Most of you readers know I live in SW Florida, year-round. Well, let me tell you how hot it’s been the past six months. HOT. Yes, that hot. So, I am ready to read about snow, cold weather, cats, and murder. And Diane Kelly supplies it all in spades.
I always try to read at least one Christmas themed book during the season. Now, as you well know, the holidays are on top of us even before Halloween. So, if you are not quite ready for Christmas, don’t fret, this one is much more than about Christmas.
I love North Carolina. I love their mountains. I love their seasons. Seeing this cozy mystery set near the small mountain town of Boone, North Carolina, caused my heart to flutter. Who is Misty Murphy? She’s fifty years old, recently amicably divorced, with two sons in college. She’s just purchased a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is happier than she’s ever been. Luckily she has Rocky Crowder as a live-in handyman to lighten the load. It doesn’t hurt that an amazing locally run diner abuts her property.
So, what can go wrong in this amazing wonderland?
A international real estate developer named Nigel Goodwin secures all the rooms in the lodge during the holidays. He’s out to smooze wealthy investors into funding his project. His project is to build a mega resort on the side of Beech Mountain, one with all the bells and whistles, things the other inns in the area are without. The locals are up in arms. They don’t want more traffic. It’s already bumper to bumper cars during ski season. Then there are the environmentalists. There’s a lot of wild life that need protection. The noise. The rude visitors. And there are others with mixed feelings.
While Misty’s sons are home during holiday break, they discover something very unusual poked out of the tall snow pile near the lodge. It’s more than a little odd, it’s a piece of a human being. And that human is Nigel Goodwin. Frozen solid under a pile of snow taller than they are. And the plot thickens.
Who would want Nigel Goodwin dead? There are plenty of would-be suspects. Nigel was planning on doing something that would completely change the landscape of this small and atmospheric area. You’ll meet all the potential suspects including his own wife.
And just who is this lovely white cat on the front of the book? Blizzard called Yeti has a voice. Not a voice that actually speaks. But once in a while, you’ll find a tiny chapter tucked in that has her thoughts. It’s cute and smart and I like it.
The environmental aspect of this novel is important. And it’s not in your face. It’s practical and tells it like it is. Kelly is a very good writer and manages to tell a compelling story in a wonderful locale filled with characters you will enjoy meeting and getting to know, as well as southern food and heartfelt family time.
I think you readers will enjoy meeting a new writer. Diane Kelly is new to me, but she’s written dozens of cozy mysteries and I intend to read more. This is the third in her Mountain Lodge Mystery Series. You don’t have to read the first two to read this one. I didn’t and did not feel I missed a beat. I am looking forward to the next, though.
My review copy arrived from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. It’s crazy good and I loved it!
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