Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
Case of the Bleus
A Cheese Shop Mystery
Korina Moss
Minotaur Books
By far the best Cheese Shop Mystery yet. While I am not a fan of the Bleu I am a fan of of this series. This latest mystery, much like bleu cheese, has a lovely vein/mystery running through it surrounding the will of Willow's recently deceased mentor Max Dumas, and the secret of his amazing and renowned Church Bleu. Max liked puzzles, riddles, and mysteries, so of course, his last wishes are not necessarily straight forward with regards to his Church Bleu. I am reminded of a line from the movie "National Treasure" but instead of a secret lying with Charlotte it is being kept by Rebecca. Willow's former coworkers are interesting group of suspects who seemed like contestants on a reality TV show rather than coworkers and colleagues. Then there is the estranged daughter, Maxine, and the over the top Hugo Potts, president of the board of directors of the Northwest Cheese Society. I had not figured out the who or why or the where before the big reveal. Willow and #TeamCheese do their best rendition of a Scooby Doo and the gang plan, which means that Willow is smart enough to live to sleuth another day because she is part of a team. She is not as good at keeping herself completely out of harm's way and I fear for her blossoming relationship with Detective Heath/Jay/Heath as it seems to be getting a tad wilted. Before you start reading the book, I would like to suggest that you skip to the very end, no peeking before the recipe section, and make one of the wonderful cheese related dishes. I tried the Gorgonzola Garlic Bread and paired it with a bottle of mead (yes I actually had one on hand).
Death by a Thousand Sips
A Witches Brew Mystery
Gretchen Rue
Crooked Lane Books
This is the second in the Witches Brew Mysteries series, and did you notice that the first book is oh so cutely displayed on this cover. Phoebe Winchester is both a tea shop owner/book store owner by trade and a witch with probability powers and slow motion time abilities (in a pinch). She also seems to be developing a knack at solving mysteries. What should have been an average estate sale Weatherly mansion, with a decent haul of mass media paperbacks turns out to be an unfortunate incident of murder. The suspects include Riley the disowned by association family member whose grandfather had never met him. Riley felt that the victim got what she deserved. Was it Franny, the quiet assistant who took a verbal lashing from Madelaine right before Madelaine turns up dead? Or maybe it was the oh-so attractive personal secretary to Mr. Weatherly who given…pretty much everything. Since Phoebe was the person to find Madelaine dead, she figures she is on the suspect list as well and needs to do what she can to get off of it by finding the killer. Thank goodness Phoebe has friends such as her mentor, Honey who helps with her memory by way of a little magic in a bottle for under the pillow. Rich, the handsome PI is also ready to lend a hand both professionally and personally. This was a great cozy with engaging characters and a clever plot that kept me turning pages while taking notes and trying to avoid red herrings. I was also impressed by the recipes in the back and cannot wait to try my hand at making the sourdough starter. I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series to add to my TBR list.
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas
A Year-Round Christmas Mystery
Vicki Delaney
Crooked Lane Books
It is Christmas time in the town of Randolph, the year round Christmas town and they are getting ready for a musical production of The Christmas Carol. Let me start by saying WOW book six of the Year Round Christmas series has more drama involved than any community theater group should be allowed, especially for this time of year. Our sleuth Merry knows all about performers and their temperament her mom is a real diva, seriously, she is a retired Met Opera diva. So was it artistic differences, acting ambitions, or something else that leads to the death of Paula who has been cast as Mrs. Cratchit? Since the murder occurred in Merry’s store, Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, during business hours, and Jackie her assistant was the over eager understudy, Merry has no choice but to ask questions and get to the bottom of all the drama. The story moves at a good pace and Merry does such a great job with not asking the wrong people the right questions and getting herself into perilous predicaments. This is a fun holiday cozy that keeps you turning pages and wondering why Paula was the victim.
