This is a series that I have been reading out of order. So far, before this book, I have read #7 and then #1. After reading this book, I’ll be reading the rest of the books. However, I highly suggest reading the books in order as the author gives spoilers in this book for early books in the series. I solved the issue by skipping the paragraphs that dealt with earlier whodunnits.

The dialog and characters are funny as are a lot of the happenings. What is not funny and is dealt with seriously is the subject of human trafficking and the grief of those who are victims of it.

As I have with the other books in this series, I laughed quite a lot. The author has my kind of humor but can express it so much better than I can.

Mattie Winston is our sleuth and she works in the Medical Examiners office. Her husband is a detective and her children are a hoot. I’ll be looking forward to reading the prior books in this series and to seeing new ones in the future.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

"Winters in Sorenson, Wisconsin, can be unforgiving. But it’s murder that keeps Mattie and her family from settling into their new home...

A new home, a new marriage, a new family. It’s a lot to sort out. But before medicolegal death investigator Mattie can smooth out the unexpected chaos of her new life, duty calls. At the local ER, a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in by a mysterious man who claimed she’d fallen out of a car. The staff is suspicious, but while they attend to the teenager, the unidentified man slips out. Then the girl dies, but not before informing social worker Hildy Schneider that the man had her little sister as well.

Mattie’s exam reveals forensic evidence of long-term IV drug use and physical abuse, findings consistent with Hildy’s suspicion that the girl was a victim of human trafficking. They are able to confirm her identity as a teen who went missing six months ago, along with her sister - facts that are deeply unsettling to Mattie who now shares a home with her husband’s teenaged daughter.

Working closely with Hildy and Sorenson homicide detectives, including her husband Steve Hurley, Mattie must delve into a dark underworld to stop the ruthless trafficking of human lives - before it's too late for another young girl..."

I love murder mysteries in my home state! Be sure to check out Annelise Ryan when she stops by Mystery to Me later this week!

Definitely 5 stars. An incredible number of things happening in one book, with action-mystery and romance. Excellent plot, story, and characters. A must read!

Mattie and her husband Steve Hurley have a lot on their plates with their new marriage, son, and Emily, Steve's teenage daughter. Oh, and their jobs. Mattie is a medico-legal investigator (huh?) which put this into the sort of procedural sort of mystery sort of cozy territory (as she does a lot of independent investigating.). There's a topical note to the murder- human trafficking. It's well written and a good read with the notable exception of a discordant note involving Mattie's food poisoning. It's got good atmospherics of Wisconsin in winter (brr!). This may be the 10th in the series but it would be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Medico-legal death investigator Mattie Winston is called into the local hospital's ER when an eighteen-year-old girl dies under suspicious circumstances. The girl was admitted into the ER under the name Jane Smith and appears to be a victim of human trafficking. Her dying words ask for help for her younger sister, so Mattie feels compelled to try to save this young girl even if it put her own life in danger.

"Dead of Winter" is the tenth in this series, but only the second I've read. It reads pretty much like a standalone novel, but Mattie does have complicated personal relationships that take some time to keep track of. I enjoy Mattie's friendship with her boss Izzy and his partner Dom. Mattie is a likable character, but this book wasn't as enjoyable for me as the previous one. There is so much potential with a very scary and timely subject. However, silly side-plots take away from the seriousness of the subject and keep this from being a really great book. The fart jokes and running gag beginning with the effects of Mattie's food poisoning are especially jarring when mixed in with the hunt for a human trafficker.

The main case is interesting and keeps my interest throughout the book and everything wraps up with a satisfying ending. Because of the strength of that main plot, I would rate the book 3.5 stars. It's a shame the silliness detracted from an otherwise solid book.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Dead of Winter by Annelise Ryan is the 10th book in the Mattie Winston series, and another terrific addition. Mattie is an investigator for medical coroner in Wisconsin and Detective Steve Hurley is Mattie's husband. They live with their son, Matthew, a toddler, and Steve's teenage daughter, Emily, in their brand new home. Mattie and Steve are working two murders in this book. One is a teenage girl who was badly beaten and dropped off at the hospital. The other was was a fall in a theater. I loved this book and did not want to put it down. There is so many story lines going on, you just want to keep reading to see what happens next. I really enjoy the well developed characters, and story line. This book also has great humor, which I always enjoy. I strongly recommend this book/ series for any mystery readers.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read every book in this series and I have enjoyed each one. The characters are always engaging and the plot is always well written and entertaining. The storyline of this book is dark, but, Annelise Ryan manages to keep the story light.. There are several twists and turns throughout the book, Mattie and Hurley manages their relationship alongside of the mystery. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait until the next book in this series.

t, initially, that this was going to be my kind of book. Procedural, medical, mysterious. I eagerly read the first half of the book, and then got to a scene where I honestly believed I must have accidentally switched books. I will not ruin this book for you by going into a lengthy description, and I will say that the beginning of the scene was quite comical, but in my opinion, it went too far and took away from the story.

Keep in mind, that I have not read the previous books in this series, so I cannot say if this is a common thing for the author or not, but after this one, I don't have any plans to find out. Some of the characters were interesting, and I liked the way the author began the book, but it just fell apart for me by the halfway point. I finished it, but only in fits and starts.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This review is based about my mindset as a reviewer. If the author has a scene with the main character crapping in her pants in the CAR and staining the leather seat, with her boss in the passenger seat going - what's that smell - a scene which is not valid to the story line or the plot or the development of the character, then I am done. I. AM. SO. DONE!! I can't go beyond such a scene ever.

This is book 11 in the series involving the main character Mattie Winston. I didn't have a problem in following her life as a medical examiner in a new marriage to cop Hurley with a son Matthew.

A young girl comes to the ER and flatlines on the table. Mattie is called in for the autopsy which ultimately her boss does as she seems too busy with other parts of investigation, which I don't think are needed. But what do I know?!! The young girl was presumed to be part of human trafficking. They investigate...

I liked the initial investigation part, but post crapping, there were two non-connected subplots of an abusive boyfriend of a co-worker and another murder in a theatre. I skim read the book post the awful scene of crapping in the car. And I was not impressed with the characters or any of the investigation.

My rating is for the initial plot line, but the book made me lose my mojo for reading due the unnecessary scene. I haven't read the previous 10 in the series, and now I don't plan to. EVER!!

This was a really good book, but also a pretty heartbreaking one. The subject matter of the Mattie Winston series has gotten darker over time and I believe it’s firmly outside of its former cozy genre. I always enjoy catching up with these characters.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

The Mattie Winston series is one of my favourite non-cozy series! It follows Mattie, a former nurse who desperately needs a new job after finding her surgeon husband sleeping with another nurse. She takes a job as an assistant to her friend Izzy, who is the county coroner, and helps him investigate suspicious deaths. I love the interactions between Mattie and Izzy, and find her to be such a fun, likeable character (at her first crime scene, a dirty pair of underwear falls out of the bottom of her pants and is discovered by one of the detectives. She then has to face the humiliation of it being tagged as evidence in front of everyone — I couldn’t stop laughing during that scene).

This book is the 11th in the series and I will say that it is still as enjoyable as the first. Mattie has had a lot of changes in her life (married to Detective Hurley, has a step daughter and a toddler) and it’s been fun to follow her on that journey.

I will admit that I found this book hard to read, though. While a lot of parts of Mattie’s life are numerous, the plot line of one young woman being killed as part of a human trafficking ring while her younger sister is also missing was a lot to bear. I had to push through a bit to get through that plot. This is definitely not a cozy series.

However, in spite of the emotionally challenging plot, it was still a good book and (of course) had a satisfying ending. And it still had lots of the same lighthearted moments I loved in the earlier books, it just took a bit of time to get to them.

I highly recommend the series. But just be forewarned about the emotional content as you get to the later books.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this




A new home, a new marriage, a new family. It’s a lot to sort out. But before medicolegal death investigator Mattie can smooth out the unexpected chaos of her new life, duty calls. At the local ER, a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in by a mysterious man who claimed she’d fallen out of a car. The staff is suspicious, but while they attend to the teenager, the unidentified man slips out. Then the girl dies, but not before informing social worker Hildy Schneider that the man had her little sister as well.

This latest book in the Mattie Winston is a fast-paced story with multiple storylines, and Annelise Ryan does not disappoint. As a lover of this series, I always want more and am sad at the end of each book. Mattie and her family feel like dear friends, and I look forward to hearing about what is happening in their lives. As the title suggests, this story takes place in the frigid tundra of Wisconsin, and Ryan's storytelling makes the cold and snow realistic enough to cause the reader to shiver. My only wish is that the book had more about the relationship between Mattie and Hurley. This might have been possible in this busy story, if the murder at the local theater had been omitted. This tangent of the plot seemed incomplete and unnecessary. However, this did not distract from the primary storyline around human trafficking. I cannot wait for the next installment.

When I requested this book I had no idea it was number 10 in a series. As I started reading I knew there had to be previous books. I was able to read this as a stand alone with the thought that previous books would have enhanced the whole experience for me. Like ice cream on top of a warm apple pie. You enjoy the apple pie completely but ice cream just tops it. I love mystery's that I cannot figure out. This actually had two going. The primary and the secondary. I am in love with Hurley and I just met him :) Mattie seems to see all the different pcs and is able to connect the dots. I am wondering if she will be making a 3 rd career change. I was a little off put by her thoughts of her self, but I understood them and was thrilled we weren't going down a self sabotage road. If I had read the previous I would know how strong she was. Beyond the mystery's in itself this book is so real like, the struggles, the relationships, the day to day and it delivers, and I am with Hurley she has a big heart, bigger than her size 12 shoe.

Love this series. Dead of Winter had several heart-wrenching moments. While this may not be my favorite, it is a great addition to the series. It may certainly be read as a stand alone, but greater enjoyment will be had by reading the previous ones. With all the talk of snow and cold, this is one I would appreciate reading in the summer. I do like to read out of season books.

Dead of Winter is the tenth book in a series. I have not read the series or anything by the author prior to this one. It's a gripping mystery. Mattie examines a teenage girl who just died. She realizes that the girl was a victim of human trafficking, and other girls are in danger. It's a race to save them. The story moves at a good pace and unfolds with twists and turns enough to keep you reading until the end. It's well written and executed. Mattie is believable, intelligent and engaging. The characters are richly drawn and dynamic in their interactions. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Although this is the tenth book in the series, this is the first in this series (and by this author) that I have read. The only thing I feel I am missing story wise is why Mattie is still using her ex-husband's last name instead of taking her new husband's. That is a little weird to me considering her ex has obviously moved on.

As for the story - I wanted to like it. And really, it was fairly complex and well written so it had that going for it. But the amount of times I had to read about someone farting (medical condition or not), or someone pooping, or some other juvenile variation thereof just diminished this story for me. Why would you ruin an otherwise gripping and engaging story with something so childish? It served no real purpose to move the story along. I was also highly disappointed that Mattie would take her dog to a place she wanted to investigate, and leave said dog locked in the car despite the fact that it was freezing outside. I also couldn't figure out why she was calling people, and investigating instead of passing along the information to her husband, or any of the other detectives on the force considering - spoiler alert - she's not a cop!

As much as I enjoyed the way the people involved were captured, and the author's take on this very real issue, I just can't get over some of the unnecessary fodder that was included in this story. And while I am sure it will appeal to a variety of readers (especially those already familiar with this series), at this point I am undecided if I would read another from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Very good mystery. It held my interest and kept the pages turning. I really liked the main character, Mattie. She was unique, and kind of reminded me of that old TV show Quincy, where the medical examiner would investigate suspicious deaths, and fight city hall. Mattie is a stressed out mom with a lot of "crap" in her life, literally. You have to read the book to understand what I mean. I liked all the characters in the book, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This kept me guessing until the end and I enjoyed the entire book.

Mattie is a Medico-legal death investigator. When she is called into the hospital she found out a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in but when the girl dies her last words are about her sister.

When Mattie and her husband Steve learns from the social worker Hildy that she believes the girl is victim of human trafficking they found out that she and her sister been missing for six months as they race against time to save the victim sister all the while she tries to sort out her new home life.

I did not know this was the 10 book in this series I'm so going to have to get first nine because I completely enjoy the character of Mattie this was a well written mystery thriller.

I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie drives a hearse A huge hearse. In the last few days she's had to call crime scene cleaning company, Without A Trace to clean her hearse a total of three times. None of these times have anything to do with death.
Maggie is a Medico-legal death investigator. This means she has an understanding of how, when, where and how people die. She also assists the Medical Examiner in her town of Sorenson, Izzy.
Right now she is trying to solve the case of an 18 year old unidentified girl. She was left in the emergency room with no identification. She has been badly injured internally. The girls last words are of her sister. Through all the accumulated information, it is determined that the girl was a victim of a human trafficking operation. No the police force with Maggie must try to find this sister.
Maggie has a lot of things going at once. Hopefully she can solve the crime, take care of her family and keep her husband happy while she works to solve this crime.
A wonderful read. Heartwarming with just the right touch of humor!