Misty Murphy is a great main character, level headed, thoughtful, intelligent, and hard working. Her developing relationship with Rocky Crowder is delightful.

This series always has such a sense of place and this is no exception. The wintery mountains are brought alive to the point you can nearly smell the pine with a tinge of fireplace smoke and feel the chill.

If you particularly enjoy books where you feel part of the family, this is the book for you. Join Misty for Thanksgiving and then Christmas with her two boys and Rocky's daughter.

I do have to say that the murder and investigation don't happen until well into the book. Some may be surprised by that since so many books now have the murder in the first chapter of two. If I remember correctly, It was at least a fifth, or even a fourth, of the way into the book.

As for solving whodunit, I didn't have a strong candidate, they all seemed equally likely. The subtle clues didn't stand out for me, but they are there. The killer reveal wasn't perilous, but had its own excitement. I am enjoying this series as it progresses and recommend.

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

4 Stars


It’s the holiday season and Misty’s got a lot going on at her Mountaintop Lodge. Not only do her boys get to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with her. Rocky‘s daughter is also home from college and she is spending time with them at the lodge as well. Misty is also hosting an international resort developer from England. He is planning to pitch a resort idea to wealthy American investors that has caused a little commotion amongst the locals. As Misty and her handyman, Rocky do their best to make her little lodge as cozy and comfortable as can be, the townsfolk bring on a nasty little confrontation that has Misty calling the local police.
Just as things settle down a blizzard hits the area. Misty's sons are having some fun on a sled hill that Rocky made and discover a strange rock that turns out to be the resort developers' body on ice. Misty finds herself right in the middle of a murder.




I have been invested in this series since the first book, and each one gets better and better. Diane Kelly does an amazing job transporting the reader to a completely different place when opening the cover of one of her books. Snow Place for Murder was enjoyable in many aspects for me. The mystery was very well written. I have to say I did not figure out who did it in this one because there were just too many ways it could have gone. I love the chapters from Yetis point of view. They are fun and add quite a bit of humor to the story and honestly, I really do think the thoughts that that cat has or what cats would truly think. I like that we got to see the relationship with Misty and her children along with her ex-husband. We’ve heard her talk well of him through the other books and it was nice to see the interaction between the two of them and that they did have a good relationship after divorce. I honestly wish that the Mountain Lodge truly existed because I for one would spend quite a bit of time there. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure for Misty and Yeti will be.

Diane Kelly takes us back to the Mountaintop Lodge as a tourist developer hold investor session there close to his property. Snow Place for Murder has nasty murders, lots of suspects, and intrepid sleuths in the lodge owner and her supporters. Yeti the cat gives cute opinions. Read and ENJOY.

This is the third installment in this entertaining cozy mystery series. A resort developer and a group of potential investors are staying at Misty’s lodge while they view the proposed site for this new resort. The resort idea isn’t popular with many of the locals, adding to the suspect pool when the developer is found buried in the snow. Misty can’t help but wonder if the death was intentional and who might be the culprit. This is a well written story with engaging characters. The mystery is well developed, offers plenty of suspects and keeps you interested in finding out whodunnit.

Set in Misty Murphy's charming corner of North Carolina, the story follows the arrival of international developer Nigel Goodwin, whose plans to pitch a luxurious new resort concept to American investors stir up tension among the locals. As a blizzard hits Beech Mountain, the situation turns even more chilling, leading to a shocking discovery buried under the snow.

Diane Kelly's storytelling skill shines through in this engaging whodunit, with a cast of well-developed characters and a plot full of surprising twists and turns. The vivid descriptions of the winter landscape and the festive holiday atmosphere create a cozy yet suspenseful backdrop for the intriguing murder mystery.

From Misty's determination to uncover the truth to the involvement of her boys in the investigation, the narrative keeps you invested in the unfolding events. The author expertly builds suspense, gradually unraveling the layers of deception and motives that ultimately lead to a satisfying and unexpected resolution.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of "Snow Place for Murder" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book 3 in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series and it was a fantastic - hard to put down read, the same as the two previous books. Misty Murphy owns the Mountain Top Lodge where she seems to attract guests who end up being murdered. Rockford "Rocky" Crowder is her live-in handyman and possible romance.

This time her guests were a group of investors who were thinking of investing in a property that would be a luxury resort. There is a lot of opposition from the community as the land is home to does, fawns, bucks, groundhogs, skunks, foxes and bears. Gus one of the locals points out that the resort will harm the wildlife in the area. Nigel Goodwin is pitching the project and has rented out several rooms at the lodge for his guests. Rayan is his assistant and he treats him fairly badly. Kyle and Laurie Jensen, Celeste and Emilio Salazar, Daphne and Jean-Paul Fournier, Amari Lott and Sebastian are the investors that have gathered to hear the pitch. One of them will die and everyone is suspect.

Misty's ex-husband Jack and their sons J.J. and Mitch are visiting for Thanksgiving as is Rocky's daughter Pebble. Once university is over for the semester, the 3 young people return to the Lodge to help out until the new year.

The best character in this book in my opinion still is Yeti, Misty's cat. The chapters of the book alternate between Misty and Yeti. Yeti - also known as Baroness Blizzard - could probably solve these crimes that happen at the Lodge if only she could speak. She's very nosy - trying to see past the snow, to see what is happening outside. She heard sounds the night that one of the guests was killed but she can't tell anyone. Yeti also spends a lot of time devising plans to make her humans spend more time with her.

A wonderful read by Ms. Kelly. I didn't want it to end because I was enjoying the storyline at the Lodge. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this prior to release!

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Quick look at the book:

The third in the charming and engrossing Mountain Lodge mystery series by Diane Kelly, in Snow Place for Murder, the weather at the Mountaintop Lodge is truly frightful…

International resort developer Nigel Goodwin has traveled all the way from London, England to Misty Murphy’s little corner of North Carolina and bought out the Mountaintop Lodge for the week prior to Christmas. Their intention? To pitch an exclusive new resort concept to wealthy American investors.

But locals are at odds over the idea, and when a group comes to the lodge to express their worries to Mr. Goodwin and the potential investors, a blizzard hits Beech Mountain. Like the weather outside, things quickly get frosty, and Misty has to call local police to intervene. Handyman Rocky Crowder plows the lodge’s drive and, in an attempt to regain a jovial holiday atmosphere, smooths the snow pile into a makeshift sledding hill for the guests to enjoy.

Misty’s boys have finished their exams and are “home” from college for the winter break, planning to spend most of their time snowboarding at the ski resort. While taking a few runs down Rocky’s sledding hill, they discover a funny-looking, nose-shaped rock. Only it’s not a rock. It’s the frozen nose of Nigel Goodwin, who’s found dead and buried under the mound of snow.

Who put the developer on ice and why?

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My most favorite read is a cozy mystery novel, and this series is no exception. I originally picked up this series because my sister went to college in the area it takes place. I am so glad I did because these are fantastic cozies!

This newest installment especially gives me all the cozy and winter feels, while also giving me a healthy dose of murder mystery! Like I always say, I hate waiting for the "action" in a cozy mystery, so the fact that this one starts right away made my heart happy.

I will for sure be continuing the series if there are more books, and have already gifted these to my mom as well!

This is a fine addition to the series. An investor wants to bring a big resort to a mountain location filled with wildlife. A local group objects to the plans and confronts the investor, who is soon found dead. Misty needs to find the killer to save the reputation of her bed & breakfast. Well written with a nice twisty plot, red herrings and interesting characters. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

Snow Place for Murder is book #3 in the Mountain Lodge Mystery series by Diane Kelly.

Misty’s lodge is hosting a developer who is pitching a new resort concept. The locals are not happy and it gets ugly.

I enjoyed this book. I like the family feel of the story. I am familiar with the Blue Ridge Mountain area in North Carolina and it is fun to read about places I know. It was an entertaining mystery and I liked how it wrapped up. I loved Yeti’s chapters!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Misty Murphy, owner of a mountain lodge, becomes entangled in a murder investigation when a resort developer is found dead on her property. As suspects include the other guests in the lodge, as well as some locals, Misty takes it upon herself to dig into motives and opportunities to help the local law enforcement solve the crime.

I have not read the previous 2 books in this series, but figured if I enjoyed this one, I'd go back to them. I can safely say this is not a series I'm going to be delving into, though, as I didn't care for the author's style in this book. I am not used to quite so much hand-holding in a mystery book, as the narration includes every single thought the main character has about the case, large or small, sometimes repeated. As I read, I had to assume that her speculations through most of the book were all wrong because otherwise, it wouldn't be a very engaging plot. Also, there is a lot of detail that was wholly unnecessary, including a long stretch of time before the mystery really got going. When Misty listens to conversations between others, just about every line of dialog is followed up with her thoughts about that statement—sometimes her doubting that they were telling the truth (even though she seemed to have little to no expertise in the matters they discussed most of the time), but most often bringing it back to herself with thoughts about how she would feel in that situation, how that situation reminded her of something that once happened to her, etc.

On top of all of that, Misty's reactions to finding out the deceased man had actually been murdered, and later similar reactions to seeing a potential key piece of evidence, are over-the-top dramatic and not really what I look for in the MC of a mystery series. Finally, there were a few 1-page chapters scattered throughout the book that were from the POV of Misty's cat Yeti. When the first of these chapters came up, it took me several minutes to understand that it was a cat's head into which we'd just jumped, though that was probably my own fault. I thought at first that the cat's POV would give us, the readers, some clues that would help us solve the case for ourselves, but in the end, the cat chapters provided absolutely nothing. I'm a cat person through and through, but this was unnecessary to me.

Add to that some personal preference issues, like the immediate assumption that a stranger is dangerous and could resort to violence at any moment simply because he has a gun on his hip; and the fact that the MC and her ex-husband were divorced simply because the "romance had waned" (though he did try to romance her with a bottle of wine during this story...just saying) and they wanted different things from life. I'm really not a fan of cavalier divorce, much less celebrating it as a good thing. And I noted one glaring mistake involving characters returning from skiing twice in one day (and no, they did not leave to go skiing again in between). In the end, though I'm sure that there is an audience for this kind of cozy mystery, I am not that audience. If you think you might be, please do check out other reviews.

This third installment in the Mountain Lodge cozy mystery series (though the first one I read) is a charming cozy set in a North Carolina mountain lodge. A noted resort developer travels to Misty Murphy's lodge and pitches his development plans to wealthy potential investors.

This book features likeable recurring characters, Misty and her family and friends, as well as a clever plot. Definitely a series to watch and I've picked up copies of the first two books in the series so I can get caught up.

Highly recommended for cozy mystery fans!!

Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly is the third book in The Mountain Lodge Series but can also be a stand alone read .

In this installment, international investment realtor Nigel Goodwin rents out Misty Murphy’s entire lodge around the holidays hoping to lure wealthy American investors into developing an exclusive resort, this idea finds him at odd with the locals . When Goodwin is found murdered in the snow , Misty once again must find out who wanted Goodwin next investment to be his final one .

I really enjoyed the relationship between Misty and family , also I found the cat’s view fun .

Great story to pass the time .

Highly recommend!!

just reviewed Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly. #NetGalley

Mountain lodge Inn in North Carolina is the perfect place for Nigel Goodwin’s presentation to potential investors for an exclusive resort. Run by Misty Murphy, its’ parking lot is shared with a restaurant and a ski resort is close by. With a full compliment of guests, Misty has the help of her two sons and Rocky, her handyman and current love. Goodwin’s project has the support of most of the investors, but the local residents are against the additional traffic that it will create and the harm to wildlife. Goodwin’s presentation is disrupted when the protesters descend on the inn. Add in a neglected wife, a disgruntled assistant and rumors of problems at Goodwin’s previous resort that led to a death and it is evident who Diane Kelly’s victim will be. Misty wants nothing more than a quiet life surrounded by family and friends, but now she is surrounded by strangers with a possible murderer among them. Time is also limited. Goodwin paid for five days of presentations and recreation on the slopes for his guests. As time winds down Misty must work with the police, providing her security footage and her observations.

Snow Place for Murder develops at a leisurely pace that gives the readers an opportunity to get to know the characters. Misty went through an amicable divorce. When her ex arrives with her sons for Thanksgiving it is a family event that includes Rocky and his daughter. Even Misty’s cat Yeti plays a part, narrating several of the chapters. With its’ unique discovery of the body, this book has everything that you look for in a cozy mystery. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book or my review.

Snow place for Murder by Diane. Kelly is the third in a cozy mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone but the back stories are helpful. The plot had plenty of mystery and surprising moments as well as some humor throughout. The book is a quick read, perfect for a snowy afternoon.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy of my book, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book. The primary characters were interesting and not cookie cutter. The actual murder was different from any others that I have read. I found it interesting and wanted to keep reading to see what happened and who the guilty person was. My one complaint is when the fellow was planning to set up a resort in Banff. Banff is a national park in Canada. There is no way this would be happening.

this is a witty entertaining book. Nigel takes the Mountantop Lodge for the week before Christmas, trying to convince the people of the town to make a new resort. A blizzard hits and then there is murder and mayhem! Lots of interesting and quirky characters, twists and turns, making this a real page turner and a must read!

Snow Place for Murder is the third book in this cute series set in a mountaintop lodge in North Carolina. Business is good as Misty rents out her lodge to a land developer and his prospective investors the week before Christmas. Its not all smooth sailing as there is marital tension between the developer and his wife, then theres his unhappy overworked assistant, and tension amongst some of his investors. Some of the local residents come to the lodge to protest as they are not happy about the proposed swanky new resort. When the investor ends up murdered, Misty's can't help but to once again get involved to bring a killer to justice.

A cute cozy mystery by Diane Kelly. This is the third in her Mountain Lodge Series. I enjoyed the winter vibe and Blue Ridge Mountain setting. The characters were likable and the author did a good job introducing the families as well. Misty, the Innkeeper, and Rocky her boyfriend and lodge handyman have their hands full the week before Christmas when Nigel Goodwin, a European real estate developer buys out the entire lodge to show his potential investors the nearby property he wants to develop. The locals are not happy with the idea of a resort development near the pristine nature trails. Midway through the book, Nigel is found dead, frozen in a snow pile. There are many sub-stories woven in with the mystery to solve which makes it fun. There is some humor and even a cat named Yeti who narrates a chapter here and there. Overall a fun cozy and quick read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I just couldn't get into this book. While I like the characters, the story just didn't hold my interest. I also didn't get the chapters from Yeti's point of view. They did nothing to advance the story.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

Welcome to the third book in this cozy mystery, set in the mountains of North Carolina. Once again, the author crafts a realistic mystery at Misty’s Mountain Lodge. Misty is still new at running the lodge she bought after her divorce and working to ensure the Lodge stays in business during this first winter holiday season. When a big investor rents the entire lodge for a business pitch event, Misty is both excited and trepidatious about how everything will go. Turns out, she has reason to be worried as things don’t go to plan on multiple fronts. This is a lovely cozy and a great entry in this series.