I got totally duped by the awesome spooky cover. I mean, it's very cool. Props to the artist. I was hoping for a woodsy Halloween vibes murder mystery based on the cover. This book though, falls a bit flat and is hard to get into. There is SO much unnecessary description. I listened to the audiobook and fought off sleep.

I wish the characters were a bit more quirky, loveable or memorable in any way. The most memorable character = Maudie's dog, Martin Short (only because that's the BEST name for a dog I've ever heard). Nothing cool or memorable happened in the course of Maudie's investigation either. It could've been higher stakes plot-wise, I'd call this a pretty vanilla.

Real estate developer is murdered and his body dumped in the state park where park ranger Maudie and Martin Short find him. For some inexplicable reason, the local police ask her to help them investigate and she goes about interrogating all her local pals. I think there is a little love triangle romance going on between Maudie, a guy named Jeremy with a sketchy past and her friend Eli who maybe has a crush on her??

Not sure if this is going to be a series, but I don't think I'll go back to Stone's Throw again. It just didn't hold my interest.

That you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic cozy mystery. The setting is so cozy and perfect and I was totally invested in the character. Really good mystery.

I really liked this book. Having it set in Michigan made it special for me- I could visualize everything so clearly, from the small town charm to the state park and Lake Michigan backdrop. As a Michigander, it felt familiar and cozy, like I was right there in Stone's Throw.
Maudy is such a great main character. She cares so much about the park and her job, and I loved watching her figure out how to handle everything with her determination. I loved seeing her navigate the mystery while still connecting with the people in her town. The community felt real and close knit, and the little day to day interactions made the book feel so cozy (hello Michigan's version of Stars Hollow / Sullivan's Crossing- love!!)
And then there’s her dog, Martin Short- I just love him!
The plot kept me engaged, with several suspects and a satisfying resolution at the end. While some of Maudy’s decisions were a little wild, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment- I actually appreciated how human she felt.
Overall, Off the Beaten Path is a cozy, engaging read with a perfect small town Michigan setting, a strong and relatable main character, and a mystery that keeps you turning the pages. I loved it and can’t wait to see what adventures Maudy and Martin Short get up to next.

Rating: 4.5/5
*Thank you to Eloise Corvo and NetGalley for this ARC!

I had so much fun reading Off the Beaten Path! It had the perfect amount of twists and such great characters! Corvo did a great job writing Maudy and I found myself rooting for her from the first page. I felt like I was ready to go hiking with her or spend time at the State Park wandering around with her dog, Martin Short. Overall, a wonderful book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“...𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩.”

the stunning cover combined with the mysterious case really pulled me in to this book. unfortunately, though i had a really hard time getting into the actual story. the conversations were somewhat stilted and the description of each character upon their entry to the story was a little too in-depth for me. there's also an intense myriad of characters throughout the book that was very overwhelming for me to keep up with.

luckily we only get one pov, which is from the main character maudy, however i didn't really care for maudy either. her lack of care for herself and others was frustrating to read about and then the author threw in a love interest for her and i hated it. this would've been better without the romantic aspect to it.

i probably wouldn't recommend this one unless you're very new to the mystery genre.

Cosy mysteries are generally know for their quirky characters, small-town settings, amazing food descriptions, and warm, fuzzy vibes despite the murder.

Off the Beaten Path left me more weary than curious to find out who the murderer was. For readers who enjoy slow, meditative travel narratives, there may be something here to appreciate — but for me, the lack of narrative drive and fully realized characters made this a disappointing read.

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery, this one is set in a picturesque Michigan State Park, with a Park Ranger turned detective. Maudy is desperate to solve the murder of a missing businessman so her State Park can remain funded and open. She has some details from local police, and a little authority of her own, but she must use what she knows of her small town to solve the case. Filled with descriptions of the sweetest small town, and a heroine just doing her best, Off the Beaten Path is a cozy mystery perfect for a rainy fall day.

Sad to say this book just wasn’t for me. The writing was really not my style, very descriptive over mundane details and at times too repetitive for my liking.

Straight off the bat, the main character Maudy was quite unlikeable. A man disappears and is potentially injured or worse and her biggest concern is how much of an inconvenience that is for her.? I understand her job ended up on the line, but I really couldn’t believe how little empathy or concern she had for this person and this didn’t seem to really go away even after learning what had happened to him.

I also found the days to be quite repetitive. Running us through her duties and to-do lists got old quite fast and no amount of cute dog moments could really make up for it for me. Her duties as detective also seemed surprisingly dull in such a serious case. I didnt find myself caring much about whodunnit or what any of the clues pointed to.

I did enjoy the small town atmosphere and the descriptions of nature and hiking. I can see why some people could enjoy this for its “cosy” vibes. But again, unfortunately even this got a little repetitive in the end.

For all these reasons I decided to DNF at 35%. I’m sure this will appeal to someone interested in a slow cosy murder mystery, unfortunately just not me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thanks to Netgallery for this ARC.

Love this book and the characters. Especially Maudy as she tries to keep her park open, the threat of cuts shutting it down it's only made worse by a dead body found on the park. She is roped into the investigation as she is a park ranger and know the woods well, she has reasons for wanting it solved as any delays in opening the park would be bad for her job. Love the pace and the twist at the end which opens up possibilities for the next book.

Off the Beaten Path is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in upstate michigan at Stone Throw's State Park. We follow Maudy a park ranger as she navigates finding a body in the park, that is already on the brink of being shut down. She works to quickly come to the bottom of what happened and solve the murder before too much damage is done and the park cannot open for the season.

There's a cute dog, some potential romance and suspense, but I did find the "murderer" obvious while also very "convenient". The only real surprise was the twist at the end, although I found that "relationship" also very odd. Without giving too much away, I wouldn't expect Maudy to go that way, unless it was to set up the next book in the series.

This series has potential, with a beautiful cozy town setting, so we will see how it develops.

Good mystery: kept me guessing and I enjoyed it as it's well plotted and solid
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is set as a cozy mystery, but there were so many other genre tools that the story never quite settled into its own rhythm. The dialogue and internal thinking were scattered and felt forced, and there was more commentary on the dog getting mud on the couch than there were details about the mystery at hand.

Maudy is a park ranger, and when a tourist goes missing the opening of the park is threatened. As she attempts to solve what happened to Michael, she engages with friends who are not given fully fleshed personalities, local curmudgeonly business owners who hold on to small-town prejudices while being wholly reliant upon outsiders to survive, and a best friend whose fragile male ego repeatedly gets in the way of her doing her job. There are lots of pop references, which highlight who Maudy would like to be but is not, and the new swoony guy in town also gives her panic attacks...so...not quite a believable love interest. Not quite intriguing mystery, rom com, or cozy, the most engaging pages are the very last chapter.

I was initially drawn to this debut for its small-town charm, nature-filled setting, and the promise of a cosy mystery - elements I usually really enjoy. The premise had so much potential, especially with a main character juggling personal challenges while being drawn into a suspenseful plot.

There’s certainly an audience for this kind of story, especially for readers who love mysteries set in quaint, atmospheric locations with a strong sense of place. If you enjoy slower-paced reads with rich descriptions and a focus on the emotional journey of the protagonist, this may very well appeal to you.

That said, I personally struggled with the writing style. It leaned heavily on detail, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged, and I ultimately had to set the book aside at around 35%. While this one didn’t quite work for me, I think readers looking for a gentler, introspective mystery with a strong natural backdrop might find it more to their taste.

I liked the premise of this book but the execution just didn’t hit the mark for me. The dialogue was at times very robotic and reminded me a bit of when video game NPC’s pop up to talk to you. It felt quite clunky and there was a lot of telling rather than showing.

I liked the small town vibes and the setting but found most of the characters to be quite unlikeable. I don’t know that I've ever read a book where the MC makes so many terrible decisions- if I were the police I’d never let her help out with an investigation again!

The final chapter was interesting, I’m assuming setting up for a second book but it felt a bit out of place if the intention is for this book to be a standalone.

Whilst the plot of this book was interesting I found it overall quite difficult to read. The writing style was a bit unpolished and put a lot of detail into things that didn't really need it but not enough into the things that did. I also didn't really enjoy many of the characters, especially the main character. Her actions were largely infuriating and I feel like we learned a lot of random information about her that told us little about who she is as a person. Overall I think this had the potential to be good but sadly fell short of the mark.

A park ranger and her canine companion make for a great setting in this debut mystery. Love the dog, Martin Short! An interesting mystery with delightful characters. Can't wait for more adventures. Thanks #Netgalley and #LevelBestBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first entry into this new series. I loved that the span of time to solve the murder was in a short timeframe, the characters were very easy to keep up with and a surprising plot twist/cliffhanger at the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eArc.

Off the Beaten Path is a cozy mystery set in a small Michigan town, where park ranger Maudy gets caught up in a murder case. The setting feels really authentic, and Maudy’s bond with her dog Martin Short adds a nice touch. The mystery keeps things interesting, though sometimes the pacing drags a bit and Maudy makes some questionable choices. Overall, it’s a fun, chill read if you like cozy mysteries with a nature vibe.

A charming mystery in an even more charming setting. Great cast of characters and the mystery was intriguing. However, the romance part took a little edge off the story in my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

Reading this was a slug fest. I couldn’t get in to it, found the FMC unlikeable and silly. The writing was too clunky for me. But the cozy mystery premise and the cover art are lovely!