Reviews

Death and Fromage: The Hilarious New Murder Mystery from The Times Bestselling Author by Ian Moore

kenzieleckie_'s review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I actually really liked this one more than the first one! I found it so interesting to see the dynamics of family life for Richard and I really felt like Richard was more into this case than the first book. 

I definitely got more murder mystery vibes from this one too which I think is what kept me gripped and want to find out more. 

The only reason for not a higher rating is because there are so many characters to keep up with that it can be a struggle to keep up with and remember how everyone is connected to each other and how they are relevant to the case. 

yasmin15's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

zmg's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

valeris29's review against another edition

4.0

 

Fasten your seatbelt, Richard. It’s going to be a bumpy ride

Richard is at a crossroads in book 2 of the Follet Valley Mystery series. His (ex) wife, daughter and son-in-law are back and have made plans that should have been run by him but weren’t. Clare wants to reunite and has solicited a teaching position back in the UK for him. His unemployed son-in-law is eyeing the B&B at his next business venture and daughter Alicia is along for the ride. And of course the mysterious Valerie is back and dragging him into not one, but three, or is it four, murders. Now it’s up to him to decide what he wants. Is this his last case? A highly enjoyable outing is awaiting you, hens included! 

boitevide's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

joddleberry's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Funny and enjoyable cozy crime set in a French BnB. 

sashareadssss's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

piabrinkschulte's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

emm_clairee's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

dollycas's review against another edition

challenging

2.0

Dollycas's Thoughts

The French take their cheese very seriously and Richard Ainsworth takes his quiet life seriously too. When he becomes involved in a cheese scandal in the nearby town of Saint-Sauver and a local cheese supplier is murdered or was it suicide, he is not happy. Then his wife comes to town with some plans of her own. Richard just wants to relax and spend a little time with his chickens but the murders keep stacking up. Can he cheese out what the heck is going on and get back to his quiet life? or will the murders and mayhem continue?

___

I really enjoyed the 1st book in this series, Death and Croissants.  It was laugh-out-loud funny with crazy situations. But Death and Fromage missed the mark for me.

Femme fatale Valérie d'Orçay returns and pulls Richard into another strange case. Richard's wife, daughter, and son-in-law arrive for a visit in the middle of all the drama with some interesting plans to shake up Richard's life. Plus we are introduced to way too many people connected to the cheese world. Sadly, all the characters felt flat and like they were just going through the motions. No one stood out to get me engaged in the story. Genie and Martin, the unique couple that brought laughs in the last book when Richard met them added nothing to the story this time. Their proclivities are no longer surprising or humorous.

The mystery has multiple deaths in a small town but no one seems to be put out about them, it is all about the dreaded vegan cheese, male egos, other "investments", and someone who felt wronged. I feel this could have been an interesting mystery but the author kept trying to insert humor in the wrong places and he brought way too many characters into the story that weren't developed.

I do like the premise of Richard and his B&B in Val de Follet. I love that he loves old movies that he escapes to watch several times throughout the story and that he names his chickens after legendary ladies of Hollywood. He and Valerie working together has worked so it should be able to work again.

Death and Fromage was cheesy and not in a good way. I kept reading hoping that the qualities I enjoyed in the first book would appear, but sadly, they did not. In the last line of my review of Death and Croissants, I wrote "I don’t know how the author would top this story". He sure didn't do it in Death and Fromage. I know there are more books in this series so I hope this book was just a fluke.