I love this series, it gets better and better with each book.
Carly is put into an awkward position and ends up catering a bridal shower. She keeps the food simple, goes above and beyond what is asked of her, and of course gets caught up in a murder investigation!! Typical Carly. can't seem to resist doing a little sleuthing, and as usual her questions lead to some great leads, and also so dangerous situations.
Love the characters, even the canine one! As always the plot flows smoothly from scene to scene, and I always want a grilled cheese when I'm done reading.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“Grilled cheese plus a murder mystery? Sign me up!” were my first thoughts when I was sent this *ARC from @poisonedpenpress * in exchange for my honest opinion.
I finished this deliciously cozy read today and was inspired to make my own grilled cheese as I tried to figure out whodunit 🥪This was my first adventure with A Grilled Cheese Mystery so I was thankful that I could read it as a stand alone. References to the previous books were sprinkled throughout as needed.
I enjoyed the pace of the mystery and the several times that the author lead me down the path of thinking that I had solved the mystery. Although Carly’s close friends and coworkers were developed well enough in the story, I found myself rushing through their portions of the story. I probably would have been more invested in them if I had started the series from the beginning. There were times that I felt that Carly’s actions were too smoothly accepted and that her likability by everyone was too easily won, but I enjoyed following along with her as she pieced the clues together.
As I neared the end, I began to solve the mystery of the murderer and was not surprised with how it ended. I felt like the ending tied up everything a little too neatly, but I loved that ultimately it was a cozy ending.
Overall, this cozy (and at times hunger inducing) mystery had a pretty good balance of the macabre and merry and was a fun read that kept me up late reading 🥪 #netgallery #netgalleyreviewer #poisonedpenpress #grilledcheesemystery #cheddarlatethandead

The A Grilled Cheese Mystery Series by Linda Reilly continues to be a fantastic cozy mystery series. Cheddar Late than Dead is book three and Carly has found herself front and center in another murder case. In spite of her assurances that she will not get involved, we know she just can't help herself. She has an eye for details that others seem to miss and the police can't help but have respect for her inquisitive mind.

The latest murder has coincided with the disappearance of the town manager. Carly knows the town manager couldn't have been involved with the murder and sets out to figure out what really happened. The small town setting is appealing and it seems everyone is connected somehow. Spending time older characters from previous books and making new acquaintances makes the story feel familiar but fresh.

Carly's restaurant had my mouth watering to try her grilled cheese dishes. The restaurant provides a location for lots of character interactions with in the town. I like that the author, while giving us a lot of characters to meet, makes everyone easy to keep straight. We are given a lot of information to try to piece together ourselves but the author holds back just enough. This keep things interesting, making it hard to figure out who is telling the whole truth and who we can trust. Red Herrings and full of plot movement, this story comes together really well.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for the arc. This is my honest review.

A grilled cheese eatery, great character dynamics, and a whodunnit leads to the perfect recipe for a cozy up mystery. This is third in the series but I easily followed along and was able to enjoy as a stand-alone.

This offered just enough to keep me guessing and piece out the motive and culprit. The cast was enjoyable paired with a unique setting and theme. Be prepared to crave a good grilled cheese after reading this! Recommend for the cozy mystery lovers or someone looking for an easy afternoon read.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy- I’m leaving an honest review voluntarily

Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly is book #3 in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries series. Carly Hale owns Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery. She gets talked into catering a bridal shower and that's how she gets involved in another murder mystery. The local police chief has to remind Carly several times to not get involved in the case, but that doesn't stop Carly. I really enjoyed following along as Carly ferrets out clues clues. The ending surprised me. I have found this series to be lots of fun to read. This book is a great addition to the series.

I loved this cozy! Definitely can be read alone, wouldn’t need to read the prior books in the series, but now I want to pick them up! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Who doesn’t enjoy cozies with grilled cheese and rescue animals involved??

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of CHEDDAR LATE THAN DEAD (Book 2 of the Grilled Cheese mysteries) by Linda Reilly in exchange for an honest review. Wow! Reconnecting with old high school classmates sounds more fun than it actually is. Carly gets conscripted into being a last-minute caterer for the bridal shower of a high school classmate turned bridezilla and ends up being a witness to the groom's murder. Having previously solved a murder, Carly finds herself, once again, sleuthing out a killer.

I liked this book. I'm a fan of Linda Reilly's writing. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, small towns, quirky eateries, and dogs named after cheese.

I am always on the lookout for clean cozies! Let me tell you about Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly. First, while third in the series, I jumped into this one without reading Reilly’s others and still caught on quickly.

I enjoyed the idea of a grilled cheese restaurant, a unique-to-me setting. I loved the special recipe idea Carly has as a centerpiece for the book. Unfortunately for my taste, Carly was able to be gone too often from her restaurant as her capable staff takes over. I prefer a cozy where the sleuth does not take lots of time off from her work to pursue the crime.

I like the thread involving Valerie. She sounds like a gem, a great find for the restaurant as well as a really sweet person. She will be a welcome addition to Carly’s “support group,” so to speak.

I did think the sudden attitude changes following the revealing of the perpetrator were a bit unrealistic. Too many people suddenly changed their tunes.

Read Cheddar Late Than Dead for yourself and let me know what you think.
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

This is the third book in the grilled cheese series. Carly agrees to cater a bridal shower for a former classmate when her original booking falls through. The groom is found dead at the end of the shower. Carly investigates after learning the groom was poisoned. I really enjoy these characters and love how they have grown from the first book. The mystery was good, and I was not expecting who the killer was. I can't wait to see where this series goes. I received this book from net galley in exchange for a honest review.

Cheddar Late Than Dead is the third book in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series. The books get better and better as the series moves along. Which is saying something because I absolutely loved the first two in the series. I really like the main character, Carly. She carefully goes about being the amateur sleuth in town; she doesn't make silly decisions. She always seems to say the right thing, I really like that. She owns a grilled cheese eatery and is close with her employees. The relationships in this series seem very real and leave you with a positive feeling while you’re reading the book.

The author does a fabulous job with the mystery. Two acquaintances from Carly’s high school days ask for her help catering a bridal shower at a fancy house, where the mystery takes place. There are enough suspects to keep you guessing, and you get to know the supporting characters tied to the mystery. I like how the author also brings back characters from previous books, even if for just a few sentences. That really brings a sense of community to the series. For example, you’ll at least get a glimpse of how someone from a previous book is doing, like Carly’s landlady who has MS.

I highly recommend this book (and series), it is one of my favorites. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this wonderful ARC. I will post this review to my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, & Amazon accounts on the publication date, 1/31/23.

This is a wonderful cozy series! The main character is relatable, even if she does abandon her job to investigate too much. But it wouldn't be a cozy mystery without a sleuth. The clues were brilliantly unveiled. I was sure I knew the murderer but then there were some convincing red herrings that kept me guessing. And I always end up making grilled cheese after reading these...and I don't even like cheese. That's great writing!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Enjoyed the latest entry in this Grilled Cheese Mystery cozy series. Carly seems to have turned her life around after losing her husband in an accident. Her small grilled cheese restaurant is flourishing and a new man is a central part of her life. However, murder seems to follow her. She is asked to cater a bridal shower for a high school acquaintance. The groom dies at the shower. Who did it? Carly is warned by the sheriff to stay away and be safe. but can she do that? This was a fast read and kept me interested. Look forward to the next one in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Very well written cozy mystery. I throughly enjoyed the plot and the character dynamics. Mystery fans will love this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance boo. This is my unbiased review.

Title: Cheddar Late then Dead
Series: Grilled Cheese Mystery series
Author: Linda Reilly
Publisher: Poison Pen Press
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars

This is the Book #3 in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series.
I read the other two and enjoyed them both and have been looking forward to another Linda Reilly story.

Story is based in the small town of Balsam Dell, Vermont.
In the first novel we learn that Carly Hale and her husband Daniel Brownell were very happy but he died in a tragic accident. He was delivering firewood to a family in desperate need. The memories that surround Carly made her return to her hometown where she opened “Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery”.

In this story Carly is hired to cater a shower for Klarissa a high school classmate. Since trouble usually follows Carly, before the shower is over Tony, the groom-to-be ends up dead, and Klarissa’s best friend Dawn is a suspect.

Ms. Reilly never disappoint ~ I enjoyed this story and of course, the recipes in the back are totally yummy!
Always a fun read.

I always enjoy reading the author’s acknowledgements’ as well as the ‘Author’s Note. In this case, [author: Linda Reilly|6588314] tells us when she was a child in the Berkshires she practically existed on grilled cheese sandwiches

Want to thank NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this early
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2022

Fun and cheesy read that sucks you in with a good mystery, good character dynamic, and yummy recipes. Ms. Reilly does not disappoint.

Book 3 did not disappoint and is one of my favorite reads in this series. It can be read alone, however reading books 1 and 2 will give you insight into the characters - Gail, Grant, and Carly.

Carly is a young widow who moves back to her hometown in Vermont, opens up a Grilled cheese eatery, and reconnects with old friends. Carly agrees to help out former high school friends when the venue for a bridal shower is canceled. Queue in dead groom, one vanished guest, and a whodunnit.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher

Cheddar Late than Dead is a fun, easy going yet mysterious cozy story that is full of good times (well for the reader, maybe not for all the characters) and a fun way to escape life for a few hours. I have never read this author nor this series before but going into this book (book three) wasn't trouble at all. It reads as a standalone.

The characters were well developed, and they had great personalities as well as interesting relationships. I liked that the mystery (murder) was realistic and that the main character actually had to work for the outcome. Often in mysteries the discoveries are convenant and well placed so little effort is needed to make the connections. I didn't try too hard to guess the who and why and I was plesently surprised at the outcome. It is always fun do discover clues right along with the character instead of knowing before them.

The world building and the characters were great, and I had a lot of fun reading this. I am going to go back and read the first two stories in the series as I think I will enjoy them just as much. I received an ARC via NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press and I am leaving an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, misogyny, violence

As a huge fan of this series, I was definitely looking forward to this next installment since finishing book 2. To prepare, I reread the first two and got in the Balsam Dell/grilled cheese mood, and am now craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Don’t judge—it’s the perfect comfort food, especially as the weather gets cold!

As usual, Carly’s sweet nature and inability to say no gets her in over her head and lands her right into the middle of a murder scene. When she encounters two old friends from high school, one of whom has become a complete bridezilla, and they find out that the bride’s dream setting for her over-the-top bridal shower has been overbooked, Carly is pushed into catering the shower with a brand new item: grilled cheese donuts. I’m still on the fence about them, but there’s a bonus recipe in the back of the book if you’re an adventurous eater.

Naturally, at the shower, chaos ensues and Carly observes some shady things. The groom is found dead, and Carly is drawn into the murder investigation. Although her link to feeling obligated to investigate the murder on her own is more tenuous than in other books (where people much closer to her were implicated in the murders), Carly does happen to be more observant than most people, and has noticed quite a few clues that many other people probably wouldn’t have. While she is cooperating with the police, the chief warns her multiple times not to investigate on her own (which she promptly ignores).

I did love seeing Carly’s business doing well, and the fact that she’s now got more help in the eatery. I think the presence of a new face in the restaurant was nice, and it added a little drama as well. Plus, there’s a new potential romance brewing in Balsam Dell! Speaking of romance, the one between Carly and Ari was kind of pushed to the back burner in this story, although we’re told that they’re doing well, and he does make a few appearances. Fortunately, Havarti made a lot more appearances, which I’m totally fine with.

The clues in this book were much easier to decipher than in previous ones, and I had the killer figured out by about the halfway point. It kind of felt like Carly kept ditching the restaurant to invent thinly veiled reasons to question people, although she barely had any connection to the murdered person or the other people involved. However, in previous books, she was much more involved with the people, so her being involved felt more realistic. Although this wasn’t my favorite story in the series, it was still enjoyable and I am looking forward to the next one. Hopefully these issues will be worked out in the next one, because this is a fantastic series, and I can’t wait to revisit Balsam Dell (and get more delicious recipes). Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a grilled cheese calling my name.

Another fantastic cozy mystery! Loved the series and this was another great read. Fun, likeable characters and a fun story. Five stars from me!

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.

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