A Pageant Proves that Murder is Anything but Beautiful
Sometimes, I forget just how much I enjoy a series until I pick up the next entry. That was the case with Korina Moss’s Cheese Shop Mysteries. Don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to revisiting the characters in Fondue or Die, but when I picked up this book, I was surprised just how quickly I was smiling at getting to spend time with these characters again.
If you’ve missed the previous four entries, the series revolves around Willa Bauer, who owns a cheese shop in the fictional Yarrow Glen in Sonoma County, California. Even though Yarrow Glen is a small community, she seems to find herself getting caught up in quite a few murders, and her employees and friends come together to help her solve them.
This book moves the action slightly. Lockwood, the next town over, is hosting their annual Dairy Days Festival. Naturally, Willa is hosting a booth for Curds and Whey, her shop. But one of her employees, Mrs. Schultz, won’t be in the booth much since she also helps with the Miss Dairy pageant that closes out the festival on Monday.
However, Willa has just barely finished setting up for the weekend when she finds the body of Nadine, the pageant director. The police don’t seem that worried that it was murder, and that really bothers Willa. Especially since, if someone is targeting the pageant, Mrs. Schultz might be in the line of fire. Can Willa figure out what happened?
I already mentioned loving the characters, so I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I saw that I really did love getting to watch them interacting again here. Their relationships are just so heartwarming. Yes, we do still get a few scenes in Yarrow Glen, but most of the book takes place on the grounds of the festival, so we don’t see as much of the neighborhood and neighbors as usual, but that’s a minor complaint. We also got a couple of charming new characters. That’s in addition to the suspects, who did a great job of keeping me from guessing.
If you are up to date on the series, I’m sure you’re wondering about a certain relationship. Yes, I’m being vague on purpose, but fans of the series will know exactly which one I’m talking about. How things progressed was logical, and I really liked how it all played out.
Speaking of logical, the mystery was very well done. I thought I had things figured out a time or two, but then I’d start second guessing myself. Yet when we reached the ending it all made sense. I had one niggle with how the climax played out, but it’s minor overall.
When I’ve talked about these books in the past, I’ve mentioned growing up in Sonoma County myself. No, Yarrow Glen isn’t real, but I have an idea where it might be if it existed. Either way, it’s also fun to be in a part of the country I actually know even if the locations are all fictional.
Naturally, there’s lots of talk about cheese as the story unfolds. If you like cheese, it will make your mouth water. (And if you don’t like cheese, what is wrong with you?) You’ll also want to check out the three recipes at the end of the book.
Fondue or Die is another delicious entry in this fun cozy series. If you haven’t started it yet, do so today. You’ll find yourself hooked. If you are already a fan, you’ll savor the latest entry.
Here are the rest of the Cheese Shop Mysteries.
Thank you, Mark! I really respect your reviews and this means a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteIt is always fun to read a novel that is set in places you know!
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