Charlotte Bessette has her house to herself. She is not one
bit happy. Since her cousin Matthew got married, he and the
twins moved in with Meredith. Charlotte’s boyfriend
Jordan is in New York testifying to put away criminals. Only
Rags her cat has remained. So when Matthew asks Charlotte
if his friend Noelle Adams can stay with her until her cottage
is ready, she says yes. Noelle is starting a new job at Shelton
Nelson Winery. She has a few days before the job starts and
immediately jumps right in to help Charlotte refinish an old
secretary desk.
The next day, Charlotte gives Noelle a tour
of the town ending up at her shop, Fromagerie Bessette. The
locals call it the Cheese Shop. Things are going well until
a man comes into the shop looking for Noelle. He is her ex-boyfriend
and he wants her back. She tells him no and to leave town.
The night of the dress rehearsal for the Thanksgiving play,
Noelle decides to go for a hike. Charlotte goes to the theatre.
Rehearsals are going great and they break for dinner. Charlotte’s
grandfather sends her back home to get a drill he needs to
work on the scenery. Meredith and the twins go with her. Charlotte
heads for the garage and the others head into the house. Charlotte
finds the side door to the garage open. The place has been
vandalized. She hears a moan and finds Noelle on the floor.
She tries to talk – hard to do with a corkscrew in your
neck. She managed to get out a few labored words and then
she is gone. Charlotte knows the police don’t want her
help, but it happened in her house to a friend so you know
she will manage to get involved.
Things to ponder: What were Liberty and her dad fighting about?
Was Noelle telling Charlotte the name of the killer? What
is reporter Ashley Yeats really after?
Like a fine wine, this series just gets better with each new
addition to the series. You can’t help but get pulled
right into the story. I found it very hard to put down. Avery
Ames does not disappoint. She provides plenty of suspects
and red herrings to make you read the book all that much faster.
Plus she always provides some very delicious recipes. So if
you like your mystery a little cheesy, then you should be
reading Days of Wine and Roquefort.
|