Cheddar Off Dead: A Cheese Shop Mystery
By Korina Moss
4/5
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About this ebook
The Agatha Award Winner for Best First Novel
In Korina Moss's cozy series debut, Cheddar Off Dead, cheesemonger Willa Bauer discovers that her new home in a small Sonoma Valley town is ripe for murder... something here stinks to high heaven, and Willa knows it's not the cheese.
Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa's fresh start, and she's determined to make it a success – starting with a visit from the local food critic. What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the night can get any worse... until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder…
Korina Moss
KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series (Minotaur Books) set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead. Her books have been featured in PARADE Magazine, Women’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction.
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Reviews for Cheddar Off Dead
16 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a good cozy mystery. There is a cheese shop. There is a pet fish. There is a compelling personal backstory (TM) we find out about over time. Again, there is so much cheese. I wanted to eat so much cheese while reading this. I'm originally from the Dairy State, I loved it. There is a lady who is starting a new business. She is making unlikely friends in a small town - her employees, the retired high school drama teacher and the young shop boy. They are all plucky. There are the fellow entrepreneurs-allies-suspects-potential romance. There is the sudden friendly next door neighbor. There is the detective, who is either scary or attractive or both. There is not listening to the scary-and/or-hot detective even when your life is threatened. There is the main character who continually forgets to eat real meals. There are truffle fries that, criminally, get cold. There is no explanation except possibly vague hand-waving about "Sonoma County wine tourism" to explain how what sounds like an incredibly small town can support all these fancy artisanal shops. There is a depressing lack of a bookstore mentioned. Maybe someone opening a bookstore can be part of the sequel. There is, again, so much cheese. I am sure this review sounds sarcastic but no, this is exactly what I want out of a cozy mystery. Except for the lack of bookstore. This town needs a bookstore.I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss has Willa Bauer opening Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, California. She is hoping for a complimentary review from food critic, Guy Lippinger. Unfortunately, Guy ends up dead after an unpleasant encounter at the shop with one of Willa’s cheese knives in his neck. The suspect list is small because only the members of her inaugural cheese making class had access to the murder weapon. The publicity surrounding the murder has caused a lack of customers in the cheese shop. Willa feels she has no choice but to solve the crime before her shop closes before it even gets off the ground. Willa gets help from her two employees plus her neighbor, Baz. The killer does not appreciate Willa’s sleuthing and warns her off. Willa will need to keep her wits about her if she is solve the case without finding herself facing off with a killer. Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss is the first book in A Cheese Shop Mystery series. Willa Bauer has traveled since college learning all about the different variety of cheeses available in the world. She is now ready to open her own shop. Willa picked Yarrow Glen in Sonoma Valley for Curds & Whey. It has only been open a short time when the murder occurs. Willa lacked personality. She is nice, but she is only okay as a protagonist. We get to meet Willa along with her two shop employees (Archie and Mrs. Schulz), Baz (I love his real name), and various townspeople. I found the pacing to be a little slow for my liking. The author provides descriptions on the town, the shops, the people, and various cheeses (this slows down the pacing but allows readers to visualize the scenes). I liked the various secondary characters in the series. It is a well-rounded cast that is diverse in age and experience (from teen to retired drama teacher). The mystery involves a food critic who is disliked in the town. It was easy to figure out that the nasty critic would be murdered and there is a small cast of suspects. There are clues to help readers solve the crime. It is a light, simple whodunit that can be solved long before the final clues are given, and the reveal occurs. The mystery is nicely wrapped up at the end, but I felt the ending was incomplete (if I said why, it would be a spoiler). Willa actively investigated the crime by asking questions and eavesdropping on conversations. She gets help from her two employees and her neighbor, Baz (I like all three of these characters). Detective Heath is a handsome man (according to Willa) who warns Willa about the dangers of sleuthing. For some reason, Willa doubts the detective’s ability to solve the case. My favorite scene in Cheddar Off Dead is when Archie, one of Willa’s employees, comes out in a large cheese costume made by her other employee, Mrs. Schulz. It is a cute scene. I hope the author will cut back on romance in future books. I do not mind a little light romance that plays out throughout the series (I just do not like our fair protagonist admiring the various eligible men and debating the merits of relationships with them). I read a cozy mystery for the mystery along with friendly characters, charming small town, and that extra bit (whether it is a culinary cozy, pet themed, craft related, etc.). Cheddar Off Dead is okay, but I do not know if I will continue with the series (it cannot compare to Daryl Wood Gerber’s cheese shop mystery series). The novel is not long, but it felt like it thanks to the slow pacing and writing style. Cheddar Off Dead has readers traveling to the Sonoma Valley for delectable cheeses, a knifed critic, several suspicious suspects, an understanding neighbor, eager employees, a dedicated detective, and a curious cheesemonger.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I received an advance copy of the book via NetGalley.This book so perfectly suited for cheese-obsessed me that I full expect multiple people to recommend it to me in the next few months. Cheddar Off Dead (I love punny titles like this!) is the start of a new cozy mystery series set in a fictional Napa Valley village named Yarrow Glen, where Willa has opened a brand new cheese shop. She's thrilled that a major local food critic is set to drop by--but then he turns out to be a nasty, drunken lout who threatens her guests at a small cheese event. She's in dread of a bad review to come when things take an even worse turn: she finds him dead, one of her own cheese knives stuck in his back. Yikes. As Willa becomes suspect number one, she scrambles to get to know her new neighbors a little better so she can figure out who set her up for murder--before she's next.This is a cute, breezy read. The author knows her cheese--and proper local references as well, such as the California cheese trail. The mystery has many twists and turns leading to the big reveal at the end--whereupon I found I'd guessed at the wrong culprit, making the end even more satisfying. One aspect of the book that exasperated me was that Willa fumbles around in some cringe-inducing ways, even for an amateur sleuth, and the maybe-romance hints with several male characters felt forced amid the other drama. Still, it was a fun read, and a solid start for a new series.