spaghettification's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
Through concept alone, this book got me out of a reading hiatus. It was my first venture into the "cozy mystery" genre and I was pleasantly surprised. The setting for this story - a fictional Providence, Ohio - comes across as Stars Hollowesque and idyllic, a place that's strangely both highly walkable yet not too industrialized. As someone who wishes those two things coexisted in America more frequently, I appreciated the fantasy. I also found the amount of cheese talk ideal (there is a LOT of it) and probably the biggest selling point of the novel, above even the mystery that drives the plot. Although there were moments where the plot was captivating and mysterious, there were times when things felt a bit predictable and cheesy, especially towards the end. But I suppose that could be considered part of the allure of the genre? A fair warning though, I felt that the main character had a fair amount of internalized misogyny and a tendency to use words and expressions harmful to the Romani and Indigenous communities - this book came out in 2010 and I hope that the author has since changed their ways! In conclusion, it's popcorn literature (well, I guess it's technically cheese literature) and that's exactly what I needed this month. Bonus points for including literal recipes - super campy and appreciated!
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not a mystery reader. I do love Agatha Christie's [b:Hallowe'en Party|16307|Hallowe'en Party|Agatha Christie|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1295673439s/16307.jpg|3038509] which I was required to read in middle school. I also love cheese, which was what attracted me to Avery Aames' 'The Long Quiche Goodbye.' It's the first in the Cheese Shop Mysteries series.
The cheese shop is Fromagerie Bessette in the little town of Providence, Ohio. Charlotte Bessette inherited her love of fine foods from Bernadette and Etienne, the grandparents who raised her. Charlotte lives with her cousin Matthew, recently divorced, and Matthew's twin daughters. Bernadette is Providence's mayor; Matthew is an oenophile.
The setting is charming. I love cheese, I'm not familiar with a lot of the different kinds of cheeses, but all of the meals and snacks mentioned in the book sounded delicious. The Bessette family is adorable, which is why you'll never once imagine Bernadette could be guilty of the murder. The mystery is well-written. I don't know if a more experienced mystery reading would have spotted the culprit early one, but I was surprised.
Best of all, four of Charlotte's recipes are in the back of 'The Long Quiche Goodbye,' including the Peanut Butter Apple Pie Sandwich.
The next book in the series, coming out in May 2011, will be called [b:Lost and Fondue|9656651|Lost and Fondue (A Cheese Shop Mystery #2)|Avery Aames|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327878427s/9656651.jpg|14544227]. I'll have to read it just to learn more about the mysterious Jordan Pace, Charlotte's love interest. The romance reader in me wants to see how their relationship develops, and whether Charlotte's Amish co-worker Rebecca will find love in the "big city."
Avery Aames' books are easy to find in the bookstore. They're alphabetically first in the mystery section.
I won this book in a blog contest. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.
The cheese shop is Fromagerie Bessette in the little town of Providence, Ohio. Charlotte Bessette inherited her love of fine foods from Bernadette and Etienne, the grandparents who raised her. Charlotte lives with her cousin Matthew, recently divorced, and Matthew's twin daughters. Bernadette is Providence's mayor; Matthew is an oenophile.
The setting is charming. I love cheese, I'm not familiar with a lot of the different kinds of cheeses, but all of the meals and snacks mentioned in the book sounded delicious. The Bessette family is adorable, which is why you'll never once imagine Bernadette could be guilty of the murder. The mystery is well-written. I don't know if a more experienced mystery reading would have spotted the culprit early one, but I was surprised.
Best of all, four of Charlotte's recipes are in the back of 'The Long Quiche Goodbye,' including the Peanut Butter Apple Pie Sandwich.
The next book in the series, coming out in May 2011, will be called [b:Lost and Fondue|9656651|Lost and Fondue (A Cheese Shop Mystery #2)|Avery Aames|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327878427s/9656651.jpg|14544227]. I'll have to read it just to learn more about the mysterious Jordan Pace, Charlotte's love interest. The romance reader in me wants to see how their relationship develops, and whether Charlotte's Amish co-worker Rebecca will find love in the "big city."
Avery Aames' books are easy to find in the bookstore. They're alphabetically first in the mystery section.
I won this book in a blog contest. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.
elentarien's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first of this type of mystery. And I have to say I quite enjoyed it. It was a murder mystery, but rather than being 'gruesome', or violent like so many of the 'classic' murder mysteries, this one was very understated.
The main character had nothing to do with the murder, nor was the description of the actual event all that detailed. (Just enough to give you the picture, but not enough to be gory.) It was then 'turned over' to the police.
The character went on about her life, and job, with some added sleuthing to add to the mix.
All in all it more resembled the old Nancy Drew mysteries than the modern 'crime story'.
Looking forward to more of this type.
The main character had nothing to do with the murder, nor was the description of the actual event all that detailed. (Just enough to give you the picture, but not enough to be gory.) It was then 'turned over' to the police.
The character went on about her life, and job, with some added sleuthing to add to the mix.
All in all it more resembled the old Nancy Drew mysteries than the modern 'crime story'.
Looking forward to more of this type.
melissapalmer404's review against another edition
5.0
Great cozy mystery series. Love Rags, the cat.
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).
strawberrymivvy's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
3.0
Nobody reads this type of book for the quality of the writing or the mystery, but this is "of its kind" and gives a satirical view of small town America and cheese recipes - what more do you need?
The characters perhaps not so endearing as Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, but not enough to put me off when all I want is a mindless few hours entertainment.
For me one of the most irritating parts was the incessant repetition of the same phrases and descriptions - it was never just the bell chiming, it was the "grape-leaves-shaped-bells chiming" etc.
Will likely try a few more in the series and see how I feel
The characters perhaps not so endearing as Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, but not enough to put me off when all I want is a mindless few hours entertainment.
For me one of the most irritating parts was the incessant repetition of the same phrases and descriptions - it was never just the bell chiming, it was the "grape-leaves-shaped-bells chiming" etc.
Will likely try a few more in the series and see how I feel
stuhlsem's review against another edition
3.0
Romance/Mystery/Food book. Sounds perfect, but fell a bit flat. The mystery was pretty two-dimensional, and the romance wasn't quite steamy enough.
dorothy_1900's review against another edition
2.0
I've read it because of Agatha Award from few years ago that the author received for this book, but I have to say, I'm disappointed. Very irregular pace of action in the book, big plot holes, two-dimensional characters. I must admit, I've expected something more from this novel.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
I like cozy mysteries. Maybe because they are in fact cozy. There's just something comforting about them even if they do involve murders.
For a little town in Ohio, Providence does pretty well. There are plenty of cute little boutiques and artisan shops in the downtown, among them what is affectionately called The Cheese Shop run by Charlotte and a cousin. After taking it over from her grandparents and remodeling, Charlotte gets more than what she bargains for when a man is killed in front of her store, and her grandmother is the main suspect. And it also affects her grandmother's chance at becoming mayor again. The man's wife is running against her and a prime suspect herself, not to mention a very unpleasant person. Charlotte has to figure out what happened before her grandmother is put away.
Charlotte is an ok character. Very prone to being excitable though. She also is easily swayed which makes her not that strong of a character. Her grandmother and grandfather, however, were fabulous. There were a lot of side characters, but none I really felt a connection to. There wasn't a whole lot of description on them aside from what we were "told" rather than "shown." I guess I would have just liked to see their characters developed. Or maybe less characters with more time spent on them, I kept confusing some of them once in awhile.
The mystery was actually pretty good on this one. I wasn't able to guess who it was even though there were plenty of clues. And it was paced nicely. I think what was best was all the descriptions of cheese. I love cheese. And they thoughtfully included some recipes at the end as well. With all the talk of food though it did make me pretty hungry and of course craving cheese. Being that its a murder mystery it wasn't overly graphic though. More description was given to the cheese than the murder.
I liked it and look forward to reading more in the Cheese Shop Mystery series. If nothing else it will be good just for the recipes.
The Long Quiche Goodbye
Copyright 2010
314 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2011
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com