A delicious culinary cozy mystery series filled with gourmet grilled cheese, small town Vermont charm, found family, romance, and enough cheesy puns to keep you smiling from book one through seven.
Series at a Glance
Author: Linda Reilly
Genre: Culinary Cozy Mystery
Series: Grilled Cheese Eatery Mysteries
Books: 7 currently published
Setting: Balsam Dell, Vermont
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Main Character: Carly Hale Mitchell
Series Status: Ongoing / hoping for more
What Is the Series About?
The Grilled Cheese Eatery Mysteries follow Carly Hale Mitchell, a young widow who returns to her Vermont hometown and opens the restaurant she’s always dreamed of: Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery.
What begins as a fresh start quickly turns into a series of murder investigations as Carly repeatedly finds herself pulled into the mysteries surrounding Balsam Dell. Along the way, she builds a wonderful found family through the people who work at and frequent her restaurant, develops a sweet relationship with Ari, and becomes increasingly woven into the life of the town.
The culinary element is a huge part of the series, with Carly constantly creating new grilled cheese combinations and recipes that somehow make an already comforting food sound even more delicious. If you’re a foodie cozy reader, the menu descriptions alone may have you wishing Balsam Dell were a real place.
But what really makes the series work is the combination of food, setting, characters, and mystery. The murders give Carly something to investigate, but the reason I wanted to keep reading was because I genuinely wanted to spend more time with the people and places of Balsam Dell.
Can the Books Be Read as Standalones?
Technically, each book has its own murder mystery, so you could pick up an individual installment and follow the investigation.
But I strongly recommend reading them in order.
The character relationships, Carly and Ari’s romance, family dynamics, friendships, and Carly’s growing place within Balsam Dell develop throughout the series. Reading them back to back made the experience especially enjoyable because I got to watch the town and its residents become increasingly familiar.
And honestly? This is a binge worthy cozy series.
There’s something particularly fun about staying in the same fictional town for seven books and watching the characters’ lives continue from one mystery to the next.
Series Tropes & Vibes
- Culinary cozy mysteries
- Gourmet grilled cheese
- Small town Vermont setting
- Found family
- Family owned business
- Amateur sleuth
- Established romantic relationship
- Community of recurring characters
- Seasonal settings
- Foodie mysteries
- Low stakes cozy atmosphere with personal stakes
- Extremely cheesy book titles 😂
The Cheesy Titles 🧀
We need to talk about them.
One of the most entertaining parts of this series is Linda Reilly’s commitment to the cheese puns:
- Up to No Gouda
- No Parm No Foul
- Cheddar Late Than Dead
- Brie Careful What You Wish For
- You Feta Watch Out
- Edam and Weep
- Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place
Are they ridiculous? Absolutely. Are they part of the charm? Also absolutely.
Personally, the cheesier the title, the more likely I am to want to pick up the book. 😂 If you’re the kind of reader who appreciates a good pun, this series commits to the bit in the best possible way.
My Ranking
🥇 1. Edam and Weep — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My favorite of the series. The mystery had especially high personal stakes because Carly’s mom becomes the prime suspect, while Carly and Ari’s wedding and the arrival of Ari’s sister and adorable niece Quinn brought an extra layer of family warmth. This one felt especially meaningful after spending so much time with these characters.
🥈 2. Up to No Gouda — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A charming introduction to Carly, the Grilled Cheese Eatery, and Balsam Dell. I loved the Vermont summer setting, Carly’s journey as a young widow rebuilding her life, and the immediate found-family feeling among her staff.
🥉 3. Brie Careful What You Wish For — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A fun summer mystery with a particularly memorable new character in Ross, whose meal delivery service for local seniors added another lovely element to the community. The mystery also managed to surprise me, which is always a bonus.
4. No Parm No Foul — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A cozy fall and Halloween installment that deepened the characters and Carly and Ari’s relationship. The restaurant cast continued to grow, and the food descriptions remained dangerously delicious.
5. You Feta Watch Out — ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A festive Christmas mystery with a fun theater setting, old friends, and the return of Grant, one of my favorite members of Carly’s restaurant family. The holiday atmosphere was wonderful, although I remain skeptical about the fruitcake grilled cheese. 😂
6. Cheddar Late Than Dead — ⭐⭐⭐½
A lovely snowy Vermont installment with strong scenery and more development for Carly and Ari. By this point, Balsam Dell was really starting to feel like home, although I missed having Carly spend more time at the eatery.
7. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place — ⭐⭐⭐
The stakes were especially high with Ari becoming a suspect, but this was the easiest mystery for me to solve. I also missed the Grilled Cheese Eatery because Carly spent so much time away from the restaurant. Still, the characters and setting kept me invested, and I absolutely want to see what happens next.
Book by Book Reviews
1. Up to No Gouda ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Carly opens her dream grilled cheese restaurant in Balsam Dell, only to find herself investigating murder when an employee becomes a suspect.
Read my full review here
2. No Parm No Foul ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Halloween season murder brings more trouble to Balsam Dell while Carly’s relationships and growing restaurant family continue to develop.
Read my full review here
3. Cheddar Late Than Dead ⭐⭐⭐½
A snowy Vermont setting, a bridal shower gone wrong, and another murder give Carly plenty to investigate.
Read my full review here
4. Brie Careful What You Wish For ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Carly investigates the murder of a difficult local resident while trying to clear the name of a sweet new member of the Balsam Dell community.
Read my full review here
5. You Feta Watch Out ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Christmas theater production turns deadly, leaving Carly’s best friend Gina as the prime suspect.
Read my full review here
6. Edam and Weep ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
When Carly’s mother becomes the prime suspect in a murder, Carly’s investigation becomes more personal than ever.
Read my full review here
7. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place ⭐⭐⭐
Ari becomes a murder suspect, forcing Carly to put everything else aside to clear her husband’s name.
Read my full review here
Perfect for Readers Who Love
- Culinary cozy mysteries
- Gourmet food and mouthwatering recipes
- Small town Vermont settings
- Found family and close knit communities
- Family owned businesses
- Sweet, slow building romance
- Amateur sleuths with plenty of curiosity
- Seasonal cozy mysteries
- Recurring characters who become old friends
- Punny mystery titles
- Cozy series that are perfect for binge reading
Final Thoughts
The Grilled Cheese Eatery Mysteries are exactly the kind of cozy series that become more enjoyable the longer you spend with them. While the individual mysteries varied for me—and I definitely had a favorite—the combination of Carly, Ari, the Grilled Cheese Eatery, Balsam Dell, and the growing cast of familiar characters kept me coming back.
The food is a major selling point for me, and the recipes and grilled cheese creations consistently had me wishing Carly’s restaurant actually existed. But the real appeal is the world Linda Reilly has created around the eatery. By the later books, these characters genuinely feel like old friends, and that’s what made binge reading the series such a fun experience.
I also appreciated that the romance developed without taking over the mysteries. Carly and Ari’s relationship progresses naturally throughout the series without dragging the storyline out unnecessarily, and by book six, their wedding felt like a genuinely satisfying milestone.
The mysteries matter too. I don’t need a cozy mystery to deliver thriller level twists, but I do want enough intrigue to keep me guessing, and most of these delivered that balance for me. My biggest preference would simply be seeing Carly spend more time at the Grilled Cheese Eatery in future installments, the restaurant is such a wonderful part of the series that I always missed it when Carly’s investigations took her elsewhere.
And after reading all seven books back to back, I can confidently say: yes, you should binge this series. There’s something special about immersing yourself in one cozy world and watching the characters, relationships, and community develop without having to leave for another book in between.
Seven books in, I’m invested in Balsam Dell and definitely not ready to say goodbye. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place didn’t feel like a final goodbye to me, and there are still a few relationship and character threads I’d happily follow into another installment.
So Linda Reilly, if you’re listening: we need more grilled cheese. 🧀
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