Reviews

The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames

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

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

rants_n_reads's review against another edition

3.0

This has all the raw material for a great cozy. I love cheese and was immediately drawn into the story's idea. Also, it was interesting to find a food cozy that focused on savory treats instead of bakeshops. However, Charlotte came to me as uppity and boring. Her narrative style read like someone talking to a group of Harvard party planners, but not the average reader. The other characters too had this love for boring things that seem fashionable, but are really dated concepts of fancy food. Even if the Cheese Shop had been there for decades, the people didn't seem like normal townies.

wildflowerz76's review against another edition

3.0

I can't remember where I saw this and picked it up, but I know I got it for my Kindle at a discount. I love a good cozy mystery, but it's so hard to find one that doesn't make me want to tear my hair out.

I liked this one. I didn't love it, but the series definitely has potential. I didn't love the incessant cheese talk. But it's set in a cheese shop, so obvs that's going to happen. Still, it felt like I was being beat over the head with cheese facts. The other thing that bothered me was that there were SO MANY CHARACTERS. I couldn't keep them straight most of the time.

Other than that, I did enjoy it. I'll put this series on my to-read list.

thenymphsvoice's review against another edition

4.0

Cute, maybe a little too descriptive at times adding in tidbits that were unnecessary to plot or character development. Even with the tragedies that have befallen Charlottes family she still has one most people would be envious of.

tarana's review against another edition

1.0

I tried really hard to like this cozy which was a club book read, but there was just too much that distracted me from the actual plot. Between the cheese names and the unrealistic issues with the landlord (what business owner would spend a fortunate on revamping their business without getting a 'building sale' clause in their rental agreement? Anyway, I never finished because I just didn't care.

aubster249's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

quietjenn's review against another edition

3.0

Barely 3 stars. A pretty forgettable cozy, with way too information about cheese (which I love, but don't need my leisure reading to educate me about). The small town setting is ok and I liked some of the supporting characters (hated a few, too). The mystery resolution was not great. I may read a later one in the series to see if it improves, but won't make it a priority.