With Snow Place for Murder, Diane Kelly has once again crafted an entertaining, complex mystery that keeps the reader turning the pages and guessing right to the very end.
Our favourite characters of Misty and Rocky return, this time joined for the holidays by their children, who add a new dimension to the interactions, and a large number of guests with various and believable reasons for being the one who-done-it.
Although we don't find out who exactly the victim is until around the 30% point of the book, once we find out, and the intriguing circumstances of the death, the book is off and running. Everyone is fair game as Misty investigates, yet all does not become clear until the end.
The book is well-written and entertaining, and the cover is once again stunning. I thank #NetGalley for the ARC of #SnowPlaceforMurder.

Although this is a stand-alone book, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read previous books in the Mountain Lodge series. I found it a bit difficult to really understand what was going on when I started the book. It seemed to take a long time to get to the basic premise of the book and to solve the mystery, but it was an easy read. There are lots of interesting characters and a good cozy mystery plot. There is a lot of great wintery atmosphere. This is a typical cozy mystery,that cozy mystery readers should enjoy.

Snow Place For Murder by Diane Kelly is a fun cozy mystery set in a North Carolina winter lodge. The mystery was intriguing, the characters interesting. It is set Thanksgiving through Christmas and will be a fun holiday read.

B&B mystery
Ms.Kelly pens an intriguing cozy at a B&B. She creates an interesting group of characters, the owner, and crew, close friends and the police force to deal with an unusual murder of a guest. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend to any lover of mysteries. Has bits of humor and romance. I love this series.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

fun, heart warming, and of course deadly lol. This book didn't disappoint!

This series has quickly turned into one of my favorites. I love the idea of the mountains and the lodge sounds like the perfect getaway! Even with all the dead bodies popping up lol.

Her world building is amazing, I can picture everything in my mind and soon I am whisked away to a beautiful place far from my troubles and worries.

I love the entire gang, Misty, Rocky, Yeti, Molasses, Brynn, and I was thrilled to be able to get to know Misty's and Rocky's kids better. I love the entire family aspect. This is a family I would love to be adopted into.

Misty stepping out and realizing her dream, even later on in life, is awe inspiring. That it's never too late to realize your dreams.

The way she cares for her lodge, employees, and patrons is lovely to see. It's nice knowing people still care, even in books.

The mystery was as always interesting and thought provoking. I thought I had an idea who did it but it twisted and turned so much that I realized I actually had no clue. I love those kinds of books.

I whole heartedly recommend this book. You'll feel warm and tingly inside!

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and Diane Kelly for the ability to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine and completely honest.

A Snow Place for Murder is the 3rd book in the Mountain Lodge mysteries. It takes place in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. There are the main characters that make up the town as well as the new characters that are added to make the book exciting. Misty Murphy is the main character who owns the Mountain Top Lodge. She along with her boyfriend and handyman, Rockland (Rocky) Chowder and her assistant, Brynn O ' Reilly help her run the lodge. She brought the hotel to start a new life after her divorce. Across the parking lot is the Greasy Griddle Diner by her friend, Patsy. Patsy cooks breakfast and any other meals needed for Misty's guests.

Misty is expecting her ex, Jack and her sons, Jack Jr. (JJ) and Mitch who are now in college to join her for Thanksgiving. Rocky's daughter, Phoebe (Pebble) also joins them. They all have a wonderful time. Her boys stay for their vacation to help Misty and make some money as Brynn is leaving after Thanksgiving for the holidays.

Misty's lodge is hosting Nigel Goodwin for five for his invited several investors who he hopes will invest in his luxury hotel he is planning to build. Nigel and his wife, Aileen along with his assistant, Ryan Gandapur arrive the day before to get things set up for the presentation. The investors are Kyle and Laurie Jensen, Sebastian Cochrane, Daphne and Jean-Paul Fournier, Amari Lott and Celeste and Emilio Salzar arrive with a welcome cocktail party that evening.

The next day he does his presentation and after the investors plan to go skiing. Before they leave a group of business owners and homeowners come to the lodge to protest his building of the resort. Paulette Frost is president of the Chamber of Commerce as well as owns Frost Property Management. Along with them Tyson Pell a hunter and homeowner is so upset that he goes over to the model of the resort and throws one of the figures into the fire and then smashes the entire model. Leaves the lodge. Gus, a photographer, researcher, receiver and rehabilitator is also there. He is concerned about the wildlife when the resort is built. He and Nigel have words as Gus has put cameras on the property to see the movement of the animals. Nigel tells him that the cameras are to be taken down and that he is not allowed on his property and will be arrested if he does so. Nigel tells Rayon to go and remove the cameras. Rayon is angry that he has to do it as he had planned to go skiing. Nigel goes to met his investor at the ski resort. Officer Hardy arrives as Misty has called him about the incident with the townspeople and the smashing of the model. He takes the information about Tyson Pell and goes to interview him.

The next morning the boys come in from sledding and shows Misty what they think is a rock. When Misty sees the rock she realizes that it is not a rock but a human nose. Rocky and Misty ask the boys to show them where the boys found the rock. They find the body of Nigel under a pile of snow dead. They call the police. Officer Hardy arrives and checks out the murder scene. Deputy Yona Highcloud arrives and asks to speak to Misty privately.

This is where the story takes the reader on an adventure with all the twists and turns that keeps the reader not able to put the book down. There is too much in the story that I will leave it to the reader to enjoy and find out why Nigel is murdered and by whom. The reader is kept in the dark who the murder is to the very end.

Jack, JJ and Mitch and Pebble arrive back for Christmas. Also Rocky's two other daughters join them for their first Christmas at the lodge. Again they all have a wonderful time. Misty and Rocky celebrate the New Year with Patty and her husband, Eli in the new hot tub that Rocky installed. Brynn comes back from the holiday. She had a wonderful one. She is surprised to hear about everything that happened and was pleasantly surprised about the hot tub. Misty tells her that a Scottish group are coming in the summer and what sold them was that they had the hot tub.

I have read this series from the beginning with Getaway with Murder. I look forward to the next book with the adventures of Misty, Rocky and her friends,

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for this ARC.

North Carolina, small-town, rural, hotelier, small-business, suspense, local-law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation, divorcee, pets, of-a-certain-age, cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, series, developers, snow-season, friendship, friends, ski-season*****

Mountains do not survive by development alone.
Missy is the main character and is the owner of The Mountaintop Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Brynn works for her as Missy's assistant manager/general factotum and Rocky is the local handyman who also lives at the lodge. I think that this one can stand alone, but I have read the first two and loved them.
This time the Lodge is host to a developer with grandiose plans and potential investors. There are also those who are deeply offended by what the man wants to do to a beautiful natural area. Then someone stops the plans with murder. Let the sleuthing begin! Interesting characters, beautiful descriptions, smooth pacing with sneaky red herrings and a surprising twist or three. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is the third book in the Mountain Lodge series. Misty is thrilled that her sons will be spending the holidays with her. She even has a large booking, and while her sons are home from college, they’ll be working at the lodge to make some extra money.
Nigel Goodwin has plans to open an upscale resort and has booked numerous rooms for his potential investors. Things go wrong quickly( did somebody say murder)and it seems that Misty will once again have to put her nose to the ground(this will perhaps make you chuckle after you read this book), to figure out whodunnit and why.
There are a whole lot of potential suspects, but they all didn’t do it, so who did? Misty, along with her employees, and the diner owner are all great characters. You cannot have a cozy without a pet and Yeti the cat even has her own chapters.
A fun mystery with some additional character development. The lodge seems like a beautiful place to visit, but be warned, another murder will probably happen before all the snow melts.

Book Review: Snow Place for Murder (Mountaintop Lodge Mysteries #3) by Diane Kelly

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this cozy mystery in exchange for an honest review. Although it’s the 3rd in the series it stands independent and doesn’t require the reader to have read the prior two. As in the others, Misty’s cat, Yeti, narrates a few chapters from her perspective. It’s a nice narrative device, but not necessarily necessary as the cat’s observations are only communicated to the reader, not the other characters.

In this book, Misty Murphy plans to host a group at the lodge once again. This time, Adventure Capital is led by Nigel Goodwin, the developer and financier of a planned – yet somewhat controversial - resort/retreat community on the mountain nearby. Included in the group are his assistant and several investors who Goodwin is hoping will commit to investing in his project.

Misty’s two sons and former husband arrive for a visit, along with Rocky’s daughter. All of whom are planning to help Misty while one of her employees, Brynn, is on vacation for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Like always, the cast of characters at the lodge is the same – and all feature in the plot. Rocky, Brynn, Patty who runs the diner across the street, Yeti the cat, and Rocky’s dog Molasses. In this book, the beginning of the book is devoted to narrative about the family and their visit. It isn’t until the 5th chapter that Nigel, his wife and his assistant, Rayan Gandapur, arrive. The rest of the group arrived a day later.

When the group arrives, it’s clear that not all the locals are in favor of the development and not all of the group guests get along. A local wildlife photographer is worried about the impact of the resort on the huge animal population on the mountain from bears to deer. Paulette Frost, a local property management expert, is worried that the lodge will negatively impact her real estate rentals and management business.

When one of the guests is found dead and frozen outside the lodge, Misty gets to work trying to figure out what happened – of course with the help and leadership of the local police.

It’s a fun mystery with all sorts of characters. A lodge affords the author the ability to incorporate all different kinds of people to add to the plot lines from the resort guests. The book kept me entertained and I didn’t figure out the perpetrator until right before the person was revealed!

A cute, fast cozy with a charming setting at a mountain lodge during the holidays (but not overtly festive, more snow-focused). I didn’t love the cat chapters - they’re clearly meant to be cute and maybe give another view of the mystery, but they just didn’t work for me. They didn’t give me anything but a cat’s thoughts on being petted and could have been left out to keep the story moving. I also thought the later-life relationship between Misty and Rocky was weirdly chaste. They have adult kids but don’t share a room or ever even kiss!? And there were some writing tics that irked me, like saying “my boys” over and over to talk about her sons. That’s probably just me but I’m always one to notice repetition and be bothered by it. Other than that, though, I loved the setting, the cast of wealthy investor suspects, and the random clues that led Misty to the real killer. There’s even some grossness and humor around the nose, which is unexpected for a cozy and which I found so enjoyable - I love a weird little surprise.

Enjoyable read for a hot summer weekend!

Snow Place for Murder is the 3rd book in the cozy series featuring the Mountain Lodge and its owner Misty. The Lodge is booked up for the week with investors for a potential new resort. Since Misty is having bad luck with people being murdered at her Lodge (it wouldn’t be a cozy without some dead bodies), no surprise that the organizer of this week long event is murdered. There are a lot of suspects with possible motives but none truly stick out until the end of the book.

This was an enjoyable quick read cozy. I enjoy the Lodge setting and wish I was there right now (minus the dead body)

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for early access to Diane Kelly’s latest!

The Mountain Lodge mystery series' third book is a delightful fun read. North Carolina is home to Misty Murphy's Mountaintop Lodge where her boys are home for winter break. While skiing, they discover a weird shape which turns out to be Nigel Goodwin dead under the snow. Who would want to do in the resort developer sho had traveled from London to get investors for a new resort. Lots of red herrings. Delighted well developed characters. Diane Kelly once again delivers a well plotted solid mystery that's a delightful read. Thanks #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Mountain Top Lodge seems a perfect place to spend the Winter holiday, Unfortunately a realtor has come from London to join forces with Misty Murphy, a local woman. The setting is North Carolina and the lodge sets just the right tone for a wintry holiday. (I read it in July and loved the snow!!)

The realtor ends up dead, the group is snowed in and the mystery must be solved.

A delightful cozy mystery

I mostly enjoyed this book. I did find the endless speculations about who the killer was annoying. I don’t think any investigating was done by Misty but she had theories galore, even leading to the arrest of the wrong guy. #SnowPlaceforMurder #NetGalley

This is the third book in this series and it did not disappoint. I liked the other books in this series which are based at the Mountaintop Lodge. I like that these books can be read in order or standalone....the perfect cozy mystery with red herrings throughout which kept you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley, and St. Martin's Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

What was supposed to be an idyllic mountain lodge resort trip near Christmas turns into a deadly entrapment. Who wanted the developer dead and why?

It will be a crime that Misty and her boys will have to dig through as a blizzard hits the crime scene. Will they figure out the doings before another body turns up in the snow.

Another charming read in the series.

Snow Place for Murder is the perfect cozy mystery to read over a hot and humid weekend.
Misty Murphy is back again in this exciting book, featuring her cat, Yeti.
Mountaintop Lodge has been booked exclusively for a week, a resort developer is planning to pitch an exclusive new resort concept to wealthy American investors, but not everyone is happy that they are in town.
Misty's sons are working at the resort over the holidays and a gruesome discovery puts Misty back into investigator mode.
This is a fun series that incorporates a lot of my favorite things, and Yeti is a great feline friend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Another winner in this series by Diane Kelly. Crescent mountain retreat motel owner and her family are set to enjoy the holidays. However, a potential area resort owner may spoil the season. Super fun series!

This was the perfect cozy to get my detective senses going and feel immersed by the wintry vibes. Excellent plot execution and the clues were fun to figure out. Definitely a new favorite cozy author.

It was lovely being back at the Mountaintop Lodge! This is the third book in the series but can easily be read without reading the other books -- I'd recommend them though b/c they're nice, cozy mysteries.

There's an Easter egg in this book for fans of Kelly's House-Flipper Mystery series!

I'm very much looking forward to book four! Men in kilts? Yes, please. Oh, and more Yeti please!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.