Death and Fromage - Ian Moore

Death and Fromage by Ian Moore is the second book of four, set in the imaginary Follet Valley in France.

I hadn't read the first book, but easily caught up as to who was who. Brit Richard Ainsworth runs a B and B in Follet Valley and likes his routines. He also likes his customers - especially Valérie. They have 'worked' together on a previous 'case'. And it looks like they've got another whodunit to look into.

 

It starts with a food critic and 'a bland imposter' - vegan goat cheese! The nerve. Then comes the death by suicide of the goat cheese supplier.  And that sets the tone for the rest of the book. Moore skewers Michelin ratings, foodies, chefs and more in Death and Fromage - especially cheese. 

Moore's dialogue is full of gems. Mostly from Richard. Veronica as well, but her's is a little sharper. The two of them make for wonderful amateur detectives. Veronica has an edge as she is also bounty hunter. Of course! The town is full with wonderfully quirky supporting characters. Again - lots of comedic situations and dialogue. 

I adore cosy mysteries and this is a perfect choice. I'd be happy to read the other books in this series.

Twenty-Seven Minutes - Ashley Tate

Twenty-Seven Minutes is Ashley Tate's debut novel.

From the prologue: "...if an ambulance had been called right away she would have survived...but the ambulance was called too late - twenty-seven minutes too late."

Between the cover picture and that bit from the prologue above I was expecting a suspense/mystery book. There are a number of questions and actions that need to be discovered and addressed. That somewhat filled the mystery expectation.

But, the delivery of the book is much slower than I had imagined it to be. The past and present is viewed and seen through the eyes of the four main characters. Everyone of them is hiding something. I had thought I would have empathy for at least one of them, but I didn't. 

The small town they all live in is gray, wounded and ugly. That goes for the supporting characters as well. Mean spirited, insular and stuck in the path they've chosen.

This book was a very slow burn for me. I found that that the plotting was far too slow and repetitive for me. Some of the issues from the opening pages have yet to be resolved by the last chapters. Unfortunately I'd lost interest by the time I turned the last page. 

Others quite liked this book so I encourage you to check out the reviews on Goodreads.

See for yourself - read an excerpt of Twenty-seven Minutes.

And There He Kept Her - Joshua Moehling

And There He Kept Her is Joshua Moehling's debut novel.

Moehling kicks off his tale with a 'grab you by the throat' opening prologue. Two small town Minnesota teens break into the house of a old man. We're not quite sure what they're after, but things definitely don't go as planned....

We then meet new on the job, Acting Sherriff, Ben Packard. He's got ties to the town and his own secrets that he keeps close to his chest. I quite liked Ben as a lead character. He's smart and more than capable. Moehling has given him an interesting personal life as well. The supporting cast gives us a very competent woman deputy and another deputy not so on the ball. The residents of Sandy Cove are eclectic. And truthfully, it's not a town I would want to live in. 

Moehling has penned a dark, gritty tale. From the publisher: "They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong." There's lots of ways for the book to unfold from that initial premise. As readers, we know what's happened in the basement, even as Ben tries to piece things together. Having the advantage of the two narratives definitely ramps up the tension. (Gentle readers - this one may not be the book for you.) 

There's a satisfying ending to And There He Kept Her. But, there's also a door left open for an unanswered question from the past. So, it sounds like there will be another book with Ben Packard - one I would happily pick up. See for yourself - read an excerpt of And There He Kept Her.