Fifty-years old and recently divorced, Misty Murphy is ready to begin the next chapter of her life as the proprietor of a lodge located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. After getting the rundown lodge patched up, Misty hosts her first round of guests. A yoga studio from Charlotte has booked the lodge for a weeklong retreat. The peaceful stay goes awry when the main yoga instructor's body is found underneath the newly installed deck. The sheriff's department is in charge of the investigation, but that doesn't stop Misty from looking into things. After all, her new lodge's reputation is at stack and she may also be playing host to a killer.

I kept going back and forth on how I felt about GETAWAY WITH MURDER. I loved the setting, the lodge will provide a fresh set of guests, victims, and suspects with each novel. It shows promise as a series. I also appreciated that Misty worked with the local law enforcement while she did her own snooping. She shared everything she discovered, and she kept the sheriff in the loop opposed to hoarding the info to herself. But I was not really a fan of any of the main characters, and I found parts of the plot very improbable. Also, the chapters from Misty's cat's perspective were just silly. While cute, those chapters added nothing to the story and could have been left out.

It took a while to get to the actual murder—understandable since Misty had to establish herself at the lodge, prepare it for opening, bring in the first round of guests, and set the scene for the murder. Following the murder, there was a lot of repetition as Misty went over and over her short list of suspects and what she thought their motives might be. Some of the motives were flimsy—a NASCAR drive once shoved a competitor following a race and, in Misty's opinion, that somehow that makes him capable of murder...

The identity of the killer did come as a surprise. I really didn't suspect the character, but, because I had checked out some reviews ahead of time, I was aware the killer was someone completely unexpected. So, in a way, maybe I did suspect the killer... What was even more surprising was the murderer's lackluster motive for committing the crime. The real mystery for me was how the killer got into the victim's locked hotel room without a key. It was unexpected, but it also made Misty and her handyman extraordinaire look a little incompetent since they never noticed it while preparing the lodge for guests.

Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly introduces us to Mistry Murphy recently divorced from Jack, who moves to the Blue Ridge Mountains where she bought a Mountain Lodge. Misty has cat Yeti who has a typical cat attitude! After Misty and Yeti get settle into her new home, she ventures to the Greasy Griddle Diner for the all-you-can-eat pancakes. Patty the owner remembers Misty and very happy to find out she bought the Lodge. They work out a deal that Patty delivers breakfast each morning to the Lodge and then her restaurant won't have to make people wait for places to sit, a win-win! Misty hires Rocky Crowder to fix the drainage problem and the damage it caused to the lodge and then hires him as her maintenance man for the lodge. Misty then hires Brynn O'Reilly as her Admin and house cleaner. Everything was going great with their first guests from the Third Eye Studio and Spa until the owner Sasha ends up dead. It's up to Misty and Deputy Sheriff Highcloud to figure out who the murder is with the help of Rocky and Brynn. Who killed Sasha? Why? How did some get into her room with being seen?

I love Diana Kelly and this book was a great read! The book was easy to keep up with characters, the plot and the surprising ending! I high recommend for you to read this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Copy!

Getaway With Murder is the first book in Diane Kelly’s newest Mountain Lodge Mystery series. The heroine of the story, Misty Murphy, is 50-years-old and newly divorced. With her two sons in college, she takes a giant leap of faith and buys an old 20-room lodge in Beech, Mountain, North Carolina. She and her cat, Yeti, move into room #1. Her goal is to rent the other rooms in the lodge to large groups for retreats, family reunions, ski groups, etc.

Things get off to a rocky start on the first night when part of the cliff-side lodge collapses due to excessive rainwater run-off. At the recommendation of Patty, the owner of the Greasy Griddle diner across the street, Misty hires the handsome Rocky Crowder to fix the problems. Before long, Rocky moves into a room at the other end of the lodge in exchange for being the on-site maintenance man. She also hires Brynn, who is Wiccan, as her assistant. Patty agrees to bring breakfast over each morning for the lodge guests, so Misty gives her a key as well.

The first group of renters is on a yoga retreat. The studio’s owner is an arrogant piece of work, who ends up dead and under the deck after a few days. Now everyone is a suspect, including all of the guests, the Greasy Griddle employees, and even Rocky and Brynn. There are red herrings all over the lodge. Misty knows if the culprit is not identified, it could do irreparable harm to her new business.

It’s refreshing to have a mature woman as the main character. Her life experience and her desire to start anew make her relatable and interesting. While she is attracted to Rocky, she knows she needs to take things slow since the ink on her divorce papers is barely dry. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

5-Stars! Thank you to Sara Beth H @ St. Martin’s for my advanced reader copy. The novel is 304 pages and the expected publication date is October 26, 2021.

Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly is a fun start to a new cozy mystery series!

Newly divorced Misty Murphy, is the new owner of the Mountaintop Lodge in North Carolina. Her first guests at the lodge are a mixed group of new age and yoga enthusiasts. Everything seems to be going smoothly till one of the yoga instructors is found dead. Misty doesn't want bad press for her new business and decides she will try to figure out who the killer is.

The Mountaintop Lodge sounds like a place that I would want to visit, the author does a great job at vividly describing the mountainous area. I appreciated how real the characters were portrayed. Misty is so down to earth and so relatable. Even Yeti, Misty's cat had a few chapters! The mystery had me interested and wanting to see how it would all play out.

This is the first book I have read by the author and she is hilarious! The humor in the story was smart and genuinely funny. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy.

Getaway With Murder is the new Mountain Lodge Mystery series by Diane Kelly. It is an enjoyable cozy mystery with likable characters, potential romance, friendship and an interesting mystery. Misty turns 50, gets an amicable divorce, her sons are in college so she buys a lodge in the mountains of North Carolina. She needs a handyman to help with repairs and maintenance to. get the Mountaintop Lodge ready to open. Through her new friend Patty, she meets and hires Rocky.. Misty's first guests are a yoga group and a young married couple. One of the yoga instructors is found dead and Misty and Rocky need to figure out if a guest or an intruder was the murderer. Misty, Rocky, Patty, and Brynn are all wonderful characters and their friendship adds to the story. There are a few short chapters periodically from Misty's cat, Yeti's point of view which aren't necessary but aren't too distracting. Overall it is a good debut. #NetGalley #GetawayWithMurder #StMartinsPress

I love reading cozies set in western NC because I live here! So glad I read this one -- loved it! Great start to a new series. I'm definitely going to be reading this series!

The Basics: Misty Murphy turns 50...gets divorced....and buys an old inn sitting atop a mountain in Northwest NC. The inn needs a lot of work, but she finds a handyman in her price range to things up. Opening weekend the inn is full and everything looks great. Until.....

There is always an until....

Yep -- a murder. One dead yoga instructor and Misty's new business venture might just crumble around her ears. So she starts doing some sleuthing to find the killer. Can she discover who offed the yoga instructor before someone else is killed?

Such a fun story! I love the characters and the setting (of course). The chapters even have some thoughts from Misty's cat - Yeti is awesome! :)

Glad I read this cozy. It made me smile the entire time. Nicely paced. Plenty of humor. Fun setting/premise. Great cover art. I will definitely stick with this series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

After being, very amicably, divorced Misty and her cat, Yeti (Baroness Blizzard is her proper name), head to their new home and business venture a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Misty is thrilled to have her lodge fully booked with a yoga retreat and Appalachian Trail hikers but when a guest is murdered and the hikers vanish Misty wants to get the killer out of her lodge....if she can figure out who the killer is.
I love that Misty is an older, independent woman and the occasional chapters from Yeti's point of view are excellent. Diane Kelly has created a great cast of characters in a wonderful setting. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Misty is recently divorced and has bought a lodge in the mountains of North Carolina. Misty is so excited to update the lodge and make it her own. She has been coming to this place ever since she was a child and loves everything about it. There are some issues that Misty needs a handy man for and finds Rocky.
Rocky is Mr. fixit for the area. He ends up fixing all she needs done and then helping her get other things about the lodge up to her standards.'
Misty and Rocky are excited for the first guests to come. A Yoga Studio has got the lodge for a week. A few days into the retreat and the owner/instructor Sasha is found dead. Sasha was not a nice person and the suspects are many. Misty works hard to try to find out what has happened to Sasha so she can clear her lodge and keep from being ruined.
A very enjoyable book about friendships, new starts and dreams come trur.

I so hate books with talking animals! Ridiculous. I did not finish. I don't recommend.
One star for this book

Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly was an escape to the mountains! I loved this first in a new series cozy mystery. Misty Murphy is newly divorced and has just purchased an inn in the mountains of North Carolina. Some unexpected work arises so she finds a hunky handyman to help her get in ship shape before her first guests arrive. She's booked out the whole lodge for a yoga retreat. Unfortunately one of the yogis rubbed someone the wrong way and doesn't wake up from corpse pose. Misty has to solve the case or risk loosing her business before it really begins.

This book was fun! It combined a fresh start with renovations and sweet small town inn life. I'm excited to see where the series goes and would recommend to fans of Dianne Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it was great. I loved the characters and the development of the story.

This is the first in a new series by Diane Kelly and it was a treat!! It is also the first Diane Kelly book I have read and I look forward to reading her others! Misty Murphy, a recently divorced woman buys a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains and renovates it before welcoming her first guests. The first half of the book sets up the series and introduces the handyman, Rocky who also lives at the lodge and the housekeeper as well as the owner of a restaurant across the street. I really enjoyed the plot of the book and the very engaging Misty. The murder of the yoga instructor took up the second half, a definite puzzle and locked room mystery. Ms. Kelly weaves a great mystery and I highly recommend this entry to cozy mystery lovers!

Getaway With Murder by Diane Kelly is the first book in the new cozy Mountain Lodge Mystery series. Each book of this series will contain it’s own fully solved mystery so they can be enjoyed as a standalone novel if choosing to do so but of course the character development will carry over for those who choose to continue the series.

Just as Misty Murphy is turning fifty she finds herself completely changing her life. Now that Misty’s children have left home she and her husband have decided to end their marriage finding themselves to be complete opposites. One thing that always made Misty the happiest was traveling to the Blue Ridge Mountains so she decided to move there permanently and bought an old inn she was familiar with from her visits.

As Misty arrives at her new lodge she finds it a bit more run down than she remembered and knows her first task will be hiring someone for repairs. In the middle of estimates that don’t suite her requests Misty meets handyman Rocky Crowder and hires him to help. As the lodge opens Misty and Rocky find themselves catering to their new guests but when one guest is found dead under the new deck they then turn to discovering who among them could be a murderer.

I actually really enjoyed this opener to the Mountain Lodge Mystery series and getting to know this set of new characters. The Mountain Lodge made a wonderful remote setting that had all the small town charm I love in cozy mysteries. This opener had a great locked door mystery that had me on my toes wanting to solve it right along with Misty and her staff. After this first book I will definitely be excited to return to the series in the future and will keep an eye out for book two.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Getaway With Murder is another pleasant read from Diane Kelly. It is a soft take on a murder mystery. I like here straight forward writing style. It leads to an easy and pleasant read. The worst of murder details are left to the reader's imagination. Ms. Kelly knows how to write a narrative that is engaging and makes you want to keep reading. I found myself reading "just one more chapter" even when I had planned to stop. The plot and characters are simple with enough details to keep the reader connected to the story. I appreciated that she limited the chapters from the cat's perspective. Unlike the Paw Patrol series, they did not do much to move the story forward, but added some color and spice to the story. A good Summer read or now that we are coming into Fall, a good read for a cool evening under a warm comforter.

I enjoyed reading Getaway With Murder. This was a fast read for me and had enough twists and turns to keep me interested in the story.

Diane Kelly sets her new Mountain Lodge Mystery series in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with an appealing collection of characters, including Yeti, a snow-white cat.

Recently divorced Misty Murphy purchases a 20 room lodge on Beech Mountain, where she plans to market her facility to groups and conferences. Misty’s first booking is a Yoga Retreat, and one of the participants finds the yoga studio owner’s body under the lodge’s deck. Police determine the crime is murder, and Misty, along with her two employees, decide to do a little snooping. Brynn O’Reilly fills two roles, helping with housekeeping and administration duties, while Rocky Crowder, a local handyman /contractor, helps provide property maintenance.

Suspects include the retreat attendees, including Sasha’s assistant Glenn, and a young couple hiking the Appalachian Trail and staying at the lodge for a few nights.

Ms. Kelly conceives an intriguing mystery and creates realistic characters. The story unfolds at a steady pace with appropriate distractions and twists. The most engaging personality turns out to be Yeti, who shares her perspective about events in personally labeled chapters throughout the book. Getaway with Murder is a captivating start in this new cozy series.

I love this new series- I can perfectly picture the lovely North Carolina mountains, smell the sweet grass and feel the crispness in the air- could be I'm just craving FALL...LOL. But it's lovely to see an older character, who while she looks like she has it all together, is experiencing a waterfall of problems, just not loosing her brain over them, but finding ways to solve them. Some pics with the local law enforcement seemingly letting Misty run her own investigation for them, but it is a cozy mystery, and belief has to be suspended sometime....It's a good little mystery, with a few twists to keep you reading, but not hard to figure out. The characters make it fun and keep you reading! Be sure to check out this series if you cant get to the mountains this Fall!

Entertaining cozy with a middle age woman and mother (recently divorced) who recently purchased a lodge in the mountains. Her first booking was a yoga retreat with someone who didn’t return with the others.

Getaway With Murder is the first in new series by Diane Kelly and revolves around Misty Murphy and her mountain lodge. Following a divorce from her husband of 20 years, she takes her share of the divorce proceeds and buys a mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Things go downhill immediately with a building emergency and she finds Rocky Crowder, a local handyman. She makes a friend with Patty, who owns the diner across the street (who recommended Rocky). Thanks to Misty's marketing skills and hard work, she fills up the lodge soon after opening with a yoga retreat.

Unfortunately, mid-retreat there is a murder of the yoga instructor and there are a few viable suspects in the form of another yoga instructor, the deceased's "friend" Kendall, the young couple who left mysteriously the morning after the murder, a NASCAR driver, as well as her handyman Rocky and her employee Brynn.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I thought Ms. Kelly did a good job telling the story and the crime didn't happen right away. Misty did a good job trying to solve the crime and I liked her thought process and how she talked things out with Rocky. However, it just wasn't credible with the deputy talking to her about the case so much and taking her into her confidence, especially with her being new in town. It just goes against every cozy mystery ever with the standard "keep out of police business." I felt that there was an obvious clue to the killer, but maybe that's just me. I didn't warm up to Rocky at first because to me he sounded like a stereotype of someone raised in the mountains and I didn't like him quoting all the time. I did like Brynn with her new age beliefs and Patty's friendly and helpful nature.

While I love Ms. Kelly's writing, I didn't really warm up to this series too much, but want to give this series another chance with the next book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this book while reading it. I liked the fact that Misty was a middle-aged woman coming out of a divorce that was amicable and friendly and had a potential romantic interest at her age.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of GETAWAY WITH MURDER (Book 1 of the Mountain Lodge Mysteries), by Diane Kelly, in exchange for an honest review. Misty Murphy celebrated her fiftieth birthday by signing divorce papers, sending her son off to college, and moving herself and her cat, Yeti, into her new investment. Inspired by fond childhood memories, Misty purchased a crumbling clinging to a bluff in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Misty isn’t there for more than a few minutes when the lobby tries to fall into the ravine below. Luckily, another business owner can recommend a reliable repairman. Misty is overjoyed when she’s able to fill her empty rooms by booking a last-minute yoga retreat. However, the group is less than “zen,” and someone murders the retreat leader and yoga instructor. In order to salvage any future business, Misty needs the murder solved. Since she’s living with all of the suspects, Misty decides she’s in the best position to figure out who, exactly, had means, motive, and opportunity. Can Misty save her business by finding the killer?

I liked this book and thought it was a good start to the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, inns, small mountain towns, tourists, retreats, yoga drama, and pets.