loribonesscaswell

Cheese Shop owner Charlotte Bessette’s life seems quieter than ever with her fiancé out of town and her cousin Matthew and his children out of the house. But before she can put up her feet and enjoy a glass of chardonnay, Matthew asks her to play host to Noelle Adams, a bright sommelier visiting to help grow business for the local winery.

An affable wine aficionado, Noelle is paired well with the cheese expert Charlotte—but something seems to be troubling the secretive houseguest, and Charlotte’s life is upended when she finds the sparkling woman dead. Between Noelle’s hotheaded ex, the cagey owners of the winery, its jaded manager, and a wily reporter, Charlotte has her pick of suspects, but she needs to act fast—this is a mystery that only gets more dangerous with age.

RECIPES INCLUDED!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Warning this book will make you very hungry for CHEESE!!! Do yourself a favor and pick some up with some crackers and a bottle of wine before you start reading!!!

I love Charlotte’s family. They are always busy whether is be at Fromagerie Bessette, or directing the community play or finding a killer. There is never a dull moment. The Cheese Shop is really a gathering place and most residents of this small Ohio town stop there at least once a week. It is also a hot tourist stop. In this installment one of those visitors just happens to be a murderer.

Charlotte’s assistant just cracks me up as she tries to help Charlotte find the killer. You see she has a vast knowledge of criminal behavior and crime solving from her hours of watching television shows. Her heart is in the right place and sometimes she does come up with a valid point but she does much better keeping the Cheese Shop in order.

Avery writes a very tasty mystery for all of us to enjoy. I always want to savor her stories like a glass of fine wine but I just can’t. She grabs us from the start and pulls us in and before you know it you are at the last page and checking out the recipes. There were unexpected twists, plenty of suspects, and general good sleuthing to track down all the clues. There was also a nice balance of humor.

But the cheese, oh my, the cheese!! In between the lines of this wonderful mystery are descriptions of so many varieties of cheese. I want to try them all. Be prepared to make a list. I bet the author loves the research part of writing these mysteries. When she says “SAY CHEESE” she means it.