luvtoread

Synopsis: Cheese shop owner Charlotte Bessette plays host to her cousin’s friend, who ends up murdered. Charlotte tries to solve the case, aided by her cousin Matthew and her friends.

Review: Confession: I enjoy reading cozy mysteries. They are the perfect thing to read when you don’t really want anything serious, and you just want something fun to read. They generally don’t have graphic violence or graphic sex, and I enjoy picking up a book where I know I won’t find those items on the page (not that I don’t read anything with graphic violence or sex, I just like to know if I’m getting into that before hand). I can’t really read more than two in a row though – the characters tend to really get on my nerves in these books (seriously, the main character always has the “perfect” boyfriend) – but every once in awhile these mysteries are just what I need to read. And I really do enjoy them!

I’m not the type of person who can always pick out the murderer halfway through the book. Sometimes I can, many times I can’t. In these kind of mysteries, I honestly don’t really care – I read these more for the characters and the setting.  These types of mysteries are generally predictable. For instance, in this book, the main character goes to a hidden wine cellar at the beginning of the book. Now you just know that wine cellar will figure prominently at the end of the book. Sometimes these predictable plot points really irritate me, but they didn’t bother me in this book, and not in this series overall either.

These cheese mysteries are really a lot of fun, and boy do they make me hungry while I read! The main character, Charlotte, runs a cheese shop called Fromagerie Bessette, and she’s always making some sort of delicious sounding cheese platter, grilled cheese, or some other wonderful sounding dish and it’s always paired with a fabulous wine. Charlotte’s cousin Matthew runs a wine shop, and there are tons of great sounding wines that are mentioned as well as wonderful sounding cheeses. So if discovering new wines and cheeses are your thing, you might like this book/series just for the foodie aspect. There are also recipes in the back of the book.

The only complaint I have about the book is that I keep waiting for Charlotte to dump her drippy boyfriend and end up with Urso, the cop who’s always loved her. He’s got more personality than Jordan (the boyfriend) does. I’m just not a fan of Jordan – he never seems to have an opinion, and he’s just kind of blah. His main quality seems to be that he is handsome (ok fine – he’s also kind and he loves Charlotte), but he’s just boring. He’s too perfect, and perfect to me is boring.  Urso has more fire to him, and I feel he and Charlotte have more chemistry.

All in all, a fun read. Predictable at times, but that is why I read cozy mysteries. Sometimes I just want something light and fun and this book is exactly that.

Bottom Line: A light, fun read. Good for those who love cozy mysteries. But beware! Don’t read this book on an empty stomach.

You Might Like:

• The Food Critic Mystery series by Lucy Burdette: A cozy mystery series that takes place in Key West, Florida. The main character is a food critic. Lots of good sounding food in this series!
• The Wine Lovers Mystery series by Michele Scott: A cozy mystery series set in Napa Valley, California.

Added to My List of Books to Read:

• The Cookbook Nook Mysteries written by Daryl Wood Gerber (which is Avery Aames’ real name).

And can I take a minute to plug one of my favorite websites? Stop, You’re Killing Me! is a wonderful resource for mystery readers. If you’re a mystery reader you’re constantly checking that you are reading your books in the right order, or if an author you like has written anything else. This website has it all! They’ve got books organized by authors and characters, and there is also a location index (looking for a book set in California?) and a Job Index (bookstore mystery?) and even a Historical Index (mysteries set in Henry VIII time?). This is my go-to site for anything regarding mysteries. And they cover all types of mysteries, not just cozies.

Happy reading!