I really enjoyed this cozy, slightly romantic murder mystery by Diane Kelly.

The main character, Misty, buys a mountaintop lodge that she has frequented throughout her life. It is an idyllic setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but her first set of guests brings a mystery and a murder. I feel like we are being introduced to various characters such as Patty, who runs the diner next door, and Rocky, the handsome handyman who is interested in Misty, who will be in later books in a possible series.

A few short chapters are told by the perspective of Misty's cat, Yeti, which threw me off at first, but as they were short (usually just one page) chapters, they were ok and kind of cute.

Overall the author jumped around throwing out facts and hunches with Misty trying to figure out who did it, and despite feeling a bit redundant at times in describing some of the characters, she did a good job. I enjoyed the book more and more as it went on.

I really enjoyed the story and I would read another by this author! I appreciated that there was not any foul language or racy scenes in the book, if you are looking to avoid that kind of thing.

I received an ARC of this book as a reviewer for NetGalley.

Genre: cozy mystery
Pub date: October 26, 2021

In one sentence: Fresh off an amicable divorce, Misty Murphy buys a lodge in the Blue Ridge mountains, but water damage and murder are unwelcome guests.

I really enjoyed this first book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries - it takes place near Beech Mountain, where I used to vacation with family as a kid. Kelly does a great job capturing the atmosphere of the area - it made me very nostalgic. Misty was a great protagonist and I loved her friendship/flirtation with handyman Rocky. And restaurant owner Patty's breakfasts sounded divine - I need some grits stat. Misty's cat Yeti narrated a few chapters, and I enjoyed this chance to get her take on the situation. The mystery was compelling, and I didn't guess the culprit.

Great sleuth + fun supporting cast + good mystery = one entertaining cozy mystery! If you like cozy mysteries and the mountains, definitely check this one out for a cozy fall read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Getaway with Murder by Diane Kelly brings plenty of mystery, atmosphere, and secrets to the first book in her new cozy mystery series. The Mountain Lodge Mystery features 50 year-old Misty Murphy who has just signed her divorce papers and purchases a mountain lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern North Carolina. The inn is old and needs some work and handyman Rocky Crowder comes highly recommended. Opening day brings a full house of guests with a group from a yoga studio and spa. Unfortunately, the peaceful feelings don’t last long when a yoga instructor is found dead. The story is mainly told from Misty’s point of view, but there are a few chapters interspersed with thoughts from her cat, Baroness Blizzard also known as Yeti. While Yeti’s chapters aren’t necessary, they provide some humor and I enjoyed them.

Misty is independent, resourceful, organized, and good with people. She quickly starts to make friends, but is worried about bad reviews with the events occurring at the lodge. Will she make a success of the lodge or go bankrupt? Rocky, the handyman, Brynn, her assistant, and diner owner Patty play pivotal roles as secondary characters and the yoga guests are a mixed group of personalities to lend a sense of realism.

The setting was perfect for this novel and Ms. Kelly does a great job of transporting readers to the mountains of North Carolina. The winding roads, the trail descriptions, and even the southern foods were authentic. There are a few plot twists along the way along with plenty of suspects. The dialogue and pacing were on target. The characters and humor enhance it with both relatable characters like Misty and Rocky and obnoxious ones like the yoga studio owner and a bit of everything else in between. I also liked the fact that Misty worked with the police rather than hiding her sleuthing activities.

I was immediately drawn into the Misty’s life and enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and the development of friendships. Themes include murder, relationships, friendship, family, life’s curveballs, and starting a new business.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which was suspenseful, engaging, and atmospheric. In both of the books I have read by this author, I had a connection with the writing style that I found relatable, vivid, and irresistible. I can’t wait to find out what happens during the next book in the series. I recommend this to those that like cozy mysteries with a more mature main character.

St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Paperbacks and Diane Kelly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently expected to be October 26, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Recently divorced woman who remains friendly with her ex is a terrific way to introduce Misty. I like that she is self sufficient (as much as possible) and knows when it's time to seek help. She reasons and makes decisions quickly-not stupidly, but carefully. She is in the Mountain top lodge business and it's obvious she has the abilities necessary to make it a success. I liked the fact that she is a strong middle aged woman.

She relies on intuition and references from a neighboring business owner to hire a contractor on the spot for unexpected repairs, after a different contractor pushes his vision and agenda while padding the bill to an unreasonable amount. Turns out that was one of her best decisions ever, as Rocky becomes her maintenance man who is oh so capable and a nice guy to boot. She hires a younger woman (Bryn) to be her housekeeping help, and when Misty discovers Bryn is a Wiccan, she remains openminded. So many positives.

Her first clients are a yoga retreat full of different personalities and unfortunately a murder. Red herrings abound, but the mystery is fun to unravel. Loads of interesting characters and scenic descriptions make the reader feel submerged into the story.

My only complaint was Yeti, the cat. Why chapters were devoted to a cat's thoughts, I don't understand. I would have been happy to have the cat completely removed from the book, as she brought nothing to improve or advance the story.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and freely review this book.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Paperbacks, in return for an honest review. This is the first in a new series, set at a Blue Ridge mountain lodge. Misty Murphy, buoyed by fond memories while confronting her fiftieth birthday and a mutually-agreed divorce, purchases a mountain lodge and makes the move, along with her cat, Yeti. The story is told from both Yeti’s first person and Misty’s third person points of view. Unfortunate maintenance issues introduce Misty and Rocky Crowder, handyman extraordinaire. Thanks to his efforts, Misty can open and entice an entire yoga retreat group for a week-long seminar. Sadly, the peace and tranquility of the setting is lost when a retreat member is found dead, under the new back deck. Determined to protect her new home and her livelihood, Misty uses her skills as a host to both support and evaluate everyone at the lodge as a potential murder. This is a solid cozy and good start for a new series. In my one caveat, I agree with other reviewers’ comments that Yeti should either be expanded or removed from the next book in the series. In this opening book, I didn’t find them to do much to move the story forward. The author clearly creates the primary and supporting characters, setting the environment for the residents to return in future books.

I really enjoyed and highly recommend the first in Diane Kelly's Mountain Lodge Mystery series. 'Getaway With Murder" is a great mystery with a great cast of characters including Yeti the cat. Misty Murphy is newly divorce and has purchased a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rocky the handyman is helping at the lodge with some structural damage . I loved the relationship between these two as they try to solve the murder of the first guest in the lodge . This is a great mystery with romance and humor that I really enjoyed . Looking forward to more books in the series .

Starting the next chapter of your life in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. What could possibly go wrong? I loved the storyline of this book. The characters are wonderful. They are definitely a mix of personalities. I loved hearing all of Yeti’s thoughts. Misty, Rocky, and Brynn, they’ve got it under control. Who wouldn’t want to eat at the Greasy Griddle especially when Patty comes with it? Love “hole-in-the-wall” places to eat and that what this reminds me of. They usually have the best food around. Yoga folks might be laid back, but I can’t wait to find out about some biker chicks. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I highly recommend the first in Diane Kelly's Mountain Lodge Mystery series. 'Getaway With Murder" has the perfect combination of mystery, humor in the form of a cat named Yeti, personal growth and romance. Misty Murphy uses her amicable divorce settlement to purchase a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains with which she associates many fond memories. As she arrives part of the structure becomes unstable after 'a minor drainage problem' and the back part of the lodge and foundation collapses. Enter delightful handyman Rocky Crowder and the fun begins. Together Misty and Rocky work to solve the mysterious death of the first guest who stayed at the Mountain Lodge. There were many suspects, and the ending was surprising to me. I look forward to many more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Recently divorced Misty -- who parted with her ex as friends -- acquired a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She had traveled there as a child and later with her own family and kept fond memories of her time there. She had great plans to turn it around and make it once again a wonderful place to visit. When she moves in, she hires a local (and of course, very handsome) handyman and an assistant to help with the front desk. All is going well until a group visit from participants at a yoga studio who wanted to come for a retreat. They booked all the rooms.

Misty is a smart woman with a lot of resources at her disposal and a calm demeanor. When the group arrives, despite the owner of the Yoga Studio's obvious disdain for everyone except herself. When one of the guests turns up dead, Misty starts researching all of the guests to try to determine who might be the murderer.

What I liked: It's a fun book with a fun group of characters. Anyone could be the suspect and the story cruises to a good climax.

What I didn't like: While it was nice that the owner of the lodge had a cat, I think devoting chapters to its "voice" were completely unnecessary and superfluous. I would do some rewrites that include some commentary but remove the focus.

This is a new series by Diane Kelly. I really enjoy her stories and writing. Misty Murphy buys an inn in the mountains after she divorces her husband. Once she gets there the Inn is in worse shape that she thought. Luckily Rocky Crowder, all around handy man, is there to help her.
There is a murder among her first guests – so Misty must solve it to save her business. This is a cute not quite cozy mystery which was fun to read. I recommend this book and looking forward to the next one.

I loved this book!
This contemporary cozy has a well crafted who-dun-it, with plenty of suspects with good reasons to off the victim. The main character is a middle aged freshly divorced mother, one with an empty nest. She has a good relationship with her ex, showing a strong character, Misty had bought an inn with the settlement of her divorce and is determined to make it a good living. She has a rocky start, but with the advice from another business owner, turns the lemons into lemonade and gets a full booking shortly thereafter.
The clients are a varied group and add interest to the mix. Her newest employee gives her pause, because she’s not as forthcoming as she’d like, but is excellent at her job. She is as intrigued by her handyman as he is with her, and together the pair investigate everyone...until she gets a brainstorm and solves it.
I’ve always enjoyed Ms. Kelly, but I think this is the best yet. I received an ARC gratis from NetGalley and offer my opinion freely.

I enjoyed Getaway with murder. I think it’s a solid start to a brand-new series and allows us to get to know the main characters who will appear throughout the rest of the books. The setting, a 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗧, is probably my favorite thing about this book though. Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t bad, I just personally found it difficult to get into. I think the main reason for this is that for such a short book it felt like it took forever to get through. Could have been my mood but I won’t really know until I read another one in the future.

As for the who-dun-it, I didn’t guess it right! This is a very good thing because I’ve read so many of these types of books it’s almost easy for me to identify the killer a lot sooner than it’s revealed. The suspect list here is good and there were many people to weed through, but I was thrown off quite a bit. Kudos to the author for this piece of the novel! I hate when I can figure it out before the story is over.

If you’re interested in reading a cozy mystery set in the Appalachian Mountains at a resort, then this is a good book to start with. While not my personal favorite, I can see the appeal and would definitely read another in the series.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Cozy Mysteries
• A mountainside setting
• Authors like Deborah Blake, Nancy Coco, and Victoria Gilbert

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐

murder, murder-investigation, pets, divorcee, of-a-certain-age, cozy-mystery, small-business, small-town, hospitality-industry****

The characters are particularly well drawn and the sleuthing is pretty good. The publisher's blurb is a pretty good hook, so I won't go over that territory and spoilers are just rude. The red herrings were diabolical, but I didn't get the point of listening to random cat thoughts.
But I really liked it and hope for the next one to arrive.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Misty has, at 50, decided to divest herself of her husband and acquire a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This, despite her lack of experience or education in the hospitality industry, seems to be trending toward success until the leader of a yoga group is found dead on the property. Along with the predictable hunky handyman named Rocky, Misty investigates to clear the lodge and keep anyone else from ending up in corpse pose.

It was okay. Misty is likeable enough, but a lot of the story seemed improbable and just added either because it was expected or because it was necessary to force the plot. Misty gets divorced at midlife, check. She buys a lodge to reinvent her life, check. The lodge is by a diner that, despite being miles from other businesses, enjoys a good amount of business. That's pretty convenient. The hunky handyman ends up moving into one of the spare rooms because his house is overcrowded. This gives them opportunities to flirt. Check.

The murderer is someone you won't expect, and much like Misty's reasons for ditching her husband, the murderer's reasons don't really make sense or seem strong enough to warrant their actions.

But I think the most unlikely thing for me was that, despite the fact that Misty had decades of memories of having visited the lodge with her family, she only was reminded of her husband once. Also, she seems to have divorced her kids, too. There's no mention of her contacting either her ex or her two sons until the murder occurs, and then she just texts them. Maybe it's just me, but that really didn't seem realistic to me.

It's not a bad book, it's just not my cup of tea, and I don't think I'll be visiting the lodge again.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

I received an advance copy from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A new cozy series that’s bound to.be a hit!

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Diane Kelly begins a new cozy mystery series titled Mountain Lodge Mystery. In the first novel Getaway With Murder, Misty Murphy, alone with cat Yeti, are celebrating her fiftieth birthday with a mutual divorce, as well as purchasing an older mountain lodge on the Blue Ridge Mountains. She might have bitten off more than she can chew, however, when she sees that the old lodge appears to be falling off a bluff. Enter Rocky Crowder, handsome handyman, and his trusty sidekick dog Molasses. With Rocky around for maintenance, Misty can focus on acquiring guests, and she is off to a fantastic start when she becomes fully booked her opening night with a yoga group needing a place for their retreat. Feeling the zen-like atmosphere, Misty and group are caught completely off guard when the yoga instructor is found murdered. Now Misty must scramble to protect not only her guests, but also the reputation of her lodge or else she might lose everything including her life.

My first and overall favorite thing about Diane Kelly’s stories is the inclusion of the animals. I have read her Paw Enforcement series (AND LOVE IT), and I genuinely like how she gives the pet a voice. In this case, Misty’s cat Yeti was not as prominent in the story as I would have associated with a Diane Kelly novel. In this case, Yeti seemed almost more of a filler than a necessity. I have two cats of my own and completely agree with the thoughts coming from Yeti, but again couldn’t quite place why they were included in the story. I hope that the second novel in this series has more of the feisty feline’s voice as well as her potential to assist with the mystery. I also can’t wait to see what Yeti’s interaction with Molasses will be like.

My next favorite thing is the main character’s involvement with the people around them. Diane Kelly has a way of making the reader be the main character. In this case is Misty, a level-headed, divorcee who makes the idea of starting over seem easy. She is genuinely upset about the murder victim but also for each of the different suspects. She seems to understand who she is as a person, and what she wants from her life. I also enjoyed how open-minded she was, having hired a woman who practices Wicca and doesn’t make assumptions about the guests. She judged everyone based on how they acted or interacted with her and each other.

Finally, the mystery was good. The murder doesn’t occur until halfway through the book, but that was fine by me because I feel that the first in a series has to establish the characters and the setting. The victim is also a bit of mystery. As far as the reader knows, the victim is ruse and shallow, but there isn’t any background until very late in the novel. Which makes it a bit difficult for the reader to make a guess to the killer. However, being rude can still get a person murdered so there is no way to strike anyone from the list of suspects. When Misty had to communicate with the police, I was very happy to read that Deputy Yona Highcloud was competent as well as intelligent and respectful. She listened to Misty, and was open about her own thoughts. It was refreshing to read the deputy being thorough instead of accepting one possible solution.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars

Delightful cozy that’s all set to be a new series.


I loved this book! There are some many potential cliches that get tweaked to be fun. Misty is new divorced (as in the first chapter), but it’s amicable - no cheating, betrayal, etc. There’s a potential love interest, but the relation feels more real life - no love triangle, angst, etc - she wants to take it slow as the ink is still drying on her divorce. A few chapters are told from her cat’s point of view, but rather than being a major part of the plot, it just adds color to the story.

The plot is fairly straightforward - Misty uses part of her divorce settlement to purchase a lodge that she has fond childhood memories of, located in the North Carolina mountains. She quickly expands her circle of friends to Patty who runs the diner across the street, Brynn her assistant, and Rocky, a handy man who exchanges his maintenance services for room. Each character adds to the plot. Patty encourages her as a female business owner. Brynn is Wiccan, and Rocky is a single dad who raised three daughters. Misty has her business plan and has decided to focus on groups, and her first booking is for a yoga retreat. The leader of the retreat is more than slightly obnoxious; it’s not too surprising she’s found dead one morning.

As I mentioned above, I love the twist on cliches and the fact it’s set in the mountains. I found at a fun book! Highly recommended!

I’ve always enjoyed reading Diane Kelly’s books so I couldn’t wait to pick this one up, the first in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series.

Misty Murphy is a recent transplant to the Blue Ridge Mountains after she buys an inn there. One of her first events at the inn is a yoga retreat, but that all goes sideways when the yoga instructor ends up dead, Misty wants to make sure this isn’t the last event she’ll ever have at the inn!

This is the first in the series, so along with the mystery, we get introduced to the secondary cast of characters most of whom I liked. We meet Misty’s cat Yeti too, and while the initial concept of chapters from Yeti’s point of view seemed interesting, they didn’t really move the story along. Misty seemed like a relatable character, with real world struggles. I liked that she was working with with police instead of trying to go behind their backs and land in trouble. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series!

I had a great time reading this first in a new series.
When Misty trades her husband for a lodge, she's ready to start the next chapter of her life.
With her lodge full for a yoga retreat, things are looking up, until an arrogant guest becomes a murder victim.
Hopefully Misty will be able to figure things out before it's too late.

A great start to a new mystery series. Just the right amount of quirky characters, amateur sleuthing, intelligent deduction, friendly police, and red herrings, all with a little slow romance on the side.

The murder victim was arrogant and brash, so not too much of a surprise when she was done in. But the rest of the storyline kept us guessing!

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and appreciate the ARC that was provided for this story by NetGalley, Diane Kelly and St. Martin's Press.