As the residents of Providence, Ohio, prepare for a production of Hamlet and for a wedding involving two popular citizens, Charlotte Bessette has her hands full. Her grandmother is spearheading the Shakespearian production, so Charlotte is feeding the actors from the cheese shop, the Fromagerie Bessette, and she is also planning the menu for her best friend and cousin's wedding. In the meantime, she's been overseeing the production of her new concoction - a Brie blueberry ice cream, which she's been collaborating on with a local ice cream parlor.

Just a few days before the wedding, though, a body is discovered in the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor freezer. Grimly enough, it seems that his death was caused by a container of Charlotte's ice cream. At first glance the man is just a random stranger to the Providence residents, but the investigation shows that he actually has ties to two people close to Charlotte, who have are relative newcomers to Providence. Not only that, but he brought someone with him who remains a threat to those Charlotte holds dear.

Despite warnings from the police chief, Charlotte can't help but investigate things on her own. It doesn't help that she's egged on by her friends, especially her shop assistant Rebecca who copiously watches every police procedural on television and treats this case as if she's a seasoned detective scavenging for clues. Charlotte has her hands full running her shop, prepping for the wedding, and helping her grandmother with the show, but she still wants to protect her friends and family, so she pitches in when she can.

This latest installment of The Cheese Shop Mystery series was full of suspense and humour, but those who are new to the series might be a little confused as they would not understand the history of Jordan (Charlotte's fiance) and Jacky (Jordan's sister), which plays a significant role in this book. However, loyal readers of the series will enjoy the way Rebecca's character has developed, as well as how Charlotte copes with her cousin's manipulative ex-wife. Plotwise, this book seemed a little darker than other books in the series, but it was apropos since Hamlet served as the backdrop. The mystery was resolved nicely as suspects and motives were winnowed down, and the culprit was a person who I least suspected.

Something that nagged at me, however, was that an eyewitness' account was discounted because of her height. It was pointed out repeatedly by Charlotte that the witness' statement that "a tall person" ran away from the crime scene should be ignored because the witness "is short." This is completely ludicrous. Every short person I know (myself included) can still tell a fellow short person from a tall person. This point should have only come into play after the culprit was caught and if the culprit wasn't tall. I was also disappointed in how the book ended; I suspect Avery Aames meant for it to be a cliff-hanger, but I feel the big pronouncement by Jordan is something that could be easily overcome by a committed couple. I enjoy the character development of this series and the plots, so I'll continue to read them, but I hope the next book is stronger than this one.

Book Summary

Charlotte Bessette—owner of Fromagerie Bessette, known by locals as The Cheese Shop—has a lot on her plate: setting a date with her fiancé, Jordan Pace, feeding the actors in her grandmother's production of Hamlet, and planning the menu for her best friend and cousin's upcoming wedding. At least her new creation—sinfully delicious Brie blueberry ice cream—has turned out perfectly.

Just days before the wedding, the estranged husband of Jordan's sister turns up dead in the Igloo Ice Cream Parlor's freezer, his head bashed with a container of Charlotte's signature ice cream. His death threatens everything that Charlotte has been working toward, and she has no choice but to add one more thing to her to–do list: find the killer before he ruins the big day...