Cheddar Late than Dead is the third book in the Grilled Cheese mystery series. I haven't read the first two and have no problems, although I did enjoy this one so much that I will be reading them, and following the rest of the series.

Carly has been roped into catering a bridal shower for someone she went to high school with, she is making grilled cheese.. donuts! ( recipe included at the end of the book) After a series of bizarre events, that Carly witnesses, she finds the prospective groom at the bottom of the staircase. It's determined to be murder The mystery begins.

Carly has had some success at solving crimes previously, and as much as she has vowed not to get involved in any murders she can't help but be sucked into this one. Especially when one of the women who attend the shower ends up missing, last seen the morning after the murder.

I really loved all the characters and the Grilled Cheese restaurant. The mystery was quite good, there were so many viable suspects with great motives to want this guy dead, that throughout almost the entire book I had no idea who the killer would be. I only ended up with a good idea of who the killer would be after Carly searched the missing woman's home and a piece of evidence was found, and that is right before it's revealed to us. I also totally loved the recipes at the end! This was a fun, and entertaining read that had me sucked in from the first page, and I can't wait to see what is going to happen next!

Cheddar Late than Dead is the third installment in Linda Reilly's wonderful Grilled Cheese Mystery cozy series, and it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. It takes us readers back to Balsam Dell, Vermont to catch up with Carly Hale; a young woman who runs a popular grilled cheese eatery while stumbling upon murders on the side.

Carly is asked last minute to cater a bridal shower for a woman she went to high school with, but things turn deadly when the woman's fiancé is found murdered right at the shower. Of course, Carly can't help herself from getting involved; especially when so much is at stake, and the mystery seems to keep on growing. Soon a missing person's case is dragged into the mess, and Carly will stop at nothing to see justice served.

Another worthy title in this cozy mystery series, I'm happy to say that Cheddar Late than Dead kept me guessing from start to finish as to just who the dastardly villain was, and what their nefarious intentions truly were. It was also a fun addition to get to learn more about Carly's employees, and I truly loved how the whole staff came to feel like a family of sorts who truly care about each other, despite not having much in common.

The mystery was well plotted and paced, but perhaps a bit darker than it was in the previous title. Linda Reilly's writing style kept me engaged throughout, and I continue to enjoy Carly as a protagonist. I'm looking forward to following along on more of her adventures in future novels, and I'm hoping for a little more romance between her and Ari in the next story.

My only complaints would be the fact that I don't personally enjoy how this one is told from third person perspective. I think the reader would connect more with Carly if we were following it in first person. And secondly, the mystery in this one was quite a bit darker than I was expecting, and maybe just be forewarned of that fact before picking it up.

All in all though, it was a fantastic story, and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to read it.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Poisoned Pen Press) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another nice addition to this series. Thanks to Net galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this book.

CHEDDAR LATE THAN DEAD is the third book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries by Linda Reilly. One of the best things about this series is the characters. Ms. Reilly consistently makes the core characters lovable for their kindness and strong connection to each other. As the protagonist, Carly Hale sets the standard for her friends and employees, for the respect and care she shows for one and all, whether or not the person is deserving. With the backdrop of her grilled cheese shop, Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery, in Balsam Dell, Vermont, the setting couldn’t be more tempting… and mouthwatering. The author sets the stage with pun-y grilled cheese names (Sweddar Weather, Smoky Steals the Bacon, etc.) along with delightful shops, such as What A Card specialty card shop owned by her best friend, Gina. The reader might be lulled into the peaceful vibe of the idyllic town at the start of the book but, rest assured, Ms. Reilly knows how to spin a well-plotted murder and investigation that had me turning page after page.

Catering a bridal shower for Klarissa, an old high school classmate, wasn’t on Carly’s to-do list, but that’s what she found herself doing. What should have been a joyous occasion turned out to be fraught with stress and a Bridezilla who even got into an argument with her groom for showing up uninvited. Not long after, the groom is found dead. Had the bride had second thoughts about the wedding, or did one of the shower guests have murderous intentions? Being the friendly person she is, Carly doesn’t have trouble getting people to open up and provide clues as she investigates, despite the police warning her off. The pace of the book is spot-on, and I happily followed along with Carly as she hunted for the perpetrator. However, I was fooled by a couple twists and never considered the culprit until the reveal. As the book concluded, all the threads of the story wrapped up together into a delightful read that has me yearning for the next book in the series.

This is a really cute, clean cozy mystery. Entertaining plot and likeable characters. Makes me hungry lol

Another strong entry in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series. Likable characters and a plot that moves right along makes reading this series fun. I look forward to the next book!

I'm big on Horror and mystery books and this was a nice change of pace! Such a cute book that is perfect for a chilly fall day.

Pub date: 1/31/23
Genre: cozy mystery, book 3 in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries
Short plot summary: Klarissa Taddeo's upcoming wedding is the talk of the town, but when her bridal shower leads to the death of her fiance, Carly's forced to play amateur sleuth again.
Do I need to read book 1 first?: This one works well as a standalone, so you can read out of order.

I loved returning to Balsam Dell and Carly's grilled cheese eatery! These books are just so cozy, and they make me wish I could eat grilled cheese all day (sign me up to taste test Carly's donut grilled cheese). The mystery here was a little complex (I had trouble keeping some of the characters straight), but everything came together well at the end. I also liked getting to know Carly's employees better - side characters can really add something special to a mystery series. And of course Havarti the morkie continues to be adorable.

If you're looking to try a cozy mystery, this series is a great choice!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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. That is, until a double-booking throws some mold in the cheese and leaves Klarissa scrambling. With the venue moved to the maid of honor's family mansion and Carly rinding to create a new delicious treat it seems the group is going to pull off the shower without a hitch. That is, until a rowdy band of groomsmen crashes the event. Klarissa is 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. This is third in the Cheddar series and every bit as good as the first two. I didn’t figure out who the killer was until the end which always makes a mystery more enjoyable for me. While the first two in the series were definite cozies, this one was a bit darker. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I've been enjoying this cozy mystery series so far, but I struggled a bit with this latest installment. The mystery was a good one and kept me guessing. Whether due to my mood or not the tone of this book felt a bit more sad at times, with a bride-to-be losing her future husband. Parents that lose their son and even the motive of the murderer and what they did. I never warmed up as much to Carly as I had hoped and felt the way she got involved was a bit far fetched.

Like the previous two books the mystery was a good one that kept me guessing. Looking back there are also some good clues that do point do the murderer, but plenty of other suspects that seem plausible for most of the book. It also had me stumped how a disappearance of a side character tied into it. The way it all got wrapped up in the end was well done and made sense and it was interesting how the disappearance tied in with it all.

I did feel the way Carly got involved in this one was a bit far fetched, two people she knows back from high school ask for her help catering a wedding shower and then the groom-to-be gets killed while she's there and she feels she needs to help them. The way her friendship if you can call it that with Dawn started also felt mostly for the case instead of genuine. I couldn't stand the back and forth for the first part of the book whether she would get involved or not and then later everyone warning her about it.

I also was a bit disappointed Carly doesn't actually figure out who did it, as the killer comes for her and that's how she finds out. I just never fully warmed up to Carly and something about her just doesn't make her as likeable character as I would like. I also was a bit sad there wasn't more of the grilled cheese restaurant and now she has an assistant manager she keeps running out to solve the mystery instead of running her restaurant and I missed the scenes there at the store as I like reading about it. Luckily there were still some fun scenes there. The romance was pretty much on the backburner in this book and while I didn't fully feel their connection I was happy there wasn't any drama.

To summarize: This is the latest installment in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries series and while the mystery was good I felt the one of this book was a bit sadder and I didn't enjoy it as much as previous books. The mystery is one that kept me guessing and I especially was stumped about the way the disappearance of a side character tied into it all. The wrap up was well done and made sense and I could spot some clues looking back that point to the killer. I never fully warmed up to Carly and the felt the way she got involved in this mystery was a bit far fetched. She also kept trying not to get involved while it's clear she will get involved and I just wanted her to accept that and start investigating. Just some things about how the characters acted that bothered me. There weren't as many scenes in the restaurant and Carly keeps running off and leaving her other employees to run the restaurant. The wrap up was all done well and I liked seeing what happened after the murder was solved.

Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly
Book #3 in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries
Publication Date: January 31, 2023

Carly operates a restaurant serving up grilled cheese sandwiches. When two friends from Carly’s high school days walk into her restaurant an opportunity to save a wedding shower presents itself. Reluctant at first, Carly manages to deliver the best tasting grilled cheese donut sandwiches anyone’s tasted but drama unfolds and someone ends up dead. Carly doesn’t believe the obvious person is the culprit and uses her keen observation skills to unravel the mystery.

Forget judging books by their cover. That’s so 2022. In 2023, I’m judging books by the puns in their titles and frankly Linda Reilly is off to a fantastic start. With titles such as Up to No Gouda, No Parm No Foul and Cheddar Late Than Dead (which for some reason in my head I kept calling Cheddar Late than Never which I also feel was appropriate here) the puns are endless. Not to mention an entirely different series by Reilly featuring Out of the Dying Pan and a Frying Shame.

This book is a cozy little mystery coming in at just over 250 pages. It is straightforward, simple and not at all gruesome. The tone of the book is kept very light and mild despite it containing serious crimes. Nothing is every graphically detailed which I personally appreciate. There were tons of possibilities as to the “whodunit” and why, which will leave you guessing until the plot fully unravels.

My preference would have for this not to have been told in third person because we never really get first hand observations or thoughts from Carly. I felt very removed at times from what was actually happening.

This might sound cheesy but this book was kind of grate.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Winter has come to Balsam Dell, Vermont, and although business has slowed a bit at Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery, that doesn’t mean that Carly Hale, the proprietor of the quaint little café, is bored. As we learn in Linda Reilly’s third book of her Grilled Cheese Mysteries, Cheddar Late Than Dead Carly has a lot on her plate.

When she’s asked by a couple of former high school pals to cater a bridal shower, our protagonist gets much more than she bargained for. The grilled cheese donuts she’s concocted for the guests have been such a hit that they all want to congratulate her in person. As she’s wandering the expansive, luxurious home where the event takes place, Carly observes something unusual; what happens next is shocking! The groom has appeared unexpectedly. The next thing everyone sees is Tony Manous keeling over – dead.

Readers of the previous “Cheese” mysteries know that Carly has developed a reputation as a bit of a sleuth, or some would say “busybody.” She just can’t help herself. She cares about people and hates to see others hurt or wrongfully harmed. Police Chief Fred Holloway is quite aware of her propensities and sternly warns her to MYOB. Yeah, Chief. Good luck with that. While admitting that Carly does make some good observations and has been helpful in previous cases, the chief worries that she could be seriously hurt, even killed, by poking around in a murder investigation. Could this be the time the finally gets Carly in over her head?

The chief isn’t the only one who cautions her, of course. Her restaurant staff, Grant, Suzanne, and new assistant manager Valerie Wells, as well as Ari, her significant other, all warn her to leave the investigation to the police. Does she heed their advice? What do you think?

As usual, Ms. Reilly has cooked up a delectable plot with both complex and unpalatable characters, which makes for a tantalizing tale. This time, however, I was able to determine who the killer was before the reveal, something I had not done in previous books.

As expected, there are some fun recipes, some of which can be found at the end of the book, including one for the grilled cheese donuts.

I received a digital copy of Cheddar Late Than Dead as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. I also wish to thank Poison Pen Press and the author, Linda Reilly.

4 stars

This series is just a ton of fun. I love the little community that’s been built within the grilled cheese shop! The mystery was nicely plotted as well. Plenty of suspects and several subplots to keep things interesting.

This third helping in the series is absolutely delicious!
I devoured this in one helping.
This is one of my top five!
A great whodunit with interesting and entertaining characters.
The premise is unique and you will be craving a grilled cheese guaranteed!
I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

A fun mystery with delightful characters. It's the third book in the Grilled Cheese mystery series but the first I've read and it grabbed me from the start. Interesting premise.

Enjoyed it so much that I'm picking up the first two books in the series ASAP.

Absolutely enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy cozies.

I'll come back tp update this; I'm not sure why this one felt a little shorter than the first two, but I quite loved it. I think it's actually a better story than the second book, even if it doesn't have quite the same holiday setting. We're all ready for a Christmas grilled cheese mystery!

a few scattered thoughts:

- Megan didn't seem quite controlling enough in the lead up to the reveal.
I know that's a hard balance to strike without giving it away.

- There weren't quite robust enough red herrings; another plant-growing suspect would have tightened the mystery up a bit. I made a note that it was Megan as soon as Carly said the flowers got her memory working on something because I remembered her doing flower arrangements and growing them at her house, even though interestingly I guess that isn't where the poisonous ones came from.

- Grant's school lunch plates were a bit underwhelming? I think it may reinforce some less than ideal narratives around kids, what they eat, if their parents are lazy for sending them a packaged snack, etc.
Or at least, some of what he said about kids eating junk does. I remember being shamed by teachers for bringing nutella sandwiches to school as a child.... I just really enjoyed them and still do. I ate homecooked meals that my grandmother made most nights for supper so you know, it strikes me now how unfounded all that judging was. But hey, I liked that the snack plates were in animal shapes, that's really cute.

- I like the addition of Valerie and how supportive people are of her

- I thought it was odd that Carly seemed to forget she was a recently widowed woman in one conversation where she was trying to comfort Klarissa (you can't imagine losing someone so suddenly? I mean I guess you don't have to but)

- Donut grilled cheeses. Can't wait to try- and maybe recommend to the soda fountain in Maine I managed/made grilled cheeses at last summer! (It is run by my beloved aunts who let me crash with them and help reopen it after a 2 year closure) Maybe it would be feasible this year, as they used to sell donuts from another local business before Covid.

- I really like that these books go all in on the mystery, and most of the snooping Carly does is about as realistic as you can expect- the conversations get too... outlandish in a lot of cozies. Like Hi, I made brownies, where were you Tuesday night between the hours of 5 and 9?

- I think maybe a new creative endeavor or hobby on Carly's part would be fun to see since she is getting a healthy amount of time away from the eatery now. Not sure what it would be; maybe she takes up roller derby or painting or something. It'd just be fun to see.

- Maybe this is an odd request, but I think it would be nice if Daniel's family appeared at some point in the series. It'd make that part of her story feel more real, especially since it's hard to explore grief itself very deeply in a such a lighthearted genre

I'll come back and spiffy this up before the book hits shelves. I actually thought I had missed the NetGalley run for this one and I was quite sad over that- I'm not sure what I misinterpreted but I'm so glad I was wrong! I really appreciate getting to read the ARCs.

This is book three in the cozy series A Grilled Cheese Mystery. I am crazy about this series . It takes us back to Balsam Dell with Carly Hale who owns Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. Valerie and Grant help run her Eatery.
This cozy mystery is as intriguing as the ones in the first two books of the series. There are a whole lot of other characters in the book that add to the story. The author does a great job of getting all the characters into the story and they all fit together so well.
The killer is one I would not have guessed was guilty. Sorry no spoilers from me- read this one to find out the answer to the question of who dun it!
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of the book Cheddar Late Than Dead. This is my personal review.

Dnf at 4%. I really disliked the protagonist and the writing style. This is really unfortunate because I love cozies!

The only issue I have with this series and this book is it makes me crave grilled cheese from all the descriptions. Unique small town setting, interesting characters, and enough to keep you guessing at the mystery. Looking forward to the next "craving"

Another great cozy mystery part of A Grilled Cheese Mystery series. I had a few suspects in mind and was correct with one of my top two.

I do feel like the reveal escalated quickly. Kinda like we got to the last few chapters and it was like oh shoot we have to end this thing.

There were a few continuity issues as well. Why give us the elaborate story of the ex husband who still visits the home to specifically smoke in one room being why they call it the smoking room. Then in the chapter Carly first views the videos of the day refer to the room as the "grandfather's smoking room"

On page 194 Megan says she'd replaced the hemlock with baby's breath flowers. However, everywhere else in the book everyone mentions that the flowers that replaced them were Queen Ann's Lace. Which is it? You'd think someone who does flower arrangement as a side gig would know her flowers.