Lost and Fondue is the second in Avery Aames’ Award-Winning Cheese Shop Mysteries, set in a small town, where an unusual percentage of the local population turns up dead. Actually, as it turns out, that’s a good thing for Charlotte Bessette, proprietor of Providence Ohio’s Cheese Shop, because it gives her something to stick her nose into when she’s not slinging cheese.
Charlotte is charming in an annoying way… and The Lady and I love her… Charlotte can’t mind her own business and is constantly getting involved, much to the dismay of Police Chief, Urso. Why the local police chief puts up with her meddling in his investigations is beyond me… other than he had the hots for her in the past… she tampers with evidence; she conducts unauthorized interviews of persons of interest; she snoops in hotel rooms; she’s in the middle of everything while the Chief tries to do his job. It won’t surprise me if Urso throws her behind bars in a future installment – just to keep her out of his way…
Compounding the Chief’s frustrations is Charlotte’s sidekick, young Rebecca, a former Amish who left the farm for the big city and adventure. She works in the cheese shop and watches far to many CSI-style TV shows… as has been said often… a little knowledge is a dangerous thing… especially when it comes to solving murders…
Avery has a wonderful sense of humor which crops up every few pages to add to the delight of the story and its characters. It’s subtle, just the way I like it…
The Cheese Shop Mysteries will never reach the complication of a Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series; but you’ll have a damn good time reading these stories and laughing at the escapades of Charlotte and Rebecca… just wish Rags, the cat, was a little more active in the search for Whodunit… but that might simply be because I’m a cat…
I give Lost and Fondue 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got); but must give it 4 Paws for its humor…
Clobbered by Camembert, the 3rd in the series, will be out in February, 2012.
If you want to purchase a copy, please visit my book page and click on the link to amazon.
FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent me her product, hoping I would review it.
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