## A Snowy Escape with a Killer Twist: A Review of Snow Place for Murder

I found myself nestled amongst the pages of Diane Kelly's "Snow Place for Murder," the third installment in her cozy mystery series set at the charming Mountaintop Lodge. Stepping into Misty Murphy's world felt like putting on a favorite pair of mittens – warm, familiar, and inviting.

The story unfolds amidst a picture-perfect winter wonderland, but things get frosty when a ruthless developer arrives with plans to transform the peaceful lodge into a sprawling resort. As tensions simmer between locals and the outsider, a murder throws the cozy community into chaos.

I dove headfirst into the mystery alongside Misty, the lodge owner with a knack for finding trouble. While the murder doesn't happen immediately, the suspense builds steadily as a cast of colorful characters with hidden motives emerges. Kelly weaves a web of intrigue, leaving me guessing until the very end.

While the whodunit is central, what truly shines is the warmth of the setting and the characters. The lodge itself becomes a comforting presence, and the townsfolk feel like neighbors you'd love to share a hot cocoa with by the fireplace. The addition of a subplot about the future of the lodge adds another layer, making me ponder the balance between progress and preservation.

**If you're seeking:**

* A charming cozy mystery with a delightful winter setting
* A lovable protagonist with a heartwarming lodge to call home
* A classic whodunit with a dash of small-town intrigue

Then "Snow Place for Murder" is the perfect escape. Just be prepared to get wrapped up in the mystery and fall in love with the characters (and maybe even crave a cozy winter getaway!).

**Minor nitpicks:**

* Some readers might find the pacing a little slow in the beginning as the scene is set.
* A few character backstories felt a touch underdeveloped.

**All in all, "Snow Place for Murder" is a delightful and suspenseful read that will have you yearning for a snow day with a good book (and maybe a murder to solve!).**

I loved this book because I love the series! The setting is unusual being in the mountains rather than set stuck in the middle of a small city like so many other mysteries. I sure hope there are more in the future.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for giving me a chance to read it!

The Mountain Lodge Mysteries by Diane Kelly has become such a comfort series for me. Each book has been a little better than the last and Snow Place for Murder was no exception.

The setting, characters, and chapters in the POV of Yeti all work together to make this series feel extra cozy.
I will say that the way we found the body was a little icky and caught me off guard. 😅 (IYKYK) But other than that, this was an excellent addition to a beloved series.

I can’t wait to see what comes next and I need to pick up another series by Diane soon!

This is the 3rd installment in the Mountain Lodge mystery series. Misty Murphy owns and runs the Mountain Top Lodge in Beech Mountain North Carolina with her handyman and boyfriend Rocky and assistant Brynn O’Reilly. It’s the holiday season and her sons JJ and Mitch are home for the holidays and helping out at the resort. She has in from London, international developer Nigel Godwin who has booked the lodge to entice some wealthy investors to build another resort in the area. After his first presentation, he is met with resistance and protests from many locals who don’t want to see the land developed and nature disturbed. When JJ and Mitch come in from sledding they show their Mom this unique rock, unfortunately it is not a rock and they discover the dead body of Nigel Godwin. The police were already aware of the issues with the protesters and soon they are all trying to find his killer. This story had lots of characters with her children being in and out as well as Rocky’s daughters. The investors, overworked assistant, his wife, locals etc. The mystery has several twists and turns. I enjoyed this installment and really look forward to more in this series. I also liked that this also showcased the families at Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. It just made the characters more real. This is another winner in this series.

3.5-4 stars
I enjoyed this cozy mystery set in a North Carolina ski town. I am from North Carolina and have skied on Beech Mountain, so that made the setting extra enjoyable for me. This book is the 3rd in the series but worked fine as a standalone.

Anyway, in addition to the setting, I really liked the characters and thought the plot was sufficiently complicated to keep me guessing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This was a great addition to the series with the perfect winter setting. I love all of the characters and their relationships to each other. The mystery was solid with several suspects to choose from.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Snow Place for Murder is the 3rd book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries, but the first one I have read. I enjoyed this story and will go back and read the first two, but I was able to read this as a standalone story and enjoy it. Misty Murphy runs the Mountain Top Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. A developer is staying at the Lodge with several potential investors, with plans to present a resort idea to them. The locals, including business owners, hunters and wildlife supporters are not happy with idea at all. When Nigel ends up dead in a snowbank, it is originally thought it was an accident, but after an autopsy, the conclusion is murder. There are many culprits, including his unhappy wife. Can Misty sort out the mystery and help find the killer?

This is an enjoyable, well plotted mystery. I loved learning more about the suspects as well as the murdered man. The more we learn, the more possibilities as to who did it and why. Nigel is not a very likable man. The twists had me changing my mind constantly about who the culprit would be, and the final reveal was surprising. As I thought about the clues and information, it fit the story well. One thing I enjoyed a lot was the character development. Not only the protagonist, but her family and the various guests. Jumping in at book 3, there was enough for me to get to know the characters, but not overly described. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful animals in the story. The chapters from Misty's cat, Yeti's point of view added some detail and made me smile. Molasses, her boyfriend's and maintenance man's dog, is another great addition to the story. Bernese Mountain dogs are sweet and lovable and I just wanted to reach into the book and snuggle him. I absolutely love the setting. My husband and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway several time and stayed in this area, so it brought back some pleasant memories. This was a fun, interesting mystery and I definitely recommend it to cozy mystery lovers.

My thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This was a good mystery. Misty, newly divorced, moved to the Carolinas too run a hotel with the help of her sons and new boyfriend, They get a large group in occupying almost all rooms and there is constant upset between the head of the group, Mr. Goodwin and his wife and the other members. The handyman, Rocky, is plowing one day and finds a body part. The mystery evolves. Who killed Mr. Goodwin and why?

When Misty Murphy decided to move to North Carolina and start her life over as the owner of a rustic lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she had no idea what to expect. In the months since, she found a happy life running the Mountaintop Lodge with her assistant manager, Brynn, and her handyman Rocky. Add in Patty, who runs the diner next door and supplies breakfasts for the guests, and Misty has made a good life since her divorce.

And when her ex-husband and two sons show up for Thanksgiving, Misty is happy to have the band back together. The divorce had been amicable, and she’s missed her sons, now that they’re off at college. But they all gathered at the lodge for a family holiday, along with Rocky and his college-aged daughter Phoebe. They had a lovely weekend and then sent the kids back to school for finals, before they came back to the lodge to work over their breaks.

Misty’s sons apply themselves to learn the duties of running the lodge, including cleaning the guest rooms. And it’s good that they learn quickly, as the lodge fills up with a real estate developer and potential investors for a week. Nigel Goodwin is pitching a luxury resort down the road from Mountaintop Lodge, several stories high with a waterpark inside it and a number of activities like a ropes course, snowmobiling, and helicopter tours.

Local residents are against the development, knowing it will disrupt the local wildlife. There will be more traffic and noise, and the residents don’t want that, including one man who has been driving around, keeping an eye on Misty since he learned she would be hosting the resort owner at her lodge. Misty starts to wonder if she had done the right thing, letting Nigel Goodwin use the lodge to try to raise funding for a resort that would be direct competition to her. But she’s also a businesswoman, and turning down a full lodge for a week would be a big decision for her.

But then, Goodwin doesn’t make it back into the lodge after a long day of skiing. And when they find his body buried in the snow pile that Rocky had made from the snow in the parking lot, Misty can’t help but notice how many people were not fans of the man. In the few days Misty had known him, she’d seen him argue with his wife, be rude to his assistant, patronize his potential investors, and take on a group of local residents who are opposed to his plans. When a local wildlife photographer tried to show Goodwin the creatures he would be disturbing, showing video from trail cameras he’d put up where they were planning the resort, Goodwin started yelling about calling the police on his trespassing.

But who hated the man enough to kill him and bury him in the snow? It will take all of Misty’s resources, including her white cat Yeti, to find a killer and protect her family from danger.

Snow Place for Murder is the third novel in Diane Kelly’s Mountain Lodge Mysteries, and it’s a very snowy murder mystery. This one has a lot of family togetherness, bringing family warmth to the holidays and to the lodge. There area also several mentions of pancakes and pie, so it you are susceptible to hunger by suggestion, keep some tasty snacks handy for this one.

I am enjoying this series more and more as it goes along. I loved the addition of her kids in this one, where Misty’s original family and newfound family get to meet and interact. I loved the idea of the other resort and all the potential investors (that’s a suspect list right there), and I thought it added a lot of intrigue as well as a way for the locals to point out all the best parts of the area. Snow Place for Murder is another strong story in this series, with Yeti stealing the show once again.

Egalleys for Snow Place for Murder were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This was an fun, quick, cozy read! This is the third book in this series and it just continues to pull you into the story and characters.

Misty, the Mountain Lodge owner is dealing with another dead body. This time the body of the organizer of the investors week. A new resort could be on the horizon and this book throws a lot of suspects at us. You'll be guessing until the end!

Read this one today if you love a cozy mystery and you don't have to have read the two previous books.

In the third book the Diane Kelly’s Mountain Lodge series, Misty Murphy’s inn at Beech Mountain, North Carolina has been booked for the week before Christmas by Nigel Goodwin. He’s travelled from the UK with his wife and assistant to pitch his new exclusive resort to potential investors.

But not all the locals are onboard with the idea. And some aren’t shy to come to the lodge and express their opinions to both Goodwin and his prospective investors. Then a blizzard strikes and the police have to be called to intervene when the protestors and the investors disagree.

With all the extra snow, a makeshift sledding hill is made and Misty’s twin sons, on a break from college, use the sledding hill between snowboarding runs at a local ski hill…and Goodwin’s body is discovered.

Although the police are involved right away, Misty wants to know who killed Goodwin and why. She’s helped by her boyfriend Rocky, his daughter, Misty’s sons, and Patty who runs the diner across from the lodge.

There’s a good mystery story with plenty of suspects with a motive to kill Goodwin, and the setting of the lodge is perfect. The author has the ability to bring the place to life so you can picture yourself enjoying a winter getaway. Lots of secondary characters are on scene, so there’s an eclectic group along with core series characters. Misty’s cat is also featured, but that was one element I found jarring. Every so often there’d be a chapter in Yeti’s POV and it did lift me out of the story itself.

Misty's lodge is booked solid just before the Holidays. A resort developer has booked the entire lodge as he pitches his new resort idea to potential investors. When he turns up dead, there are plenty of suspects. He and his wife seem to be having marital issues, his assistant is not happy with his job or how he is treated. A local wildlife lover is concerned for the animals and a hunter who craves quiet and solitude are just a few of the suspects. Could some of the potential investors have motives? It's a good thing Misty's boy are home for the holiday and are pitching in around the lodge. This gives her time to snoop and ask questions.

This is a fun series, a little cozy mixed with romance. I love the characters and the setting sounds peaceful and relaxing.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Snow Place for Murder is the third book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series by Diane Kelly and the first in the series that I have read. I must say, it was very easy to feel vested in the lives of the main amateur sleuth and her family as this reader was properly introduced to these characters. As a result, I did not really feel like I was missing anything jumping in at the third book of the series. Well, other than being exposed to Misty’s propensity to help with police investigations!

The premise is typical standard cozy mystery fare. The location is in the ski town of Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Misty Murphy is a relatively new owner of the Mountain Lodge. Another character who plays a prominent role is Rocky Crowder, the handyman at the lodge as well as a new love interest of Misty’s. We also get to interact with her two boys as well as her ex-husband (albeit briefly).

An international resort developer, Nigel Goodwin, has reserved the lodge for several days where he plans to pitch a new resort to several wealthy investors whom Nigel has brought to the Mountain Lodge. Not surprisingly, there are a number of “locals” who are opposed to this development. That definitely added some interesting dynamics…and many additional potential suspects for the murder of … yup, you guessed it…Nigel! I must say, I did find the reveal of the murder victim different from other cozy mysteries (usually one “trips” over the whole body). In this particular story – this is not the case. And that did add an interesting layer until “all” of Nigel was located.

The number of potential murder suspects is large and varied – from townsfolks, to Nigel’s employee, wife or even a potential investor. This certainly added a bit of complexity to the mystery. As in true cozy fashion – Misty worked through her suspect list to narrow down the potential murderer in conjunction with the local police. It seemed that she mused each decision and piece of information she found with a lot of thought – sometimes excessively so in my opinion.

However, there is the business of the pesky little chapters with the title of “Yeti”. Took a couple of minutes to figure out these were the cat’s musings. I found them, quite frankly, useless and added nothing to the story. Perhaps I should re-read and see if I change my mind, though this is highly unlikely as there are many other cozy mysteries that I could read. However, I must say, I have enjoyed reading another of Ms. Kelly’s series – House-Flipper Mystery series. So while I may not continue with any more of the Mountain Lodge Mystery series books I will read her other series J.

I did enjoy references to other popular ski areas: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Banff to name a few. All places in Canada – so this added a bit of comfort as this reader is from Canada and has skied at these resorts!

I must say, I fully anticipate the next book in the series to include a death associated with the newly installed hot tub at the lodge since this addition to the lodge seemed to take up a fair bit of real estate in this novel.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries set in the rustic location in the North Carolina mountains, with a variety of characters and a wintery setting, then I suggest you pick up Snow Place for Murder and get reading.

Great cozy mystery! This book gave me all the warm cozy vibes of a fun winter mystery read! Loved this story and how it progressed! It was really easy to follow along and understand! Both the characters and story were easy to connect with and get invested in! I loved how quick of a read this was were a reader can get through it in one sitting will having a good time with great humor and lots of lovable characters! Definitely recommend checking this one out if you enjoy cozy mysteries!

"Snow Place for Murder" is the 3rd book in the series. But this is my second one. A very enjoyable read. Funny and exciting keeping you on your toes and easy to follow characters and interesting keeping you glued to who killed the person. Misty is up to par on her sleuthing. looking forward to the next book.

A delightful cozy mystery! I enjoyed it very much. If you enjoy mysteries or stories with an amateur sleuth, and do not need the graphic reality with descriptions of gore and violence, this is a good choice. You can follow the clues to solve the mystery without any threat of nightmares.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Paperbacks for my honest review.*

This is the third in a series that I had not heard of so it definitely can be read as a stand alone. Misty runs a lodge in a snow town in the NC mountains and the lodge has been booked for a weeklong presentation by a developer looking to move in and build a resort. But he is killed instead. This was a nice cozy mystery with typical small town characters and very light dating between Misty and her handyman.

What draws me away is the second point of view from the cat. I feel like this doesn't add anything to the story and makes me feel a little silly reading it. But good mystery and character development.

This was another great book from this series! I really enjoy the characters and the setting and cannot wait to follow along on more adventures.

I love love love this book and this series! I love how the main character has picked up her life and changed so much. That she’s so open to new experiences. It’s fantastic! Not to mention the later in life romance. It’s such a fun series.

Misty has a full house at the lodge for a week during ski season. They will all be investors of a new vacation facility. Not everyone in town is happy with the plans, traffic will be a worse, animals will be displaced and the peace and quiet will be no longer. Who is to blame when a body is found in Mistype property? Will her lodge ratings fall? Can she help solve another mystery?