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drokka's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Every now and then I read a cozy mystery. This one was better than I expected it to be. Our library is overstocked with books that have silly food pun titles, and this is one of them. This is Avery Aames's debut novel, I think, and there are, apparently, more in the "Cheese Shop Mystery" series.
I found the writing to be quite good and engaging. The character dialogue was especially engaging, throughout. There was plenty of humor in the tale, as expected, as well as a number of surprises, as the story develops. As expected, there is cheese. Lots and lots of cheese; cheese I have never heard of, and am now trying to find somewhere. However, I have not been able to locate a "cheese shop" near me. I'm going to keep working on that.
The tale is set in Providence, Ohio, which is, according to Wikipedia, a ghost town. But it is a real place. At the grand opening of the Fromagerie Bessette, a murder occurs! Charlotte Bessette is our heroine, and it is her grandmother who is implicated in the murder. Everyone knows everyone in this little town, and the local police detective is no exception. But Charlotte doesn't think he is doing a good enough job trying to find an alternate suspect, so she takes it upon herself to begin investigating.
The characters are entertaining in this story, as well as the interactions between them. There is, of course, the obligatory budding romance between two of them, but it keeps getting interrupted before it can start, including by the appearance of a very attractive other woman, who is frequently seen on the arm of the man in question.
As far as "whodunnit," I didn't figure it out. I had a couple of ideas, but they turned out to be wrong. So Ms. Aames keeps the reader guessing all the way through. A very entertaining mystery that did not disappoint. And it made me hungry for cheese. I'm still looking for some Morbier, Taleggio, and some of that Double Creme Gouda. I mean, seriously. Double cream?? I'm salivating.
Oh, there are recipes at the end, too. Of course, there are.
Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and cheese.
I found the writing to be quite good and engaging. The character dialogue was especially engaging, throughout. There was plenty of humor in the tale, as expected, as well as a number of surprises, as the story develops. As expected, there is cheese. Lots and lots of cheese; cheese I have never heard of, and am now trying to find somewhere. However, I have not been able to locate a "cheese shop" near me. I'm going to keep working on that.
The tale is set in Providence, Ohio, which is, according to Wikipedia, a ghost town. But it is a real place. At the grand opening of the Fromagerie Bessette, a murder occurs! Charlotte Bessette is our heroine, and it is her grandmother who is implicated in the murder. Everyone knows everyone in this little town, and the local police detective is no exception. But Charlotte doesn't think he is doing a good enough job trying to find an alternate suspect, so she takes it upon herself to begin investigating.
The characters are entertaining in this story, as well as the interactions between them. There is, of course, the obligatory budding romance between two of them, but it keeps getting interrupted before it can start, including by the appearance of a very attractive other woman, who is frequently seen on the arm of the man in question.
As far as "whodunnit," I didn't figure it out. I had a couple of ideas, but they turned out to be wrong. So Ms. Aames keeps the reader guessing all the way through. A very entertaining mystery that did not disappoint. And it made me hungry for cheese. I'm still looking for some Morbier, Taleggio, and some of that Double Creme Gouda. I mean, seriously. Double cream?? I'm salivating.
Oh, there are recipes at the end, too. Of course, there are.
Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and cheese.
mbpartlow's review against another edition
2.0
This book failed to hook me. I had to read the murder scene twice--it seemed as though the man was stabbed in front of an entire crowd of people, but nobody saw anything. I just couldn't reach the point where I was willing to suspend disbelief.
book_concierge's review against another edition
1.0
Charlotte Besette and her cousin Matthew have taken over the cheese shop previously run by their grandparents. Their grand re-opening celebration is interrupted by a scream just outside their door, and when they rush to investigate they spy one of the shop’s special cheese knives sticking out of a dead man’s heart, and their beloved grandmother with the victim’s blood on her hands and splashed over her dress.
This has all the ingredients for a promising cozy mystery set-up: small town business owner, some side bars re food and wine, a potential romantic rivalry (hunky new farmer vs town police chief), an amateur sleuth or two (including a young Amish woman who has left her community and is addicted to TV crime shows). The victim is a ruthless business man no one in town likes, so there are plenty of suspects and/or red herrings.
The problem is that Aames is a terrible writer. Tears “splashed on my shoulder” or “drenched my sleeve.” People “scurry” or “glide” or “scuttle away.” Every once in a while she throws in an awkwardly worded simile to add color. Characters behave inconsistently, the dialogue is trite, and the entire scenario (especially the solution) is just not believable.
I give it 1 star just because she has a good idea.
This has all the ingredients for a promising cozy mystery set-up: small town business owner, some side bars re food and wine, a potential romantic rivalry (hunky new farmer vs town police chief), an amateur sleuth or two (including a young Amish woman who has left her community and is addicted to TV crime shows). The victim is a ruthless business man no one in town likes, so there are plenty of suspects and/or red herrings.
The problem is that Aames is a terrible writer. Tears “splashed on my shoulder” or “drenched my sleeve.” People “scurry” or “glide” or “scuttle away.” Every once in a while she throws in an awkwardly worded simile to add color. Characters behave inconsistently, the dialogue is trite, and the entire scenario (especially the solution) is just not believable.
I give it 1 star just because she has a good idea.
cherese's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Let me start by saying I rate my cozy mysteries different than all other genres of books I read. I still use a five star rating system (or with cozies I like to think instead of stars how many cups of coffee/tea.….which is my idea of cozy). The following is how I rate my cozies:
1 cup of coffee- did not finish or will not continue on in series.
2 cups of coffee- this book has potential, but on the fence about whether I will read the next book.
3 cups of coffee- good- will definitely continue series, but did have some issues
4 cups of coffee- great- will definitely continue series- minor issues
5 cups of coffee-EXCEPTIONAL!
What I think about when I give my ratings:
1.) They are called cozies for a reason, and that being said I know they are not for everybody. I love them!! Therefore the first thing I think about is how cozy are they? The more cheese the better for me…lol. The horrible puns in the titles…LOVE THEM.
2.) Characters/ and relationships with secondary characters
3.) Setting/theme
4.) The mystery
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know much about cheese but this book made me want to run out and buy a lot of different types. A little long, but fun.
literary__escapism's review against another edition
4.0
I love the cheesy titles of cozy mystery novels. There is SENTENCED TO DEATH and SPRINKLE WITH MURDER. The titles just scream at me "pick me up and read me" and of course I can't resist, as friends will tell you by my overflowing bookshelves.
With all these cheesy novels, I decided that my next read would have to involve cheese, and you can't get more cheese than THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE.
THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE is set the town of Province, with Charlotte and her cousin (and business partner) Matthew celebrating the grand reopening of The Cheese Shop. However things don't go to plan when Ed, the richest man in town, is killed. The prime suspect is Charlotte's grandmother, and it's up to Charlotte to discover the real killer and prove that her grandmother is innocent.
While it is often a mystery cliche to kill of the richest and most hated man in town, Avery Aames pulls it off perfectly. The mystery was absolute first class, and I was unable to put the book down until the very last chapter when I discovered the murderer! Lately I have picked the murderer long before the ending of the book, but with THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE I was still guessing right up until the murderer was announced. I was a little shocked that I hadn't picked it up.
The town of Providence has so many fantastic people. While Charlotte is a sweet character, it was her assistant, Rebecca, the amish girl who is now embracing modern life that I adored the most. Especially as she is trying to help Charlotte solve the crime, with tips that she has picked up on CSI and Magnum PI!
All in all, a fantastic mystery. One that left me wanting to go to the supermarket to discover more cheeses! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, LOST AND FONDUE.
With all these cheesy novels, I decided that my next read would have to involve cheese, and you can't get more cheese than THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE.
THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE is set the town of Province, with Charlotte and her cousin (and business partner) Matthew celebrating the grand reopening of The Cheese Shop. However things don't go to plan when Ed, the richest man in town, is killed. The prime suspect is Charlotte's grandmother, and it's up to Charlotte to discover the real killer and prove that her grandmother is innocent.
While it is often a mystery cliche to kill of the richest and most hated man in town, Avery Aames pulls it off perfectly. The mystery was absolute first class, and I was unable to put the book down until the very last chapter when I discovered the murderer! Lately I have picked the murderer long before the ending of the book, but with THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE I was still guessing right up until the murderer was announced. I was a little shocked that I hadn't picked it up.
The town of Providence has so many fantastic people. While Charlotte is a sweet character, it was her assistant, Rebecca, the amish girl who is now embracing modern life that I adored the most. Especially as she is trying to help Charlotte solve the crime, with tips that she has picked up on CSI and Magnum PI!
All in all, a fantastic mystery. One that left me wanting to go to the supermarket to discover more cheeses! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, LOST AND FONDUE.
tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
A decent cozy mystery and a start to a new series, this was good “nightmare fodder” and a pleasant read for insomnia nights. I will probably continue reading this series as I enjoyed the story (although it was a little slow paced).