Grilled Cheese Mysteries: Book 5
Publication Date: November 19, 2024
Humbug! leads to Homicide! in the new Grilled Cheese Mystery by Linda Reilly . . .
Christmas in the close-knit community of Balsam Dell promises to be especially festive for Carly Hale this year when a prominent theater company comes to town to stage A Christmas Carol. But it turns out that Scrooge is not the most ill-tempered character in the production, as blowhard actor Prescott Lennon proves when he begins berating everyone else in the cast for their poor theatrics. When his arrogant behavior threatens the production, someone decides to resolve matters with a fatal solution—and frames Carly’s friend Gina for the murder.
With such an unlikable victim, Carly finds herself faced with a long list of suspects, including a grieving widow who hasn’t shed a tear, an ambitious understudy looking for his big break, and all the cast members Lennon mistreated. But there’s a ghost of a clue in the air as rumors begin to surface that the dead man had a shady past that may have come back to haunt him. With her friend still on the hook, Carly will have to sort out past misdeeds from those of the present, even as her pursuit of the killer scares the dickens out of her . . .
Includes melt-in-your-mouth sandwich recipes!
I have been enjoying author Linda Reilly’s Grilled Cheese Mysteries series, so when I saw a new Christmas installment, You Feta Watch Out, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And I was not disappointed.
Carly is invited to a dress rehearsal performance of The Christmas Carol when one of the actors is found dead shortly after storming off stage. When her best friend is the prime suspect, Carly can’t help but investigate. Then, to add chaos to the mix, it’s the Christmas season, and Carly’s restaurant is insanely busy. The question is how Carly will juggle everything, clear Gina’s name, and find the real killer.
I really like Carly and all the people in her circle. In this book, her relationship with Ari progresses nicely, and they’re planning a wedding and celebrating their first Christmas in their new house. The reader also gets more insight into her relationship with her sister, Norah, who is finally back in Balsam Dell after traveling the world with her boyfriend. Also, Carly’s employees and friends make for a diverse and colorful bunch of secondary characters.
I found the whole plot revolving around The Christmas Carol quite interesting. The author was very descriptive when setting the scene for the play and introducing the reader to the suspects, which included actors, the producers, and even support staff and stagehands. The victim was quite mean and unlikable, so there were a lot of potential killers with quite a variety of motives.
I was along for the ride, completely drawn into the story, and couldn’t wait for the reveal. The mystery was very well-developed and kept me guessing. The only ding I had was that, once again, the mystery isn’t so much solved by Carly, but she basically stumbles on the solution with a gun pointed at her. But I’ll forgive that since the rest of the sleuthing and story was so strong and interesting.
I truly enjoyed You Feta Watch Out and can’t wait for the next book in this series. I got strong Christmas vibes along with a great mystery and had fun revisiting Balsam Dell and Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. I highly recommend this series to fans of cozy culinary mysteries.
As a child, Linda Reilly practically existed on grilled cheese sandwiches, and today they remain her comfort food of choice. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Cat Writers’ Association, Linda is also the author of the Deep Fried Mysteries and the Cat Lady Mysteries. Linda lives in southern New Hampshire with her two feline assistants, both of whom enjoy prancing over her laptop to assist with editing.
