Snowed Under

by Mary Feliz

“Flatlander” and professional organizer Maggie McDonald is out to combine business with pleasure when she heads to Lake Tahoe with her friend Tess. They want to declutter Tess’ cabin to free up funds for her son’s college and her own career change. After a week of work, Tess and Maggie will be joined by Maggie’s husband and two sons along with Tess’ son.

When Maggie finds a man frozen in deep snow near Tess’ cabin, all plans are put on hold. The two ladies become involved in trying to determine the identity of the victim and the murderer and the cause of death. They have to accomplish all this in the middle of a succession of snow storms along with a power outage. As Tess and Maggie suffer through multiple cold days and nights, the reader meets a lot of locals. Many of them come under suspicion, but we also see unusual cooperation of neighbors and other locals who help each other out with no expectation of reward or payment.

I enjoyed Snowed Under although I felt like I was cold along with the characters. I also didn’t want any of the characters to be a murderer. The snowy setting is well described along with the terrible driving conditions. This cozy mystery includes teenagers, cute kids, and an assortment of friendly dogs—Labrador, mastiff, golden retriever, German shepherd, and a Chihuahua mix.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #6 in the Maggie McDonald Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.

Publication: June 9, 2020—Kensington (Lyrical Underground)

Memorable Lines:

Normally, I would have found the timepiece’s relentless ticking annoying, but among the sounds of the wind, the shuddering of the walls in the gusts, and the growl of the snowplows, it offered a predictable and comforting counterpoint.

“Ryan’s one of those soft guys. Spots roadkill and wants to give it CPR. Wrecks his day. Couldn’t drum up enough hate to kill anyone.”

“…a good murder mystery. There’s something about knowing detectives will set the world right in 300 pages that is so comforting when everything turns upside down.”

While I found the mystery part of the story fairly easy to figure out I loved the characters and found the animals adorable and can't wait to read more about them.

Maggie heads to Lake Tahoe to her best friend's family cabin, to undertake the task of helping Tess declutter to ready for sale. This is a close knit community, and they aren't afraid to tout their town v. tourist mentality when needed. But like any neighborhood, big city problems come to seemingly quiet areas too. I like this series a lot. Maggie is a both a wife and mom, and it was a change to see her in just friend mode while on a working vacation with Tess. Like Maggie, I think I would have been labeled a flatlander--those loud noises described avalanche prevention would have been foreign to me too.

This was a great cozy that I thoroughly enjoyed. I liked the characters and the setting. It was well written with many suspects to choose from and I found it entertaining.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The sixth book in the Maggie McDonald series by Mary Feliz is Snowed Under. Maggie has gone with her friend, Tess, to Tess' family cabin to help organize it before Tess puts it on the market. When Maggie finds the frozen body of Tess' missing neighbor, their organizing plans go out the window. The story focused as much on the snow storm and other neighbors as it did on the mystery. The book is a nice addition to the series and can be read on its own. It did make me realize I have no interest in living anywhere that it snows more than once ever 10 years or so!

Snowed Under was an enchanting snowy mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though I’m new to the series, I loved every minute with these interesting characters. Maggie is a professional organizer and her sleuthing skills can’t be beat in this snowy wonderland. The mystery kept me guessing with all its twists and turns and I’m looking forward to going back and reading the rest of this wonderful series.

I volunteered to read this book in exchange for a honest review through Netgalley. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The pace of the story is good. It is my first time reading a book set between California and Colorado. I am really enjoying this book. I have an idea of who might've done it but I shall never tell, you will have to find out for yourself. This book is in bookstores now, so go and get it.

Fun and entertaining cozy mystery set in the Lake Tahoe area. Lots of snow and cold and a dead body or two. I really liked the characters and the mystery kept me guessing. Plus there's dogs!
I definitely recommend.

Thank you to the publisher, Lyrical Press, and NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Snowed Under: A Maggie McDonald Mystery
By Mary Feliz
Lyrical Underground
July 2020

Review by Cynthia Chow

After the death of her husband, Tess Olmos is selling their family’s ski cabin in Lake Tahoe to help fund her son’s college tuition and her own career change. There is no one better to help Tess clear out generations of stored clutter than her best friend Maggie McDonald, a professional organizer trained to deal with the logistical and emotional obstacles of moving. For once though, Maggie feels slightly out of her element in the heavily snowed in community and freezing temperatures. Despite her inexplicable habit of finding herself in the middle of murder investigations, Maggie never expected that she uncover a snow-covered body before they even get past the garage. It doesn’t take long for police to identify the corpse as Dev Bailey, Tess’s neighbor who went missing three months ago. The genial accountant left behind a grieving wife and two children, and being a recent widow herself Tess wants nothing more than to help solve Dev’s murder and bring them some sense of comfort. From a practical standpoint, Maggie also knows that an unsolved murder brings down a home’s resell value, which is why boxing up memories quickly takes a sideline to questioning Tess’s neighbors.

Dodging an out-of-control truck leaves Maggie with stitches and her car undrivable, but the accident also serves as an early introduction to the rest of the members of the Tahoe homeowner’s association. A nosy neighbor with a ferocious Chihuahua, a skilled handyman/caretaker with a traumatic past, and an aging ski resort owner all are thrown into the mix of those with motives for leaving Dev buried in snow. Maggie’s connections back home with the Orchard View, San Francisco police give her friendly access into the investigation, but just as important are her organizing superpowers that help her keep the mourning Bailey family from falling apart.

This sixth in the series has Maggie and Tess taking center stage, but that doesn’t mean that their families back home don’t continue to play their roles in helping to solve the case. Even before the explosion that blasts a neighboring home, Maggie’s husband Max enlists Orchard View Police Chief into doing background checks and off-the-books investigation. The Police Chief also sent along his retired Marine Corps husband to them for protection, and soon they have their own little Orchard View community lodged in the cabin. Chapters begin with quoted advice from philosophers throughout the ages, all contemplating man’s complicated relationships with possessions and wealth. Readers will be delighted with this comforting mystery that has Maggie organizing the clues into a solution that restores order to the upscale neighborhood, which hides surprisingly dark elements and crimes. Abundant with friendly canine companions, from-the-hearth cooking, and banter between long-time friends, this novel serves up a chilling mystery warmed by likable characters and enviable setting.

Snowed Under is the sixth book in Mary Feliz’s Maggie McDonald Mystery series. The author’s writing is descriptive, making me feel as if I was experiencing the cold, wind, and snow along with the characters as several blizzards hit the area. The book is well written, with well-developed characters, and flows smoothly at a steady pace, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

Maggie McDonald is a professional organizer who lives with her husband, Max, and their two teenage sons, David and Brian, in the small town of Orchard View, California, located in the hills above Silicon Valley. In this installment, Maggie and her good friend, Tess Olmos, drive to Tess’s deceased husband’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe during a blizzard to declutter and prepare the property for sale. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the cabin, Maggie slips on the ice and discovers a body in a snowbank. The body is identified as a neighbor, Dev Bailey, who has been missing for two months. Max, who becomes concerned about his wife’s safety, sends their friends, Stephen Laird and Paolo Bianchi, to keep an eye Maggie and Tess, and help with the investigation. Quinn Petit, Winter Harbor’s police chief, welcomes the assistance.

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 6 in the series.

Maggie and friends are always fun to hang out with for an afternoon.

Living in Colorado, I've been unfortunate enough to have to drive in similar circumstances to the opening of this book, so it had me literally on the edge of my seat. The book continued to hold my attention all the way to the end. It was a nice afternoon read.

My only reason for only giving it three stars is the number of characters. I spent way too much time trying to back track a bit and figure out who was who. I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep track of everyone.

I always look forward to the next book in the series.

This story concerns Maggie and her friend Tess. They go to Tess’s former husband’s holiday home on Lake Tahoe to clear it and make it ready for sale. Unfortunately, they find a body in a snow drift and the story then shifts to them helping the police find out who was the murderer and finding out why other things are happening in the neighbourhood. There is the excitement of a huge snow storm and what that means for the whole neighbourhood.
The characters were well written and the story flowed nicely, although I did find it slow to begin with but it did speed up. I would recommend this book and would like to read more of this series.

Lake Tahoe in February, lots of snow. Two friends arrive ready to clean and organize a family home. One is a widow thinks she needs to sale the house.
A surprise upon arrival was a dead body.
Two hyper cute dogs.
Fun nosey neighbors.
I want to go back and read previous books

It's an excellent, engrossing and entertaining cozy mystery and I really liked it.
It's well written, the setting is interesting and realistic, the characters likeable and fleshed out.
The solid mystery kept me guessing and it's full of twists and turns.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Professional organizer Maggie takes a trip to Lake Tahoe with her best friend Tess, to help clear out Tess’s holiday cabin prior to putting it up for sale. Arriving in the teeth of a blizzard, very nearly the first thing that happens is the pair stumble across a body in a snowdrift - the body of one of Tess’s neighbours, who’s been missing for a couple of weeks.

Trapped in place by the storm, Maggie and Tess can’t resist trying to figure out whodunnit. As an impartial outsider, Maggie doesn’t know who to trust. Everyone’s a suspect.

There’s quite a big cast of characters as the residents of the cul-de-sac where Tess lives, and a few more seemingly random friends of Maggie which turn up near the end and I suspect appear in earlier books in the series… I wish they’d been left out, to be honest, as I really don’t think they were necessary to the plot. There are some colourful characters who Maggie gets to know as she investigates the murder, but there’s a bit of an issue in that the reveal, when it comes, is a letdown and almost all of what Maggie’s done is revealed to be red herrings and a waste of time.

Much is made of there being dogs in the book and there are, indeed, lots of dogs. And really, none of them have any actual role to play other than being a reason for the characters to go outside into the bad weather occasionally. They’re just… present. Making up the numbers. Not really plot relevant, rather like Maggie’s friends who turn up late on.

Two hours after finishing this, I can hardly remember anything about it. I had to go check the blurb for the names of the main characters. I honestly found it extremely bland. It’s not bad, as such, just… forgettable. Three stars for an okay read which really didn’t inspire me to check out more in the series.

Snowed Under is a cozy mystery about Maggie McDonald. Maggie and her best friend Tess have traveled to Lake Tahoe. Tess is planning to sell her family vacation home and Maggie has agreed to use her professional organizing skills to declutter the house and get it ready for sale. They arrive along with a snowstorm -- and a murder mystery when Maggie discovers a body in the snow!

I wanted to read Snowed Under because I enjoy cozy mysteries. I was intrigued by the job of a professional organizer, and liked the mention of dogs in the story.

This is my first read in the Maggie McDonald series, but it was an enjoyable read as a standalone. The two major characters were Maggie and Tess and since they were in a new setting, there was not a lot of additional backstory to catch up with.

I don't think I have ever read a book that captured winter weather and being snowed in as well as Snowed Under! It made me feel cold just reading about the storm. I have had limited experience with snow storms, so found that aspect of the book interesting.

The mystery involves Dev, the man found in a snow drift. Dev was a husband and father who disappeared several months ago and was found by chance by Maggie. The story involves the neighborhood and community, so there were a lot of characters to get to know and keep up with. (A cast of characters page would have been helpful.) The mystery was well plotted with a number of suspects, and I definitely was surprised at the denouement.

There are a number of dogs in Snowed Under, and that always adds to cozy mystery enjoyment for me! I was particularly fond of Duke, the persnickety little chihuahua.

The chapter epigraphs all were inspiring quotes about simplifying and organizing. There was less actually organizing and decluttering in the book than I had expected; this may be different in other books in the Maggie McDonald series.

Snowed Under was an enjoyable cozy mystery read. It is a well written mystery that will keep readers on their toes as they solve the case along with Maggie. Readers who enjoy seasonal settings (winter!) and dogs in mysteries will also enjoy those aspects of the storytelling.

I've read several of the books in this series, centered on a woman (Maggie) who runs an organizing business in the Bay area. In this episode, Maggie travels to Lake Tahoe to help her friend clean out her family's vacation home. They run into a big snowstorm and a dead body, leading to a neighborhood effort to find the murderer. A nice cozy mystery!

Maggie McDonald is back, this time helping her good friend,Tess, clean out a house that has many memories. The motivation is the recent death of Tess's husband, whose family has had the house for years. The plan is to get it cleaned out and ready for sale quickly so that Maggie's husband and son and Tess's son can come up for some weekend skiing. Only a blizzard or two and the dead body Maggie finds when she tries to park her car provide lots of distraction. The small neighborhood includes an elderly woman and a dog, along with some other neighbors. They all know each other and the discovery begins a tail spin about the same time as the next snow and power failure. Pies are abundant and Belle and Mozart have a great time.

This is well-written and well-paced. There are interesting characters, as well as human emotion and grieving. I like Maggie and Tess and their interaction, and of course the dogs. The women engage in sleuthing and Maggie uses her organizational skills in the process. If you like cozy mystery, you can chill out with the snow and skiing easily with this one. It is the 6th in the series, but easily read as a stand alone mystery.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

Snowed Under is the sixth book in the Maggie McDonald cosy mystery series written by Mary Feliz. Although I've not read the earlier books in this series I decided to jump in with this latest one anyway, as I thought it had a great premise.

Maggie McDonald, a professional organiser is travelling from her home in Orchard View, Silicon Valley to Lake Tahoe in a blizzard with her friend, Tess Olmos to help with the de-cluttering of a cabin, left to Tess by her late husband. Tess is planning to sell the cabin but neither Maggie nor Tess bargained on finding a body buried in the snow. The corpse turns out to be a neighbour of Tess, Dev Bailey, who unexpectedly vanished two months ago. Maggie is keen to focus on clearing the house, but ends up becoming embroiled in the investigation...

Maggie was a wonderfully drawn character and I loved her for her sensitivity, candour and focus. Dev's murder is a reminder to Tess that she lost her own husband eighteen months ago, and Maggie showed her and her son Teddy great sensitivity, giving them time to make the best decisions for themselves.

The pacing was very comfortable and there was some interesting dynamics going on within the local neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours were potential suspects, making for some fascinating reading. There were lots of opportunities, red herrings and misdirections for me to play armchair detective and Maggie's and Tess's dogs, golden retriever Belle and German shepherd Mozart were a definite highlight, too. As the story continues, Maggie's friend, Stephen Laird arrives with his mastiff, Munchkin, and others from Orchard View, Silicon Valley, including Rocket, a winter kills instructor, to help determine and arrest the culprit. The author is a talented descriptive writer and I felt like I was right there alongside Maggie, watching the blizzards and feeling the bitter cold.

This fabulous cosy was a fascinating cocktail of drama, murder, intrigue and threatening behaviour and I loved the additional subplot which served to enhance the main story very well. The ending was quite a surprise. I look forward to reading more in the series and I aim to start with the first book, Address to Die For. I recommend Snowed Under to those who appreciate well-written cosy mysteries with wintery themes and the camaraderie of a small community.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Great Escapes Book Tours at my request and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Cold and Snowy Cozy Mystery
What can be more fun in the heat of summer than reading a cozy mystery that is packed in snow? This is a really good mystery. This book is sixth in a series, but the first that I have read. The book definitely stands alone just fine. The story takes place in February near the Lake Tahoe ski areas. They are having blizzards with 12 feet of snow expected. WOW. I love reading cold and snowy stories when it is so hot outside. This a very good story. I'm sure that I would like it just as well in December. I have read lots of this author's work and you can count on a high-quality story from her. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.