This is book 4 in the Wintergreen series. I have read a couple of them and I enjoy the main protagonist Bill quite a bit. This could be read as a standalone, but the characters do develop more and more from book to book. These are clean mystery books so no graphic violence, sex, or strong language (if that is important to you). There has been another murder on the mountain and at the surface it looks like an open and shut case. You have a woman murdered after getting into a fight with her girlfriend with her girlfriend’s knife buried into her back. But the accused murdered is a friend of Bill’s and he just doesn’t buy that she did it. Luckily the police respect his experience and let him help dig into the case so he can try to prove his friend’s innocence.

I read the first in this series and really enjoyed it. Somehow I missed the next two (though I’ll remedy that tomorrow) and happenstance brought Murder at Dawn to my attention. I’m glad it did!
Kelly has created a likable character in Bill O’Shea, a retired cop just trying to enjoy life in the mountains. When a friend is accused of murder, he joins forces with local law enforcement as he works to prove her innocence. I’ll admit that a small piece of the plot line goes just a hair over the top, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. Besides, Bill has a dog now, and he’s a great dog! I’m hoping that either book 2 or 3 have more on how they found each other.
The characters ring true - they’re not perfect, they struggle with families and jobs and romance and bills: the mundane as well as the dramatic. And people get mad at each other and say stupid things, and every now and then someone says exactly the right thing. And the views are spectacular!
Thanks to NetGalley for proving this reading copy.

Summer in Wintergreen sounds idyllic. Beautiful mountain scenes and amazing temperatures become marred when murder takes place. Bill O'Shea has set in to his new home. Having helped with the local police many times, Bill is called to a murder scene. Someone didn't like Lily Wolf. When clues start to stack against Bill's friend and cafe owner, Kim, he must race against time and a overzealous commonwealth attorney to find another suspect. Who else could have murdered Lily? With little known information about the victim, Bill and the Wintergreen police struggle to solve this murder.
I love this series. The author draws on his knowledge of the area and the people to make the scenes picturesque and the characters relatable. Add in a mischievous dog and a absent ground hog and you will be pulled to keep turning the pages. Looking forward to Bill O'Shea's next adventure. I received an advanced copy. My review is my own thoughts and feelings.

cooperation, cozy-crime, due-diligence, friendship, local-law-enforcement, murder-investigation, mystery, pet-dog, pickleball, procedural, read, relationships, retired-cop, riveting, small-business, small-town, Virginia*****

These books are a kind of cozy procedural because there is no gratuitous gore, erotica, or violence.
Bill is a retired homicide detective who has connections with the local law, he gets in on the due diligence as a consultant. The victim has an obscured past and the chief suspect is a local businesswoman and a friend. The plot moves along at a relentless pace with engaging characters, beautiful imagery of places in the mountains, and a real whodunit.
This is the fourth I've read in series and I loved each one.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you!
#WintergreenMysteriesBk4

Although 4th in a series this is a first for me and it felt ok as a standalone, lacking some background to the characters but not a problem. Bill is a retired detective living happily in the Virginian mountains somewhere. A friend is in the front line for the murder of her lover although the evidence is all circumstantial Bill's not convinced although accepts that he is biased; nonetheless he and a local police officer challenge the evidence. They uncover a lot of espionage and double dealing which bring out other suspects. Well argued and developed story; so pleasant to have little violence, sex and drama. A nice change. Plus there is Max, a rescued black Labrador. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Former police detective Bill’s retirement was as relaxing as he imagined it would be, with a new living abode, new friends, hobbies, activities, and a new dog, what else does a retired guy need? Then the unthinkable happened, the relaxing phase was shattered abruptly when one of his new friends was accused of murder. His many years of experience and his gut tell him otherwise, now he was in a race against time to get the real killer and save his friend from being thrown into jail. It was an intriguing, engaging, gripping, and suspenseful read.