Cheese Shop Mystery, No 3
Avery Ames
Berkley Prime Crime
Feb 2012/ 978-0-425-24587-3
Mystery/Cozy
Amazon
Reviewed
by Laura Hinds
Providence Ohio is home to Fromagerie Bassette (aka The Cheese
Shop) owned and run by Charlotte Bessette. It is February, and time
for the annual Winter Wonderland faire. Charlotte will be offering
fine wines as well as cheeses, and is looking forward to the influx
of tourists.
When Kaitlyn Clydesdale comes to town to start a new honeybee farm,
Charlotte is surprised that she is her mother's old friend. Kaitlyn
is off-putting and not particularly friendly. Charlotte's assistant,
Rebecca, takes an immediate dislike to Kaitlyn because the new honeybee
farm could take away business from Quail Ridge Honey Bee Farm. Ipo
Ho, Kaitlyn's boyfriend, is the proprietor of Quail Ridge Honey
Bee Farm.
Kaitlyn is murdered, and her body is found in Rebecca's cottage.
Ipo is the number one suspect, but Charlotte knows Ipo and is certain
he would never do such a dastardly deed. Rebecca is devastated and
swears that she had been with Ipo every minute during the time in
question. So Charlotte decides to help find the killer and clear
Ipo's name. She is, however, more than a little distracted by her
ex-fiancé, Chip, showing up in Providence. Charlotte will
have to sort through the clues to discover who was cheesed-off enough
to commit murder.
This is another fine culinary mystery, with well-written characters
and a believable plot. Charlotte is a woman who has had more than
her share of difficulties along the way, but these have made her
stronger and more willing to help others. I love the Winter Wonderland
setting, and I could picture it brought to life as if on a movie
screen. Cozy mystery fans, cheese and wine aficionados alike would
enjoy this book. There are also several good recipes at the back
of the book, as well as a sneak preview of the next Cheese Shop
Mystery, To
Brie or Not To Brie.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Lost
and Fondue, No 2
Clobbered
by Camembert, No 3
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