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.