Charlotte Bessette is preparing for the annual town's Winter Wonderland fair when an old friend of her mother visits with memories of when Charlotte was young and her parents death are brought up though they haven't talked much about it because the next thing Charlotte knows, Kaitlyn is found dead in Charlotte's assistant's cottage. Suspicion falls on the assistant's boyfriend, who has every motive to murder her, since if Kaitlyn would really develop a honeybee farm, then the boyfriend who is a farmer too, might lose everything. Charlotte who thinks he's innocent decides to investigate the matter herself. Disregarding the advice of the people who care for her, she ventures into a murder adventure, where she might be risking her own life just to save an innocent and bring justice to Kaitlyn.

This is the third book in The Cheese Shop series and I do wonder what other mysteries Charlotte has encountered. And I'll admit that I was lost with the sudden mass of characters. All of which apparently don'tneed to be introduced except for a newbie in this series like me. But soon enough, things started getting clearer in my head, and I'm good to go along with the story.

CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT has lots of unbelievable and crazy things happening for a small town. It made me laugh when Charlotte chased this guy, she doesn't even care if he has a weapon. She has him down, pinned at his wrist and then here comes the cop that did nothing but argue with her while she's on top of the supposed to be bad guy. What? He's a guy right, and he hasn't enough strength to remove her from his wrists even when she's busy talking to someone. And the cop should have helped her. Well, oh well.

I know I probably don't have the right to judge the characters, but Rebecca just got on my nerves. Who does she think she is, or rather who does she think Charlotte is, a powerful hero that could free her boyfriend from jail? Instead of being bossy, hysterical and demanding, she should have considered that Charlotte has things to do, most especially her love life. And oh, the story ends in a cliffhanger.

I think CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT is a good mystery, I actually didn't really guess right who the murderer is, not until the same time Charlotte realizes who the murder is.

The writing is good, the story flows smoothly, although I expect more action and plot development and not talking and internal conflict. There are the interesting suspects, tension, conflicts, a vivid description of winter, county fairs and country life.

I believe the author has great potential, this book isn't perfect, but it also has good attributes. CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT is a fast, clean read, has a good mystery coupled with love conflicts, drama, intrigue and murder. I would love to read more mystery from this author.

Book Summary

Charlotte Bessette—proprietor of Fromagerie Bessette, affectionately known in Providence, Ohio, as the Cheese Shop—is setting up her tent for the town's Winter Wonderland faire, where she'll offer fine wines and scrumptious cheeses. In the midst of the preparations, Charlotte meets an old friend of her mother, Kaitlyn Clydesdale, who has come back to Providence with plans to start a new honeybee farm.

When Kaitlyn is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte's assistant Rebecca, suspicion falls on Rebecca's boyfriend, a honeybee farmer himself. Charlotte knows this beekeeper wouldn't hurt a fly, so she decides to find the real killer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?

Read an Excerpt