Fondue or Die

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Moss's Cheese Mystery series is one of my favorites, and this newest release is a solid addition to the series. This book stands well on its own, too, so don't be dissuaded from picking it up just because you haven't read the previous books! (But do so eventually. They are fun!)

Willa Bauer and the rest of "Team Cheese" are working at Dairy Days, an annual festival in a nearby Sonoma Valley town. Drama is swirling around the Dairy Pageant event, where teenage girls compete for a $15,000 scholarship. The pageant head, Nadine, is in a motorized wheelchair after an accident on stage, but continues to rule with an iron fist as mothers squabble and tension builds. When Willa finds Nadine dead under show more suspicious circumstances, she's appalled that the local law enforcement wants to temporarily squelch the investigation for the sake of the festival. Willa feels compelled to investigate--and she manages to rope in her off-and-on-again beau Heath as well.

I love when a mystery keeps me guessing until the end, and this one did just that. So many twists and turns! A festival makes such a good backdrop for a murder mystery. Of course, cheese is mentioned often throughout the book, and Moss highlighted some excellent ones. show less

This 5th installment in the Cheese Shop Mystery series, one of my favorite cozy mystery series, is outstanding. Lots of fun, lots of great recurring characters, and a clever plot. Here, at the neighboring town's annual Dairy Days and pageant. Of course, cheesemonger and owner of the Curds & Whey Cheese Shop, Willa Bauer, is the sleuth, with help from her employees, nicknamed Team Cheese.

Charming and fun and a book sure to please cozy mystery fans. Highly recommended!!

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

small-town, small-business, California, cheese-lore, cheesemaker, cozy-mystery, friendship, friends, friction, series, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-legends, recipes, amateur-sleuth, fair, pageant, secrets, suspense, suspicion, missing-persons, situational-humor, verbal-humor, confrontation, helicopter-parent, murder, investigations, jealousies, rivalry, lies*****

Not an unbiased review as I love this series and am a Cheesehead.
Time for the annual Dairy Days Fair in the neighboring town and the pageant whose prize is a college scholarship. Willa Bauer is the owner/operator of the local cheese shop and has already been instrumental in solving a murder case or four in her own town. This time Willa not only finds the body of show more the pageant organizer but seems to be the only one (including the town police chief) to find it obvious that the death was orchestrated and NOT an accident. It's an uphill battle to make others aware without alerting the ever-present press or alarming the woman's relative to much (or distressing the tourists). Together with a few friends she manages to solve this tangled mess without getting herself killed in the process. Another winner!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from the St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley. Thank you!
#CheeseShopMysteriesBk5 Avail Oct 22, 2024 show less

In this next installment in the Cheese Shop Mystery series, Willa Bauer and Team Cheese help law enforcement solve a murder. Dairy Days is in full swing, including a pageant directed by Nadine. However, Nadine meets with an untimely accident when a shelf falls on her at the historical museum. When Willa finds Nadine at the scene, some things just do not add up, and Willa and her team jump in to help. Past secrets come to light and add to the suspense of this cozy mystery novel. Yummy cheesy recipes are the best part of this novel, along with a little bit of romance.

This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. Readers of cozy mysteries will find this a fun addition to their reading list, as there are no scenes of gory show more details or intimacy, and no strong language.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own. show less

The fifth Cheese Shop mystery takes place at Dairy Days which is held over the Labor Day weekend. Willa Bauer and her crew are manning a booth where they are selling taster boxes of their various cheeses.

However, her staff has other responsibilities at the festival too. Mrs. Shultz is busy assisting with the pageant to crown the next Miss Dairy and award a $15,000 scholarship. Mrs. Schultz's job gets more difficult when someone murders Nadine who is in charge of the pageant. With the police deciding to cover up the murder investigation so as not to blight the festival, it is up to Willa and her friends to track down the killer.

This was another fun episode in this cozy series. I enjoyed reading the recipes at the back too.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Paperbacks, and Korina Moss for providing this advance reader copy of the book. My honest review is below.

Amazing how many murders occur in small towns. No one seems to have an accidental death, it's always murder. People come from far away to murder in small towns. What would we do without cozy mysteries. Willa and gang are back and working another festival, Miss Dairy, and find a dead body. The book blurb gives away as much as I feel should be told without ruining the story for others. Suspend your sense of belief and enjoy a cast of fun characters and a cheesy mystery. Recipes included at the end, I love cheese.

#FondueorDie #KorinaMoss #NetGalley #StMartin'sPaperbacks # Cheese Shop Mystery show more #cozymystery #murdermystery #smalltownmurdermystery. show less