1953, Elizabeth Grady is in her second summer of managing Haggerman's Resort for her mother, former star of stage and screen, Olivia. When Olivia finds one of the body of one of the guests in the lake things at the resort start to spiral out of control. The local police finds a copy of the Communist Manifesto and maps of Washington D.C. and London in the dead guest's cabin and immediately concludes that the man was a communist revolutionary and calls in the FBI. Elizabeth has her hand full trying to keep rumors of Haggerman's Resort being full of communist spies and murderers from ruining the business.
This is a great start to a new series. The setting is perfect, the styles are fantastic, and the drinks make me want my own personal bartender (preferably Rosemary). The characters are wonderfully written, with large as life personalities. There's plenty of humor, intrigue, and splashes of romance. I can't wait for the next one!

An enjoyable start to a new series set in the era of the height of popularity for Catskills hotels. Well drawn characters, a good mystery, and I can see this becoming a popular series for our readers.

I've been looking forward to Vicki Delany's newest series, Catskill Summer Resort Mysteries, for most of the year. Book one, Deadly Summer Nights, will release in a couple of months, and I luckily received an early copy through NetGalley. I've read most of the author's other series, and I can't wait to finish reading more in this one. Number two is coming up early next year, and I'll be eagerly awaiting its release.

As a kid, I spent several weeks each summer in the Catskill Mountains. Although that happened in the 90s, this book takes place in the 50s, quite a difference. Famed Broadway actress Olivia's husband has split, taking all their money, but luckily a fan/friend left Olivia a resort in upstate New York. Olivia hired daughter Elizabeth to manage the place, and together they're trying to rebuild the place back to its height. Unfortunately, a nearby competitor is attempting to take them down. Early in their second season, a single guest is found floating in the lake. What happened?

To begin with, the ambiance is perfect in this book. While my time was four decades later than this book's setting, it brought back all the same feels I remembered, combined with those of the movie, Dirty Dancing. Between the clothing, the food, and the design aesthetics, it's a time warp worth visiting. Elizabeth is a fantastic protagonist, and she's not really interested in solving the murder. Clues just happen to turn up, and people talk to her a lot. By the time she pieces things together, her life is in danger. Imagine that happening in 1953. No cell phones. No computers. No easy way to learn the facts except thru the newspaper reporters and gossip line.

Delany's outdone herself with this book. For a first in series, it's wonderful. I encourage everyone to give it a chance, as it combines history with drama, mystery with friendship, and lots of potential for romance and suspense. It's earned 4.5 stars from me, and that's high for a new series which usually takes a bit of time to settle in. Kudos for a well-written book.
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Elizabeth and her mother, Olivia, are trying to make a go of a small resort in the Catskills of New York. Business is good, until a guest is murdered and the police claim he was a Communist. Elizabeth must solve this case before all the guests flee while still keeping up with the staff and guest antics. A fun read about a bygone era.