As the residents of Providence, Ohio, prepare for a
production of Hamlet and
for a wedding involving two popular citizens, Charlotte
Bessette has her hands
full. Her grandmother is spearheading the Shakespearian
production, so
Charlotte is feeding the actors from the cheese shop, the
Fromagerie Bessette,
and she is also planning the menu for her best friend and
cousin's wedding.
In the meantime, she's been overseeing the production of her
new concoction
- a Brie blueberry ice cream, which she's been collaborating
on with a local ice
cream parlor.
Just a few days before the wedding, though, a body is
discovered in the Igloo
Ice Cream Parlor freezer. Grimly enough, it seems that his
death was caused
by a container of Charlotte's ice cream. At first glance
the man is just a
random stranger to the Providence residents, but the
investigation shows that
he actually has ties to two people close to Charlotte, who
have are relative
newcomers to Providence. Not only that, but he brought
someone with him
who remains a threat to those Charlotte holds dear.
Despite warnings from the police chief, Charlotte can't help
but investigate
things on her own. It doesn't help that she's egged on by
her friends,
especially her shop assistant Rebecca who copiously watches
every police
procedural on television and treats this case as if she's a
seasoned detective
scavenging for clues. Charlotte has her hands full running
her shop, prepping
for the wedding, and helping her grandmother with the show,
but she still
wants to protect her friends and family, so she pitches in
when she can.
This latest installment of The Cheese Shop Mystery
series was full of suspense
and humour, but those who are new to the series might be a
little confused as
they would not understand the history of Jordan (Charlotte's
fiance) and Jacky
(Jordan's sister), which plays a significant role in this
book. However, loyal
readers of the series will enjoy the way Rebecca's
character has developed, as
well as how Charlotte copes with her cousin's manipulative
ex-wife. Plotwise,
this book seemed a little darker than other books in the
series, but it was
apropos since Hamlet served as the backdrop. The mystery
was resolved
nicely as suspects and motives were winnowed down, and the
culprit was a
person who I least suspected.
Something that nagged at me, however, was that an
eyewitness' account was
discounted because of her height. It was pointed out
repeatedly by Charlotte
that the witness' statement that "a tall person" ran away
from the crime scene
should be ignored because the witness "is short." This is
completely
ludicrous. Every short person I know (myself included) can
still tell a fellow
short person from a tall person. This point should have
only come into play
after the culprit was caught and if the culprit wasn't tall.
I was also
disappointed in how the book ended; I suspect Avery Aames
meant for it to be
a cliff-hanger, but I feel the big pronouncement by Jordan
is something that
could be easily overcome by a committed couple. I enjoy the
character
development of this series and the plots, so I'll continue
to read them, but I
hope the next book is stronger than this one.
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, Jordan Pace, 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, the estranged husband of
Jordan's sister turns up dead in the Igloo Ice Cream
Parlor's freezer, his head bashed with a container of
Charlotte's signature ice cream. His death threatens
everything that Charlotte has been working toward, and she
has no choice but to add one more thing to her to–do
list: find the killer before he ruins the big day...
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