Avery Aames

This is a pretty fun cozy mystery in some regards. In a small Ohio town, Charlotte and her cousin Matthew are taking over their French-born grandparents' cheese shop. Her grandmother, amidst her mayoral campaign, is caught red-handed over the body of her rival candidate's womanizer husband. Charlotte delves deep into town gossip to find out the identity of the true killer.

What worked well: the cheese knowledge is spot-on and I love the vibe of the shop. The characters, though. The interactions came across as melodramatic, with conflicts contrived to ramp up tension. A romantic subplot involves a secret that is not a secret from the start, and every time the dude tries to talk to her, they are interrupted. One time is understandable, but again and again? None of the adults felt like they could just... talk unless it was about gossip. A bit of that is needed in a modern cozy, sure, but everyone came across as immature and unlikeable, main character included.… (más)

Charlotte and her cousin Matthew have taken over their Grandpère Etienne’s and Grandmère Bernadette’s business, Fromagerie Bessette, in the small town of Providence, Ohio. Charlotte’s specialty is cheese — as learned from her Grandpère. Matthew’s is win, having been a sommelier in a high-end Cleveland restaurant. After Matthew’s wife left him with their twin daughters to raise, the offer to partner with Charlotte, in a family business was perfect.

They’ve just done a major remodel and are having a grand opening. And grand it is, when one of the locals is found stabbed and dead outside of the shop, with a knife from one of the displays in the cheese shop. Grandmère is found huddled next to the building, with blood on her hands and is immediately considered the prime suspect.

The victim is the landlord of the shop and not the most popular man in town. He is the great-great grandson of the town’s founder, a bit of a letch and husband to a push woman who has her eye on becoming the next mayor — the position that is currently held by Madame Bessette.

Charlotte is determined to prove Grandmère’s innocence and find the real killer. While investigating, Charlotte discovers a number of surprising secrets about some of the residents and also people who aren’t that upset about the victim’s death.

A cozy read with some good references to some tasty sounding wines and cheeses.… (más)