by Sandra Murphy & Linda Reilly
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it. We also have a fun Valentine's Day Guest Post by Linda.
Up to No Gouda: A Grilled Cheese Mystery by Linda Reilly
Review by Sandra Murphy
Carly Hale is back in her hometown of Balsam Dell after the death of her husband. With the insurance money, she’s started her own grilled cheese restaurant. What sounds like a one note eatery is expanded with all the different kinds of cheese and the combination sandwiches she and her employee, Grant, can dream up. Suzanne is the main server.
Things were going well until Lyle bought the building in a
foreclosure sale. He dropped by to tell Carly she’s got to be out in a matter
of weeks because a new boutique is going in. The boutique’s owner, none other
than the upstairs tenant and Lyle’s girlfriend.
When Carly arrives at work the next morning, she finds the
girlfriend distraught. Lyle’s body is next to the dumpster.
Image Source Poisoned Pen Press
The girlfriend is a suspect, but then so is Carly because of the eviction and Suzanne because she threatened Lyle would get what was coming to him, plus the residents of a mobile home park Lyle owned, and who knows how many others. The motive for Suzanne is weak until the police find out Lyle got Suzanne’s husband involved on the losing side of high stakes gambling.
Carly has a little personal anxiety going on, too. Her best friend from school married Lyle despite Carly’s warning. They divorced, but the women hadn’t spoken since. Then there’s Ari, a regular customer at the shop. Carly is attracted to him, but guilty that it’s only been two years since her husband’s death and she’s also not sure she’s reading the signs right. Is Ari interested in her too or just being flirty?
Carly doesn’t take a lot of risks, but does get involved where she shouldn’t at times. With the “help” of Don, the local reporter, she might just solve the case after all.
There are recipes at the back of the book for the
sandwiches Carly makes like the Party Havarti, Smoky Steals the Bacon, Grant’s
Vermont Jammin’ along with a pair of tips for a successful grilled cheese.
Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won't see coming.
By Any Other Name…
By Linda Reilly, author of the Grilled Cheese Mystery series
O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…
—Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Those words, uttered by Juliet to her beloved Romeo, reflected her burning desire for Romeo to be anything but a “Montague”—the name of her family’s mortal enemy. Tis but thy name that is my enemy…
Juliet was, of course, referring to Romeo’s surname, but
one of the tasks I face every time I begin writing a new story is what given names to assign to my characters. While it might seem a
simple thing, for me it’s a huge challenge—one that requires a lot of
brainstorming. Especially if the story is the launch point of a new series,
that name has to appeal to readers for at least another installment, and
perhaps many more, fingers crossed.
Years ago, I bought two of those itty-bitty “baby name”
booklets you see at grocery store checkouts. I’ve flipped through the pages of
both books dozens of times, looking for the perfect names for my characters. One
of the names that appears in both books is “Talia,” a name described as “Greek;
blooming.” Since the main character in my Deep Fried mysteries is of Greek
and Italian heritage, I thought it was perfect for her. Not only was it easy to
pronounce, but the word talia forms
the central part of the word Italian. And
thus, Talia Marby was born.
Linda Reilly
Right around the time I was flirting with the idea of writing a Cat Lady mystery series, the movie Dr. Zhivago aired on TV. The name of Dr. Zhivago’s love interest was Lara—a simple but lovely name, in my opinion. My “baby name” books tell me that the name means “famous,” but my Lara, a watercolor artist and cat rescuer, is anything but. I chose that name anyway, for its simplicity and for the way it looks in print. I’ve never regretted the decision.
When I began writing my Grilled Cheese mysteries (my favorite of the bunch!), I agonized over what to name my main character. I wanted it to reflect “small town Vermont” and still have wide appeal. I toyed with the name “Marnie,” of Alfred Hitchcock fame, but somehow it felt like a bad fit. I couldn’t picture Marnie operating a grilled cheese eatery. I asked readers for suggestions, and they came up with some terrific ideas. Ultimately, I chose the name “Carly.” Carly Hale is now the owner of Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery, and she’s also an amateur sleuth. Her first (but not her last!) venture into crime-solving is described in Up To No Gouda.
Carly has a suggestion for treating your own special person on Valentine’s Day—whether it be your sweetheart, your mom, or your elderly neighbor next door. Using a set of heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut two large hearts from two slices of bread and stuff with whatever cheese you like. (Carly uses shredded cheese because it melts faster, but that’s entirely up to you.) Coat the outer sides with butter and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the butter, then set the sandwich in a frying pan. Keep the heat on low so that the cheese will melt. Grill both sides until golden. Tip: When preparing the sandwiches, cut the bread with the cookie cutters first, then grill as you normally would. As a side dish, prepare a cup or bowl of tomato soup, and float a few toasted or broiled heart-shaped croutons on top. Carly sprinkles bits of shredded orange cheese atop the hearts before toasting them under the broiler, but you can you use any cheese you wish.
To enter to win a copy of Up to No Gouda, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "gouda,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 12, 2022. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
You can use this link to purchase the book or click here. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:
Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, Linda lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and cats. When she’s not pounding away at her keyboard, she can usually be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library hunting for a new cozy adventure.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
Sounds like a great new cozy and with such yummy sounding cheesy recipes... Count me in! I would love a chance to win a copy. Claire.denning.11 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great new series.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Up to No Gouda: A Grilled Cheese Mystery by Linda Reilly sounds like a comfy homestyle read that I would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
This sounds so good and thanks for the Valentine sandwich idea. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteCan't go wrong with grilled cheese sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteHave feet of snow on the ground - one would
be good right about now. Sounds like a good
read. thanks txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Grilled cheese and bacon is my favorite! Looking forward to reading Up to no Gouda! Thanks for the chance to win! Luvs2read4fun@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteGrilled cheese and bacon is my favorite! Looking forward to reading Up To No Gouda! Thanks for the chance to win! luvs2read4fun@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing a lot about this one, sounds good! tWarner419@aol.com
ReplyDeleteSO excited about this new series and this first book which has wonderful reviews! Looking forward to meeting Carly and the towns people in Vermont and eating a good grilled cheese sandwich while solving a twists and turns mystery! oh_bother88@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI would love to read this! Grilled cheese is a comfort food for me for sure! Congrats on the start of a new series! jeaniedannheim (at) ymail (dot) com
ReplyDelete