Up To No Gouda by Linda Reilly
Series Name: Grilled Cheese Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: January 25, 2022
The first in a delicious new culinary cozy series featuring a grilled cheese eatery owner who must solve murders in her small town before she is put under lock and brie.
Back in Balsam Dell to heal after the death of her husband, Carly Hale is finally pursuing her lifelong dream—opening Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. After only five months, business is booming as Vermont vacationers and townspeople alike flock to lunch on her Party Havartis and other grilled cheese concoctions. All but Lyle Bagley, Carly’s one-time high school boyfriend and now town bully who just bought the building that houses her eatery and wants Carly out. After a muenster of a fight, Carly’s forced to put her nose to the rind and find a solution to keep her business afloat.
That is. . .until Lyle is discovered dead behind the dumpster of Carly’s shop, and one of her employees becomes the prime suspect. In order to save her eatery and prove her friend’s innocence, Carly must sleuth out the killer before she’s the one who gets grilled.
With a delightful cast of characters, an inventive amateur sleuth, and a whole host of cheesy hijinks, Up to No Gouda is the perfect cozy murder mystery to melt into.
Dru’s Short Musing:
What a fun book. Carly is back home enjoying the success of her restaurant until two things happened – a threat to her business and her friend becoming the prime suspect in a murder investigation. In order to clear her friend and save her business, Carly puts on her sleuthing cap to search for a killer hiding in plain sight.
This was a fast-paced and well-written whodunit that I could not put down, quickly becoming a page-turner. The mystery was expertly staged where the victim made their appearance known and the pool of suspects was varied and wide due to the misdeeds of the victim. I liked how the author hinted at the various motives among the suspects that kept me in the guessing game. When I thought I was on the right trail, the author added a few red herrings that had me looking more closely at the tidbits being supplied until that crucial moment when the only person left standing was the killer. With visually descriptive narrative, I was able envision all the action and the dialogue which enhanced how well this story was being told. Boasting a great cast of characters from Carly, Grant and Suzanne, this was very enjoyable, and I can’t wait to read the next book in this delightfully charming new series.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a copy of this by from the author / digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Can you ever have too much cheese? I think not! Looks like a yummy book.
Hi Dru, this looks like a fun read. Especially since my fridge and freezer are home to at least 5 different types of cheese. It’s a shame our local library systems aren’t cheese fans. The book isn’t on their shelves.
Looks like a fun read! Love the cover, too.