Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss

Available March 29, 2022

Willa Bauer has opened her dream cheese shop in the Sonoma Valley. She's got two wonderful employees, a great neighbor, and... a dead body in the alley.

Desperate to make a good impression on the town of Yarrow Glen, Willa sets out to prove her innocence. The only way to accomplish that is to find the killer, much to the chagrin of Detective Heath. Unfortunately for Willa, all the suspects are people she's come to know and quickly grown to care for.

Willa is a great main character, she's following her dream and making a place for herself in her new home. Mrs. Schultz and Archie are the perfect assistants, a retired schoolteacher and a recent high school graduate who have lots of connections in the community and who are enthusiastic about learning the ins and outs of the cheese trade. I also love Willa's apartment above the cheese shop, where she lives with her fish, Loretta.

The investigation takes us through downtown Yarrow Glen, introducing us to some interesting characters and a variety of local businesses. We also get to spend quite a bit of time with the very interesting Detective Heath, who was not exactly supportive of Willa's own investigation.

This was a very quick and fun read. The characters were all compelling in their own way and the investigation was interesting. There were a limited number of suspects and the clues added up for and against them throughout the book. A few times I thought I might know who the killer was but I was wrong each time. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.