Review - Fondue or Die

I saw one description call this "Miss Congeniality" meets "Law & Order: Dairy Crimes Unit" which cracks me up in itself.  That sets the bar rather high.  Let's see what I thought.

I had only read and reviewed one other in this series"

3) Curds of Prey (click here)

Author: Korina Moss

Copyright: October 2024 (St. Martin) 304 pgs

Series: 5th in Cheese Shop Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy, amateur sleuth, culinary cozy

Main Characters: Willa Bauer, owner of French inspired Curds & Whey Cheese Shop

Setting: Modern day, small town Yarrow Glen in Sonoma Valley CA

Obtained Through: Publisher thru Netgalley for honest review

Book Blurb: "The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing―she is a cheesemonger after all―and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who." 

My Thoughts:  I haven't read every book before this, so a reader can jump in here and it should be easy to understand the dynamics.  I'll be honest, in the previous book that I read and reviewed in this series, Willa didn't click for me. The character isn't bad, she just wasn't for me. I gave it another try and this outing I have warmed to her a bit. The supporting cast, called "Team Cheese," includes Archie- recently a high school graduate, and Mrs. Schulz- a retired schoolteacher, and Willa's neighbor and good friend- Baz.  They are a found family for Willa and make the story.

There is plenty going on with lots of small town drama, grudges, and personality clashes. The killer reveal is well orchestrated and high tension. Bravo!  I recommend, particularly if you like culinary cozies or cheese in general. 

Rating: Good - A fun read with a good mystery and small town drama galore

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

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Book Spotlight - A Stewed Observation

Please welcome Karen C. Whalen to the blog.  She is the author of a culinary cozy series, the “dinner club murder mysteries.” Her books are similar to those written by authors Jessica Beck, Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier, Cindy Bell and Laura Childs. 

Fans of mysteries centering around food – donuts, cakes, cookies, coffee shops, bakeries, and gourmet cuisine - and add in a western setting in Denver, Colorado - will enjoy Everything Bundt the Truth, Not According to Flan, No Grater Evil, and A Stewed Observation.

Everything Bundt the Truth tied for FIRST PLACE in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest. The IDA is sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, but is open to all works of fiction in digital format. 

She worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado and has been a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. She believes that it's never to late too try something new. She loves to host dinner clubs, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, and read cozy murder mysteries.

A Stewed Observation A Dinner Club Murder Mysteries Book 4  Karen C Whalen

The Gourmet Dinner Club travels to Ireland to enjoy Irish cuisine while staying at a medieval, ivy-covered castle. Jane Marsh hopes Dale Capricorn will ask her to marry him at this romantic dream destination. But her plans are put on hold when the elderly castle owner becomes violent, a club member restrains him, and he collapses and dies. 

The police believe the mysterious death is murder and begin to suspect one of the club’s members. Dale leaves for home on a business emergency, and as the lone single gal in the club full of couples, Jane is thrown into the company of Griffin O’Doherty, the handsome Irishman who stands to inherit the castle.

Jane must prove her friend’s innocence by solving the crime. Which of the sweet-tempered Irish could be a callous killer?

The dinner club murder mystery series - a culinary cozy - is set in Denver, Colorado.

Amateur sleuth Jane Marsh is always game to try new things now that she’s in the empty nest stage of her life, including joining an exclusive dinner club. Stumbling across dead bodies has also developed into one of her hobbies. Using paralegal skills honed at her job in a downtown law firm, she knows how to conduct an investigation. But her suspicious mind collides with her trusting nature as she stirs up trouble while serving up one dinner party after another.

Visit her webpage at: http://www.karencwhalen.com/

Purchase Links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Publisher 

Review - French Fried

This is the second book in a new series - and the first that I have read.  I had no problem understanding it without reading the debut novel.  The author provided us with a guest post (click here) that goes into the cafe in the series.  Find out what my thoughts are on this new book.

Author: Kylie Logan

Copyright: June 2017 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 2nd in Ethnic Eats Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Laurel Inwood, former personal chef to a Hollywood movie star

Setting: Modern day, Hubbard Ohio

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

From book cover "The Statue of Liberty is 130 years old, and for the struggling residents of Hubbard, Ohio, any opportunity to bring in tourists is reason enough for a celebration. Laurel Inwood and her aunt, Sophie, are pitching in. Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks, a former greasy spoon turned charming ethnic eatery, will be offering French cuisine for the entire week.

For expert help with their quiche and escargot, the ladies turn to Raquel “Rocky” Arnaud, a former French chef and friend of Sophie. What looks like a match made in heaven turns rank as quickly as buttermilk on a summer’s day. Rocky turns up dead and when her nightly red wine shows notes of oak, cinnamon, and poison, Laurel turns from soufflé to sleuth."

Laurel is torn between the growing attachment for the town (particularly Declan), and getting back to high profile personal chef jobs.  This is the main aspect of Laurel.  Aunt Sophie, owner of a small cafe, is the closest thing to family that Laurel has left - and she is ever hopeful that Laurel will stay long term.  Declan is the romantic interest and owner of the Irish shop is set on Laurel being his gal. The victim - Raquel - is fascinating and not your typical victim in that she was a pretty cool person.  But she had lived quite a life, and the past came back with a vengeance.

The setting is standard small town, with the exception of Rocky's property, Pacifique, which is idyllic.  The beauty of Rocky's property turns scary since the murder occurred there.

I really like tense and thrilling killer reveals, and this was mild.  It answered all the questions without any harrowing chills.  It worked, but I miss the blood pumping finish.

The mystery aspect was good, I appreciated the motive as not typical. But, since Laurel is keeping just how hard she is looking to leave town and actively seeking personal chef jobs, she is deceptive to her aunt about her activities.  That was a bit cold-hearted as her aunt's hopes are growing that she will stay.  That put a crimp on fully enjoying the character for me.  I enjoyed the victim Rocky and her fascinating life, I even felt sorry for her as personal things are dug up during the investigation.  I liked how the author made the victim more likable, although that made the murder even more emotional - which I felt was a good thing. 

This second entry in the series provided an interesting mystery with a victim you want to provide justice for, mixed with small town characters.  

Ratings: Good - A fun mystery, good beach reading

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I have written and published my first cozy mystery - Iced

(Resort to Murder #1) by Avery Daniels.

What a reviewer said: "The mystery is relentless, the characters alive and funny, and for the lack of a better expression, the novel is a page-turner. A must read for all those who enjoy getting lost in a well-crafted story."  5 Stars Joss Landry

ICED
Julienne has her ideal job as an event planner at a prestigious resort. During a luncheon event she coordinated, a renowned celebrity pastor is killed next to the buffet. All eyes turn to her as the suspect. If she wants to stay out of jail or even keep her job, Julienne needs all the help she can get to solve the crime. 

She has her work cut out for her with a vengeful high school rival now reporter, the public demanding she be fired, plus family who knows what's best for her, and a boyfriend who doesn't understand her. She turns to friends and a new ally to uncover who wanted to put the pastor on ice. 

Julienne goes undercover and investigates a local swingers group as she follows the trail of clues before they go cold. Can she gather enough suspects and motives to convince the police to her widen their investigation? Can she do it before the killer sets his murderous sights on her? Will her personal life ever be as simple as unveiling a murderer?

Amazon ebook and print (click here)
Barnes and Noble print book (click here)
IndieBound print book (click here)  
Audio book is due shortly, I will include link then.

Oh, and if you have a blog and would like to do a spotlight or a review, just leave me a comment.