Review - Getaway with Murder

The author of Southern Homebrew, House Flipper, Paw Enforcement mysteries, and Tara Holloway novels brings us a new mystery series.  This series takes into the mountains to a rustic lodge where death checks in.

Author: Diane Kelly

Copyright: October 2021 (Berkley) 296 pgs

Series: 1st in Mountain Lodge Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery

Main Character: Misty Murphy, new owner of the Mountaintop Lodge

Setting: Modern day, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "As if hitting the half-century mark wasn’t enough, Misty Murphy celebrated her landmark birthday by amicably ending her marriage and investing her settlement in a dilapidated mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the old inn teetering on both a bluff and bankruptcy, she must have lost her ever-loving mind.

Luckily, handyman Rocky Crowder has a knack for rehabbing virtual ruins and for doing it on a dime, and to Misty’s delight, the lodge is fully booked on opening night, every room filled with flexible folks who’d slipped into spandex and ascended the peak for a yoga retreat with plans to namastay for a full week. Misty and her guests are feeling zen—at least until the yoga instructor is found dead.

With a killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance, Misty must put her detective-skills to the test. Only one thing is as clear as a sunny mountain morning—she must solve the crime before the lodge ends up, once again, on the brink."

My Thoughts:  Features Misty Murphy as a newly divorced and just turned fifty amateur sleuth, a hunky handyman named Rocky, a new age housekeeper, and a diner owner as her new best friend. The characters were all fun and relatable. A dog named Molasses and cat called Yeti are delightful additions. This debut novel has a basic whodunit plot with a lodge full of suspects that each have motive or opportunity. The setting is stellar and adds to the storyline. I was engaged and read through it every chance I had. As the first book, Misty guesses everyone at the lodge at one point, but she learns as she goes. I enjoyed this book with its mountain setting and the characters rounded out the story.  I will be back for more.

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