The Long Quiche Goodby, by Avery Aames

Book number 61 for 2024; 4/5 stars.

Every now and then I read a cozy mystery. This one was better than I expected it to be. Our library is overstocked with books that have silly food pun titles, and this is one of them. This is Avery Aames’s debut novel, I think, and there are, apparently, more in the “Cheese Shop Mystery” series.

I found the writing to be quite good and engaging. The character dialogue was especially engaging, throughout. There was plenty of humor in the tale, as expected, as well as a number of surprises, as the story develops. As expected, there is cheese. Lots and lots of cheese; cheese I have never heard of, and am now trying to find somewhere. However, I have not been able to locate a “cheese shop” near me. I’m going to keep working on that.

The tale is set in Providence, Ohio, which is, according to Wikipedia, a ghost town. But it is a real place. At the grand opening of the Fromagerie Bessette, a murder occurs! Charlotte Bessette is our heroine, and it is her grandmother who is implicated in the murder. Everyone knows everyone in this little town, and the local police detective is no exception. But Charlotte doesn’t think he is doing a good enough job trying to find an alternate suspect, so she takes it upon herself to begin investigating.

The characters are entertaining in this story, as well as the interactions between them. There is, of course, the obligatory budding romance between two of them, but it keeps getting interrupted before it can start, including by the appearance of a very attractive other woman, who is frequently seen on the arm of the man in question. 

As far as “whodunnit,” I didn’t figure it out. I had a couple of ideas, but they turned out to be wrong. So Ms. Aames keeps the reader guessing all the way through. A very entertaining mystery that did not disappoint. And it made me hungry for cheese. I’m still looking for some Morbier, Taleggio, and some of that Double Creme Gouda. I mean, seriously. Double cream?? I’m salivating.

Oh, there are recipes at the end, too. Of course, there are.

Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and cheese.

TTFN, y’all!