Who Moved My Goat Cheese?

Lynn Cahoon

Mar 2018 · A Farm-to-Fork Mystery Book 1 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

A trendy restaurant has small town Idaho up in arms—and a goat farmer six feet under—in a New York Times bestselling author’s cozy mystery series debut.

Angie Turner is back in her hometown of River Vista, Idaho, ready to open her own farm-to-table restaurant. Together with her friend and business partner Felicia, Angie is lining up vendors from local farmer’s markets to Old Man Moss’s goat dairy farm. Not everyone in the Boise suburb is keen on having a fancy new eatery in town. But the cantankerous Moss takes a shine to Angie, as does his kid goat Precious.

When Angie hears the shocking news that Moss has been killed, she jumps in to mind the man's livestock—and help solve him murder. Now with her grand opening just days away, Angie has grave reservations about her new neighbors. But one thing's for sure, Angie's not about to let some killer get her goat.

Ratings and reviews

Who Moved My Goat Cheese? by Lynn Cahoon is the first story in A Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. Angie Turner has moved to River Vista, Idaho to live on the farm she inherited from her grandmother (Nona). She has partnered with her best friend, Felicia Williams to open The County Seat which has a farm-to-table concept. It is only three weeks until they open, and the pair are still working to line up all their local vendors. One of the vendors they would like to work with is Gerald Moss of Moss Farm who sells goat cheese. The one caveat is the crusty Mr. Moss who only sells his products to people he likes. Fortunately for Angie, Mr. Moss and his goat Precious take to Angie right off. He talks to her about his farm, his cheese cave and a secret that he will enlighten her on in the future. The next morning Angie is told that Mr. Moss is dead. Angie soon discovers that not many people cared for Mr. Moss or are upset at his passing. This distresses Angie especially since Mr. Moss knew her Nona, and it sets her on the path to solving his murder. When Angie goes to investigate the scene of the crime, she comes across Precious and ends up with a new farm resident. Angie fits in her sleuthing in between setting up the restaurant, taking care of Precious and Dom (her St. Bernard pup), purchasing supplies for the restaurant, and visits from her neighbor, Mrs. Potter. Who disliked Mr. Moss enough to kill him? Angie is determined to find out in Who Moved My Goat Cheese? Who Moved My Goat Cheese? is a good start to A Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. I liked the authors conversational writing style and the story had a steady pace. It made reading Who Moved Goat Cheese? a pleasure. The story has good characters, but I wished the author had given readers more of Angie’s backstory. I hope we learn more about Angie and Felicia in the next story. I loved Dom, Angie’s St. Bernard puppy. He reminds me of my dog, Doozy (his name tells you about his character). Dom was a delightful addition to the story as was Precious, the goat. Both were quirky, entertaining and added levity to the story. I like the theme of farm-to-table and it was nicely incorporated into the mystery. The mystery had several suspects and there was good misdirection. I was able to identify the killer early in the story, but it took longer to find out why this person killed Mr. Moss. The mystery had some intriguing elements (I would say more but I do not want to spoil it for you). I would like to have a little more action in the next book in the series. The life lesson about not being able to change the past and not to dwell on it is a good addition to the book. It is one many people struggle with daily (myself included). I am giving Who Moved My Goat Cheese? 4 out of 5 stars. I will be reading Killer Green Tomatoes when it comes out. Who Moved My Goat Cheese? is a feel-good cozy mystery that readers of Lynn Cahoon and cozy mysteries will enjoy.

This is the first in a feel-good, intriguing, and appealing new series. The setting is River Bend, Idaho, where Angie Turner returned after inheriting her Nona’s farm house. She is returning her after college and five years in partnership of a restaurant with two college friends in San Francisco. The timing of closing the restaurant and moving to Idaho were perfect, or would have been if not that her Nona had passed. Her best friend and business partner, Felicia, comes to River Bend for their new venture. The County Seat restaurant is first of its kind, farm-to-table, in an area rich with farmers and ranchers. The restaurant remodel is almost complete. Felicia lives in the upstairs apartment. Ivan McNeal owns and manages the Farmer’s Market, but says the farmers will probably not sell to The County Seat. Angie arranges a meeting with Ivan, as they need local produce and dairy to round out their suppliers. While there, Angie meets Old Man Moss, who she hopes to purchase goat cheese from. He won’t sell to anyone he doesn’t like, so he invites her to bring coffee and Ding Dongs for breakfast the next day. Angie and Mr. Moss get along well at their meeting, especially because he had known her grandmother and the newest kid in the flock, Precious, gives her dance of approval. As Angie was leaving, the Realtor who handled the deal for her restaurant, Reana, drives in. She gives Mr. Moss a hug, something few people would do. The next morning, the sheriff and Ivan show up at Angie’s door. Mr. Moss was found dead under suspicious circumstances. Rumor has it that Angie was the last person there – and Reana claims she was there a different day! In honor of her Nona, Angie wants to track the killer, and finds more than she expected: rumors of treasure, even though the farm was broke, and more suspects than originally thought. The author brings highly likable, delightful characters to River Vista! Some are a tad eccentric, lending a unique flavor to the story, and the main characters are developed well. To me, much of the appeal of the novel is the combination of characters and how Mr. Moss was a likable man despite allegations to the contrary. I like Angie; she and Felicia balance each other out. Precious and Dom are fun fur babies, adding another burst of seasoning to the story. As for Ivan, who can resist a Scottish brogue? Who Moved My Goat Cheese is a noteworthy first in series. I am looking forward to the next one!! The mystery was well planned and executed, with plot twists that kept me guessing late into the night. Watching Angie search for justice made for an incredibly compelling read. Adding to the confusion was whether Mr. Moss really was going to sell his beloved farm with amazing vistas. Trying to get the restaurant opened, meeting the new staff and learning to work together, and trying to find the real bad guy/ gal was a lot on her plate, but Angie was up for the challenge. I was somewhat surprised at who the killer was, as well as some of the suspects! I did miss the resolution of one of the loose ends. Overall, I very much enjoyed this novel, and highly recommend it! From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this e-book because of winning a First Reads contest on Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book ! The only problem was that I didn't want it to end ! I fell in love with all the colorful characters & the animals as well ! I can't wait to read more of Ms Cahoon's work ! Bravo !

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho expat. She grew up living the small town life she now loves to write about. Currently, she’s living with her husband and two fur babies in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. Guidebook to Murder, Book 1 of the Tourist Trap series, won the 2015 Reader’s Crown award for Mystery Fiction. Visit her at www.lynncahoon.com