“The excitement fizzed off Valérie like static electricity. If she’d been subdued and short-tempered the night before then that had only lasted until she received the news of Fabrice Ménard’s death. Put together with the vegan goat’s cheese scandal at the restaurant, she had immediately jumped to the conclusion of what used to be called foul play.”
“Death and Fromage”, by Ian Moore
I’m delighted to join the Blog Tour of “Death and Fromage“ by Ian Moore. Many thanks to Vic of Insta Book Tours, the publishers Farrago Books, and of course the author for organising the tour and gifting me a copy of the book.
The story:
Opening night at the restaurant of a celebrated chef ends in disaster, when a signature dish goes awry and a local cheese supplier dies in an apparent suicide.
Pulled into the thick of it against his better judgement, B&B proprietor Richard Ainsworth is once again in the company of the enigmatic Valérie d’Orçay, as they investigate the death — was it really suicide? Or could it be murder?
My thoughts:
This is the second book in the Follet Valley Mystery series, and although the story and characters pick up almost immediately after the end of the previous story (“Death and Croissants”), this would be just as enjoyable for readers joining the series for the first time.
Of course, we don’t believe for a moment that the unfortunate cheese supplier committed suicide, and the story romps along at a quick pace as Richard and Valérie attempt to find out what’s really going on.
The pair make a great double-act — he the epitome of self-deprecating British sarcasm, her a self-assured woman on a mission. But my favourite character is actually one who doesn’t speak at all — Valérie’s pampered and beloved chihuahua Passepartout, who exudes disdain for Richard at every turn and whose facial expression speak volumes.
I’m finding this series extremely enjoyable, and would recommend this as the perfect summer read for fans of mystery and cosy crime!
Pages: 309
Published: 7th July 2022
Rating: 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛/5
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