In this 2nd book in the 'Grilled Cheese Mysteries' series, restaurateur/amateur sleuth Carly Hale investigates the murder of a fellow restaurant owner.
*****
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 part-time server Suzanne Rivers.....
....... and grill cook/aspiring chef Grant Robinson.
Up until now Grant has also been working part-time at Sub-a-Dub-Sub, owned by Ferris Menard, but Grant recently reported Menard to the Board of Health and quit.
Grant is a creative cook, and he's helping Carly design her eatery's entry for the town's annual 'Halloween Scary-Licious Smorgasbord' competition, which is happening in two days. It's Carly's first time competing for the $500 cash prize, and her major rival is Ferris Menard, who's won for the past three years.
Unfortunately, Ferris Menard, who has a terrible temper, blames Carly for Grant's defection from Sub-a-Dub-Sub. Thus Menard storms into the Grilled Cheese Eatery, and booms, "Carly Hale. I heard about your little sabotage ploy. Well, it won't work - do you hear me?" Ferris goes on to suggest Carly knows nothing about cheese and yells, "You're a fraud, and I'm going to prove it."
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Carly's boyfriend Ari Mitchell is present when Menard makes his threats, and Ari escorts the furious blustering man from the premises.
Following this brouhaha there's a glitch in the 'Halloween Scary-Licious Smorgasbord' contest, after which Menard is found dead his restaurant, with a boot print on his shirt and a knife in his chest.
Police Chief Fred Holloway leads the investigation into Menard's murder, and the clues point to Ari Mitchell as the perpetrator. Carly is determined to prove her beau is innocent, so she launches her own inquiries......though she knows it may be dangerous.
Menard was a difficult man with a reputation for mean tricks, so there are a number of suspects for his murder. These include:
Holly Dalrymple - Menard's biological daughter, who only recently met her dad....and might be an heir.
Tyler Huling - a hardware store manager who's rumored to be dating Holly.
Chip Foster - an employee of Balsam Dell Compost who was a victim of Menard's cruel prank in high school.
Steve Perlman - a teacher who was Menard's schoolmate as a teen, and has bad memories of the time.
Portia Fletcher - Menard's estranged wife, who's not mourning her husband's death.
In addition to investigating the homicide, Carly gets advice from her best friend Gina; visits with her mother Rhonda; meets her sister Norah's new boyfriend, who's dressed as a clown; shares Chinese food with her boyfriend Ari; chats with Grant about his future - which seems to be a toss-up between being a professional chef and a professional musician; walks her cute dog Havarti; and more.
This is a typical cozy mystery, where the amateur sleuth thinks the police can't catch the killer, but she can. Since Carly has no forensics (no fingerprints, no DNA, no phone records, no clues of any kind), all she does is go around asking questions, thinking she'll sniff out the killer.
At the climax, Carly does snag the murderer.....with some help from her friends.
I thought some plot points were unrealistic, but I like the story's setting, characters, and food. Some of the yummy sandwiches served at Carly's restaurant are Sweddar Weather (grilled swiss and cheddar on marble rye); Brie-ing on the Apples, Granny (brie and sliced apples with cherry relish); and Alvin's Panco Perfection (panko-and-parmesan coated tomatoes and cheddar).
Sweddar Weather
Brie-ing on the Apples, Granny
Alvin's Panco Perfection
Rating: 3 stars
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