Tag: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
Today I am delighted to share my thoughts about
Fondue or Die: A Cheese Shop Mystery by Korina Moss!

Fondue or Die: A Cheese Shop Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – California
Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Paperbacks (October 22, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250893917
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250893918
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CPWRNP9B

In Korina Moss’s Fondue or Die, the lazy, hazy, dairy days of summer are coming to a close in the Sonoma Valley. . . and so is someone’s life.

The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing―she is a cheesemonger after all―and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The annual district-wide Dairy Days Festival takes place up the road from Yarrow Glen in Lockwood with thousands expected to attend. It will be Willa Bauer’s Curds & Whey’s first year at the event. Willa is excited to share her themed cheese grazing boxes with the masses. The three-day festival includes goat races, cheese wheel relays, butter sculptures and a Miss Dairy Pageant. Willa’s employee and friend Mrs. Schultz will be assisting with the pageant while Archie and Baz help Willa with the Curds & Whey booth.

Pageant director Nadine Hockenbaum has an injury and she is stressed out so she needs Mrs. Schultz and her cousin Mary Ann’s help dealing with the contestants and their mothers. Later Willa and Archie visit the Lockwood Historical Society Museum and find Nadine’s dead body under a toppled shelving unit, books, and broken pottery. The chief of police quickly deems the death an accident but Willa points out why she thinks it was murder. When Mrs. Schultz agrees to take on directing the pageant she paints a target on her back and becomes a suspect in the murder. Team Cheese, plus one are on the case and will separate the curds and whey and fondue the real killer or die trying.

I love #TeamCheese. Ms. Moss has created a group of wonderful characters. Willa, Baz, Archie, and Mrs. Schultz are unique and genuine characters who feel true to life. A multigenerational group of friends who work together to serve up everything cheesy and solve a murder or two in their spare time. They are joined this time by Detective Heath as the case is out of his jurisdiction. Officer Shepherd (Shep) lent a hand too as he was working security at the festival. I love how much the characters have grown since the series started and how they continue to evolve throughout this story. The author gives them all places to shine.

Dairy Days was a fun theme for this story. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I participated in a pageant in my hometown and was thrilled to be crowned 2nd runner-up. For me, it meant a summer full of parades and dinners. For the girls in this pageant, it meant the chance to win scholarship money. Sadly, someone has it in for this pageant and its director.

The mystery Ms. Moss has put forth is a twisty one with a surprising motive. An old mystery is mixed in with a new one and I fell from every twist, turn, and misdirection the author penned so brilliantly. I was right there with Willa when she thought all her clues fell into place but we were both shocked by the dangerous and suspenseful showdown when the truth was revealed. I enjoyed all the detailed descriptions the author provided. I could visualize everything so clearly and my other senses were activated as well.

Fondue or Die is a splendid addition to this cozy cheese-filled series. The story was very well plotted with a mystery that kept me guessing. The characters kept me entertained and the ending left me with a huge smile on my face. I am excited that the next book Bait and Swiss will be released on April 29, 2025. I have saved a spot on my reading calendar. 

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About the Author

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in Sonoma Valley. She loves creating quirky characters who live in idyllic small towns. Moss grew up on a healthy dose of Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie novels, which developed her passion for solving mysteries and eventually writing her own. She lives in a small New England town with its own share of quirky characters.