Cheddar Luck Next Time

I find most comfy crime novels an oxymoron as they usually deal with a hideous murder. The cosiness comes in the telling and the setting. I blame Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books with that inquisitive pensioner solving crimes that were hideous, gruesome, committed for money, revenge, or passion. Not cosy when you think about it. Perhaps Cheddar Luck Next Time by Beth Cato will be different, an actual cosy crime caper, perhaps about a round of missing cheddar cheese? Once the first body with a slit throat turns up, it appears not. 

Bird Nichols has moved her life and her cheese board company to the relaxed California coast after the death of her grandmother. The inheritance included her grandmother’s cottage and top of the line kitchen facilities, perfect for her business. Bird and her grandmother were both into catering and Bird also has something else in common, getting involved with crime solving. Gran was known as the local meddler, and Bird is fast going down the same track when a body turns up on her property and she starts to investigate. 

Is Cheddar a cosy read? Despite a butchered body appearing near the start of the book, the answer is yes. The setting of the California coast leans into a bohemian and relaxed feel. Bird herself is a character that brings out the warmth. She is autistic and uses this power to develop a cheese business, but it also gives her an insight into crime solving. The book feels like the start of a series, something you can imagine being made into a 9pm ITV drama. The book introduces Bird, but also the local area and local characters. 

The case itself is a solid procedural affair as Bird follows the clues to meet new people and develop the case. This leads to more breakthroughs. The book is interspersed with moments of action as Bird gets too close to the killer. It all resolves well in a coherent fashion and one that will satisfy fans of crime fiction. 

I would not read Cheddar for the case, but for the characters. Cato weaves a small community that draws you in. The bad boy that annoyed the locals, the handsome street food truck owner, the resident busybody. There are lots of interesting people to meet, but there is also a deeper mystery, that of Bird’s grandmother. Gone, but not forgotten, Bird learns new things about the matriarch of her family and how people used to see her. There is a deeper meta mystery that will span several books as we learn more about this mysterious woman. 

The role of Bird is written with intelligence and care. The autism is not portrayed as any sort of fault, but as a fact and one that Bird lives well with. It makes her an interesting character and justifies some of the cheese indulgence in the book. As someone obsessed with the dairy product, Bird will wax lyrical on the subject, and this breaks up some of the tension with the ‘cosy’ cheese moments. 

If you enjoy your crime more relaxed, then Cheddar is a book for you. It has murder, chases, and violence, but it is all kept within reason and is not too gory. It does have a welcoming feel to it, a book that introduces you to new characters and a new location. Those who like more pace and action will not get as much from the book, but any crime fan can appreciate the core crime element.