After taking on deadly menaces at sea and on land, Dr. Tim Fiddle, Monster Hunter, should have no trouble eliminating a small rodent infestation in his own house.
Right?
After taking care of the monster that ate his dad, Tim Fiddle planned to return to a life of quiet research. But while searching for new lizard species in Costa Rica, Tim hears of a creature haunting the jungle, a beast so ferocious that it's killed not only dozens of locals, but also three well-equipped hunting expeditions.
This is the sort of thing the crew of the Snark is uniquely equipped to deal with. Tim reaches for his satphone... but he has no idea just how canny a creature he's taking on!
Postgrad zoologist Tim Fiddle descends on the Caribbean with a vengeance, looking for the creature that ate his old man -- and he's wielding an oversized pair of crab crackers.
On meeting the crew of old Prof Fiddle's boat, Tim realizes there's more to his father than he ever suspected. Taking his place at the helm of this oddball operation, he starts learning what an effective monster hunter needs to know -- but he's not too interested in getting an education while the deadly monster is still out there. He wants to fill his father's shoes, but first he needs to recover them from the belly of... The Destroyer.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Hilda takes on an employee to help keep up with orders. But young Tess has a secret admirer of the less desirable kind, and when her body turns up floating in the town fair dunk tank, Hilda makes it her personal mission to find out exactly who thought the second best truffle maker in town had to die!
When an old flame of Hilda’s shows up in town, things start to get melty. But Thomas has always been a bad, bad boy. Could he be behind the death of old Freddy Greaves? They have a history… but so does Hilda, and Thomas wouldn’t hesitate to use it against her if she gets in his way. Her budding relationship with Detective Riley McDonagh hangs in the balance!
Hilda must satisfy herself how Freddy came to a sticky end – and she may have to choose between Riley, and justice!
Nobody knows chocolate like Hilda. So when red-hot Detective Riley McDonagh gets handed a homicide case that’s practically dripping in the stuff, it’s obvious where to turn. But if this pair isn’t careful, they could get a fatal dipping of their own!
Hilda's new candy store will close in its first month unless she can prove her lollipops weren't responsible for two deaths! But there’s a bright side – she gets to be investigated very closely by interesting detective Riley McDonagh.
Hilda looked up when the door jangled, then looked again. She recognized Kim at once, but she was on the watch for faces from her past, while Kim's attention was occupied with shepherding two children through the door and looking around the shop. Hilda finished cutting up her samples, dark chocolate amaretto truffles, while Kim browsed the cases.
Hilda set the samples out on a little silver tray she’d brought from her parents’ house – now hers. The older child, an Asian girl who looked to be about eleven years old, tugged on Kim’s sleeve. “Mom, I want cake pops.”
“In a minute, dear.” Kim finally looked at Hilda, over the high display case. “This store is new, isn’t... Oh my God! Hilda!”
Hilda grinned. “Kimberly Long. You’re looking good.” She really did look terrific, in a slim tailored cotton dress, fit and tanned, sun-bleached hair. Prosperous.
READ MORE“When did you get back in town? Why didn’t you call me? It’s been, what...?”
“If you say how many years it’s been since high school, I’ll be obliged to strike you.”
“But my name isn’t Long anymore. I married Danny Schott. Remember him?”
“The running back? Of course I remember him. Oh, but that means...”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s right. Now I’m Mrs. Kimberly Long Schott. Go ahead, I’ve heard them all.”
“I wasn’t going to make a joke. No, honest. I was just going to say that you must love him very much indeed. And I’m surprised you didn’t keep your own name. I always thought you would, anyway.” Hilda looked down at the two children, the girl and a boy maybe nine years old, also Asian. “I’ve seen your daddy’s face on real estate signs all over town. He’s kind of a big Schott, isn’t he? What are the names of the little Schotts?” She looked up at Kim, mischievously. “Rim and Chip, perhaps?”
Kim sighed. “It appears you haven’t changed much.”
“But I have.” Hilda gestured down at her body. “I’m... billowier than I was in high school.”
“This is Emily, and this is Ethan.”
Ethan was partly obscured by Kim’s pleated skirt, but Emily gave a little curtsey. “May I have a cake pop now?”
“Alas, child.” Hilda feigned regret. “You’ll never find a cake pop in this store, for they are an abomination. What you're pointing at are truffle pops – much better.”
COLLAPSE"Sweet and spicy! A tasty concoction."
