Cheddar Late than Dead

 In this blog post, I reviewed Linda Reilly’s Cheddar Late than Dead, the 3rd installment in the Grilled Cheese Cozy Mystery series. This caper takes a big bite out of crime. It all started for Carly Hale, who owns a grilled cheese eatery in Balsam Dell, Vermont, when she was invited to host a wedding shower party for Klarissa Taddeo, one of her former high school friends, at the last minute. Though it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for her to conjure up more business for her grilled cheese sandwiches, when exactly she witnessed a shocking crime unexpectedly. When Klar’s fiance Tony was found dead, talk about total chaos at the scene. And Dawn Chapin, another former classmate of Carly’s and wedding planner, is the main suspect. Carly didn’t believe she had the gall to do it and did some sleuthing herself. Later, she discovered that the newest town manager, Gretel Engstom, had been missing for the past week. Were these two crimes connected in anyway? While she continued to run her business, she dug deeper to get close to the truth, until she became an unexpected victim and trapped with the culprit in the bitter end.

This delightful culinary cozy mystery was decadent as brie cheese and rich with twists and turns like chocolate. I cared for Carly, who was stuck into a twisted murder mystery, and had the hankering for solving the crimes.  I also felt bad for Dawn and Klarissa, who had difficult mothers who controlled their lives. I adored Havarti, Carly’s dog. I loved the windswept small town of Balsam Dell in Vermont for the location. It had rich picturesque scenic settings that painted it so well. The theme of the story is that overzealous obsession will lead you nowhere when you’re sick with greed.

I rate this book, four of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping culinary cozies with plenty of non-stoppable action, lots of intense suspense, and incredible drama, Cheddar Late than Never is right up your alley with delicious recipes to make at home! This book is recommended for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Joann Carl, Joanne Pence, and Laura Childs.