Snow Place for Murder (Mountain Lodge Mysteries, #3)

by Diane Kelly

International resort developer Nigel Goodwin and his wife Aileen have traveled all the way from London, England to Misty Murphy’s little corner of North Carolina and bought out the Mountaintop Lodge for the week prior to Christmas. Their intention? To pitch an exclusive new resort concept to wealthy American investors. The Retreat on Blue Ridge will be like nothing the area has ever seen, with five-star dining and accommodations, an all-seasons indoor water park, and adventurous offerings such as whitewater rafting, ATV trail rides, and helicopter tours.

While the proposed resort might bring tourists and money to the area, it would also bring more traffic to the two-lane roads and lots of noise to this otherwise peaceful community. Locals are at odds over the idea, and come to the lodge to express their opinions to Mr. Goodwin and the potential investors just as a virtual blizzard hits Beech Mountain. Like the weather outside, things become frosty and dangerous, and Misty has to call local police to intervene before things get out of hand. Handyman Rocky Crowder plows the lodge’s drive and, in an attempt to regain a jovial holiday atmosphere, smooths the snow pile into a makeshift sledding hill for the guests to enjoy.

Misty’s boys have finished their exams and are “home” from college for the winter break, planning to spend most of their time snowboarding at the ski resort. While taking a few runs down Rocky’s sledding hill, they discover a funny-looking, nose-shaped rock. Only it’s not a rock. It’s the frozen nose of Nigel Goodwin, who’s found dead and buried under the mound of snow.

Who put the developer on ice and why?

• ISBN10: 1250816017
• ISBN13: 9781250816016
• Publish Date: 20 November 2023 (first published 24 October 2023)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Imprint: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250816016

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Snow Place for Murder is a well written light cozy and the third Mountain Lodge Mystery by Diane Kelly. Released 24th Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The author has a good feel for pacing and this isolated suspect pool (a mountainside ski resort cut off in the middle of a blizzard) manages to be cozy and enjoyable while still doing a fine job of allowing readers to pit their wits against the author to arrive at the conclusion before the end. 

Mainly told from the third person PoV of the protagonist, Misty, a 50something divorced vacation lodge owner, there are short interludes featuring her cat Yeti as the central dramatis persona. The chapters have an identifying heading for which character is in focus for added clarity.

It's lightly humorous and easy to read. Although it's the third book in the series, the mystery is self contained in this volume and it works well as a standalone. The setting is beautifully rendered and evocative. With 3 books out at this point, it would make a good choice for a short binge or buddy read. 

Four stars. Fans of Cleo Coyle, Lynn Cahoon, and Amanda Flower will find a lot to like here. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.