Misty Murphy has rented out her Mountaintop Lodge to international developer Nigel Goodwin the week before Thanksgiving as he pitches a new resort to investors. Misty isn't sure that she is in favor of the new resort and quite a number of the townspeople are also opposed to it.

When Goodwin is found dead at the base of a sliding hill at the Lodge, it is first thought to be a tragic accident. However, when the medical examiner determines that he was murdered, Misty finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation again.

There is a large pool of suspects from the victim's wife to his assistant to the various investors to the disgruntled townspeople. It will take all of the police and Misty's actions to find the murderer.

I liked the setting. I liked Misty's determination to make a new start after her amicable divorce. I liked her new relationship with Rocky. I liked her relationship with her almost grown sons and with Rocky's daughters too. I also liked chapters told from Misty's spoiled cat Yeti who has her own unique viewpoint about all the activities at the lodge.

This was an entertaining story which manages to discover the murderer and tie up all the loose plot threads before it is finished.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Cute cozy mysteries set at a ski resort. Fun easy read and the view point from the cat was a fun touch.

I was so excited to read the latest in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries and was not disappointed. I love this series. I love the characters and I adore their cat Yeti who has her own chapters. They are just wonderful. Overall this series just really warms my heart.

In this book Misty has a group of investors from the UK who has booked her entire lodge. The head of the investment firm is what I call your typical’Car salesman’. The kind that is slightly swarmy. The point of the trip is he is going to pitch opportunity for the group to invest in a new large mountain resort that will be heavy competition for Misty’s lodge.

The group Nigel Goodwin is making his sales pitch to is interesting bunch. There is many twists and turns with this group and a secondary very vocal group of local environmentalists and hunters who want to preserve the land and not have this resort built.

So we have the cast of characters who all have reasons to get rid of Nigel.

It’s up to Misty to help local law enforcement to solve this murder before there is another victim ‘left out to freeze’

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in one of my favorite series. All opinions are my own.

Nige travels from London to North Carolina to see potential American investors but when a blizzard hits the resort that they are staying in Nigel is found dead under the snow.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Some of the locals living near Mountaintop Lodge in North Carolina are leery of new owners with plans to build a resort. And for one it doesn't end well. A fun, cozy mystery.

I adored this cozy mystery! The group of characters were fantastic, and I loved the setting. I enjoyed the plot twists and the mystery. It was well paced and well written!

Snow Place for Murder is a holiday-themed cozy mystery novel. Misty is hosting Nigel Goodwin, who plans to build a luxury resort on the mountain, and his group of rich investors over the holiday season. Not everyone loves the idea of this resort; in fact, Nigel has a list of enemies: the trophy hunter, the wildlife protecter, the competitor, and the losing-investors. After Nigel is discovered frozen to death, Misty has a long list of suspects. She just hopes she can solve the murder before Christmas.

Snow Place for Murder is a perfectly comfortable cozy mystery. I particularly loved the holiday theme of this installment. The mystery was intriguing; I honestly did not predict the murderer until close to the end. The characters are all likable (if a bit under-developed). At first, I hated the Yeti chapters, but towards the end, I found them a bit adorable. **Note** This was my first book in this series, and it read perfectly as a stand-alone. I will likely be picking up the next book and following in the adventures of Misty and Yeti.

Despite a slow beginning, I found myself ultimately enjoying the story. I made a mental note at one point, somewhere along the line of chapter 8 or 9, that nothing much was happening. I was actually rather enjoying the slow pace, even while impatient to "get on with it", as it allowed us to get to know the main characters revolving around Misty and Rocky, including their families. Heck, we even get to know the cat, as Yeti narrates a few chapters. Admittedly, they didn't offer much to the story since no one knew what Yeti was thinking, but they were cute and cat lovers will surely enjoy the input.

I won't detail the plot as the blurb does a good job, but will say that the Blue Ridge Mountain area setting sounded lovely. I enjoyed the sub-plot dealing with the conflict between those desiring development on a grand scale and those advocating for the preservation of the wildlife and natural setting. Such issues are never simple and they aren't here. Other side-stories were nicely woven into the mix, too, and remind us of the importance of family. While not heavy-handed, there was humor and my favorite scene, probably because as an Alaska I could so easily visualize it, was of Pebbles (no lie, that's the nickname of Rocky's daughter) struggling against winter elements to make a food delivery practically across the street. If you happen to live in a snow-free area, trust me, it's accurate.

Bottom line, I like the characters and particularly enjoyed getting to know the extended family. Misty's sons get a quick course in growing up, that's for sure, and her relationship with her former husband shows that divorce doesn't have to translate to hating each other. In other words, we learn about the characters not only through their actions but through their personal interactions, too. A fun mystery that kept me guessing...oh, okay, I didn't know for sure until the final reveal.... and was a reasonably quick, fun read. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sPaperbacks for letting me spend some time hanging out in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This Alaskan felt right at home.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of SNOW PLACE FOR MURDER (Book 3 of the Mountain Lodge mysteries) by Diane Kelly in exchange for an honest review. Misty Murphy is ambivalent about hosting her current set of guests. On one hand, it’s money in the bank. On the other hand, it’s an international developer pitching the building of a local resort to wealthy investors; i.e., future competition and the possible ruin of the local landscape and community. What Misty is wholeheartedly happy about is that both of her college-aged sons are with her for the Christmas holidays. However, even that develops a shadow when her sons bring her a funny nose-shaped rock, which turns about to be an actual nose! Alas, the developer is dead and buried in the snow. Since he was particularly unpopular, how will they manage to fish the murderer from the teaming pool of suspects?

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, mountains, and inns.

Snow Place for murder is the third Mountain Lodge Mystery starring amateur detective and lodge owner, Misty Murphy. It’s the holiday season in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Misty Murphy is excited to have all her rooms rented at the Mountaintop Lodge even if it is investors seeking to build a fancy mountaintop resort. When the developer is murdered, the suspects seem to just keep multiplying. So Misty does what she does best and puts her nose where it doesn’t belong to hunt down a killer. Her keen mind takes her down avenues that bring real leads for the police in the case that is solved in time for her to enjoy the holidays with her boys and her hunky handyman. Fast paced and well thought out, the story keeps you guessing right along with Misty until the end in another enjoyable Mountain Ogden cozy. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

The third installment of the Mountain Lodge Mysteries. This was a perfect read during the excessive heat of the summer. I could lose myself on the North Carolina mountain ski slopes, or in having meals delivered from the cafe across the road.

Misty has the whole lodge booked with an English investor and his potential American investors. The pitch - a new resort to be built some distance away from Misty's rustic lodge. This new resort will have it all. The visitors will never have to leave the resort. Not everyone in the community is happy with this potential resort. Too hard on the wildlife, destruction of the woods and forests, the roads won't handle the additional traffic. Misty's sons, visiting for Thanksgiving, go sledding one morning and find a body, frozen quite solid, in a snow drift. It is the English investor. The investigation commences. All the potential investors go from investors to potential murderers.

Misty's handyman, Rocky, is becoming more than just a handyman, and oh, yes, Yeti the cat is still writing her chapters. Oh, that she could speak!

The third installment of the Mountain Lodge cozy series centers around the death of a not-so-honest developer visiting protagonist, Misty Murphy’s quaint inn in scenic Beech Mountain, North Carolina. It’s nearing Christmas, and between scenes about the murder mystery, Misty and her beau, Rocky’s, children are visiting and helping run the Lodge.

The story is interesting as it twists and turns along with the suspects’ alibi’s. It’s strongly a home, hearth, and family tale. Yeti, Misty’s cat, is a sweet addition with her own mini-chapters told from her point of view.

The ending wrap-up satisfied my curiosity as to whodunnit. I believe cozy mystery fans will be engaged by the plot and warmth of the main characters.

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

First read with gjis author and very enjoyable. Looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Book Title: Snow Place for Murder
Series: Mountain Lodge Mysteries #3
Author: Diane Kelly
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Cozy Mystery/
Pub Date: October 28, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages 320

This book has the ‘Acknowledgments’’ at the beginning not at the end. I have to admit I went back and reread when I finished as I always enjoying reading the author’s comments.
In this story Misty Murphy and her cat Yeti are excited about Misty’s sons’ coming home from college for Thanksgiving to spend winter break.at the Lodge. Misty’s ex-husband Jack will also be spending Thanksgiving with them as he and Misty have a good relationship. (Misty is in a relationship with Rocky who has a daughter-Pebbles – I kid you Not!)

However, the boys find winter break is more than just skiing or snowboarding at Mountaintop Lodge in North Carolina; as the Lodge has been booked by Nigel Goodwin a resort developer from England who has invited wealthy American investors with the hope they will invest in his new resort.
As you might guess the locals are not happy about the idea of a new resort.

The next day when the boys are skiing, they discover a large object in the snow – Yikes! Turns out to be Nigel Goodwin and he is dead.
This, of course puts Misty into sleuth mode.

I just love this! Reading it when it is August and the temp is 93 made it even more enjoyable.
I definitely am looking forward to the next in this series.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 28, 2023.

Mountain Top Lodge is snowed in! When all the security cameras are conveniently coated in snow, someone buries the body of a crooked real estate developer in the snow outside the lodge. Misty must figure out who the killer is before everyone leaves town and the trail goes cold.

I'm a big fan of Diane Kelly and have read books from several of her series. I love the mountain setting of this series, the lodge is exactly the kind of place I love to stay when I vacation, small, cozy, locally owned, and in a nice quiet location just perfect for relaxing and enjoying being away from it all. The victim in this book was pretty vile and there were a lot of suspicious characters who are likely culprits. Misty does a lot of investigating (all without being weird in people's hotel rooms) and gradually sifts through the clues to find out who the killer is. I liked that her kids were in this book (though they aren't particularly charming) and we got to meet Rocky's daughter, Pebble, who is really sweet.

Though I missed the first book in this series, I'm definitely going to go back and read it and this is a series I'll look for in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is the third in the Mountain Lodge mystery series by Diane Kelly. I have and enjoyed each of them. This is a standalone story but I like reading them in order.

Misty Murphy is our amateur sleuth who runs an inn on top of a mountain set in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Rocky Chowder is her handyman boyfriend. Together they ferret out what happened to Nigel Goodwin. Her boys are visiting from college and find his frozen body behind the inn.

The inn is full of investors and there are plenty of motives to be had for killing Nigel from the mistreated executive assistant to the wife and investors. Also, the local town folk are up in arms over the deal being executed. The only ones really not suspects are the inn’s staff.

Ms. Kelly does a great job drawing us into the story. I enjoyed the family aspects along with the mystery. I cannot wait for the next installment.

I was given an advanced copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

I like this series. This book spans the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.. There were plenty of suspects to keep me guessing. The revelation at the end made perfect sense. I like reading about what's going on in these characters' lives. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series , especially if it's about what is hinted at at the end of this book.

This is a great series and I have loved all 3 but this one is my favorite. I love a good Christmas cozy to curl up too. This was fast paced and had some twist I didn't expect. Perfect. I can't wait to see what Misty gets into next!
I just reviewed Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Third in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series, Snow Place for Murder can stand alone. Lodge owner Misty Murphy can’t believe there’s another dead body on her property. This has to stop! She finds herself on the case assisting local police solve the murder. The victim is a British developer with dreams of building a huge resort near the Mountain Lodge. The locals are not excited about the project so there are more than a few possible suspects. In fact, very few are NOT suspects.

Reading this cozy on the hottest day of the year turned out to be a good call. I enjoyed how author Diane Kelly took me through the mystery to the final solution. It was a nice way to spend a few hours inside on a summer day or anytime, really.

This is the third installment featuring Misty Murphy and her inn in the mountains.
A developer is having a group stay during the holidays to solicit money for his lodge project.
And of course, he is murdered.!
I did enjoy this book – the first half was mostly about Misty’s family and friends. We got to learn more about her children. The mystery did not start until halfway through the book.
The writing was good as always and the story pleasant. I really enjoy Ms. Kelly’s books—the series and this book is worth a read.