In this 3rd book in the 'Grilled Cheese Mysteries' series, restaurateur/amateur sleuth Carly Hale gets involved in two investigations: a murder and a missing person. The book works fine as a standalone.
*****
When thirtysomething Carly Hale's husband died in a tragic accident, she moved back to her hometown of Balsam Dell, Vermont and opened Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery.
Carly's restaurant has become quite popular, and she now employs assistant manager Valerie Wells;
part-time server Suzanne Rivers;
and grill cook/aspiring chef Grant Robinson.
It took time for Carly to move past her grief, but she's now dating electrician Ari Mitchell.....and things might be getting serious.
As the story opens, two women Carly hasn't seen since high school, Dawn Chapin and Klarissa Taddeo, drop in to Carly's eatery for lunch.
Carly and her old acquaintances hug and catch up and Carly learns Klarissa is engaged to marry Tony Manous, head of Balsam Dell's Grounds and Recreation Department. Klarissa is excited about her upcoming wedding shower, which is scheduled to take place at Balsam Dell Inn in twelve days.
During lunch Klarissa gets a phone call and learns that Balsam Dell Inn is no longer available for her shower because the deposit was late. Though Klarissa herself failed to pay the deposit, she loudly blames Dawn, who's her maid of honor and wedding planner. Hearing the commotion, Carly sidles over to calm the waters.
The situation is resolved when Klarissa - who's something of a bridezilla - announces she'll have her wedding shower in the toney home of Dawn's mother, and Carly is recruited to cater the affair. On party day Carly serves the guests three versions of grilled cheese donuts: plain, with crisp bacon, and with thin-sliced tomatoes, all of which are successful.
After the food is eaten, Carly is brought to the drawing room to be thanked by the attendees. As Carly is returning to the kitchen she comes across Tony Manous's stepmother, who's alone and crying because of Klarissa's mean behavior. Afterwards, Carly overhears an agitated conversation among Dawn Chapin, Tony Manous, and videographer Ron Benoit, who's filming the party. Tony then goes upstairs, and shortly later is found dead at the bottom of the steps.....murdered.
Though Police Chief Holloway tells Carly to keep her nose out of the investigation, Carly's a natural born busybody and can't help but make inquiries.
The situation is complicated when town manager Gretel Engstrom - who had a business disagreement with Tony - disappears. Carly makes up excuses that give her the chance to question people, hoping to gather information that exposes the perpetrator.
Meanwhile, in Carly's personal life, she's dating Ari; worrying about her assistant manager Valerie, who's being harassed by an ex-boyfriend; talking to Grant about his ideas for healthy school lunches; visiting her landlady Joyce who has multiple sclerosis; playing with her cute dog Havarti; and more.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery, which has appealing characters and an interesting plot.
Lots of delicious food is served in the story, and recipes for grilled cheese donuts and Grant's tomato soup are included.
Grilled Cheese Donuts with Bacon
Tomato Soup
Thanks to Netgalley, Linda Reilly, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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