In Korina Moss’s Fondue or Die, the lazy, hazy, dairy days of summer are coming to a close in the Sonoma Valley. . . and so is someone’s life. The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, 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 favorite 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.

Dru’s Short Musing:
Team Cheese is on the case when murder strikes a pose at a local pageant.

This was a well-written whodunit with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along. The mystery was nicely executed with a slew of potential suspects, and I enjoyed slicing through the clues. Love the inside knowledge of cheese. Love seeing Team Cheese getting into action looking for motive and opportunities and this time working alongside Detective Heath. Sidebar, love that Willa and Heath are connecting more on a personal level. It was touch and go with who I fingered as the killer, so it was enjoyable watching it all play out, even when the author changed directions. The pacing was on par with how well this tale was being told. This was a fun read that left a smile on my face at the conclusion, and one of the best books in this delectably appetizing series.

Series Name: Cheese Shop Mystery Book 5
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 22, 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.