Cheese Shop #4
I am delighted to be able to review Korina Moss’ fourth book in her Cheese Shop series, Case of the Bleus. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading my way through the adventures of Willa Baur as she has established her cheese shop Curds & Wey in the town of Sonoma Valley, and helped the local police catch more than a few murderers. While said authorities might not be thrilled with her methods, they certainly can’t argue with the results. But despite her sleuthing prowess, none can dispute that Willa’s true passion remains with cheese. Korina Moss’ description of the various cheese, and Willa’s passion for it, will have readers pausing just long enough to have a little cheese snack of their own as they read along. Perhaps even trying one of the tasty cheese recipes included at the back of the book.
In Case of the Bleus some friends from Willa’s old Cheese shop, Church Cheese, come to visit for the Northwest Cheese Invitational and celebrate their late mentor Max’s famous original cheese: The Church Bleu. This beautiful and unique cheese is the envy of all, and primarily because it’s creator Max is the only one who knew the recipe. Unfortunately, he passed without passing on his secrets to its creation. The only hope for the cheese is in Max’s will. But Willa has a feeling that, given his love of riddles and puzzles, things won’t be so straightforward. It seems everyone from Church Cheese is sure that they know who will inherit the cheese and the cheese shop itself, some even casting a suspicious eye on Willa herself. But strained relationships and rivalries reach their breaking point when one of the Church Cheese mongers most likely to receive said secret dies under some very suspicious circumstances. Every one present has a motive and the knowledge to have done the deed.
Despite Detective Heath’s wishes and begging, Willa’s devastation at the loss of an old friend quickly turns to a determination to seek justice; as well as to safeguard Max’s beloved cheese recipe from a murderer. No killer deserves such a killer cheese. Her investigation is on a time limit, as once the Northwest Cheese Invitational ends most, if not all, of her suspects will be leaving town. Luckily, she has Team Cheese at her side and together they aren’t afraid to investigate every avenue. They also come up with plenty of schemes and plans to get information, not all of which Detective Heath approves of, and all of which he isn’t a part of. Even so, Willa is always taking what she learns to Detective Heath to keep the police in the loop.
Korina Moss’ Case of the Bleus will once again pull readers into Willa’s captivating cheese world, and before they know it they will be closing the book and anticipating the next adventure. One main thing that draws me to the books is Willa’s personal awareness and strength to do what is best for her and her friends regardless of how difficult it might be. This goes for both her investigative life for when she investigates openly hostile individuals, to her personal life when she must tell someone she cares about that friendship is the best relationship that they can realistically have. This does not mean, however, that there is no hope of any romance in Willa’s future. I do not want to spoil anything, but I will just say that she does indeed have some new promising options.
I suggest this book for any reader who wants a strong, self-aware, but kind protagonist, as well as lots of cheese. I think if one finds cheese personally upsetting they might avoid this series, but that’s more of a personal problem than a problem with the actual book. I am not a huge cheese fan myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how passionate Willa and her Team Cheese are about it. It even made me curious about a few of the cheeses described inside and willing to give them a try. While this is the fourth book in the series, readers can start off with Case of the Bleus without worrying about being lost or confused. Reoccurring characters are introduced without bogging down readers, as is the town itself. I have a feeling that if one does start with Case of the Bleus, then readers will find themselves quickly looking for the rest of this cheese monger collection. Long time readers and new can all enjoy Case of the Bleus. – Carla Schantz