Case of The Bleus is another enjoyable mystery featuring Willa Bauer and her Curds & Whey cheese shop, set in a small town in California. This time, the mystery involves trying to find out where Max, Willa’s former employer and mentor, hid his rare/custom blue cheese, called Church Bleu, after the cheese shop he owned, which occupied a former church. Church Bleu won several prizes over the years and no one knows how Max made the cheese, where he made it and where he aged it. Now that he’s died, his cheese shop employees as well as his formerly-estranged daughter, are all on the hunt for this mysterious and valuable cheese. Sounds a bit loony, but the author made it all very believable. All these people are in Yarrow Glen for the Northwest Cheese Society Invitational, when Willa receives a mysterious letter from Max, via his lawyer, with a riddle, for Willa to solve, even though she’s not mentioned in his will. In addition to the puzzle of the blue cheese, there’s a murder to be solved.

This series features fun regulars like Mrs. Schultz and Archie who work at Curds & Whey, Willa’s neighbor and friend Baz, Roman who makes mead, and Heath, the local detective, who may or may not become a love interest for Willa. The small town vibe is delightful.

I guarantee you will hungry for cheese after reading this book, even if blue cheese isn’t your favorite. (There are a few recipes at the end of the book too.)

Although this is the fourth in a series, I think this would work fine as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of Case of the Bleus! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was in such a bad reading slump until I started Case of the Bleus. I should have known that the latest installment in the Cheese Shop Mystery series would fix it!

I fell in love with this series after reading Gone for Gouda (the second book) so it will always be my favorite. However, Case of the Bleus definitely rivals it! Not only is this a murder mystery, but there is also a puzzle aspect to it as well. I had so much fun reading this one and I already pre-ordered the next mystery Fondue or Die set to come out in October!

Everyone wants to know where the recipe, and the most popular bleu cheese is made. Whwn the inventor of this cheese dies, there are many people involved in looking for it.. They show up for a popular cheese convention, the will is read and the trouble begins. This is a great cozy mystery and I look forward to reading more of these chees shop mysteries.

I found this book to be a bit boring. It was probably just me, but I lost interest about 2/3 way through. I did finish the book. The ending was somewhat predictable, but the reasoning was interesting. The language was clean and the reader did learn some about the world of cheese making. I thought it interesting that a small town could support two specialty cheese shops.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I’m a cheese lover so the fact that this book centers around a missing cheese recipe is fabulous. This is my first book in the series so I liked that I could pick it up and not felt lost. I enjoyed the characters and way the mystery unfolds. I’ll definitely read this series both backlist and future books.

Sonoma Valley is the location of the Northwest Cheese Invitational. Willa Bauer, owner of Curds and Whey cheese shop, is in her element, tasting custom cheeses, reuniting with old friends, and sadly, remembering her mentor who died in a car accident recently. Max is the creator of Church Bleu, a uniquely flavored bleu cheese. His recipe and the location where the cheese is aged are tightly guarded secrets.

Everyone is sure those secrets will be revealed as part of his estate and they’re sure who will inherit the recipe. No one is more surprised than she is when the recipe isn’t revealed. There’s just a clue they’ll have to decipher if they want the recipe.

When the cheesemaker most likely to inherit dies too, Willa knows the killing must stop. She loves cheese as much or more than most people, but to kill for it? She’ll have to figure out the clue to stop the killing but can she do it before another cheese lover is singing the bleus?

This is book four in the series, all reviewed in KRL. Willa owns the cheese shop but couldn’t manage without Mrs. Schultz and Archie, her friends and employees. Both love a good mystery, are fun to be around, and are as much help solving murders as they are in explaining which bleu cheese to choose for a recipe or appetizer. With a mead maker across the street, readers will wish they could camp out in the store for a whole day, maybe two! The descriptions of varieties of cheeses and how best to eat them are scattered throughout the book, never getting in the way of the murder plot. The book is a thoroughly enjoyable tale.

At the back of the book, Mrs. Schultz shares a recipe for a ham and bleu cheese tart, gorgonzola garlic bread, and cool and creamy dolce dip—dolce being gorgonzola bleu cheese.

Everyone is after the secrets behind Church Bleu, a legendary cheese created by Willa's former employer, Max Dumas. Instead of leaving the recipe in his will, Max teases them with an enigmatic clue that infuriates his daughter and employees, who all think they should have been trusted with the instructions. At first I thought the solution to this one was obvious, but it got a lot more complicated than I expected and the ending is absolutely perfect.

When well-known cheesemonger Max Dumas passes away, rivalries for ownership of his cheese shop abound. In addition, several individuals race to discover the secret of his famous Church Bleu cheese. These rivalries come to a breaking point when the individuals involved all attend an invitational cheese conference at Yarrow Glen, home of Willa's Curds and Whey cheese shop. Willa becomes unwillingly involved in a dangerous game of competition. In addition to the mystery, the story contains a romantic aspect as a secondary thread.

I liked the characters in this novel, although the plot seemed slow-moving at times. I also liked the literary tie-ins and the clues to the cheese secret. However, I found the ending just fell flat. It seemed like a lot of deception and running around for something that could have been solved much more easily. Readers will certainly learn about cheese, and there are recipes at the end. Although this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Willa Bauer owns Curds and Whey, a cheese shop. She loves all things cheese and is excited when a the Northwest Cheese Invitational comes to Yarrow Glen. But bad things soon start to happen. Her old boss and mentor has passed away and her former co-workers are in town for the event. They are also going to attend the reading of their bosses will. They expect to have a very prized cheese recipe given to one of them. But when this doesn't happen, they are left with clues. When one of them is killed from an allergic reaction to honey, Willa feels sad and wants to find the killer. Especially when her friend Roman is accused of mixing up Mead that is made with honey with Wine. Fun cozy with lots of red herrings. The writing style is easy-to-read and the story is engaging.

It’s time for the Northwest Cheese Invitational in the Sonoma Valley and owner of the local cheese shop, Curds and Whey, Willa Bauer is pleased to have it in her local community. Cheesemongers from all over the northwest are in town and Willa is in her element and is looking forward to connecting with old friends and former colleagues!

During the Invitational, her late boss Max Dumas is to be honored for his custom cheese creation Church Bleu. Max kept his recipe and the location he aged the cheese a secret and everyone expects the secret to be passed to someone named at the reading of his will. But Max’s will only provides a clue! And then the cheesemonger expected to be the recipient of the Church Bleu recipe dies under suspicious circumstances. There is no shortage of suspects who’d be willing to kill for Max’s secrets.

There’s a large cast of characters with plenty of idiosyncrasies, and Willa is a very likeable main character. As the mystery unfolds, it does seem to take its time. But I did enjoy the solving of Max’s puzzle and the team effort to solve the mysteries.

Maybe because I’m jumping in mid-series, it took me several chapters to feel a part of the cheese group, but being a cheese lover, I’ll probably be back for more!

When the recipe for a famous and award winning bleu cheese goes missing, it's up to Curds & Whey shop owner Willa Bauer to solve a mystery and murder that may be her last!

Twists, turns, red herrings- this book has it all! I enjoyed "meeting" the character of Willa Bauer for the first time and found it easy to catch up with the other characters. While the book has a "keep you guessing" mystery, I enjoyed all of the characters and the way the author makes them "come alive" I believe the best cozies have strong supporting as well as main characters and this book did not disappoint!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own

This is a cute quick read about a woman who opens her own cheese shop and her predecessor Max dies. He has a secret recipe for how to make his famous blue cheese that everyone wants. Everyone is determined to get their hands on it but does that include murder?

Case of the Bleus is the latest installment of A Cheese Shop Mystery. This series follows Willa Bauer and her shop "Curds and Whey." in the small town in the Sonoma Valley. This book is set around a cheese festival in which a very famous blue cheese will be featured for the last time after it's creator has passed away. Max Dumas created the cheese and was also Willa's mentor in the industry. His will is being read during the festival and his current employees/family hope to inherit his shop and the secrets of his famous blue cheese.
The information about the cheese is not revealed, instead only a cryptic clue about where to find it and that gets everyone on edge. One of the employees is even killed and Willa needs to decipher the clues before more troubles happen.
There's romance along the way and the discovery of the big secret was not what I suspected. Another great cozy form this series!

I grow to love this series a little bit more with each book. Willa and her friends help solve another murder while trying to safe themselves. There are some unexpected developments on the personal front between Willa and Detective Heath and I can’t wait to see how that moves forward in the next book. And of course there are so many references to cheese and cheesy dishes that my mouth watered the whole time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I love a good cozy mystery book on food. This one is no exception. The characters are engaging and the plot is fun. I love the recipes in this book too. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to read and review.

What can I possibly say about how much I adored Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss that won't come across as incredibly CHEESY?

It was layered and complex like one of the cheeses Willa would serve in her shop - a mystery within a mystery within a mystery!

I love #TeamCheese - Willa and her inner circle are endlessly delightful! The town is fun and charming. And the suspects are all twisty and multi-dimensional. And the payoff in the end? *chef's kiss* Or, should I say *cheesemonger's kiss*?

I had a delightful time going back to hang out with Willa and her crew! The cheese shop folks continue to be a ton of fun to spend time with and I enjoy how the relationships have grown. As far as Willa’s romantic life, that subplot is somewhat falling flat for me. Hopefully some of that gets resolved soon. I thought bringing in Willa’s old colleagues was a smart move - it brought a fresh perspective to the character and some intense cheese nerdiness. The mystery itself was fun and I loved the ending.

Case of the Bleus offered up a delightful charcuterie platter of motives, suspects and clues. I enjoyed the indulgent glimpse into a cheese shop and the secrets behind creating the perfect recipe for blue cheese. I wish the one important cheese-related subplot had been a little more resolved in the end, especially after following the trail of cryptic clues. But, all in all, this was a page-turning cozy mystery, the likes of comfort food on a rainy day!

I love cheese so a title like "Case of the Bleus: A Cheese Shop Mystery" was an instant attraction for me. The story centers around Willa Bauer and her shop "Curds and Whey." in the small town of Yarrow Glen in the Sonoma Valley. The Northwest Cheese Invitational has cheese mongers gathering from all over the area. Willa is excited to see her old friends from Max Dumas's cheese shop, where she learned everything she needed to know to open her own shop. Max was famous for his Church Bleu - his own custom made bleu cheese. Sadly Max died recently in a car accident so his employees are gathering at the Invitational to honor him one last time and meet for the reading of Max's will. They are hoping to inherit the recipe for Max's coveted cheese. Mysteries abound and one of Willa's friends and Max's favorite employee dies in a seemingly innocent event at a picnic. It is up to Willa and friends to discover who murdered the girl, and find the recipe for the cheese. Of course there are small fires to put out along the way including Willa's romantic dilemma - should she go back with her old boyfriend or pursue the attraction she feels for Yarrow Glenn's Detective Heath. I loved learning more about cheese and the recipes that Moss includes at the end of the book look delicious!! This is the fourth book in the series, I'm eager to read the first three. It was well-plotted, well-written and fun to read. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy Case of the Bleus. I appreciate the chance to read the ARC.

Case of the Blues is the 4th book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series by Korina Moss. This is a highly popular series for good reason. It’s got fantastic characters whom you can’t help but like and care about. They are unique, quirky, diverse and so much fun! Their on-going stories are compelling and the double mystery in this story is engaging, filled with twists, turns and suspense.

This story centers around a cheese festival that is coming to town and in honor of Willa’s former employer and his winning bleu cheese. Willa is eager to reunite with her past friends and coworkers, but tensions seem to be running high amongst them, and a sense of impending doom looms large. This is a highly entertaining addition to the series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!