Publication April 9, 2024
Comfort. Like the author, grilled cheese is my comfort food, so that phrase ran through my mind frequently as I sat down to type out my reaction to the book. I eventually settled on the word comfortable to characterize how it made me feel, murder or no murder. I felt comfortable with Carly and those about her. It was comforting to see the genuine caring she showed to those in her world as well as how much love and support she received back from them. Her friends and loved ones were also willing to make her occasionally feel uncomfortable because they cared. She'd already faced danger more than once and no one wanted that to happen again, most definitely not her mom or boyfriend Ari. That gave her the uncomfortable awareness of how much her actions impacted others. Whereas frequent readers of cozy mysteries are accustomed to seeing the rush of excitement as the amateur sleuths risk their lives to solve a crime or help others, this book shares the deep turmoil such actions can create in those who care about them. It has an effect on relationships of all types, too. Carly is both blessed and cursed to be a carer and we see the personal side of that aspect of a character.
In other words, we have a story here of very real people, people we'd probably feel we know. Not just random characters on a page. That is a strength of Reilly's writing, creating characters and a situation we find believable and can relate to. Past lives impact current events, family secrets intrude, and pressures of their virtual real lives all play roles. You're going to like these people and root for Carly. On a lighter note, you're also going to wish you could head over to Carly's grilled cheese place for a sandwich. You'd be wondering what marvelous creation Grant and the others have come up with to tantalize your taste buds this time. You'll see ol' friends and, hey, even the police chief grabbing a bite to eat. This time, however, he's there both for the food and telling Carly to butt out as well as for his own personal reasons. Carly and her boyfriend Ari are all for that one, of course, tho' Carly frequently feels like a child sent to the principal's office when on the receiving end of one of his lectures about being safe.He cares, too, but this time he's there because Carly's employee, Ross, is the prime suspect in the murder of an elderly woman. Thus begins the mystery.
I won't detail the plot, see the blurb, but will note that the suspect list is long. Seems the woman wasn't well liked and had potential enemies from decades ago. Ross was simply delivering food to her and no one can believe such a nice, likable young man capable of hurting anyone, let alone killing them. Maybe a family member? Some surprises turn up during that thread of investigation, that's for sure. Someone from her past? Seems she had quite the reputation as a home wrecker. But, seriously, how long can anyone hold a grudge? Will the investigative reporter be a help or hindrance? How will Carly, who always has the best intentions of staying safe, find herself in danger once again? What.... oh, enough teasers. I don't want to give away anything as it's more fun to work it out with Carly.
Bottom line, it's obvious I loved this book/series. My comfort series? Well, one of them. If nothing else, it gives me a great excuse to toast up a fresh grilled cheese sandwich. Thanks #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for inviting me over to Carly's for an early sample of Grant's latest creation. I can't wait to see what's in the future for all of them after that celebratory ending.
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