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A Cheese Shop Mystery #4
To Brie or Not To Brie
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 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.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 5, 2013
90 people are currently reading
1,289 people want to read
About the author
Avery Aames
11Ìýbooks593ÌýfollowersAvery Aames, author of A Cheese Shop Mystery for Berkley Prime Crime, is the pseudonym for Daryl Wood Gerber. Daryl created the format for the popular sitcom, "Out of this World" and has won awards for her screenplays. She also writes short stories and suspense novels. Not one to simply read and cook, she tends to look for adventure. She has hitchhiked around Ireland by herself and she has jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 17, 2015
Um, no. First of all, the characters went back to being as annoying as they were in books 1 and 2 and I couldn't even finish it, I had to skim through the last like 80 pages. Probably not going to continue this series.
July 2, 2017
Good, solid entry in the series. Both the mystery and everyone's personal lives moved along nicely and I was kept guessing about whodunit. As much as I don't like trying lots of different cheeses it's kind of fun reading about all the different varieties. Interesting end to the book as well.
August 28, 2018
The mystery & the recipes were the only reasons I didn’t throw this book across the room. The characters were awful! Charlotte reads like a mix between judgmental old lady and an immature brat. So much so that I kept forgetting she’s supposed to be in her 30s. She’s not Nancy Drew, Wonder Woman, or Jessica Fletcher like the author alludes, she’s a catty jerk with weird grudges and terrible judgment.
As for the other characters, Jordan’s about as interesting as watching paint dry, and I genuinely hope Rebecca gets killed off. I would have rather have read this book from Edy or Urso POV than any of the main characters. Normally I’d just give a low star and move on but I couldn’t get over how pointlessly nasty these characters were.
As for the other characters, Jordan’s about as interesting as watching paint dry, and I genuinely hope Rebecca gets killed off. I would have rather have read this book from Edy or Urso POV than any of the main characters. Normally I’d just give a low star and move on but I couldn’t get over how pointlessly nasty these characters were.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2013
I have read the previous books in this series and this one just wasn't very good. There are far too many characters who have no depth. Example: females: Charlotte, Meredith, Tyanne, Iris, Prudence, Edy, Annabelle, Octavia, Rebecca, Sylvie, Freckles. Really? Again, none of them have any depth and I had to keep reminding myself who they were each time they appeared in the story. Charlotte does ridiculous things (going through a "suspect's" car in broad daylight when it's parked on the street) that separate a good cozy from the kind that I find annoying. Since the previous books were better, I might give this series another chance, but I doubt it.
January 5, 2016
A winter fair, Hamlet in the park, a grape race, a wedding and a dead body in the ice cream shop freezer all wrapped up into a mix of intrigue and suspicion. As usual, we find the cheese shop brimming with activity and in the center of the mix are the wonderful characters who make Providence a town to want to keep coming back too! Once again the author has woven an entertaining plot with interesting twists & turns that also bring you closer the characters while making you drool with delight and desire for cheese!! If you like a good cozy mystery then this is the book for you. In fact, I'd say the entire series has been delightfully developed and I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us in the next book!
July 1, 2022
I HATE Rebecca!!! She’s the most annoying book character that ever existed! How about Urso throw their meddling asses in jail? Men don’t get that excited over weddings. Is the author Amish? She doesn’t seem to live in the world with the rest of us. Why is she so sad her cousins are moving out? I’d be thrilled to have my house back. Every one of these books has the same plot of “He/she can’t be a MURDERER! They’re my FRIEND!� Then she commits the cardinal sin of setting this book in October and saying NOTHING about Halloween!
January 22, 2013
"To Brie or Not To Brie" is a cozy mystery. It's the fourth book in a series, and you'll probably enjoy it most if you've read the previous books in the series (which I haven't). We're introduced to 25 characters in the first 28 pages--along with their back story--while several of the women are yelling accusations and cat-fighting with each other. Since I was new to these characters, it was terribly confusing and hard to keep track of. Since the next scene occurred days later and introduced yet more characters, I set the book down and read two other books before trying it again.
It was difficult for me to keep track of who everyone was because there were so many characters and some of them didn't show up again for chapters. It took about 100 pages before I felt like I was getting a good handle on who was who.
There were many scenes with people yelling, saying mean things to each other, grabbing or nearly hitting each other, and/or smashing things. All of the characters were very opinionated and most seemed to specialize in annoying each other, so it's not surprising that I found about half of them annoying, too. I might have liked those characters better if they were more developed, which I'm assuming would be another benefit of reading the previous novels.
Charlotte was passive aggressive, scatterbrained, and very imaginative. She invented wildly imaginative scenarios about whodunit rather than logically thinking things out. She stumbled across the answer to whodunit, but it was a clue-based puzzle mystery. I guessed whodunit about halfway through (though it wasn't obvious), the clues kept confirming that idea, and my guess was correct.
There was some fake bad language (e.g. dang, heck). Charlotte couldn't seem to keep her hands off her fiancé, but there were no graphic sex scenes or encounters. If you're a cheese expert and love all things cheese or if you enjoy watching cat-fight dramas, then you might enjoy this book. But I'd recommend starting with the first book in the series.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
It was difficult for me to keep track of who everyone was because there were so many characters and some of them didn't show up again for chapters. It took about 100 pages before I felt like I was getting a good handle on who was who.
There were many scenes with people yelling, saying mean things to each other, grabbing or nearly hitting each other, and/or smashing things. All of the characters were very opinionated and most seemed to specialize in annoying each other, so it's not surprising that I found about half of them annoying, too. I might have liked those characters better if they were more developed, which I'm assuming would be another benefit of reading the previous novels.
Charlotte was passive aggressive, scatterbrained, and very imaginative. She invented wildly imaginative scenarios about whodunit rather than logically thinking things out. She stumbled across the answer to whodunit, but it was a clue-based puzzle mystery. I guessed whodunit about halfway through (though it wasn't obvious), the clues kept confirming that idea, and my guess was correct.
There was some fake bad language (e.g. dang, heck). Charlotte couldn't seem to keep her hands off her fiancé, but there were no graphic sex scenes or encounters. If you're a cheese expert and love all things cheese or if you enjoy watching cat-fight dramas, then you might enjoy this book. But I'd recommend starting with the first book in the series.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
June 10, 2013
Charlotte Bessette, owner of the Fromagerie Bessette, or better known as The Cheese Shop, has lots on her plate as usual. She is feeding the actors in her grandmother's production of Hamlet, planning the menu for Matthew and Meredith's wedding,setting a date to marry Jordan, and running The Cheese Shop. Her new creation, Brie blueberry ice cream has turned out sinfully delicious. So what could possibly go wrong? Well, a dead body in the freezer of the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor for one, even worse his head was bashed in with a container of her Brie blueberry ice cream. Charlotte finds out that the victim, while visiting, is not a stranger to some of the people she loves, so she races to solve the murder before everything she loves is destroyed.
I love this series, Charlotte and her family are people that I care about, and I want to see them be happy. Their personalities jump off the page. I particularly love the cheese tipe, the wine tips, and the recipes.
I love this series, Charlotte and her family are people that I care about, and I want to see them be happy. Their personalities jump off the page. I particularly love the cheese tipe, the wine tips, and the recipes.
September 11, 2013
I used to like this series, but this installment just wasn't as good as previous ones. A few reasons: while I enjoy the main character, her friends annoyed me. Particularly Rebecca, who I spent most of the book wanting to smack. She's become almost silly in her "I saw this on TV" mantra. And the preview of the next book made me wonder if everyone who comes to Providence, Ohio, is running from something. I suspect this is the last Cheese Shop book I'll read.
February 26, 2018
Had a heard time getting into this one.
January 26, 2025
I have the same problem with this book as I've had with the previous books. Too many characters, most of whom are not likable. The author doesn't do a good job of reminding us who all these characters are, or explaining why the ones nobody likes keep popping in to cause trouble then popping out again with no consequences.
I do no understand why the US Marshalls in charge of Witsec would allow his sister to join him. Once it was clear her husband knew where she was, both she and her brother should have been relocated to a secure location. I also don't understand why the husband's brother was not held to account for breaking and entering, criminal damage, and since he held them against their will, kidnapping. Instead it was claimed there were no charges? Why didn't they at least get restraining orders. I know they don't really do a lot of good, but being in violation of a restraining order would have been cause to put him in jail!
I really want to like this series. It would help if the shop owners were nicer and there was less running from shop to shop and more actual cheese mongering.
When she was thinking about how much she loved her home and didn't want to leave it, it reinforced why I hate it that cozy mystery writers always seem to find it essential to yank their strong independent female characters out of where they live and plop them down where the man lives. Why can't the man be the ones to adapt to her environment? I can only hope that once the trial is over, WITSEC will once again have to relocate him and she will decide not to follow him.
I do no understand why the US Marshalls in charge of Witsec would allow his sister to join him. Once it was clear her husband knew where she was, both she and her brother should have been relocated to a secure location. I also don't understand why the husband's brother was not held to account for breaking and entering, criminal damage, and since he held them against their will, kidnapping. Instead it was claimed there were no charges? Why didn't they at least get restraining orders. I know they don't really do a lot of good, but being in violation of a restraining order would have been cause to put him in jail!
I really want to like this series. It would help if the shop owners were nicer and there was less running from shop to shop and more actual cheese mongering.
When she was thinking about how much she loved her home and didn't want to leave it, it reinforced why I hate it that cozy mystery writers always seem to find it essential to yank their strong independent female characters out of where they live and plop them down where the man lives. Why can't the man be the ones to adapt to her environment? I can only hope that once the trial is over, WITSEC will once again have to relocate him and she will decide not to follow him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2023
Interfering exes
Charlotte’s fiancé Jordan is very protective of his sister Jacky, for good reason: her abusive husband has been looking for her, and it appears he’s been tipped off. He and his brother show up in Providence, poking around in shops but not buying things - as Jacky overhears the conversation about the strangers, she knows her cover has been blown somehow. But then, her husband is found murdered, clobbered in the head by a large tub of ice cream in the freezer of the vendor who’s been dating Jacky. Did he kill the man to protect her? Or was it someone else - like maybe Jacky herself? Or perhaps the brother, an unpleasant man who makes threats toward Jacky? As Charlotte tries to work out who would have killed the guy, she’s also dealing with Matthew’s ex wife, who seems to have a penchant for showing up where she’s not wanted, in the most inappropriate outfits; worried she’ll find some way to disrupt Matthew and Meredith’s wedding, which is days away, Charlotte does her best to keep her off kilter while also looking for the killer. The truth will give her chills.
Charlotte’s fiancé Jordan is very protective of his sister Jacky, for good reason: her abusive husband has been looking for her, and it appears he’s been tipped off. He and his brother show up in Providence, poking around in shops but not buying things - as Jacky overhears the conversation about the strangers, she knows her cover has been blown somehow. But then, her husband is found murdered, clobbered in the head by a large tub of ice cream in the freezer of the vendor who’s been dating Jacky. Did he kill the man to protect her? Or was it someone else - like maybe Jacky herself? Or perhaps the brother, an unpleasant man who makes threats toward Jacky? As Charlotte tries to work out who would have killed the guy, she’s also dealing with Matthew’s ex wife, who seems to have a penchant for showing up where she’s not wanted, in the most inappropriate outfits; worried she’ll find some way to disrupt Matthew and Meredith’s wedding, which is days away, Charlotte does her best to keep her off kilter while also looking for the killer. The truth will give her chills.
May 5, 2022
A decent entry in the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series, but I found it a bit lacking when compared to the earlier entries. I did like the mystery with this book, though.
I'm at the point of needing a whiteboard to keep track of all the secondary characters in this small town. When it comes to her friends, Charlotte needs to grow a backbone. She's pushed by her friends to do all sorts of things (like snooping through a suspect's car in daylight) she shouldn't be.
I know it's all over this book that Charlotte and Jordan are a couple and meant to be, but it strikes me as more physical than emotional relationship. Charlotte strikes me as needing someone stabilizing in her life, and Urso would be more fitting in that way.
Sylvie makes me want to stick my foot out and trip her--she's a caricature, not really that fleshed out. Her sole purpose seems to be irritating everyone in Providence.
I'll still continue with the series, but I'm hoping the later books go back to the style of the earlier books in the series.
I'm at the point of needing a whiteboard to keep track of all the secondary characters in this small town. When it comes to her friends, Charlotte needs to grow a backbone. She's pushed by her friends to do all sorts of things (like snooping through a suspect's car in daylight) she shouldn't be.
I know it's all over this book that Charlotte and Jordan are a couple and meant to be, but it strikes me as more physical than emotional relationship. Charlotte strikes me as needing someone stabilizing in her life, and Urso would be more fitting in that way.
Sylvie makes me want to stick my foot out and trip her--she's a caricature, not really that fleshed out. Her sole purpose seems to be irritating everyone in Providence.
I'll still continue with the series, but I'm hoping the later books go back to the style of the earlier books in the series.
June 30, 2017
Charlotte is running The Cheese Shop in her town with her cousin Matthew who is preparing to marry Meredith her best friend. Charlotte is preparing a Brie ice cream for the wedding while also running the shop, and trying to make plans for her own wedding. When a man ends up dead in the local ice cream shop killed by Charlotte's Brie ice cream. Now Charlotte is on the mission to solve the crime, host a rehearsal dinner, and keep the ex of the groom from causing problems.
This was one of those books that I kept saying one more chapter, okay one more chapter. I read this book out of order and would really recommend reading them in order but nothing to much was given away from earlier books. I would highly recommend this book and series. I will be going back and reading the ones I missed.
This was one of those books that I kept saying one more chapter, okay one more chapter. I read this book out of order and would really recommend reading them in order but nothing to much was given away from earlier books. I would highly recommend this book and series. I will be going back and reading the ones I missed.
March 17, 2020
The hamsters are alive and well in Providence, Ohio. Altho, I am curious as to what happens to the characters, they have exhausted me for now. Nobody stays in their places of business, the police don't arrest someone for trashing a local business and then said person breaks into the heroine's home several hours later. And that is just a few pages. Just too much craziness going on, altho I do enjoy the characters. Unfortunately, none of them can keep a secret, which might end badly for someone in the next few books.
If you like a lot of odd action and constant mayhem, you will probably enjoy this series.
If you like a lot of odd action and constant mayhem, you will probably enjoy this series.
June 11, 2020
I got this book on a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaway and want to thank them and Avery Aames. I am sorry I am late in posting this. I read the book and forgot to list it. I did enjoy this book, it is the first one I have read in this series. I am now going to have to go back and read from the beginning because many references refer to previous happenings.. I have them on my TBR list. This book was very interesting. Charlotte, the owner of the The Cheese Shop, is trying to make a Brie blueberry ice cream, which in self sounds good, when a man comes to town. He is murdered with a container of Charlotte's signature ice cream. They have to find out who he is and why he was murdered. Lots of fun.
December 29, 2016
Cheese shop owner Charlotte Bessette is helping to finalize plans for her friend's and cousin's wedding when a stranger turns up dead in the local ice cream shop, his head bashed in with a container of ice cream. But the dead man turns out to be more than he seems and may threaten Charlotte's own chance of happiness. I really like the "Cheese Shop" cozy mystery series. Good mysteries, an interesting romance and this book had a great cliffhanger that made me want to read the next one right away!
September 5, 2019
I was bored. There has been no character growth, just greater character annoyance. I am ready to slap Rebecca Zook, the former Amish woman who has now completely embraced the world. It is amazing she and Charlotte haven't gotten themselves killed yet. And if Sylvie refers to her twins as her girly-girls one more time, I might scream. If I were the twins, I would scream. At least one is not a girly girl. I don't mind that all of the characters have secret pasts because we are all hiding something in our lives but Providence, OH is not a large city. Aames is treating it like it is the place to go if you need to hide out between witness protection, abused wives escaping abusers, famous directors escaping fans etc. the town is getting too big for itself. It may be a tourist destination but...There are others in the series and I am likely to read at least the next one but if I feel the same way about it as I did about this one, it may be the last one I read.
April 29, 2023
This book wasn’t as good as the previous books in the series. I remember from book 3 that Meredith and Matthew were getting married, but I don’t remember that Charlotte and Jordan got engaged. I thought they were still dating.
When I read that they were engaged, it surprised me because I didn’t remember this happening in the previous book. The story was ok but nothing exceptional. I still plan on finishing the series.
When I read that they were engaged, it surprised me because I didn’t remember this happening in the previous book. The story was ok but nothing exceptional. I still plan on finishing the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
Charlotte’s grandmother is staging a production of Hamlet to be performed in the city park. Her cousin Matt is getting married, the local winery is hosting the “Stomp the grapes� run. Seems like an idyllic time in small town Ohio, until a mobster Todd to her fiancé’s sister is clobbered to death with a 5-gallon container of Charlotte’s blueberry Brie ice cream.
February 20, 2024
This is a older cozy series from early 2000's years I am re reading and enjoying it again as much as the first time. If you love cheese and foodie stories you will adore this cozy series. I wish it had continued as its hard to find online and in stores now but definitly worth carrying in your cozy library
October 3, 2021
I love this series!
Beyond being an avid cheese lover and loving learning tidbits through this book, this book/series has all the winning elements. This murder was especially imaginative and different!
Beyond being an avid cheese lover and loving learning tidbits through this book, this book/series has all the winning elements. This murder was especially imaginative and different!
October 29, 2023
This was a pretty good book in this series. It was great that everyone was busy getting things ready for the wedding so they weren't totally consumed with who was the murderer. And then that ending! I wonder where I can get a copy of the next book in the series...
October 30, 2023
This was my first Avery Aames book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Charlotte is owner of a cheese shop. Jordan is her fiance.
Charlotte needs to solve a murder before it ruins her cousin and best friend's wedding. Will she become the next victim?
Charlotte is owner of a cheese shop. Jordan is her fiance.
Charlotte needs to solve a murder before it ruins her cousin and best friend's wedding. Will she become the next victim?
September 25, 2024
Another dud in a disappointing series. If the author was going for a Joanne Fluke-formula book series, they forgot to make the characters likable and consistent.
Also, Charlotte deserves jail time for the amount of time she talks publicly about her fiancé’s status in witness protection.
Also, Charlotte deserves jail time for the amount of time she talks publicly about her fiancé’s status in witness protection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2017
Loved it!!
June 2, 2018
Another fun Cheese Shop mystery.
December 4, 2018
Fun read. Shakespeare in the Park and a wedding.
January 24, 2019
Great series!
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