What a setting! The atmosphere is a cross between Willy Wonka and Pushing Daisies (minus the dead bodies) with hyper-vivid imagery and a world that's just a few degrees off normal.

The Life Is Sweet candy factory is home to Logan Sweet and his candymaking family, and it's quite a building. More than an industrial structure, it's a farm, a home, a greenhouse, and a production facility all in one. Every employee loves his or her job, and the candy is second to none. When Logan and three local children join a competition for aspiring candymakers, the Sweet family hosts them at the factory for training and preparation.

Told in four voices--one for each contestant--a mystery builds with each telling. There are questions of loyalty, intent, friendship, identity, and truth woven into the plot in a way that's both ridiculous and delicious.