Love, Danger, Homecomings & Heart — Your June Reading Escape Starts Here

Capturing the Texas Rancher's Heart

Grilled Cheese Mysteries #1
Poisoned Pen Press
February 2022
On Sale: January 25, 2022
Featuring: Carly Hale; Lyle Bagley
280 pages
ISBN: 1728238323
EAN: 9781728238326
Kindle: B0939H36N8
Mass Market Paperback / e-Book / audiobook
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UP TO NO GOUDA

Linda Reilly

Linda Reilly
Author Book List

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.

Excerpt

Carly had only seen Tiffany a handful of times, and each time she’d been dressed to the nines. Today was no different. Clad in a satiny white halter top over skinny red slacks, her face made up to perfection, she strode toward Lyle on red stiletto heels that echoed off the diamond-patterned tile. Looking slightly embarrassed, she opened her purse and pulled out a legal-sized envelope. She gave the envelope to Lyle.

Lyle took it from her and set it on the counter in front of Carly. He slipped his arm around Tiffany’s tiny waist and gave her a little squeeze. “This is your official notice, Carly. You need to be out of here by the end of July. If you need help removing the fixtures, I can get a crew in here. But the date is firm. Anything left here on August first will be demolished.”

Carly swallowed back a huge lump of pride. “Are you sure I can’t have another month or two?”

“Sorry, Carly. No can do. This place has to be gutted and all the restaurant fit-ups removed.”

Gutted. The word alone made Carly’s stomach turn.

It was then that Carly realized Suzanne had been glued to her stool, glaring at Lyle as if he were the devil himself. She hadn’t spoken a word, but her face had gone a scary shade of gray. She stood, now, snatched up a metal napkin dispenser, and slammed it down on the counter. Lyle flinched and Tiffany let out a startled squeal, while Suzanne’s pointed finger hovered about an inch from Lyle’s nose. “One of these days, Lyle Bagley, you’re going to get what’s coming to you, big time. You can bet on it.”