I confess that it took me a while to warm up to the heroine, Lizzie. She seemed to be unapproachable and only interested in interacting with people who provided her with food, such as the bakery and the diner. Slowly she did grow on me. On the other hand, her neighbor, Holly, was just the opposite being friendly and outgoing. I enjoyed Holly's adventurous spirit.

The mystery is smoothly paced with several red herrings and twists and a limited number of suspects. Small town secrets and gossip keep the story moving forward as Lizzie unwillingly becomes more involved as a murder occurs at her new home and the police are looking at her as a suspect. Engaging mystery with a little chaos and fun moments as Lizzie becomes more involved in her new community.

Winter Wonderdach is a cozy mystery complete with a dead body, a reclusive author, a ghost, a new dog and a topsy turvy life. Lizzy seeks to escape a life that feel out of control especially with her sudden fame as an author. Moving to a very small town she becomes enmeshed with a dead body and is soon being questioned by the police.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not too heavy and full of interesting characters (including a new dachshund), watching Lizzie navigate her way through the labyrinth of ups and downs, all lead to a most satisfying read.

Boy, what a first Christmas in her new town Lizzie has. Complete with a dead body. Not a good start for someone who seemingly just wants to be left alone.

This one grew on me as I read. Quite frankly, I wasn't taken with main character Lizzie as the story opened. I couldn't quite figure her out. Reclusive and preferring it that way, it seemed, she greeted each friendly approach rather abruptly. Not really rude but not open, either. I want to at least like the main character of books I read, so I wasn't at all sure about this one. Slowly, however, as I read, it became apparent why Lizzie behaved as she did, shutting people out. Forced to make forays out for food, she initially connected to those with food connections, albeit she rather abruptly turned close neighbor Holly away at the door. Who'd have guessed they'd become best friends?

The mystery was far more complicated that the usual whodunit, although that is where my interest really began to pick up. That's when Lizzie's writer persona first began to emerge. Given her tendency to think of things as potential scenes, it was even at first confusing whether Lizzy's discovery of the body was real or something her writer mind had dreamed up that stuck around into her fuzzy waking moments. Oh, it was real. Very real. Even worse, it was just the beginning. Given how quickly small town gossip spreads, it's no time until Lizzy is the talk of the town. Never mind no one really know her. Stories were made up, shared, revised, twisted, and shared repeatedly. The good news amongst the break-ins and strange noises in the house was the appearance of adorable little Mavis, who'd belonged to the late owners and had been missing for some time. Mavis brings Lizzy and Holly together, so to speak, and Holly's tendency to want to know things seems likely to get them in trouble with the police. Maybe it's a good thing Holly's brother, with his dog Harvey, is the top cop in town? Doesn't stop him from following the rules of course, even when it comes to jailing Lizzy. You'll love how she passes her time in the lonely, sterile jail cell. Ah, writers.

Anyway, those are just the highlights. Small towns have secrets. Secrets and grudges. They also have snoops and quirky characters. There are some fun, humorous scenes that help you get to know the main cast of characters better. And, oh, how the gossip flies. That said, Holly is a good friend and, hmm, her brother is kinda good looking. Can Lizzie overcome past fears and the strange start in this small town to find a family of friends? Does she even want to? Maybe life would be safer is she stays hidden away with just her dog? My thanks to #VictoryEditingNetGalleyCo-Op and #NetGalley for this early intro to Lizzie and her maybe new life. I'm assuming this is going to be a series and despite my slowness getting into the book, ultimately enjoyed the read and hope to meet them all again, especially dogs Mavis and Harvey.

#WinterWonderdach #NetGalley was just the book I needed to read yesterday.
I was immediately drawn to the cover and title, and the description sounded perfect.
Lizzie needs a break from her life, so she buys a house, in the middle of nowhere, and plans to hide, no reason to interact with people at all.
Even though Lizzie is determined to stay hidden, events happen that turn her life upside down.
There were so many laugh out loud moments, including her indoor roller rink, and why she didn't have heat or hot water.
This is an excellent cozy mystery and I'm hoping there's more to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
5 Star Review