A very cute cozy mystery - this one is set in a Grilled Cheese eatery in Southern Vermont. Carly makes grilled cheese sandwiches, even grilled cheese donut for her customers if that's what they want and on the side she solves Balsam Dell's murders. In this third installment in this series she is catering a bridal shower when the groom unexpectedly shows up and gets poisoned within his first minutes there. Carly is close by and of course gets on the case right from the start. On top of this the town manager goes missing. The connection is not obvious but Carly's interest is piqued especially when an old friend becomes a person of interest.
This was a fun read. Just the right dose of small town cuteness, a fun cast of character, a sweet dog, and a plot that was intricate enough to keep the story intriguing and interesting. It was a relaxing escape to a world where most problems can be solved with a good cheesy treat. Just the right kind of reading to distract from an otherwise busy week - enjoyed my comfort read.

When two former classmates walk into Carly’s restaurant, she finds herself roped into catering a bridal shower by the time they leave. On the day of the party, Carly’s food is a major hit, but the mood turns sinister when the groom is discovered dead after tumbling down the stairs.

This cozy mystery features many traditional tropes and themes for which the cozy subgenre is known: a hobby or career that is heavily infused into the storyline, small-town setting, amateur sleuth as opposed to a professional detective, and very clean dialogue and conflicts (without strong language, sexual content, or topical society issues). This book is certainly aimed at those who like their mysteries to match the vibes of afterschool specials. It was cutesy, and I was vaguely interested in the world in which Carly navigates. A very easy to read cozy, for sure.

With that said, I felt that there was a missed opportunity for the author to provide a Sapphic coupling between characters Gretel and Megan. I was especially disappointed with Megan’s characterization as the sad, lonely older woman who must live vicariously through her sister, who did get married and have a child that Megan dotes upon. This “sad” lifestyle seems to lead Megan to mental instability which is a bit insulting for me to read as someone who is a part of the happily child-free and single community. This reminded me of the archaic depiction of the lonely, spinster woman.

I enjoyed the series more at the beginning. Unfortunately, each book has become more disappointing.

I don’t think I’ll be continuing.

Another fantastic Series by a fantastic author! This book was so much fun and encapsulated the Cozy Mystery to a T for me! I love the way the author covers the flavors, recipes and descriptions of each Grilled cheese item alongside mystery and murder! Oh My Lord is is this great series!

Love the characters, the story lines and the way these are are great either as a stand alone or the next stop in the main characters journey if you are reading along with each new release.

I can not recommend it enough, that you run to the store and pick this series up. You won't be let down!

Great work Linda and THANK YOU all for allowing me to read this wonderful release! Until next time! Can't wait!

In this 3rd book in the 'Grilled Cheese Mysteries' series, restaurateur/amateur sleuth Carly Hale gets involved in two investigations: a murder and a missing person. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

When thirtysomething Carly Hale's husband died in a tragic accident, she moved back to her hometown of Balsam Dell, Vermont and opened Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery. Carly's restaurant has become quite popular, and she now employs assistant manager Valerie Wells; part-time server Suzanne Rivers; and grill cook/aspiring chef Grant Robinson. It took time for Carly to move past her grief, but she's now dating electrician Ari Mitchell.....and things might be getting serious.

As the story opens, two women Carly hasn't seen since high school, Dawn Chapin and Klarissa Taddeo, drop in to Carly's eatery for lunch. Carly and her old acquaintances hug and catch up and Carly learns Klarissa is engaged to marry Tony Manous, head of Balsam Dell's Grounds and Recreation Department. Klarissa is excited about her upcoming wedding shower, which is scheduled to take place at Balsam Dell Inn in twelve days.

During lunch Klarissa gets a phone call and learns that Balsam Dell Inn is no longer available for her shower because the deposit was late. Though Klarissa herself failed to pay the deposit, she loudly blames Dawn, who's her maid of honor and wedding planner. Hearing the commotion, Carly sidles over to calm the waters.

The situation is resolved when Klarissa - who's something of a bridezilla - announces she'll have her wedding shower in the toney home of Dawn's mother, and Carly is recruited to cater the affair. On party day Carly serves the guests three versions of grilled cheese donuts: plain, with crisp bacon, and with thin-sliced tomatoes, all of which are successful.

After the food is eaten, Carly is brought to the drawing room to be thanked by the attendees. As Carly is returning to the kitchen she comes across Tony Manous's stepmother, who's alone and crying because of Klarissa's mean behavior. Afterwards, Carly overhears an agitated conversation among Dawn Chapin, Tony Manous, and videographer Ron Benoit, who's filming the party. Tony then goes upstairs, and shortly later is found dead at the bottom of the steps.....murdered.

Though Police Chief Holloway tells Carly to keep her nose out of the investigation, she's a natural born busybody and can't help but make inquiries. The situation is complicated when town manager Gretel Engstrom - who had a business disagreement with Tony - disappears. Carly makes up excuses that give her the chance to question people, hoping to gather information that exposes the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, in Carly's personal life, she's dating Ari; worrying about her assistant manager Valerie, who's being harassed by an ex-boyfriend; talking to Grant about his ideas for healthy school lunches; visiting her landlady Joyce who has multiple sclerosis; playing with her cute dog Havarti; and more.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery, which has appealing characters and an interesting plot.

Lots of delicious food is served in the story, and recipes for grilled cheese donuts and Grant's tomato soup are included.

Thanks to Netgalley, Linda Reilly, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of the book.

Cheddar Late Than Dead
Grilled Cheese Mysteries, Book #3
Linda Riley
5 Stars

Synopsis:

"A complex mystery and yummy grilled cheese recipes. What's not to like?"— Kirkus Reviews
A bridal shower gone bad quickly becomes the swiss of death, and grilled cheese shop owner Carly Hale must sniff out the suspect
Winter in Balsam Dell is a snowy affair, and to add in some cheer after the holidays Carly's former classmate Klarissa Taddeo is hosting her extravagant bridal shower at the historic Balsam Dell inn. But when a double-booking throws some mold in the cheese, Klarissa is left scrambling. Dawn, the maid of honor and wedding planner, saves the day by moving the shower to her family's mansion and books Carly to cater the party. It seems the group is going to pull off the shower without a hitch.
That is, until Klarissa's fiancé crashes the event. She's furious with her groom-to-be and when a loud argument ensues, everyone is shocked by what they hear. When the groom is later found dead at the bottom of the stairs, his drink spiked with a hefty dose of poison, Carly must put her nose to the rind and save Klarissa from being suspect #1.
Because you know what they say: it's always the (almost) wife.


Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. When one of Carly’s former classmates needs help with her bridal shower, Carly steps up and agrees to cater the party. When the groom is murdered Carly has to figure out who the killer is. Who did the dirty deed?

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. In my mind’s eye, I could see all of the action taking place during the shower and the snooping. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I really enjoyed this book and I think you will too.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Come visit the small town of Balsam Dell again in the latest release in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series by Linda Reilly. I loved getting to visit with Carly, Havarti, and the rest of the Balsam Dell gang again. Once again Carly finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation when she stumbles upon a dead body, but it doesn’t end there, then a woman goes missing shortly after the victim was killed. Will Carly be able to piece together all the clues in time to stop the murderer before they strike again? Read Cheddar Late Than Dead to find out.
I really enjoyed reading Cheddar Late Than Dead and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great cozy mystery to try.

I enjoyed the latest book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries series. It was fun to see the recurring characters and the plot was engaging. I did suspect the murderer fairly early on, but wasn't certain until the end.

If I am going to get picky, there was a mention of gluten-free cookies being part of a healthy lunch that perpetuated a misunderstanding. Gluten-free is healthy for those with health problems that require them to avoid gluten. But gluten-free cookies aren't necessarily healthier to the general population than regular cookies.

I both read the eARC and later received and listened to an ARC of the audiobook. Thank you to the author and the publishers for the ARCS in exchange for my honest review.

A bridezilla, a needy maid of honor, a sketchy best man, a missing town manager, two domineering mothers and a murder all occupy Carly Hale's time in the quaint town of Balsam Dell, Vermont. Along with running her Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery of course. As a substitute caterer for a high end bridal shower, Carly learns there are deep secrets in her beloved town and a dangerous force is willing to kill to hide them.

The beauty of this series is that while it focuses on Carly, the author has created a fully developed cast of supporting characters. I enjoy learning more about the characters and wasn't disappointed in this new book as Valerie and Grant have storylines of their own. It's a fun book with twists and turns that keeps you reading and the delicious recipes are wonderful and grilled cheese sandwiches will be on your mind! Oh, and I can't forget Havarti, a cute little snowball of a canine that helps Carly sleuth!

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

Other than knowing who the killer was about the middle of the book [in all honesty, I am not sure how one could NOT see who the killer was, but that is just me] and at one point thinking the MC was TSTL, this was a really good read and a good addition to the series.

For the most part, I really like Carly as a MC, though in this book she works a LOT less [convenient since she just hired a manager] and that annoyed me. Typically she works hard and I know that a day off is a very good thing, but it does seem that she takes off for "just a minute" and is gone for 2 hours and will FINALLY think about work. She also disregards both Grant [her chef] and Ari [her boyfriend]'s concern over her "sleuthing" and that bothered me. AND...[sigh], there was some repetition [telling the same thing several times in the course of a chapter, just in a slightly different way OR asking the same question to someone in two different chapters] that I really hope doesn't become a thing in this series. I absolutely abhor this new trend and I really hope that authors stop using this trope sooner rather than later.

All that said, this still was a very good book. Even knowing who the killer was [AND the why], it still was a good read. Even with my teeny issues with Carly, I DO like her as a MC and I really like the interactions with her and her team at work and I REALLY liked her interaction with Dawn and how she is so kind to her, even when she is super-clingy. Carly is able to help her and it really made me smile. I hope we see her in another book as she was a great example of how someone can really change who they are with a little kindness. The reveal [which was kinda creepy and very sad] didn't feel rushed and most of the why was already known and there was a nice little bit after the reveal so it didn't feel like it was a last-minute dump and then the book was done, but a nicely fleshed out story and that was very refreshing. I am so hoping there is a book 4 and should there be, I am very excited to read it!

I was able to request and receive the audiobook ARC for this book and I am so glad I did. I really, really like this narrator [and totally wish she was narrating more of the series' that I read] and she really makes Carly and crew come alive for me. I enjoyed it so much and will continue to look for the narrator in other books that I read.

Thank you to Linda Reilly, Mia Gaskin - Narrator, Poisoned Pen Press, and Dreamscape Media for providing both the book and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

When Dawn and Klarissa dropped by Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery, Carly had no idea how much trouble they’d brought with them. Klarissa is getting married and everything has to be perfect. Of course, the burden of perfect is on Dawn, and she’s not getting a bit of help from Klarissa. When Klarissa doesn’t make the deposit on the venue for the shower, it’s up to Dawn to take the blame and fix the problem.

Dawn’s mother is persuaded to hold the shower at her mansion and Carly’s roped into providing the food: grilled cheese donuts. The food is a big hit but a damper is thrown onto the party when Tony, the angry groom-to-be shows up—and dies. Was it the fall down the stairs or the poison in his drink that did him in?

Carley’s been involved with murders before, not as the killer of course, but she does manage to find clues and figure out who the culprit is. Klarissa and Dawn beg for her help. Thanks to a new server at the restaurant and a more flexible schedule, Carley’s able to lend a hand.

The problem is there are too many suspects. Klarissa and Tony didn’t have a perfect relationship, Dawn was upset the couple would move out of state after the wedding, Tony’s stepmother was left out of the wedding plans, and to top it off, the town manager, Gretel, is missing but no one knows if that’s related or not. While Carly’s able to find some clues, they don’t add up to a killer.

This is book three in the series. Carly and her boyfriend Ari are making progress in their relationship. Grant has designs on becoming a chef so he always has suggestions for new versions of grilled cheese sandwiches, although grilled cheese donuts were not his idea. The recipe for grilled cheese donuts plain, with bacon, or with tomato slices is included. For a side, make your own tomato soup from Grant’s recipe.

Carly Hale is one of my favorite characters, and Linda Reilly always gives her mysteries to solve. For Carly, getting to the bottom of things just comes natural. She has a way of unraveling the truth that puts cops to shame. Her grilled cheese eatery keeps her pretty busy, but Carly has help in her employees. Grant, the guy who runs the grill, always comes up with yummy new recipes. She has a new employee, Valerie, for obvious reasons makes me love her name. Valerie comes to work for Carly with some personal issues, but she's a hard worker. Carly has her boyfriend, Ari, who supports Carly in every way. Let's not forget her lovable dog, Havarti, who Carly loves immensely. When an old high school friend needs Carly to cater her wedding shower, Carly has no idea that she will once again be in the middle of a murder investigation. The bride-to-be's fiance is poisoned at the wedding shower. With numerous suspects, Carly can't help but do some digging to find a murderer before they can strike again. Linda Reilly continues to draw me into this series with mysteries to solve and cheesy goodness from Carly’s diner. With recipes in the back of each book, readers can get a chance to create some of that goodness on their own.

I did not see that reveal coming until the moment. Linda Reilly did a great job of making the hints and clues very subtle as it all made perfect sense once the killer was revealed. This was book #3 in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series and I will have to add the first two books Up to No Gouda (book #1) and No Parm No Foul (Book #2) to my TBR. I absolutely love the titles, can't wait to see what book #4 is named.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Book 3 of the Grilled Cheese Eatery series, we find our ala Nancy Drew MC again in the midst of another mystery. This time, Carly has Valerie as her Asst Manager to help run the shop but I still think its not fair (score one for creative freedom). But, this mystery is yes, different but there is repeat that led me to solving it early one. Still, I look forward to the next of the series as I am loving this town's folks all the more.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this cozy mystery, Carly has a grilled cheese restaurant and coworkers, Grant, Valerie and Suzanne.

Two old high school friends of Carly come in for lunch and the bride is very angry with the other friend about the upcoming bridal shower and lack of a caterer. Carly agrees to cater the event in a few weeks.

At the bridal shower is where things go wrong, I don’t want to spoil but enjoy this story for yourself.

I love Linda Reilly's mysteries and loved this one. I think it's the best in this series as it's quite complex, full of surprises, and deals with topics like toxic relationships.
I missed a bit Grant and Ari as they're not playing a relevant role but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and liked the exciting reveltation.
I'm curious about the next as I expect a lot of changes and another well plotted mystery
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the third book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries series. I have read and reviewed the other books in this series before picking up this book, but I do think this book can be read as a standalone. I love the characters in this book, and I really love the grilled cheese shop and setting in this series. I am sad that there were not more scenes in this book that were in the grill cheese shop. I really miss the grilled cheese shop in this book. I do think there was more of Carly (the main character and the owner of the Grilled Cheese shop) putting her nose into the mystery which was fun to follow, and I really enjoyed that. This book has Carly catering Grilled Cheese at a shower, and that is where Carly finds herself put into another mystery to solve. I loved the characters and mystery in this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Poisoned Pen Press) or author (Linda Reilly) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

One day while working at her Grilled Cheese Restaurant Carly runs into a couple of classmates she hasn't seen in years. Klarissa is getting married and her best friend Dawn, who is the maid of honor, is in charge if the bridal shower. While dining Klarissa becomes visibly upset, the Inn where her shower was to be held had to cancel and now Dawn has to come up.with a new plan. Dawn decides to have the shower at her family's mansion and asks Carly if she would cater the event with a new grilled cheese sandwich that is all the rage. Towards the end of the event Klarissa's fiance shows up and soon after ends up dead. Klarissa becomes the main suspect but Carly believes she is innocent. She begins to look into the murder and soon comes away with quite a few suspects. Follow along and see where the clues lead, will Carly figure everything out or will she be the next victim?

This is quickly becoming a favorite cozy mystery series for me. Carly, Balsam Dell, and Havarti the dog are just delightful. Also, who doesn’t love grilled cheese and a good story!

Meeting two characters Carly went to school with and seeing her go through the process of finding the killer is always entertaining. I found myself laughing at the chief telling Carly to stay out of it and then being sure to keep her up to date on the case.

Carly really seems to be settling in and truly finding her home in Balsam Dell which is just lovely and I am excited to see her relationship with Ari grow.

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and catch up with all of my characters.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

"Cheddar Late Than Dead” the 3rd instalment in A Grilled Cheese Mystery series by Linda Reilly set in the town of Balsam Dell, Vermont. This is definitely one of my favourite series.

I really like the characters in this series and they are what have made me fall in love with it. Especially the Protagonist Carly, her bff Gina, and her co-workers Grant, Suzanne and newly hired Valerie.

The mystery was interesting and there are plenty of red herrings, and twists to keep you wanting to find out what will happen next.

I read the book in one day it was that good, You will crave a grilled cheese while reading the book, I know I did. Luckily there are recipes at the back.

I cant wait for the 4th instalment. I highly recommend this to cozy lovers.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.