ARC Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Fondue or Die
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries (Book 5)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 22, 2024)

Description: 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. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who.

My Thoughts: The fifth Cheese Shop mystery takes place at Dairy Days which is held over the Labor Day weekend. Willa Bauer and her crew are manning a booth where they are selling taster boxes of their various cheeses. 

However, her staff has other responsibilities at the festival too. Mrs. Shultz is busy assisting with the pageant to crown the next Miss Dairy and award a $15,000 scholarship. Mrs. Schultz's job gets more difficult when someone murders Nadine who is in charge of the pageant. With the police deciding to cover up the murder investigation so as not to blight the festival, it is up to Willa and her friends to track down the killer. 

This was another fun episode in this cozy series. I enjoyed reading the recipes at the back too. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.