Murder at Icicle Lodge by J.D. Griffo is the third book of the cozy Ferrara Family Mystery series. The twist to this cozy series is that you not only have one sleuth trying to solve the crime but several from a crazy Italian family full of laughs. Each book of the series has it’s own mystery to be solved so they can be understood as a standalone if choosing to do so or there is of course some character building that carries over from book to book if following from the beginning.

In the first book of the series, Murder on Memory Lake, readers were introduced to Alberta Scaglione, a sixty something widow who couldn’t believe the news she received that her aunt had left everything in her will to Alberta including her house on Memory Lake in Tranquility, New Jersey. Alberta was joined by her granddaughter, Jinx who is a reporter, and her sister Helen and sister in law Joyce who all get involved in the crime solving.

Now in this third book of the series the gang is all back and has decided that they need a vacation after all of their previous sleuthing. Alberta’s granddaughter, Jinx, has been assigned a reporter job at the Icicle Lodge in the snow capped hills of northeastern Pennsylvania so what better place for everyone to go? However when the body of celebrity guest, Pamela Gregory, turns up the ladies all know a killer is on the loose and another murder needs to be solved.

I have been following the Ferrara Family Mystery series since the beginning and have become quite found of these characters. This series is one for those that enjoy an over the top quirky and hilarious vibe to their mysteries with lovable characters. And for those that love the cozy mystery genre how often do you find a whole family of sleuths taking turns investigating the clues, such fun!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

It never ceases to amaze me as to how many vodka flavors the ladies can pair with Entenmann's pastries of like flavor. What a fun quartet or ladies from the same family but also from different walks of life and different generations. You don't have to be familiar with the Ferrara family to be able to follow along on their current adventure or to appreciate Helen's quick wit, Alberta's sharp mind, Jinx's developing skills as an investigative reporter, or Joyce's sense of style and unwavering commitment to being committed. Definitely another good mystery with plenty of suspects and unusual characters. You can't help but to want to read more and even look up how to play canasta. These ladies are A #1 and always have each others' backs. So naturally, they are quite good at toe-picking through the clues to learn who caused Pamela the gold medalist to perform her final skate. There is definitely more than meets the eye between the photographer, the cooks, the bellhop, and the assistant. I would love to know where they find all those Entenmann's flavors and a few Italian recipes at the end of the stories would not go unnoticed!

Vacation Proves Deadly....
A Ferrara Family Mystery. Vacation proves deadly at the sumptuous Icicle Lodge when a body turns up. With a murderer in their midst Alberta dons her sleuthing hat in an effort to solve the mystery. Enjoyable cosy mystery with nicely drawn characters. Includes recipes from Alberta’s kitchen.

hank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Well, this was disappointing. Normally I can read any genre of cozy and enjoy it, but there was just something off from the beginning with this one. I don't know if it was the excessive description, the plot, the characters or what but I never really hit my comfort zone with this one and found myself wishing it was over. Not the cozy for me, although I never really put my finger on why. Two stars.

I read just 3% of this book to get a taste for the writing style, and it just didn't work for me. The writing is too descriptive of things that aren't really relevant to the main story, and there are a lot of very long and convoluted sentences. On top of that, I didn't like the fact that Alberta, a 65-year-old woman, was portrayed as sheltered and ignorant on the matter of young women getting married because they had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. A woman who is 65 in 2020 grew up in the 60s and 70s, and it is just not believable that the idea of a "shotgun" wedding is so foreign to her. Because I didn't feel a connection to the character or the storyline, and because this is the third book in a series where I haven't read the earlier volumes, I decided to keep moving down my to-read pile.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Ever since the first word of the series, I have liked and admired Alberta. Caught in an abusive marriage, trounced down by life and convention, her life finally opens up when she receives a bequest from an aunt and inherits money and a beautiful property on Memory Lake. Her life has turned around but what is most amazing is this downtrodden senior woman realizes late to the game that she is a smart, capable, resourceful lady and there are many in her circle who happen to agree.
She is also an ace at solving murders with the help of three equally savvy female relatives. Together the Ferrara women are a potent team. They will need all of their abilities when they get snowed in at a new lodge and the celebrity guest is murdered. Her friend Vinny, the police chief, is there as well but mysteriously disappears. He asked for her help but now the entire investigation is in her hands and everyone is turning to her for instruction.
And she quickly learns she is more than up to the task.
It is fun watching the four very different women figure things out. It is a good story and there are more than enough twists in both the current and backstory to keep the reader guessing. Skating, the thing that binds them all together, is definitely a blood sport.
My Olympic marks for the book are five purrs and two paws up.

Murder at Icicle Lodge is a good cozy mystery with interesting characters and storyline. It is well written.

The Ferrara women are taking a winter wonderland ski vacation but wind up with the murder of a disagreeable Olympic figure skater, a raging blizzard and a mystery they have to solve to save one of their own!

I'm a fan of the Ferrara women - Alberta, Helen, Joyce and Jinx, the youngest member of the group. All of the women face their own challenges and that makes the characters more believable - no rose colored glasses here! The interaction between the women and supporting characters is filled with humor and a lifetime of love. Their sleuthing skills develop with each book and I enjoyed this one. How could you not love a sleuth with a luxurious cat named Lola?

The mystery was fast paced and the descriptions of the lodge and blizzard made me shiver. A perfect mystery to cuddle up with on a cold winter's night!

I received an ARC for a fair and honest review of this book.

This was a nice story. I liked the characters and the mystery was interesting and we'll done. I didn't guess the killer until the end. I loved the relationship between Alberta and Jinx. I might read more in this series but not a must read series for me.

Happy to meet again the Ferrara women and be back to their world.
It was as entertaining and engrossing as usual and I smiled a lot.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
The cast of characters is well written and likeable.
Just one note: I subtracted one star because Italian is my mother tongue and there were plenty of grammar mistakes. As I assume that the characters' mother tongue is Italian I expect them to know the basic rules of the language. Some title sounded so weird that I had to read the translation in English to understand the meaning.
Some more check would help.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

3.5 Stars

Alberta Scaglione’s granddaughter is given the assignment to cover the grand opening of the Icicle Lodge in nearby Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania. Alberta and a few close family members and friends join Jinx for a week at the luxury lodge. It was supposed to be an easy assignment for Jinx to write about the lodge and the celebrity guest, Olympic figure skating champion Pamela Gregory. Pamela’s fans are looking forward to seeing her special performance, but others are surprised to see how demanding and rude she is off the ice. Alberta and Jinx didn’t count on a murder investigation being added to the itinerary, but when Alberta discovers Pamela’s body and a snowstorm keeps the authorities from reaching the lodge, Alberta and the gang are on the case.

Murder at Icicle Lodge is the third in a series featuring Italian-American Alberta and her reporter granddaughter Jinx. I enjoyed the series debut, but missed the follow-up book. I enjoyed the humor and the setting of this installment. and the Italian phrases included throughout the book give authenticity to the characters. I enjoy all of the main characters. Their banter is entertaining, but although they tease each other a lot, they are there for one another when needed. Alberta is my favorite character. I love seeing how much more confident and positive she is compared to the first book. Life in Tranquility, New Jersey is definitely agreeing with her and it’s fun to read about.

The mystery is interesting and kept my interest until the very end. Although the recurring characters, I really disliked the other guests at the lodge. There are so many lies and secrets and they were rude to the lodge guests and each other. On the up side, this does provide a large pool of suspects and keeps the reader guessing on the identity of the murderer, but I began tiring of the characters way before the end of the book. Things get a bit confusing at the end and the scene explaining the murder is overly long and the motive is anticlimatic after the big build-up throughout the book. Something the lodge owner reveals to Alberta seems forced, but does answer a question Albert has had and leads to a sweet epilogue.

Readers who enjoyed any of the previous books in this series will enjoy Alberta’s newest adventure. Ice skating plays a large role in this mystery and there are many references to figure skating terms and actual skaters. Readers who enjoy watching figure skating or fans of the Figure Skating Mysteries by Alina Adams will especially enjoy the book.

~ Christine

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Great plot and quite characters. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

lthough MURDER AT THE ICICLE LODGE is the first book in this series that I’ve had the chance to read, I wasn’t the least bit lost with the cast of recurring characters in the least. Light explanations are provided within the narrative or dialogue to make it easy for a new reader, like me, to fall into this world easily. Now that I’ve had a taste of this Cozy Mystery series I’ll be going back to the beginning to pick up all those little nuances for myself.

I really got caught up in the fun, loving bantering among this group of family and friends as they head to Pennsylvania for a bit of a vacation while Jinx is doing some reporting on the opening of the Icicle Lodge. It doesn’t take long to realize that there are some very rude people staying at the lodge and the worst of them all is their main attraction, gold medalist figure skating champion, Pamela Gregory. It should probably come as no real surprise that Pamela is found dead at the ice rink and the search for a murderer begins. A blizzard’s arrival couldn’t have been timed worse (or better) since the storm is preventing officials from getting to the crime scene – and it’s beginning to look like there’s even more danger afoot.

There are red herrings, twists, turns, surprises, and a stunning reveal within MURDER AT THE ICICLE LODGE. I’m not a reader who has to figure out whodunit, I’m along for the adventure, the mystery as it’s revealed but man this was a good one full of the type of twists that I particularly enjoy. No, not going to even give a hint but I had a fantastic time with my first story in the A Ferrara Family Mystery series. So much so that I’ll definitely be back for more. If you love a really good, entertaining Cozy Mystery with enough twists to make a few pretzels – then you’ll want to pick this one up right now. I’d not hesitate to recommend this one for any reader who loves puzzles, Cozy Mysteries, a tight-knit family, some laughter mixed in with the clues and a really good story.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This is the 3rd in series and a perfect Holiday theme read ! I love the setting, the mystery and the charcters. I have read the previous in series and always enjoy returning to this series. Thank you for the advance reading copy to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinions are my own..

I was very impressed right away that this reminded me of Dame Agatha Christie and her winter time mysteries.. This is the perfect setting of a mysterious luxury lodge in the snow during the holiday time. I love the descriptions of the various charcters staying at the lodge and the accommodations.

Alberta tags along with her Granddaughter when she has a gig at a luxury lodge with her two Aunts as company. Soon after they arrive celebrity guest Pamela Gregory is found murdered on the ice skating rink. To make matters worse, a terrible snow blizzard leaves everyone trapped at the lodge. Now Alberta and her Granddaughter and her sisters must find out what happened and hope to solve the mystery before another murder occurs. Tempers flare among the guests with everyone snowbound as the investigation continues.

I love this sleuth with all the differing charcters among the perfect murder setting. This was enjoyable to read cover to cover and I look forward to the next in series. Very well done to the author.

Italians, Russians, Americans. What fun! Ice skating, too. A delightful array of characters. A few surprises that keep one guessing.

Murder at Icicle Lodge by J. D. Griffo is the 3rd book in Ferrara Family Mystery series, and a great addition. Alberta inherited a lake house in Tranquility, New Jersey from her aunt, where she now lives. Alberta's, granddaughter, Jinx, lands a reporting job at a new grand opening of Icicle Lodge in the snow-capped hills of Pennsylvania and invites her family. Jinx, Alberta, Helen and Joyce are excited for the getaway, until they are snowed in by a blizzard and a dead body is found. This book had so many twists and turns, I couldn't put it down. I found this book very interesting, and full of colorful characters. Not only is there a good mystery, the plot and characters are well developed. I strongly recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading their next adventure. 

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

What a great story. I learned about the Olympics and ice skaters. Going to stay at a lodge for a week with your family and friends sounds wonderful. Little did they know what a crazy time they would have. You will be entertained by this group of ladies and gents. Oh, and we can’t forget Lola. What an interesting group of folks are at the lodge. What secrets are being kept within these walls? You may be in for some surprises. I hope you enjoy hanging out with these folks as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley but my opinion is my own.

Alberta Scaglione’s granddaughter is given the assignment to cover the grand opening of the Icicle Lodge in nearby Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania. Alberta and a few close family members and friends join Jinx for a week at the luxury lodge. It was supposed to be an easy assignment for Jinx to write about the lodge and the celebrity guest, Olympic figure skating champion Pamela Gregory. Pamela’s fans are looking forward to seeing her special performance, but others are surprised to see how demanding and rude she is off the ice. Alberta and Jinx didn’t count on a murder investigation being added to the itinerary, but when Alberta discovers Pamela’s body and a snowstorm keeps the authorities from reaching the lodge, Alberta and the gang are on the case.

"Murder at Icicle Lodge" is the third in a series featuring Italian-American Alberta and her reporter granddaughter Jinx. I enjoyed the series debut, but missed the follow-up book. I enjoyed the humor and the setting of this installment. and the Italian phrases included throughout the book give authenticity to the characters. I enjoy all of the main characters. Their banter is entertaining, but although they tease each other a lot, they are there for one another when needed. Alberta is my favorite character. I love seeing how much more confident and positive she is compared to the first book. Life in Tranquility, New Jersey is definitely agreeing with her and it’s fun to read about.

The mystery is interesting and kept my interest until the very end. Although the recurring characters, I really disliked the other guests at the lodge. There are so many lies and secrets and they were rude to the lodge guests and each other. On the up side, this does provide a large pool of suspects and keeps the reader guessing on the identity of the murderer, but I began tiring of the characters way before the end of the book. Things get a bit confusing at the end and the scene explaining the murder is overly long and the motive is anti-climatic after the big build-up throughout the book. Something the lodge owner reveals to Alberta seems forced, but does answer a question Albert has had and leads to a sweet epilogue.

Readers who enjoyed any of the previous books in this series will enjoy Alberta’s newest adventure. I would rate the book 3.5 stars and have rounded up to 4. Ice skating plays a large role in this mystery and there are many references to figure skating terms and actual skaters. Readers who enjoy watching figure skating or fans of the Figure Skating Mysteries by Alina Adams will especially enjoy the book.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Murder at Icicle Lodge is the 3rd book in the Ferrara Family Mystery. It is the first I have read. It is a standalone story.


Jinx works for a local newspaper in Tranquility, New Jersey and is assigned to cover the grand reopening of a mountain lodge, Icicle Lodge, in Pennsylvania. Scheduled is an Olympic gold medal ice skater, Pamela Gregory, as the main draw for the week-end. Unfortunately, she is found dead on the ice.

There are a lot of lies, secrets, and suspects in this story; come along for the ride.

I liked the twist that the local cops could not get to the scene due to a brewing storm. Second book this week with a similar theme.

Murder at Icicle Lodge is the third of the Ferrara Family Mystery series but the first that I read of the series. However, the author does a good job of giving background information on the characters and they are a diverse group of friends. Alberta, her sister Helen, sister-in-law Joyce, and granddaughter Jinx are going on a fun vacation. Jinx works for a local newspaper and is assigned to cover the grand reopening of a nice mountain lodge, Icicle Lodge, in Pennsylvania ski country. An Olympic gold medal ice skater is the main attraction so everyone is excited for the time away from their home town of Tranquility, New Jersey. To make things really nice, their friends and boyfriends are going as well. Police chief Vinny was friends with the deceased husband of the lodge owner, Cathy, and was invited and given two rooms so he invited Alberta's boyfriend Sloan, Jinx's boyfriend Freddy, and friend, Father Sal. The star, Pamela, is a real high maintenance self important person, who makes life hard on everyone but then is found dead on the ice rink outside the lodge. With an snow storm in the area, police can't make it to the lodge to investigate and Vinny is put in charge. Alberta and the ladies put on their sleuthing hats to help Vinny but things start to get really complicated quickly. It has to be someone on the staff of the lodge or Pamela's assistant. The ladies and guys have a lot of figure out. Full of humor and twists and turns, this is a great mystery to unravel.
I received a complimentary ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.