Take a classic mystery opening (a group of connected people with a murderer in their midst), add an isolated setting (an island in New Hampshire), swirl in a frightening nor’easter, and top it off with an estranged romantic couple, and you have Snowed in with Murder.

I haven’t read Auralee Wallace’s two earlier Otter Island mysteries, but it’s not difficult to catch up. Off-and-on islander Erica Bloom has come home to see if she can fan the embers of her cooled-off romance with Sheriff Grady Forrester. Erica is sure that grilled steaks and glowing flames in an intimate island setting will pave the way for reconciliation with Sheriff Grady. What could go wrong?

To start with, Erica’s mother is nowhere to be found on the island. Instead, the island lodge is teeming with strangers—strangers who seem to have their own camera crew. Ordinarily, the lodge is shut down for the season in the fall, so this is highly unusual. Something else that is highly unusual (or perhaps not in New Hampshire): the weather. Erica is surprised—but not too surprised—by the darkening forecast.

I knew I should’ve worn my parka. Stupid March. Oh sure, spring was just around the corner, but no one could tell you with any certainty where that corner might be, especially not in Otter Lake, New Hampshire.

Of course, what Erica is hoping for—rather than cold mud and lots of it—is an opportunity for “snuggling under a blanket with a hot, hot sheriff waiting for better weather to come.” We can’t always get what we want, though, can we?

Erica makes her way to her mother’s island retreat, only to discover no mother and instead a reality TV cast and crew well on their way to manufactured drama with a capital D. Erica is truthfully a little worried. She asks her old pal Grady for help: “You should check on me. I might perish all alone in the elements. Caesar gnawing on my frozen corpse.”

Read an excerpt from Snowed In with Murder!

But unfortunately, Grady simply suggests she shepherd her unexpected crew to the mainland. By any measure, driving, blinding snow is unnerving. Imagine how much more so if there’s an inexplicable death, possibly even a murder. Snow blindness combined with reality television, what could be worse? Erica certainly thinks so.

Oh no, I thought. Here we go. I had seen enough of this show to know what was going to happen next. This was going to be a rehashing of every bit of family drama that had ever happened. They would scream and argue and probably throw some drinks. And it would all be about ridiculous stuff, like The color of the car you bought hurt my feelings! Or There were three pictures of so and so on the mantel and only one picture of me!

It’s impossible not to feel sympathy for Erica. She reaches out to her friend Rhonda at the sheriff’s office after discovering someone has sabotaged her generator (seriously, what could be more dreadful during a nor’easter than to lose your backup power source?) only to be brutally shot down.

“Dead body, Rhonda! Dead body at the retreat!”

A half-second of silence passed before she said, “Say what now?”

I shook my head frantically … at nobody. “Dead body at the retreat.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch. “Again? Man, they don’t call you Erica Doom for nothing.”

Erica Doom? Perhaps Erica truly is doomed. Snowed in with Murder pays homage to classic Agatha Christie mysteries where everyone is in situ and no one escapes alive. Perhaps a slight exaggeration … but Erica “Doom” Bloom is trapped on an island with a killer and no rescuer in sight.

Auralee Wallace’s third Otter Lake Mystery is the perfect escape when winter weather blows and blusters.

Too many unbelievable things happened in too short of a time. I had a hard time keeping up with it all.

This is a great book; this is the third book in the Otter Lake Mystery series written by Auralee Wallace. Erica has returned to Otter Lake, New Hampshire, to rekindle her romance with Sheriff Grady Forrester at her mom’s island retreat, currently closed for the off season. Just ahead of a rapidly advancing storm front, Erica arrives to discover Mom has rented the lodge to a reality TV show. They’re filming the wealthy but awful Boatright brood, who’ve been summoned here by their patriarch because so he says one of them wants to kill him.This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Lots of action and traipsing through the snow in this one. This is an entertaining series. "Snowed in with Murder" isn't my favorite, but it is still good. I look forward to the further adventures of Freddie's angels.

I enjoy visiting Otter Lake in New Hampshire. The Yoga retreat gets some crazy folks visiting and this book has a tv crew arriving the day of a super hugh snow storm. Erica is coming home to set things straight with Grady and visit with her best friend Freddie. Everyone is after her to come home for good but someone in the crew wants to be absent permanently. This is the third in the Otter Lake series and I think it will be even better with Erica living at home and working on family ties.

Erica Bloom is back. Back at Otter Lake and trying to get back with her ex. But her plans for a romantic weekend at what is supposed to be her mother's deserted cabin. Unfortunately, she walks into what is supposed to be the next big reality show being filmed. There's a trophy wife, her hunter daughter, a wealthy man who claims that he is the victim of attempted murder, and his grandson. Also there, is his illegitimate child, a fourteen-year-old who no one seems to like. Also on the way? The storm of the century. And during a power outage, the family patriarch is murdered with his own cyanide. And then, madness ensues.
I read the first book but skipped the second. I'll probably give the fourth a try but really hope that Erica is a little more competent, less madcap, and gets the love triangle figured out. The mystery itself was fine but Erica was just a wee bit too inept for the story to be really enjoyable.

Three stars
This book comes out February 7

If you are not yet familiar with the Otter Lake Mystery Series, you should get acquainted. This is a really funny cozy mystery that I can not get enough off. I was thrilled to get an advanced reading copy of Snowed In With Murder by Auralee Wallace. This is the third book in the series and I loved the first too, but this one was such an action packed mystery I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down! As main characters go Erica is pretty much a magnet for murder, but it is her BFF who steals the show. While I love Erica, this series is made with the antics of best bud Freddie Ng! If ever there was a chance to have and meet these fictional characters in real life this would be a duo at the top of my list. This Cozy is crazy, fun, unconventional and a hoot to read!

I was really disappointed with this book. I adored the previous book in the series.
This book has all the ingredients of a good cozy and I really like the Otter Lake characters, but this book just fell flat to me.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader's Copy of this book.

This story had no meaning...just repetitive running around in the storm with little plot.

I love the humor the delightful setting and the funny secondary characters. Hate the Erica, Grady together not together storyline though please ended or introduce a new love interest for Erica and move on from there. The story itself is always delightfully to read and the mystery is solid

Erica is back at her mother’s island lodge on Otter Lake to try to rekindle her relationship with sheriff Grady Forrester. It’s off season, so Erica thinks she and Grady will have the place to themselves. Wrong. Her mother has leased the lodge to a sleazy reality TV show crew. The wealthy Boatright family has gathered at the request of their patriarch, who believes one of them is plotting to kill him. It turns out he was right, and as a major blizzard hits, he is found dead, and the residents of the lodge are cut off from the world. This was a fun read, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s famous book, And then there were none.