I love a book that has beautiful scenery, interesting and intriguing characters and The Mountain View Murder certainly has both. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

This is a good one for fans of the Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club. It is not set in a retirement home but in a community where a lot of retirees live. The protagonist Bill is an ex-police officer. He is asked to advise on a murder case.
I found the setting very interesting since it is on the Appalachian hiking trail and as the title says, there's definitely a wonderful view described throughout the book.
The story reminded me that life can begin at 60!

This book was enthralling from the very first. If you enjoy reading mysteries with personable characters, a small town atmosphere and fast paced action, then you'll like this book. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

The cast of characters in this fun, readable story are all likable and interesting, as well as keeping a lot of secrets. A seemingly random hit and run murder turns out to be the result of lies, dalliances, and betrayal. Luckily, a retired detective moves into the area and reluctantly (at first) begins to investigate as a favor to a friend. Just when you think you know who did it, a curve makes you doubt yourself. Very enjoyable!

Fantastic book!
A brilliant rollercoaster of a ride… I read this book in one sitting in less than a day and loved every minute of it

Liked this book. Good story line, and well developed, interesting characters, The book was well written., and had a good mystery. I have read lots of mysteries, but I did not guess "who done it." and the ending was very satisfactory.
The romantic interest between older characters was an added plus. There are hints of another story for these characters, and if there is, I will definitely read it. Full disclosure--I received a review copy, but that did not affect my review.


Ramona Thompson

Bill O'Shea is a retired police officer from Columbia, SC. He decides to retire in Wintergreen, VA which is a mountainous town famous for its skiing. An elderly man is hit and run and the local police believe its murder. They bring in Bill to help as they are short staffed.

This book did a good job of setting up for a literary mystery series. I enjoyed getting to know Bill, his romantic interest Cindy and the locals. This was a slow pace and I was able to enjoy the character development.

4.5 Stars

This is what I can only assume is the first book in the Bill O’Shea/Wintergreen mystery series by by Patrick Kelley.

I really liked this story. I resonated with the character of Bill and how this ex-cop was trying to find a less stressful live in Wintergreen. But then circumstances happened and higher cops were unavailable and that left a newbie in charge and asking for Bill’s expert assistance.

I liked how the author handled the budding romance between Bill and his next door neighbor. But then the village gossip mill about broke them up before they even got started. Small town grapevines are mega fast.

I enjoyed following the mystery as Bill did the job and schooled the younger cop on how to be in charge. Such a well written book. Definitely going to check out more from this author!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

A hit and run in a resort town becomes a mystery to be solved. So many suspects but who did it? Nice setting, interesting character interactions and even a bit of romance. Made for a good story. I enjoyed the book.

Mountain View Murder is the first novel set in the Virginian mountain community of Wintergreen to feature retired detective Bill O’Shea. Retired and loving the new lifestyle Bill finds himself caught up in the old routine once again when Lou Thorpe ended up being killed in a hit and run with no clues in sight.

The author does a great job of character development and each person is introduced and as a reader I was transported to the little town of Wintergreen along with all of its residents.

I enjoyed this book and the writing was very engaging and easy to follow. Special thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy for review purposes.

Bill’s retirement was turning out to be a good one, with the peacefulness and beautiful creatures of nature right before him, notwithstanding his new neighbor, who had his romantic juices flowing once again. With every turn of the page, the plot thickens as you immerse yourself deep within this story. It is an enjoyable, intriguing, and captivating read.

Another day, another book post! Continuing with my streak of posting my views on all the books I read, here’s my 8th one from this year. You can find more of such posts from me here.

A short note on reading habit before the actual review: Remember this post? A lot of you appreciated it and while I barely continued this practice, at least it initiated me into reading articles more mindfully. As for books, I already used to savor what I read but I mostly forget what I read. Hence, going forward, you will see a structure to my book opinions. I also maintain a book journal for my notes now and I love doing that. You’ll also see me writing why I chose to read a book. It will sort of help me take a mental picture of the time I was reading that book in. I want to clarify here that I don’t read for ROI (not that that’s a bad thing) but the note-taking may sound like tedious to some of you and that’s totally understandable, but I do it to savor the book reading experience. Goes without saying that I only do it when I like to.

And now, here are my thoughts on The Mountain View Murder:

Why I chose this book?

I was browsing Netgalley for the first time when I came across this book. Yes, it has been more than a year since Netgalley let me take this book. I think its fairly obvious why I chose this book, its name screams cozy, mountain murder mystery. That was it, then. That itself was the reason.

What I liked:

Everything. There, I completed the opinion before even saying anything! This book is about a retired detective Bill O’Shea who moves to Wintergreen, a mountain resort in North Carolina, to spend his life post retirement. The police chief there, Alex, is a temporary chief who doesn’t have a lot of experience with this sort of work when someone dies. So, he ropes in Bill to help him solve the case. Alex, rest of the team and almost everyone in the story believes that its an accident, but Bill wants to track every clue to figure out what it actually is – murder or accident. What then ensues is your typical whodunnit and all the characters are very enjoyable in the story. The suspects, of course, with their motives keep giving the book fun dimensions with every flashback into their lives. However, the main character, i.e., our detective Bill and his supporting characters add a lot to the experience. There’s Bill’s new love interest, Cindy, who approaches Bill right when he moves to his condo, Mitch, the young policeman who works with Bill, Krista, the policewoman who has a very fun, outgoing and charming side to her while being amazing at her job, Kim, the Wintergreen gossip journal who also adds to the whodunnit once giving it a fun twist!

To top it all, the setting of the book, i.e. a mountain resort from where multiple hiking trails pass through, make for a fun ride. I enjoyed reading this so much and after this I downloaded so many mystery books on my Kindle!

What I didn’t like:

I really don’t have anything, except I wish the book went on for longer! 😀

A huge thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book!

The characters were well-developed, and I found myself invested in their lives. The plot was well thought out and had enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. I appreciated the attention to detail, and the author did a great job of creating a vivid world that was easy to picture in my mind.
The themes explored in the book were thought-provoking and gave me a lot to consider. The story had a great message and was inspiring, leaving me feeling uplifted and motivated. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with well-developed characters and a powerful message.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book and would definitely read it again. It was a great addition to my reading collection, and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store.

Patrick Kelly has done an excellent job of making me want to move Wintergreen, Virginia. His desciptions of the mountain and the surrounding areas make them come alive visually as well as on the page.

The story starts with a hit and run murder. This town's population leans heavily towards the elderly. A retired policeman who really loved being retired is asked to assist the town's local law enforcement with the investigation, since a murder investigation is not in their skill set. What he finds is a domino effect of small crime that grow larger as they fall. I enjoyed watching....err reading....the town scramble to keep their secrets.