroine will gain wisdom in her future adventures.