Fondue or Die is the 5th book in the fantastic Cheese Shop Mystery series by Korina Moss, featuring cheesemonger Willa Bauer and her shop, Curds & Whey.
Title: Fondue or Die
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries #5
First Published: October 22, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this book for review purposes. ***
The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbour, 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 favourite 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.
More cheesy fun for everyone!
I absolutely ADORE this series (and cheese!) and was so excited to dive into this new book. Korina Moss has built such a lovely series and the town and characters are now familiar friends – each book is like returning home for a fun visit (aside from the murders, of course)
The Dairy Days festival adds an exciting new element to the story and we get a lot of interaction with Lockwood’s Chief of Police, who seems to have his own agenda when investigating the murder
There was a bit of a time jump between the last book and this one and Willa and Detective Heath haven’t spoken in awhile. Luckily, this new murder has Willa reaching out and we get to see Heath in a much more casual light. If you’re like me (#TeamHeath since Book1!) then you’ll be very happy with how Willa and Heath’s relationship plays out in this story!
The usual Scooby Gang (#TeamCheese) is back again and we get lots of time with Mrs Schultz, Archie, and Baz. I love how they’re all so different but have become a ‘family’ – always looking out for each other and being completely supportive and encouraging – they’re one of the reasons I love this series so much.
The murder mystery was a doozy
As for the mystery – this one seemed straightforward but I was constantly being thrown for a loop. There are a ton of red herrings and suspects and so many people were acting suspiciously that I had no idea where to pin my “You’re the Killer” badge!
I really liked how Willa is not only working with Team Cheese, but also with Heath and reporter AJ – he’s become a solid ally, so that has been a surprising, yet welcome, addition. The relationships between all the main and recurring characters is what I love most about this series. Yes, the mysteries are really well done, but it’s so fun to just visit with everyone in Yarrow Glen, even if this adventure is set in a different town.
And of course, who could forget THE CHEESE. Alongside the complex mystery, the familiar characters, and the crazy Dairy Days, the mouth-watering descriptions of all the different kinds of cheese is also what makes me love this series. You will definitely have your cheese knowledge broadened as you read (make sure you’re well stocked up on snacks!)
All in all, another winner in the Cheese Shop Mysteries and I’m already looking forward to the next book!
Quote from Fondue or Die
