Review - A Trip with Trouble

If you like a more "mature" heroine for your cozy mystery, this is the book for you with a 50 year old starting the next chapter in her life after a divorce.  I reviewed the debut novel is this new series and now I'm happy to review the second.  Read on to find out the details.

1) Getaway With Murder (click here)

Author: Diane Kelly

Copyright: October 2022 (St. Martins) 297 pgs

Series: 2nd in Mountain Lodge Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery

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

Setting: Modern day, Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review (Netgalley)

Book Blurb: "When the ladies of the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club take over the Mountaintop Lodge for their annual autumn ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Misty Murphy couldn’t be more thrilled. Every room is full and the adventurous women even invite Misty and her assistant Brynn to join them on a ride to admire the colorful fall foliage. Hotel handyman Rocky Crowder is happy to keep an eye on the lodge for the day, and the ladies set out for a fun ride on the scenic road.

The skies are clear, the air is crisp, and the leaves are gorgeous. But what starts as a perfect ride turns worrisome when the tail gunner – the last rider in their group – fails to show up at the Craggy Gardens overlook. Cell phone service is spotty in the remote, mountainous area, and the group is unable to connect with their friend. Might the missing woman have simply run out of gas? Or is something far more sinister afoot?

The ladies are determined to locate their ride or die, and Misty is equally determined to help them. But will they be able to solve the mystery when the scenic route seems intent on hiding its secrets?" 

My Thoughts:  Features heroine Misty Murphy as a newly divorced and just turned fifty woman who is  independent, resourceful, organized, and good with people heroine, Rocky is the hunky handyman interested in her and is daughter visits in this story, Brynn is her new-age housekeeper, and Patty is the diner owner from across the road and her new best friend. The characters were all fun and relatable. The delightful animals: dog named Molasses and cat called Yeti.  The women's biker club staying at the lodge provide interesting characters and plenty of drama.

The lodge setting amid the Smokey Mountains is excellent and the murder mystery has plenty of twists and viable suspects.  The book flows smoothly and kept my interest, it is a delight to read. The killer confrontation is short but exciting and while I had run through all the suspects so it wasn't a complete surprise, it wasn't my top guesses.  Well done.  

This series provides a more mature sleuth that has been around the block and is in her second chapter of life which is a welcome lead. I highly recommend this cozy mystery. 

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

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