Review of Up To No Gouda

Up To No Gouda

Grilled Cheese Mystery, Book #1

Linda Reilly

5 Stars

Synopsis:

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. (Goodreads)

Review: 

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Carly has opened her grilled cheese restaurant and it has been going really well. Her employees, Suzanne and Grant, have become friends, as well as employees.  All is going well until an old boyfriend tells her that he now owns the building and he is closing down her restaurant.  When he is later found dead, Carly and her employees are considered persons of interest.  Carly will have to figure out who the killer is before her dream restaurant becomes a curdled mess.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place.  The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.  The mystery was not easily solved and I did not know who the killer was until it was revealed at the end.

This was a good beginning to a new series and I am looking forward to reading about other predicaments Carly gets into.  All of this author’s series are good.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.