Death of a Snow Ghost (A Cabin by the Lake Mystery, #3)

by Linda Norlander

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death of a Snow Ghost is a well written mystery and the third in the Cabin by the Lake series by Linda Norlander. Released 17th May 2022, it's 268 pages and is available in paperback format. 

I wanted to like this book very much. It ticked a lot of my favorite boxes: amateur detective, isolated setting, unexplained disappearances, and more. The premise of the book and the narrative story arc are very good, and the author has a good technical grasp of narrative tension. My main problem came from the lack of cohesive editing which made for occasionally tough going. I was often yanked out of the narrative by odd grammar and punctuation, and lack of clarity in scene and character shifts. There were some outright odd bits of info included (the main character, Jamie, is apparently an expert in the use of the comma, for example). 

I hadn't read the first books in the series and followed the action well enough. The book is readable as a standalone. The language is PG (a few damns, not much worse). The author is undeniably talented and capable. The narrative is very cinematic, with solid scene descriptions and a good tension arc. With a ruthless editor, this could be an outstanding series. 

Three and a half stars.

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