Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Long Quiche Goodbye

The Long Quiche Goodbye

Avery Aames

3 out of 5

First of all, I didn't understand how the title actually went with the book that I read. The main locale is a cheese shop that also sells quiche. The title should have been more cheese related like - Goudas Dead, or something equally cheesy.

Nevertheless, back to the story - the murder of Ed Woodhouse happens on the night of the grand reopening of the Fromagerie Bessette, also known as the Cheese Shop, in the quiet town of Providence, Ohio, which is located close to Amish Country and geared to the tourist trade.

Ed is not well like, actually despised, since he has made it quite clear that he plans on selling off the buildings in town and the small business owners will either have to ante up the new rents or just close their doors.

Charlotte Bessette and her cousin, Matthew, have put too much time and effort into the shop that they have taken over from their grandparents. When Charlottes' seventy-two year old grandmother is found over the body of the ruthless man, all fingers atomically point to her as the killer. But Grandmere Bernadette is not the only one that would like to see this vile man dead, so with the help of the very entertaining Rebecca Zook, Charlotte sets out to find out what was really going on behind the closed doors of their community.

Unfortunately, Ms Aames did not give enough distinction in the voices of her many characters. Kristine, Tyanne, Freckles, Vivian, Delilah, etc (I actually had to look up those names) all came across as the same person to me. I hope in future books she can either limit her characters or do something to make individuals stand out more.

Overall, this is the usual paint by number cozy mystery. Other then Rebecca Zook's character, who seems to have seen every episode of CSI and Law and Order, the book felt a bit stagnant and at times I wonder if it was ever going to end. Good luck with future installments, but as for now, I do not think I will be revisiting Providence, Ohio.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Sorry you didn't like this one! I've actually heard really good things about this one and had my hopes up that it would be another good start to a new series.