Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

When the director of the Miss Dairy pageant turns up dead, cheesemonger Willa Bauer takes on the case to clear the name of one of her Curds and Whey cheese shop employees suspected of the murder.

It’s Dairy Days in Lockwood. The festival is a Sonoma Valley tradition, and cheesemonger Willa Bauer is setting up a booth with her Cheese and Whey employees. Held over Labor Day weekend, the highlight of the festival is the Miss Dairy pageant. Nadine Hockenbaum is the pageant’s director. She’s run the pageant for years with a drill sergeant’s discipline. Her attitude hasn’t made her many friends, but it may well have made her enemies. Willa discovers Nadine’s body underneath a pile of books, broken stoneware jugs, and a toppled shelving unit.
Suspects are plenty. Pageant mothers. Angry former pageant judges. A chief of police dragging his feet with the investigation makes Willa’s suspect list. Willa knows for sure who didn’t do it, and that is her employee Mrs. Schultz. As Willa proceeds in her investigation, she begins to uncover secrets from the past involving a long-ago disappearance of a child. Is the long-ago case tied to the murder? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, someone is determined to stop Willa from uncovering the truth.
I enjoyed reading Fondue or Die. The writing and the mystery kept me engaged throughout the book. The characters are clearly supportive of one another. Another plus for me is the multi-generational makeup of this close-knit group. Fondue or Die – 4/5 stars.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of Fondue or Die! All opinions in this review are my own.

It is no secret that The Cheese Shop Mysteries are one of my favorite cozy mystery series! I love the characters and how well paced the mysteries are. I like that the author introduces the mystery early on in the book so the rest of it can be about finding clues, interviewing suspects, and solving it!

Fondue or Die is another excellent edition in the series! I think my favorite part about this one was the setting. Fondue or Die takes place during a festival called Dairy Days and the food offered there sounds incredible! Not only does Willa create themed grazing boxes that sound amazing, but at one point, it is also mentioned that there is a stand selling macaroni and cheese in a garlic naan. I would definitely enjoy my time there!

I LOVED IT! 50 billion million stars... Oh my goodness.. first of all the setting... a dairy festival with cow chip bingo! LOVE!
Like every single book in this series, Korina Moss has made me fall deeper and deeper in love with Team Cheese. I don't know how it's possible, but here we are. I was going to take my time with this one because I didn't want to rush and wanted to savor, but I could not stop reading it!
The story takes place in a neighboring town, so Detective Heath was able to be a civilian and that left he and Willa to be on the same playing field. Mrs. Schultz was being her sassy self and helping out the pageant. Archie was being the kind and helpful young man he always is and Baz being the best friend everyone needs. Loretta, being the queen she is as well. I also love the addition of the milk carton.. if you know you know. I can't really say much more because I don't want to spoiler it, but this one was amazing, you can't get any cheddar. (see what I did there?) I will say the twist ending is one of my favorite kinds... you will have to read it to get what I mean. Now all the waiting for #6... curses... Go Team Cheese!!

I love a good cozy mystery, and this was no exception. The characters and plot were fun and look forward to more from this author.

Willa and Team Cheese are hosting a booth at Dairy Days in a neighboring town. Mrs. Schultz is helping with the beauty pageant. When the woman in charge of the pageant is killed and the local police seem to be lacking in their investigation, Willa calls on Heath to help. A twisty story with plenty of ref herrings to keep you guessing, you won't want to put this book down until you can discover the whole story. Well plotted and great characters keep you entertained throughout the book. New characters are introduced to provide more range for this group of friends. Loved the ending and look forward to what happens next! Great, easy recipes are also included at the end of the book. A good read!

Of all the books in this series, this one was not quite the best. The writing is still good, but the plotting is not quite there. By the end of the book, I couldn't understand how many people and times they went in and out of the historical museum without the doors locked or anyone working there. The timing of the killing was so close to be questionable. I had a hard time at the beginning getting into the book and figureing out who and what was going on. Some of the clues are so obvious that you can't miss them. The ending wrap up was stretching things IMO.

"Fondue or Die (Cheese Shop Mystery #5)" by Korina Moss is set at a cheese and dairy festival in a neighboring town over Labor Day weekend. This means that Willa and crew aren't in their usual territory for some sleuthing and even get a little help from their regular detective friend, since it's not his jurisdiction.

The mystery starts off around the death of the Dairy Princess Pageant's main coordinator. Then several cold cases seem to pop up. Are they connected or just a red herring? Things start getting complicated and Willa isn't sure who to trust with what.

This one sticks well to the fondue theme. Lots of cheese ideas too. It all sounds so good and exactly like things I really shouldn't have with my health issues. Some yummy recipes at the for what gets mentioned earlier in the book.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Moss's Cheese Mystery series is one of my favorites, and this newest release is a solid addition to the series. This book stands well on its own, too, so don't be dissuaded from picking it up just because you haven't read the previous books! (But do so eventually. They are fun!)

Willa Bauer and the rest of "Team Cheese" are working at Dairy Days, an annual festival in a nearby Sonoma Valley town. Drama is swirling around the Dairy Pageant event, where teenage girls compete for a $15,000 scholarship. The pageant head, Nadine, is in a motorized wheelchair after an accident on stage, but continues to rule with an iron fist as mothers squabble and tension builds. When Willa finds Nadine dead under suspicious circumstances, she's appalled that the local law enforcement wants to temporarily squelch the investigation for the sake of the festival. Willa feels compelled to investigate--and she manages to rope in her off-and-on-again beau Heath as well.

I love when a mystery keeps me guessing until the end, and this one did just that. So many twists and turns! A festival makes such a good backdrop for a murder mystery. Of course, cheese is mentioned often throughout the book, and Moss highlighted some excellent ones.

This is my first time reading anything from this author and for the most part I enjoyed the book. I know I am coming in at the latest book and normally I can catch up pretty quickly with who everyone is and what their role is. I had a harder time doing that with this book. There were almost too many characters and I found myself a bit overwhelmed with trying to remember who everyone was and why they were included in the plot.

I enjoyed the fact that technically there is more than one mystery in this book, so that was a very nice surprise. The writing is smooth and easy to follow. The world building was nice too, I had no trouble envisioning the fair atmosphere and surroundings.

I enjoyed the story though and once I finally caught on with everyone, I had an easier time relaxing into the story. I think this series would be easier understood if the reader reads the previous books before the latest one. Other than that, I really did enjoy the mysteries and Willa. The cheese facts were interesting too.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Karina Moss for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

Another wonderful cozy mystery from Korina Moss. This is a fun series, with great characters. This book has Willa and Team Cheese actually teaming up with Heath to solve not one but two crimes, which end up being intertwined. Lots of action, laughs, a sprinkle of romance, and delicious cheese recipes. Recommend to all cozy mystery lovers, this series/book will not disappoint.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have always enjoyed this series, I absolutely am a big fan of cheese, and this series educates and expands our knowledge as well as always making me hungry. What makes me happy after reading our latest cheesy adventure is that Willa grows and gets a little wiser in each new adventure. Our whole cast of characters is involved in Dairy Days, a big event in the town next door. Willa and Archie are setting up a booth to sell cheesy snack boxes, with Baz' help hauling cheese coolers and helping with booth maintenance, Mrs S is helping with costumes for the Miss Dairy Pageant and everyone is looking forward to something a little fun and different. Everything is going famously until the director of the Dairy Day Pageant is found dead in the on site Museum, unfortunately Willa finds the body and is immediately convinced that this was not an accident. When the local police decide to keep everything low-key until after the Festival, Willa is afraid a killer is about to escape. Fortunately, she involves her friend Heath, who, although out of his jurisdiction, also has a few concerns! This is a very twisty mystery with lots of offshoots to keep us maneuvering and turning in many different directions to try and figure things out. This is a very interesting mystery with a cast of characters that has become one of my favorites. Thanks to #Netgally, #StMartinsPress, and the author for a chance to read. #FondueorDie #KorinaMoss #CheeseShopMysteries #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Culinary Cozy Mystery that features a California cheese shop owner as she investigates the murder of the Labor Day Dairy Days festival's pageant runner after fingers point at one of her employees.

5/5 stars: Moss is a favorite author and doesn't disappoint with this fifth entry in the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which is a Culinary Cozy Mystery that takes place is Sonoma County, California and features a cheesemonger and cheese shop owner who turns sleuth after the neighboring town's Labor Day festival Dairy Days' pageant runner dies in a supposed accident and fingers start pointing at one of her employees for the crime's culprit. Moss has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Moss's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's a joy to catch back up with Willa, her friends and cheese shop, Curds & Whey, employees and the charming folks of Yarrow Glen. Especially the other members of Team Cheese: Baz, Archie and Mrs Shultz. Plus it's great to see Willa and Detective Heath finally getting to a place where might be able to go on a date. As ever I'm charmed by Willa's betta fish, Loretta, and her love for the awesome Ted Allen. And you won't want to miss all of the fall flavors featured in the very cheesy and yummy recipes included. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Cheddar Off Dead. A great read, highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

The neighboring town is hosting Dairy Days and Willa’s cheese shop, Curds and Whey, has a booth to sell their cheese. Part of the Dairy Days is the Miss Dairy pageant, run by Nadine. Nadine tells everyone she will be making an announcement later and then Willa finds her crushed under a heavy bookshelf in the museum on the grounds. With a sheriff downplaying the probably murder, crooked pageant judges, and pageant moms, there are lots of red herrings.
Being a cheese lover, the descriptions of cheese sound amazing. The characters are varied and fun, and the mystery kept me guessing. This is a fun cozy mystery in a small town setting.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

In FONDUE OR DIE Willa Bauer and the rest of her Team Cheese crew are at Dairy Days, the annual three-day Labor Day weekend festival held in Lockwood. They have a booth to support Willa’s cheese shop, Curds and Whey. Nadine, the director of the festival’s Miss Dairy pageant, is found dead. Was Nadine’s death an accident or was she murdered? Willa intends to find out.

It feels good to return to Willa’s world with her Team Cheese employees from the Curds and Whey cheese shop—Archie, Baz, and Mrs. Schultz. I like the occasional inclusion of words of wisdom from Nancy Fuller, who has a real television cooking show. I also like that Willa’s phone ring tone is “Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese.” The characters are interesting and the plot is well-structured. Although I didn’t solve the mystery, I appreciate the way Korina Moss ties up all the loose ends during the story’s resolution. I look forward to reading future books in the series and finding out what develops between Willa and Detective Heath. This book is a fun read, especially if you love cheese. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of FONDUE OR DIE.

Good series and a good read. I would highly recommend this book. There is a murder mystery...Archie and Wiĺla find the body under a shelf.

The fifth Cheese Shop mystery takes place at Dairy Days which is held over the Labor Day weekend. Willa Bauer and her crew are manning a booth where they are selling taster boxes of their various cheeses.

However, her staff has other responsibilities at the festival too. Mrs. Shultz is busy assisting with the pageant to crown the next Miss Dairy and award a $15,000 scholarship. Mrs. Schultz's job gets more difficult when someone murders Nadine who is in charge of the pageant. With the police deciding to cover up the murder investigation so as not to blight the festival, it is up to Willa and her friends to track down the killer.

This was another fun episode in this cozy series. I enjoyed reading the recipes at the back too.

small-town, small-business, California, cheese-lore, cheesemaker, cozy-mystery, friendship, friends, friction, series, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-legends, recipes, amateur-sleuth, fair, pageant, secrets, suspense, suspicion, missing-persons, situational-humor, verbal-humor, confrontation, helicopter-parent, murder, investigations, jealousies, rivalry, lies*****


Not an unbiased review as I love this series and am a Cheesehead.
Time for the annual Dairy Days Fair in the neighboring town and the pageant whose prize is a college scholarship. Willa Bauer is the owner/operator of the local cheese shop and has already been instrumental in solving a murder case or four in her own town. This time Willa not only finds the body of the pageant organizer but seems to be the only one (including the town police chief) to find it obvious that the death was orchestrated and NOT an accident. It's an uphill battle to make others aware without alerting the ever-present press or alarming the woman's relative to much (or distressing the tourists). Together with a few friends she manages to solve this tangled mess without getting herself killed in the process. Another winner!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from the St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley. Thank you!
#CheeseShopMysteriesBk5 Avail Oct 22, 2024

A delicious twist of mayhem and murder, with a twist of romance.

Willa and her friends and workers from her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, are helping out at the annual Dairy Days festival in the neighboring town. Then, something goes horribly wrong. Nadine, the festival's organizer of the Miss Dairy Pageant is killed. Was it an accident or murder? Willa and Archie are the ones who discovered the body, however, and despite the local police chief's determination that it's an accident, Willa isn't convinced. While rattled, she'd still noticed several clues that pointed towards murder. She also isn't shy about letting the Police Chief Womack know. And, this is where the story takes off.

I won't detail the plot, see the blurb, but there are quite a few things going on here. Some obviously related. Some not. As is noted in the story, you just never know what is going on in people's lives to cause them to act as they do. Nevertheless, it's great fun to see Willa and friends pull together to try to solve this mystery or, for that matter, simply to convince the police in that jurisdiction to deem it a murder. Even Det. Heath, who seems to have been distancing himself from Willa (I've obviously missed a book in the series) makes an appearance. The murder didn't occur in his jurisdiction but, well, he didn't hesitate when Willa texted him that she needed his help. Ah, something's brewing and you don't have to be a sleuth to see that. Grin. In any case, in the process of the story, we get some cute costume scenes and, oh, my, can these people eat. Make sure you don't miss the recipes, cheese related, at the end. Of course, that's natural given that cheese is Willa's comfort food as well as her livelihood.

Bottom line, a intriguing mystery that kept me unsure until the end, always a plus, with natural sounding dialogue and quite likable characters. The way they all interact, including Willa and Heath as they dance silently around their attraction for each other, is also realistic. Mrs. Schultz, despite her own part in the action, remains upbeat and a bit of a calm force in the group. The author does an excellent job weaving the various side-stories and clues together into a neatly wrapped whole by the end. Well, for all but the murderer. Thanks #StMartin'sPress for the sneak peek allowing me back into Willa's cheesy, sorry, couldn't resist, world. Now, I think I may have to go make myself a grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy, readers. It's a fun one.

Karina Moss continues to deliver an engaging cozy mystery in "Fondue or Die", book 5 in her Cheese Shop Mystery Series.

Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is joined by her loyal staff at Curds and Whey, her neighbor, and local detective in discovering the killer of the person in charge of the scholarship beauty pageant at the Dairy Days Festival in a neighboring town. With numerous suspects, the author keeps us guessing right to the end.

I really do love the Cheese Shop Mystery series. The store serves as a good basis for the plots and the characters but at heart these are just good, well developed mysteries.