Review: Lost and Fondue

Summary: When a body is found in a long-abandoned winery, cheese shop owner Charlotte Bessette trades in her fondue fork for a flashlight to clear a friend's niece of suspicion. But as Charlotte starts to turn up the truth, the killer starts turning up the heat. -- Berkley Prime Crime

I am so glad that I've decided to read more mystery books and especially cozies because I am having so much fun. While I admit to enjoying most cozies that I read, some do stand out a bit more than others. Case in point... LOST AND FONDUE by Avery Aames. This book epitomizes everything I love about the cozy genre! It had interesting and likable characters and a well executed murder plot. Plus, there was lots of talk about wine and cheese and even a few delicious sounding recipes thrown in.

If you aren't familiar with the Cheese Shop Mystery series, here's a very quick and dirty summary. Charlotte, a single woman in her early 30s, owns a cheese shop in a small Ohio town. She also acts as an amateur sleuth in her free time because murders just happen to take place when she's around. Charlotte is surrounded by lots of family and friends (I just love her grandparents) as well as a boyfriend with many secrets. I found her to be extremely likable albeit a little nosy!

I thoroughly enjoyed LOST AND FONDUE, and I'd have to say it's one of the best cozies that I've read lately. In fact, I was very impressed with so many things in this book. I thought the mystery was very well designed and even a little more complex than I was expecting; and I wasn't able to figure out the culprit or his or her reason why until it was revealed to me at the end of the book. In addition, I really liked all of the mystery surrounding Charlotte's boyfriend, and I hope to learn more in the next book. I also thought the town and the cheese shop were positively adorable, and I did learn a thing or two about different types of cheeses.

LOST AND FONDUE is the second book in the CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY series. Unfortunately I didn't read the first book in the series THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE; however, I had no problems catching up with the characters and their personalities. I enjoyed LOST AND FONDUE so much that I will definitely be going back and reading the first book in the series -- sooner rather than later. These books are quick reads so I look forward to be "caught up" with this series long before the third one comes out. 

If you are a fan of cozies and foodie books, then I definitely recommend checking out LOST AND FONDUE.

Thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy of this book.

Mystery Mondays is a "somewhat" regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.