Willa Bauer opened a cheese specialty shop after a trip to France, and her business, Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, enjoys the tourism of the Sonoma Valley as well as local customs. In BAIT AND SWISS an old personal grudge returns to mess up her life and business prospects.

While enjoying the second anniversary of her shop opening, Willa learns that her ex-fiancé Pearce and his business and romantic partner, Riley, who was previously Willa’s best friend, are in town. They are opening a chocolate shop across the street as part of the renovated bakery belonging to Hope, who is specialising in cakes now. The bread baker Claude is not happy at losing his job, but worse is to follow.

Yes, worse. I’ve now read several cosy mysteries about shops featuring a similar business opening up on the same street, but one would think there is no loss of custom for a cheese shop if a chocolate shop opens. The tourists attend for free samples of rum-laced liqueurs, and Willa obliges the newcomers by carrying a box of the samples to the newspaper office. Here she leaves it for the editor. But, it turns out these were probably poisoned chocolates, eaten not by the somewhat paranoid newspaper editor, A.J., but gluttonously devoured by the brash new reporter, Kevin Wallace. He might have survived one, but not half a dozen. Suspicion falls on several folks, including Willa who didn’t even know the man, because maybe someone was trying to kill A.J. 

This sixth book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series features a lot less cheese than usual, because obviously with toxic food in town, everyone stops buying. People still need to eat, and Willa and her staff, the recurring characters Baz, Archie, and Mrs. Schultz, enjoy the shop fare.

Be prepared for the puzzling tale to concentrate on a small cast, because the town shopkeepers and newspaper are mainly involved. The tourists this time are window-dressing. Willa is still trying to process her feelings about her former friends and their betrayal, but they get to put their case to her which is an admirable move. The author Korina Moss seems to use BAIT AND SWISS to impart a lesson about eating too much rich chocolate at once. And I did learn that I really did. But then she provided a delectable recipe at the end for a three-layer individual cup cheesecake. This recipe includes chocolate. Don’t say you weren’t warned.