When a book series is called Grilled Cheese Mysteries I can’t resist the chance to read it. Although this is my first book of this series I found it easy to follow along and wasn’t lost as to who is who. All in all this is a great read and I will certainly be checking out the other books in the series.
You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly
Series: Grilled Cheese Mysteries #5
Genres: Cozy Mystery

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!

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I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review

This Christmas-themed cozy mystery delivers charm, holiday spirit, and a solid whodunit that will leave readers guessing. Carly Hale returns in this festive installment, juggling life at her grilled cheese café and solving a mystery when her good friend Gina becomes the prime suspect in a theater cast member’s murder.

The setup is fun—a production of A Christmas Carol comes to town, and Carly’s involvement begins with a simple dress rehearsal visit. But when the disruptive actor playing Jacob Marley turns up dead, the stakes rise fast. I appreciated that the author picked a less obvious role for the victim and gave the mystery a fresh spin. Preston was thoroughly unlikable, so the suspect pool was satisfyingly wide.

Linda Reilly does a great job balancing character development with plot progression. It was nice to see Carly’s relationships moving forward and to see fewer people pushing back on her sleuthing this time around. The pacing kept me turning pages, and I didn’t guess the killer before Carly did—always a plus!

This book absolutely helped usher in my holiday mood, even in early November. Between the festive backdrop and the seasonal recipes at the end (grilled cheese with a twist!), it’s a cozy mystery that hits all the right notes. A strong entry in a consistently delightful series.

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