I feel like every time I review a book in this series I declare it my new favorite but this time I really mean it. This was definitely my favorite of the series and considering how much I enjoyed all the previous books that's saying quite a lot.

The mystery was very personal to Ellison and her motives for fining out just who was the killer were stronger than just stumbling over the body. There's also quite a lot of intrigue going on at Ellison's late husband's bank which now belongs to Ellison's daughter Grace. Ellison is determined that Grace's inheritance from her father will not disappear. With each book Ellison seems to be getting a little more confident and a little more capable which is really fun to see. She's learning to figure out how to solve her own problems and channel her mother when she needs too. There's a lot of character development here both with Ellison and Grace and I was completely pulled in. They both feel like friends and I enjoy the time I spend with them.

The mystery isn't as front and center as I usually prefer in a mystery but it was good and well constructed. I didn't know just who the killer was until the very end - though I did have a guess or two. I would have liked more explanation into the some of the motives but I was satisfied with the wrap up. This kept me reading far later than I intended because I had to know what happened and I didn't want my time with Ellison or Grace to end. This read was a complete delight!

I jumped right into the 6th book in a series never have read any of the others. I never got lost and I loved every second of this book. It is funny, cheesy, cute, and the characters grow on you right away.
Ellison is funny honest and enjoyable. Grace is your typical teenager captured on in the pages of the book.
The mystery will keep readers guessing, the romance will keep readers wondering will they and the humor will have readers laughing out loud.
I didn't realize that the story was set in the 70's making me wonder about references.
Thank you to Netgalley as well as the publisher Henery Press for the advance copy

An absolute delight. Head back to the early 70s and the country club scene in Kansas City. Not the usual setting for a mystery series, but it has unerring sense of place, delightful characters and a killer that I didn't see coming. Highly recommended.

The book opens up with Ellison getting her daughter Grace off on a date with Trip Michaels, not someone Ellison feels is trustworthy. On the same night, Ellison goes to a cocktail party with her friend Libba where Laurie Michaels accuses her husband of cheating. This is all prep work for the next several chapters where the story really ramps up.
Grace proceeds to go on a date with Detective Anarchy Jones. During dinner, Anarchy receives a call that police have been dispatched to Grace’s home. The return to find her daughter has allowed Trip to use her house for a party. Even worse, Trip is found in the study with another young girl and Grace is upstairs crying.
After the disastrous night, Grace gets a call from her bank manager, Sherman Westcott insisting to see her the next morning. He has come to announce that Tom Michael’s line of credit is no longer secured as his wife has been cashing in the CDs that were pledged as collateral. Tom hasn’t been making principal payments for several months… whole scenario putting the bank at risk due to the size of the million dollar loan.
The story continues to unfold over the next couple chapters, preparing for the first body to be found, Laurie Michaels. With the setup of multiple story lines, the potential suspects kept me guessing all the way to the end.
I will admit this was the first in the series I have read. Took me a while to realize the novel was set in the 1970s… probably should have figured it out due to 1) lack of cellphones/computers, 2) reference to Mr. Coffee, coffeemaker, and 3) the importance of the country club. But I did thoroughly enjoy the novel and once realized the time setting, really appreciated the humor of the author. Loved Ellison’s mother, the society matron who doesn’t approve of anything her daughter does.
No spoiler, but the twist at the end really wasn’t expected!

Once again Mulhern takes a funny, intelligent, and complicated turn with her characters to create another in the series you don’t want to miss.

Julie Mulher keeps honing her craft as a writer. I enjoy each of her "Country Club Mystery Series" installments more than the pervious. Her books are funny, well written and you can't put them down. When reading one of Mulhern's books, I keep telling myself, 'Just one more page' until I'm at the end, and I've lost a night's sleep. COLD AS ICE is her best yet!

This book is the latest installment in the Country Club Murder series, but the first book that I have read. Others have told me how good the series is, but I haven't had a chance to read one until now. I have to say that I did not want this book to end. It was different than other books that I have read in that the murder does not take place until well into the book. I kept wondering who was going to be killed and could see several possibilities as the story went along. Once the murder did occur, the author kept me guessing about who the killer was, especially after a second death occurred. There were so many interesting things going on in the book, besides the murder that really kept my interest in how Ellison would handle each crisis as well as her romantic involvement. I loved that the book takes place in 1974 when there were no cell phones, computers, etc. It was a nice change of pace. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series, but do not feel that I was missing any important information because I hadn't. This book can definitely stand alone and I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henery Press for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion of this book and all opinions expressed are my own.

This book follows Ellison Russell who has the bad habit of finding dead bodies. This one starts out as Ellison is going to a party and her daughter is off to the movies with her boyfriend Trip. Not long into the party the ladies nails are flying as there are fights about adultery, This brings up memories of her own husband and his cheating ways.

Then Ellison learns the bank is bad trouble and Ellison wants to know why even going so far as to hire Taft to find out what is going on. Which leads them to the bank and Sherman Westcott who has a lot of explaining to do.

All the while victims of a murder are adding up first Tom's wife winds up dead in a freezer at the country club whose husband was screwing over the bank royally. The bank being Grace's inheritance and Ellison will do whatever she can to protect the bank from loosing money. To a young girl who winds up dead at Tom's mother's apartment complex. Ellison gets dragged into the mess to try to figure out what is going on and who will show up at Thanksgiving. All this while determined that women can survive without men but will it cost her something big?

I love this series along with it's 80's references seeing how Ellison will deal with everything she is hit with from her ex-sister-in-law to her teenage daughter and all that entails. You never know with Ellison what she is going to have to deal with and whether she will come out of it unscathed. This one definitely didn't disappoint. I can't wait to see what is next for Ellison, Grace their family and friends!

Delightful and Entertaining
Cold As Ice is the sixth book in Julie Mulhern’s awesome Country Club Murders series. Ms. Mulhern’s writing style is crisp and clear, the storyline is well developed, and the characters are entertaining, fun, and a little quirky. The mystery is interesting and witty statements and humor are dispersed throughout the book, which is fast paced, with lots of twists and turns and enough suspects to keep the reader engaged. The final reveal came as a surprise to me. The setting for this series is Kansas City in the 1970’s and all the details are right on target. Family dynamics play a large part in the story and the trials and tribulations of raising a teenager are addressed in this book. I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Ellison Russell is a widow, an artist, the mother of a teenager daughter, and a magnet for murder victims. Ellison isn’t sure she’s ready for a relationship, but two handsome and caring men, Detective Anarchy Jones, and a lawyer, Hunter Tafft, are interested in pursuing one with her. Ellison is enjoying a dinner date with Anarchy, but it’s cut short when his beeper goes off and he learns the police have been called to Ellison’s home. When they arrive, they discover her teenage daughter, Grace, is having a party and out of control teenagers everywhere. Grace blames her boyfriend, Trip Michaels, for the party. Ellison is devastated when she learns her deceased husband’s bank is in trouble and his legacy to Grace is in jeopardy. While Ellison is meeting with Chef Paul at the country club, the sous-chef discovers the body of Laurie Michaels in the freezer and later, she discovers another body in a car. Ellison is determined to save the bank and discover who is murdering people.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Setting:  Kansas City, 1974

Characters:  Ellison Russel is a widow and mother to teenager, Grace. She's also the daughter of the formidable society matron, Frances Walford. Ellison isn't quite ready for a relationship, but she has two men - lawyer Hunter Tafft and Detective Anarchy Jones - are both after her affections. There's also Ellison's best friend, Libba, her fantastic dog, Max, and a host of country-club-set friends and acquaintances.

Plot:  A teenager's party and a boyfriend's indiscretion kick off the mystery in Cold As Ice.  it's nearly Thanksgiving and an early blizzard is coming to town. 1974 has been rough on Ellison and her family; she just can't seem to stop stumbling over or finding dead bodies, much to her mother's chagrin. Having finally accepted an offer of a date with my boyfriend Detective Anarchy Jones, Ellison is horrified to find their dinner interrupted by a call from the police - coming from her house. When she arrives home, she finds her daughter in tears and her home in shambles. But that's just the beginning. As events begin to snowball, Anarchy begs Ellison not to get involved in any investigation, for her own safety and his peace of mind. But she just can't help herself. This time, however, there's more at stake than safety; Ellison is investigating to save her daughter's legacy from her father. What she doesn't realize is that, by doing so, she may be freezing out everyone around her and leaving herself stranded on ice.

Pacing:  Steady - it's a book that's hard to put down!

Predictability:  Low

Wild Card:  I said it on Facebook and I'll say it again: Julie Mulhern is just mean! Finally - finally! - to the delight of all of us on #TeamAnarchy, it looks like Ellison and Anarchy are going to take the next steps to a more formal relationship. But then she goes and tosses in a wrench and breaks all of our collective hearts. It's just mean. But, I can't be too upset with her. She does manage, every time, to spin a story that grabs and keeps my attention. This is absolutely one of my favorite series and one that I recommend to friends time and again.

Cold As Ice by Julie Mulhern is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
With the holidays approaching, Ellison is busy, and when she meets the boy her daughter is dating, she can't help but wish her dead , cheating husband was still alive.
Ellison doesn't like Trip, he appears sweet on the outside, but it's what's on the inside that has her worried.
When Ellison finds out her daughter's inheritance is spinning out of control, a dinner with her lawyer is just what she needs. What she doesn't expect is the arrival of Anarchy Jones, telling her she needs to get home, Now!
Ellison walks in to every parents nightmare, an underage party spiraling out of control.
The party will seem like nothing when Ellison stumbles upon a murder and causes her mother to give her the cold shoulder.
Fans of the country club murder series are sure to grab this wild cozy mystery.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Ellison has a meeting at the country cub with the chef but while there, a body is found in the freezer. At the same time as she is being questioned about the victim Ellison is also uncovering problems at the bank which is her daughter's legacy from her father (deceased in The Deep End).

Ellison resolves to figure out who is responsible for both the murder and the bank's troubles.

I absolutely adore this series - the characters, the setting and the humor that is woven in along with the mystery. As for the timing - back in the 70's and the familial relationships - I never know when I'm going to just burst out laughing.

Recommended to anyone who loves cozies, and a good laugh.

Cold as Ice is another enjoyable episode in the Country Club Murders series from Julie Mulhern. This series is wonderfully entertaining. Fun to read, very likable characters, chunky whodunit, great one-liners, and memorable story arcs.

I absolutely love Ellison Russell. The fifth book in this series, Watching the Detectives, was a bit darker than the others. Cold as Ice is not quite as dark.

This is by far my favorite series published by Henery Press (I'm sure I've already said that a million times). I can't get enough of it and luckily enough I never have to wait too long for the next book of the series.

Ellison is back once again and to no one's surprise she finds another dead body. This time though not only is she caught up in the investigation as to who killed the dead person she also must find out just what is happening at the bank that is the inheritance left to her daughter from her late husband.

Ellison's sense of humor is always a bright spot in this series. I also really enjoy the relationships she has with her friends and family. Any interaction between Ellison and her mother usually has me laughing.

I was a teeny bit disappointed when it was revealed who the murderer was. I really wasn't extremely impressed with the reveal. What I did enjoy (surprisingly enough) was Ellison's discussion with Anarchy. That left me interested in seeing just what happens next in Ellison's life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

I didn't think it was possible, but The Country Club Murders Series just keeps getting better. I couldn't put 'Cold As Ice' down, and I didn't want it to end! Ellison is so real to me as a representation of another time, but with very current and universal emotions as she struggles to find her way as a widow with a 16 year old daughter. The mystery is gripping, and the suspense continues to build. The ending has left me with heartbroken anticipation. I need the next offering in the series, and I need hope - Julie Mulhern is just that good!

I love this series and I thought the cover was very cute. It was a great mystery and I had no idea who the killer was. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

Well , Mulhern hasn't let us down in this next chapter of Ellison's life in Kansas City! And she has certainly peaked our interest for another chapter going forward! Her knowledge of the seventies is boundless. Her knowledge of raising a teenager is spot on, and the struggles of women emerging in the seventies to be on their own is gut-wrenching to those of us who experienced it!
Throw in some romance, a few dead bodies, fraud, dysfunctional family relations and and a whole lot of humor and you have the best stay up all night reading anyone could want!

The books in this series just keep getting better and better! I've loved this book series from the very first book!!

I was fortunate enough to read this Book before its publication. Its fantastic. Fantasy, oo

I love the Country Club Murders books, and this was no exception. However, “Cold as Ice” was a bit different. There was no dead body in the first chapter. Ellison goes with Libba to a cocktail party (“Libba was early. Somewhere in Hell they were having a heckuva snow ball fight”). Her hostess comments: “I’m glad you didn’t find any dead people on the driveway.”, followed by Libba’s: “The night’s still young”, turning to Ellison: “You find a body nearly every week. I figure you’re due”. Still none in the second chapter. Am I really reading a Country Club Murder book? Has Ellison finally stopped being a corpse magnet? Finally, at the end of the third chapter Grace yells “I think I have found a body” – relief from the reader! But all is not what it seems. The next body is not found by Ellison, but she was in the vicinity – surely something is wrong here.
At least Frances Walford is still on form, ordering Ellison’s (and everyone else’s) life about, volunteering her for charity events and for hosting a family Thanksgiving Dinner. Ellison is learning from her mother, and Grace is learning from Ellison. Soon the book has all three generations channelling Frances Walford. Sadly, Grace hasn’t quite reached full power yet: “Grace’s eyes shot daggers my way. But they were a sixteen-year-old’s daggers, which, for one accustomed to Mother’s daggers, were about as sharp as butter knives”. As the body count rises (not a spoiler – you know it will!) Frances exasperatedly complains “That’s two this week, Ellison. If you keep this up, we won’t have any friends left.” In fact, that is what I have been thinking myself for the last three books. Why do Ellison and her family still have any friends? Why hasn’t membership of the Country Club been designated a health hazard? Thank goodness it is still operating, as these books are so enjoyable.
As always, the writing and the imagery are superb: “Jeannie Westcott wore a mink coat, leather gloves, and a distraught expression”, “The boy on the couch looked like the last survivor of a disaster. A disaster worse than Airport, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno combined”
There are additionally a few situations involving moral questions that have to be dealt with. This is one of the few mainstream American books I know of, that mentions sex education, abortion and lesbianism in non-judgemental terms. Ellison is having to deal with Grace growing up, and is torn between being overprotective and forbidding, and working out what advice to give, that will be accepted. She is also dealing with defining her and Grace’s positions as competent women in a world dictated by men. Both are having some problems with the men in their lives. Can the men be encouraged to change – or is it already too late.
You will never guess the person (or persons?) responsible for the murders until the final reveal. Red herrings come thick and fast, and just because Ellison desperately needs it not to be Tom Michaels, does not mean he is innocent. The Country Club is hiding another myriad of scandals – affairs, financial fraud, depravity, fashions faux pas … There is so much material here for many more books in the series. I look forward to reading all of them.

Ellison's struggle to be her own woman continues in another glimpse into 1974 society and it's a great read!

On top of being a newly widowed, single parent, Ellison's responsibility to oversee Henry's bank, which is Grace's inheritance, lands on Ellison's lap when problems arise.

Ellison's loyalty to family and obligations creates a very tense Thanksgiving and puts her facing off with a murderer. Anarchy Jones can't overcome Ellison's society upbringing and her determination to look after herself even when in mortal danger.

An excellent addition to the Country Club Murder series and looking forward to many more.

I volunteered to read an ARC from Henery Press through Net Galley.