recipes, small-business, small-town, Vermont, friction, friendship, restaurant, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, widow, snow-season, bridezilla, missing-persons, family, family-drama, family-dynamics, relationships, relatives*****

? grilled cheese donuts?
Carly was widowed young and has returned to her hometown and opened a specialty sandwich shop. The story centers on friendships from high school over 10 years later with one of them turning into a bridezilla while the other is a wedding planner. Then the groom is murdered at the wedding shower. Let the clues multiply and the sleuthing begin! And enjoy the recipes, too!
The story moves along well and has just enough twists and red herrings to keep this reader guessing.
I love it and hope for another next year!
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

After the wedding shower arrangements for one of Carly’s old classmates fall through, the bride persuades Carly to cater the affair at her best friend’s mother’s home. Little did Carly imagine that the day of the shower she would end up accidentally becoming privy to a suspicious conversation, and that the shower would end with the groom’s death by poisoning. Ever observant, Carly takes it upon herself to investigate the groom’s murder, but when the town’s manager mysteriously disappears, she cannot help but wonder whether there is a connection between the two events. As Carly tries to balance her personal relationship, friendships, and her responsibilities as a small business owner with her sleuthing activities, she knows she is getting close to solving the mystery but does not imagine what is in store for her.
This is a light, fun and entertaining novel. I was drawn in from the start and could clearly make out a mental picture of the setting and of the delicious food depicted in the story. Best of all, the author includes two delicious recipes in the book. The characters were interesting, with just the right amount of darkness to keep you guessing, and I appreciated that the solution to the mystery was not readily evident. The plot moves at an appropriate pace and the ending was (too) neatly wrapped up.

The third book in a series, I did not have to read the previous ones to understand the plot. This is a great read when you need a respite from heavier-toned books; a palate cleanser if you will. Overall, I enjoyed this delightful book and would recommend it to people who enjoy cozy, interesting, culinary mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book prior to its release.

#NetGalley#bookstagram#booktrovert#booklover#netgalleyreviewer#bookstagrammer#bookreviews#goodreads#netgalleyreviews#bookshelf#booknerd @poisonedpenpress

I was looking forward to reading this book since I really enjoyed the first two in the series. This book, however, seemed to have a different tone than the previous two. First of all, Carly comes across as arrogant in this book. She brags about "seeing things that others do not" and openly enjoys her reputation as an investigator. I am not a fan of how she takes advantage of others. With her employees, she assumes a "I'm the boss" attitude, which means she can leave whenever she wants, even in the middle of a busy shift, to investigate the crime. She also shows up unannounced to question grieving family members. This bothered me a lot.

Second, the crime itself, while interesting, has no connection to Carly other than the fact that she happened to be in the same vicinity. She does not even know the victim and is loosely connected to the suspects in the case.

Third, Carly has no respect for the concerns of her friends. She ignores their concerns, which are warranted, given her history. I hope she learns from the events of this story.

I will say, however, that I love the setting of this series. I wish my town had a grilled cheese eatery. I have even made some of the recipes shared in these books and they are amazing.

I like the secondary characters a lot, especially Grant. He seems like such a great person. I hope he succeeds in his personal and professional endeavors.

Carly meets up with two girls she went to high school with and gets roped into catering a bridal shower for one, the ultimate bridezilla. Things are already falling apart pretty quickly when the groom-to-be drops dead in the middle of the shower. Who hated him enough to kill him? The maid of honor who's getting bossed around by bridezilla? The wicked stepmother who's bitter over some danishes? The best man who's only too willing to step into the grooms polished wedding shoes? And will Carly add donut grilled cheeses to her menu?

I've enjoyed this series more with each book and I was a huge fan of this one. There's so much going on with Carly and Ari, Carly and the restaurant, Carly and her former classmates. There are so many suspects but somehow none of them seem to quite fit. Is she wrong about one of them? Or are they all innocent? There are also a lot of little insignificant things I like about this series like the fact that the reporter is a kid Carly babysat and he doesn't like cheese. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozies, especially culinary themed cozies.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This series is a fun easy read with relatable main characters that support and look after each other. It can be read as a standalone although I highly recommend you read them all because they are so good.

Carly Hale is the owner of this amazing restaurant , Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery ,that serves grilled cheese sandwiches that I wish was an actual restaurant and not fictional. It's also the catalyst for Carly's involvement with the murders that happen in the story.

In Cheddar Late Than Dead, she's minding her own business when out of the blue she's being asked (or rather begged) to cater a bridal shower for a high school friend due to a conflict with the original venue. She reluctantly agrees and before the shower is even half way done the sleuthing begins.

I love how the author presents the murder and sets us up with an engaging dialog that has us following all the clues with Carly. Just when you think you have it figured out there's a twist that will surprise you.

#NetGalley #PoisonPenPress #CheddarLateThanDead #LindaReilly #GrilledCheeseSandwich

The next in the grilled cheese cozy mystery series finds Carly agreeing to cater a bridal shower last minute for two of her previous high school classmates. Klarissa the bride to be is getting to married to Tony and her best friend Dawn is also her wedding planner. At the bridal shower, Tony ends up dead, and Dawn is suspected of his murder. Soon after, the town manager goes missing. Carly must figure out if these two mysteries are related, and if so, who the culprit is.

Another great entry into this series! I found the clues a little easier in this one compared to others (I was able to figure out whodunit before the reveal), which I was fine with. I did feel like there was a lot of unneeded tying up of loose ends - like with characters who are not main characters. But overall, another great mystery!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cheddar Late than Dead is the third in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries by Linda Reilly. It has quickly become one of my favorite series to read. In my opinion, this is the best one yet!

Carly Hale owns Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery in Balsam Dell, VT She came home to Balsam Dell after the death of her husband and followed her dream of owning a grilled cheese eatery. Along with her friends and employees Suzanne, Valerie and Grant. She has also found romance with local electrician Ari.

Its January in Balsam Dell and two old high school friends Dawn Chapin and Klarissa Taddeo come into the eatery and are upset because Klarissa's bridal shower venue is unavailable (due to her not sending in deposit on time), and she insists her BFF and wedding planner Dawn fix it. Carly gets bamboozled into catering the shower at the luxurious home of Dawn's mother and making grilled cheese on donuts.

Everything is going fine until the groom arrives and ends up dead at the bottom of the stairs where Dawn is standing and faints. Add in an obnoxious cousin/videographer, bad blood between Dawn & Klarissa's mothers, a future mother-in-law who everyone but her stepson the groom thinks she married for money, a City Manager who goes missing and the police chief who is not exactly thrilled that Carly is once again in the middle of murder. Carly loves her friends and the Chief who may have a crush on her friend Valerie, but she can't let an innocent person like Dawn get blames for a murder she didn't commit.

There are plenty of red herrings, surprises and suspects in this cozy mystery page turner. I could not stop reading.

This book was a great read from start to finish. Carly Hale mysteries are some of my favorites. This is the third Carly Hale mystery I've read, and I can't say enough good things about it. It had a great protagonist and personable characters. It was a very engaging mystery. Carly investigates the murder of a classmate' s fiance at a dinner she's catering for the bride to be. She gets more than she bargained for when she becomes the target of the killer. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

Carly, owner of a grilled cheese shop, is hired by Dawn, a wealthy wedding planner, to cater Klarissa’s bridal shower. They all know each other from school but old acquaintances are soon put to the test when the groom ends up dead.

I enjoyed this very much! The grilled cheese descriptions are excellent and the relationships very well-written. There’s a scene where Dawn’s house is described that I had to reread a few times, it was gorgeous. I would have liked for Carly to cook everything herself because that’s the thing I love the most about culinary cosies but this was really solid and I really enjoyed her relationship with her boyfriend Ari too. Not a favourite but I’d be happy to give the rest of the series a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

What could make for a cozier cozy mystery than grilled cheese, pet rescues, and a twisted family mystery.

I love the spotlight on pet rescues, mouthwatering food descriptions, and I certainly didn’t predict whodunnit.

Some of the characters are so likable (or truly un-likable), but I wish Carly had a little more personality come through (though I love her can-do attitude and nosy nature).

Would definitely recommend! Now I have to go back and read the second in the series.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the ARC!

A wedding shower faces certain doom without a caterer. Who can save it? Carly, the owner of a recently opened grilled cheese eatery. But what to serve? Grilled cheese (glazed) donuts, of course! This group of genteel ladies with softly but firmly done hair and wrinkle-free sweater sets have never enjoyed melted cheese (some with bacon or tomato) so much!

Carly is the hero of the day, but she sees and hears things in the large and spacious home, that tell her all is not well! Sure, there's a bridezilla, a friend treated like dirt, a haughty mother, and an unwilling hostess, but it seems there may be real schemes and danger as well! When the wealthy and somewhat smarmy fiancée is lying dead on the floor, all doubt flies out the clean and well appointed window!

The party is ruined, but Carly's reputation for cleverness may be one woman's best hope for exoneration! Will Carly's dog, Havarti, help her solve the murder? No! He's just a dog named after cheese! But somehow, Carly solves it, isn't killed, and makes new friends!

This is an entertaining, clean, better-than-most cozy mystery, and a couple of the rich people are kind-of whiner cry-babies, which makes it more fun too. (Plus, recipes at the end!)

4.3/5 Stars

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the temporary ecopy preview of this book; any review is voluntary and entirely my own opinion.

#CheddarLateThanDead
#PoisonedPenPress #NetGalley
#LindaReilly #LindaReillyAuth
#FictionBridezilla
#FictionGrilledCheeseEatery
#MysteryandThrillers
#CozyCulinaryMysteries
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This was a fun read by a new-to-me author. Carly gets herself into trouble when she gets roped into catering a wedding shower for a former high school classmate, Klarissa, at the request of the maid of honor, Dawn, also a former classmate. Although she wasn’t thrilled with the prospect, it does give her a chance to try out some new recipes that could eventually be added to her own restaurant menu. And what could possibly go wrong? Carly notices a lot of things while at the site of the wedding shower, and those things get her mind wandering when she finds the dead body of the groom-to-be at the bottom of the staircase.

Carly is known for her attempts to solve crimes and for noticing more than the average person. I liked that she was frequently chastised by the chief of police for butting into an active investigation, but also wondering why that same chief would give her classified information. There are numerous suspects and motives, twists and turns, danger, and more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think this is my favorite in the series so far. Despite a little bit of telegraphing of who the murderer is with a way too big slip of the tongue only about halfway through the story, the book reads quickly, and the plot all hangs together well. The killer's crazy as a cuckoo, of course, but given that, there's good internal logic for the whole series of events. A pleasurable read!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cheddar Late Than Dead was a fun read. It takes place in Balsam Dell,, VT. Carly Hale is the owner of Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery.. Her assistant Valerie Wells and grill cook Grant Robinson help her run her eatery.. Ari Mitchell is Carlly's boyfriend. To her surprise two of her old classmates Dawn Chapin and Klarissa Taddeo visit her eatery. and start an argument because the inn which Klarissa was to have her wedding shower can't accommodate her. She blames Dawn as her wedding consultant for losing her place at the inn, Klarissa is to marry Tony Manous. They can't find a chef and ask Carly to make Grilled Cheese Donuts which she reluctantly agrees to do.

The supporting characters add to the story. Megan Gilbert is Klarissa's aunt who is devoted to her. Ursula Taddeo and Dawn's mother, Julia Chapin have a strained relationship. Klanrissa does not like Tony's step-mother, Rose Manous as she thinks Rose married Tony's father for his money. There is much arguing amongst Dawn, Ron Benoit, Klarissa's cousin and a photographer who is photographing the shower.. Tony comes to the party as he is upset with Klarissa for the treatment of her step-mother. Gretel Engstrom is the town manager and is attending the shower.

After cleaning up from the party Carly is getting her coat when she sees a body at the bottom of the stairs. The person dead is Tony. Carly calls Fred Holloway who ais the police chief and good friend of Carly's. This is where the story takes the reader on an adventure of the in and out of the characters and their complex lives. The reader finds out that Tony has been poisoned as well as the disappearance of Gretel. The story builds up to a climax of a surprise with who killed Tony and why as well as what happened to Gretel. Loved the way the author finished the endings of each person or incident to a happy ending. Ari gives Carly a box with a stone in it with a saying "Grow old with me, the best is yet to come."

I look forward to the next adventure that Carly and Ari have in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

Carly Hale moved back to Balsam Dell after the death of her husband and opened Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery which has become a success. Carly loves working there, making up new recipes, bonding with her coworkers, and connecting with old friends. When Dawn, a former classmate of hers, reaches out to her at the last minute to make the food for a bridal shower for Klarissa Taddeo, Carly agrees. The shower isn’t quite what Carly expected – there are strange undercurrents among the guests – and she certainly isn’t expecting someone to be murdered. Carly has helped solve a couple of murders since returning to Balsam Dell so when Dawn, who is one of the suspects, asks Carly to help clear her name, Carly agrees but will doing so put her in danger?

“Cheddar Late Than Dead” is the nicely done third book in Linda Reilly’s Grilled Cheese cozy mystery series. I have not yet read the first two books in this series but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I love the grilled cheese shop setting – I am not necessarily a huge grilled cheese fan but the description of many of the sandwiches in the book made me hungry (and I really am intrigued by the idea of the combination of grilled cheese and donuts!). I also like Carly as a main character – she is rebuilding her life successfully, She is smart, resourceful, a hardworking, and cares deeply for the people in her life. The mystery is well done with plenty of suspects – I did figure out about halfway through who the killer was but still enjoyed reading the book as I tried to figure out the motive. The scene where the killer was revealed was very well done with a great deal of tension but also some sadness.

“Cheddar Late Than Dead” is a nicely done cozy mystery.

Good one! I really enjoy this series, its characters, town and cheese sandwiches!
Thank you netgalley and the author for this arc

Cheddar Late Than Dead is a delightful cozy mystery that manages to keep you hungry to read another chapter and reach for a grilled cheese sandwich. The main character, Carly, is instantly likeable. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery alongside her. One thing that this book did better than some other cozy mysteries is that the answer to the mystery wasn't obvious from early on. The author, Linda Reilly, knows how to pace the action and carefully dole out clues. For that, I will happily read the other novels in this installment.

As a bonus, the recipes for Grilled Cheese Donuts and Grant's Tomato Soup are included at the end of the book. For fun, I made the tomato soup and I must say, I loved it as much as I loved the story. 5 stars! It was an enjoyable way to further connect with the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Grilled Cheese Mystery series set in Balsam Dell, Vermont and features Carly Hale. This author really knows how to make you want a grill cheese. Carly doesn't usually cater events however a classmate was desperate to have her bridal shower catered. It seems as though it was a success until the groom is found dead.
I love this series it can be read as a stand alone however to get a feel of the characters I would start at the beginning.
#cheddarlatethandead#Netgalley

Engaging and Fun Third Cozy Mystery by a Gifted Author
From the very first scene I was hooked: It is cold outside in a small town in Vermont, and you enter a warm, colorful, cozy diner and smell the delicious aroma of food. Then you start to meet this diner’s owner Carly, her staff, and new visiting characters. That was all it took for me to dive into this easy, fun and funny read.
This is the third book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries, and I have not read the first two…but now I am buying them, because the writing is superb. I appreciate it when an author gives you very limited clues as to what may have happened in previous books in a series, so you can read a book as a standalone. This is definitely the case with Cheddar Late Than Never…there are just a few slight facts mentioned about situations that happened in the past, but they are not spoilers.
I highly recommend this book because Linda Reilly is an amazing story teller. The conversations among the characters are very authentic, intelligent, and reveal a lot. Though there are brilliant descriptions of the settings, I never felt that I was reading ‘fluff’ that I had to skip over. Character development is exceptional, and I feel that I know my new set of friends enough that I want more.
The plot is intriguing, and the pace is sooth and moves along without unnecessary pauses. I am delighted to have discovered Linda Reilly and will read everything else she has written… She also writes Cat Lady Mystery Series, and those books are now in my TBR list.
I am blessed to have been able to read this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Poisoned Pen Press. I read aloud to my wife and me, and we both especially enjoyed this book. Thank you!

Cheddar Late Than Dead is the third installment in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series set in Balsam Dell, Vermont and features Carly Hale, owner of Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery. Carly's former high school classmates Klarissa Taddeo and Dawn Chapin turn up in the eatery and Carly learns that Klarissa is engaged to Tony Manuous and Dawn is acting as the wedding planner for the couple. When the venue for the bridal shower fall through, Carly finds herself volunteering to cater the affair at Dawn's mother's home.

Tensions are running high at the shower between Dawn and her mother, Klarissa and her soon to be mother in law but things really go wrong when the groom makes a sudden appearance at the shower and winds up dead at the bottom of the majestic staircase. Tony was poisoned and Chief Fred Holloway strongly suspects that Dawn. Despite his warnings not to get involved Carly is soon caught up in "flipping" out the real killer.

A captivating plot that features regular cast members, a delightful Morkie named Havarti, twisted family dynamics and mouthwatering recipes. Oh, and did I mention the spotlight on pet rescue? There's no better way to spend an afternoon in Vermont than cozied up with Carly and lots of cheese.

I received an advanced copy of Cheddar Late Than Dead from NetGalley via Poisoned Pen Press. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.