TITLE: Cheddar Luck Next Time
AUTHOR: Beth Cato
272 pages, Datura Books, ISBN 9781915523471 (softcover, e-book, audiobook)
MY RATING: Highly Recommended*
REVIEW: In Beth Cato’s Cheddar Luck Next Time, artisanal cheese board creator and event caterer Bird Nichols find herself embroiled in a murder investigation and possibly in danger of her life while trying to meet catering deadlines and establishing her business in a new location: the small Central California Coast town property she’s just inherited from her recently-deceased grandmother.
Her grandmother’s unexpected death is not the one under investigation, although Bird does question how a woman who was such a strong swimmer misread ocean conditions and drowned practically in her backyard. No, the murder investigation revolves around a local town ne’er-do-well whom Bird and her grandmother’s best friend were the last to see alive following an angry confrontation about his trespassing on Bird’s (formerly her grandmother’s) property.
This has all the makings of a cozy mystery: Bird is an accidental detective, the small town setting is almost a character in itself (quaint but with a bit of a dark side), replete with colorful locals including the local power broker, the victim’s family, a detective who brooks no interference from amateurs, and the owner of a local gourmet grilled cheese food truck. There’s also the almost requisite adorable pet (in this case, a chonky cat). I enjoy mysteries that keep me guessing as to whodunnit and whydunit but whose reveals do not come out of left field – and Cato’s mystery fits that bill. It’s entirely fair play; all the hints are there to be recognized after the fact but still managed to surprise me on my first read.
There is also a nice sort of thriller subtext to the book, as we learn more about Bird’s grandmother, who seems to have been the town’s Jessica Fletcher, getting involved in local mysteries (not all of them murders) but perhaps also in political intrigue both in town and out of it. Cato grants us just enough information, gleaned partly through Bird’s memories but more so through the eyes of the locals who knew her (and either loved her or were annoyed by her) for us to understand that she may not have been entirely what she seemed, or what Bird thought she was. Bird’s own recollections also show us how much her grandmother both supported her and influenced her.
Bird’s personality has been shaped by the accidental deaths of her parents and her grandmother (if a grandfather or another set of grandparents were mentioned, I’ve forgotten it) prior to the start of the book. But it is also significant that she, like the author, is autistic. Her autism is portrayed authentically and not at all as a detriment or hindrance to leading a full and productive life. I am a firm believer that representation in fiction matters. Having a main character whose autism is not played for laughs or just to provide a series character with “quirky charm” is so vital, a welcome break from the way autistic characters have been portrayed (especially as the leads on certain recent television shows). Bird is not just a collection of quirks that suddenly make her a great detective; she is a fully realized autistic adult who finds her way as an amateur detective.
She is surrounded by a group of colorful locals who get varying degrees of character development based largely on their roles related to the murder victim and investigation. I found myself wanting to know more about all of them.
And let’s not ignore the cheese! The author is a cheese lover and has infused her main character with that same love. The passages where Bird is just doing her job – creating cheese boards for birthday parties and weddings and baby showers and discussing cheese/wine pairings – are perfectly timed breaks from the on-going mystery and are just enough to make the reader’s mouth water and at the same time illustrate Bird’s hyper-focus.
Fair play mystery with thriller elements, a colorful cast, a cute cat, and delectable food descriptions surrounding a relatable main character … I really hope Cheddar Luck Next Time sells well enough to result in a series that continues for a long time!
Cheddar Luck Next Time may be Beth Cato’s first mystery but it’s not her first novel. I’ve previously reviewed her Chefs of the Five Gods fantasy duology and her Blood of Earth alternate history/fantasy trilogy.
*I have moved away from a star-based rating system here on the blog (I can’t avoid using stars on Goodreads, NetGalley, and the various bookseller sites). Instead I am switching to ranking books as “highly recommended,” “recommended,” “satisfactory” and “not right for me.” I may add other levels as I refine this concept.
I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I read Cheddar Luck Next Time before the release date but have been slow in posting book reviews. The book is now available wherever books are sold. If you’re in northwest New Jersey, Cheddar Luck Next Time will be the August Sparta Books Book Club pick. Join us at the store on Thursday August 21 at 7:00 pm for a lively discussion!