Murder, revenge, and secrets: Shakespeare has arrived in Providence, Ohio...
Charlotte Bessette—owner of Fromagerie Bessette, known by locals as The Cheese Shop—has a lot on her plate: setting a date with her fiancé, feeding the actors in her grandmother’s production of Hamlet, and planning the menu for her best friend and cousin’s upcoming wedding. At least her new creation—sinfully delicious Brie blueberry ice cream—has turned out perfectly.
Just days before the wedding, a stranger turns up dead in the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor's freezer, his head bashed with a container of Charlotte's signature ice cream. But this stranger turns out to be more than he seems, and his death threatens to unravel all that Charlotte has worked for. She has no choice but to add one more thing to her to-do list: find the killer before the villain destroys all that she loves.
Just a so-so read. I really like the characters and the setting, and I like the cheese shop - but the sales pitch that goes with almost every single mention of a cheese or a wine gets annoying. I find myself muttering "blah blah blah" and skipping over it. I don't mind an occasional description, but it's over used and constantly sounds like she's actually trying to sell the reader the cheese.
I also found the arrogance of Charlotte's friends ("you must investigate this murder!") to be insanely ridiculous - and a turn off for me. I enjoy the amateur sleuth definition of a cozy, but not the attitude of "I know better (or "you know better", in this case) than the police and I can solve this crime where they can't". The murder plot itself grabbed my attention right from the start - I like the back story of Jordan's sister coming to the fore, and learning more about her. But I found it dragging and I was losing interest by about midway through - the plot felt a bit messy. I also guessed the murderer fairly early in the story. Overall, not the strongest book in the series, but I'll gladly read the next and hope for tighter writing, with fewer sales pitches.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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3 March, 2013:
Finished reading
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3 March, 2013:
Reviewed
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Started reading
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3 March, 2013:
Finished reading
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3 March, 2013:
Reviewed