Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Characters and a good story
Cons: Sub-plots tend to slow down the mystery at times
The Bottom Line:
Ice cream as weapon
As we enjoy a visit
To killer cheese shop
To Read Brie or Not to Read Brie – There Is No Question
Earlier this year, I made it my goal to get caught up on
Avery Aames’s Cheese Shop Mysteries in 2014.
Since I’ve now finished To Brie or Not To Brie, the fourth out of five published so far, I’m definitely on the
right track. However, when I sat down to
start this book, I realized how much I’ve actually come to love these
characters because I couldn’t wait to get started.
Autumn has hit the town of Providence , and it’s shaping up to be a busy
but wonderful October for Charlotte and her friends and family in The Cheese
Shop. Her cousin Matthew is marrying her
best friend Meredith, and Grandmere’s theater company is putting on an outdoor
production of Hamlet that is bringing in the tourists. If only Charlotte and Jordan could set a date
for their own wedding, everything would be perfect.
Into this bliss come two strangers who are not part of the
normal tourist crowd. Then one of them
is murdered inside the local ice cream shop – beaten to death with a tub of Charlotte ’s Brie Blueberry
Ice Cream. His connection to people in Charlotte ’s life puts her
future in jeopardy. Suddenly worried
about what might happen to those she loves, Charlotte starts digging, hoping to find the
killer. Can she succeed?
Now, if you haven’t met the characters, I don’t recommend
you start here. There are several
sub-plots you just won’t enjoy if you jump in.
Once you’ve gotten to know the characters better, you’ll appreciate how
their various stories advance.
If you are already a fan, you’ll experience the joy I did of
visiting old friends. Everyone was in
characters, which means that most of them are charming with occasional bouts of
annoying – just like people in real life.
The new characters are equally as strong and provide viable suspects for
the murder. Of course, there are the
characters we love to hate, and they are just as much fun to hate here.
The plot was good, and I never would have figured out who
the killer was. However, the pace was
uneven. There were just too many
sub-plots, and they slowed down progress in the mystery. It was still enjoyable, and I loved my time
in Providence . But this is another reason I think those who
try to jump in here will be a little lost.
There are so many mouth watering descriptions of cheese in
this book! Reading it made me wish I had
something other than my tried and true cheddar around the house (and I love
cheddar cheese). I really must get out
and experiment more. There are several
delicious recipes in the back, including a grilled cheese sandwich and the Brie
Blueberry Ice Cream that causes so much trouble in this book.
Fans will be delighted to revisit Charlotte and her friends
and family. If that’s you, don’t
hesitate. Dive right in and enjoy To Brie or Not To Brie.
And if you've yet to find this fun series, you'll want to
read the Cheese Shop Mysteries in order.
I have got to catch up with this series. I really enjoyed the first one. It had one of the stronger mysteries for a cozy that I've read. I do have the second one.
ReplyDeleteI was in the same boat at the beginning of the year. Almost caught up now. It hasn't helped that under her own name, Daryl Wood Gerber, the author has released two books in her Cookbook Nook series this year as well.
DeleteWait..what? She writes another series? I didn't know that. I know some of them have multiple series. I think I have the Cookbook Nook books on my wish list too. I am so far behind on some of these series.
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