Love me some Ellie Alexander but this one wasn't my favorite. Wasn't bas by any means! Love a good cozy mystery but I found many of the characters unlikeable, even ones that are suppose to be likable.

Ellie Alexander is a rockstar, and this book is another smashing victory. Her characters are incredible and I cannot wait for the second book in the series to be published.

This is a great murder mystery. Meg Reed has just landed herself a great job working as a reporter. Only this job is working for an extreme outdoors magazine. Meg is extremely terrified of heights, wouldn't think it would be a problem doing this job, well it is. As she is reporting on a race that is being held in Oregon, on the very steep gorge she actually has the worst luck and witnesses one of the racers plummet to his death.

Now you can understand the significance of the heights. I have to say this was a fun read as well as a mystery that you can solve on the way.

Thank You to NetGalley and to Storm Publishing.

I enjoyed the author's Secret Bookcase series and thought I would try this title. Turns out it is a reissue of a older title by the author that originally had a different title. Evidently, this book starts a new series that has an overarching story arc across the series with a definite end like the Secret Bookcase series. I am a senior and initially the age of the MC (she is just out of college) turned me off but the setting for the book was a location I enjoy and I did quickly get caught up in the story. The character makes some bad decisions and is incredibly naïve which I attribute to her age. It was just ok. I am interested in the future titles only because I am interested in the story arc across the series. I'll give the second title in the series a try. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc.

Fun cozy mystery with a great new heroine

The first few chapters were totally giving Bridget Jones vibes: somewhat clumsy young woman trying to find her way in the world, but things started falling into place, quickly shifting to a a great cozy mystery. Meg Reed, the main character, is a recent college grad in search of a job, any job, when she stumbles–almost literally–in a job at a local wilderness magazine, something she is totally unsuited for but blusters her way through. Assigned to cover a race reality show, she finds she’s over her head when one of the contestants dies while training. But she’s determined to find the person who did it.

Alexander brings the same attention to location details as she does in her Bakeshop series, making Portland a character in the story, and then populates the city with a fun cast of characters.The reality show contestants are over the top, as I’d expect from anyone who wants to be on such a show, and the other characters are much more down to earth. I really enjoyed hanging out with them and I look forward to the next books in the series.

This is an honest review based on the book provided by NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

This was a fun read. The twist at the end was very unexpected. I would definitely read more books in this series. I love that the author included information about all of the different hiking trails at the end of the book. It would be a cool experience to be able to go and hike those trails.

The cozy mystery is my favorite genre. I like engaging mysteries and fascinating characters. I will read more books by this author.

Ellie Alexander’s A Murder on the Mountain (previously published as Scene of the Climb) is a cozy mystery that blends small-town charm, outdoor adventure, and a dash of danger into a fast-paced whodunit.
Meg Reed, a rookie reporter for Northwest Extreme magazine, is terrified of heights — an ironic twist given her new beat. When she’s assigned to cover an adventure race in Oregon’s stunning Columbia River Gorge, she steels herself for the challenge. But the assignment takes a deadly turn when a contestant falls from Angel’s Rest summit. Meg, the sole witness, quickly suspects foul play. With her job on the line and a killer on the loose, she dives into the tight-knit adventure racing community to uncover the truth.
A Murder on the Mountain is a delightful series starter that balances mystery, character growth, and scenic escapism. It’s perfect for readers who like their crime fiction with a side of coffee, friendship, and fresh mountain air.

This is a reissue of Ellie Alexander's debut novel, originally published in 2014. The lead character, Meg, just graduated with a degree in journalism and lies about her abilities and enthusiasm for outdoor activities to get a job at a magazine covering extreme outdoor adventures (for a job with salary and benefits, who can blame her?). The mystery was a bit hard to follow as none of the suspects made much of an impression, and Meg doesn't solve the mystery so much as stumble accidentally into the solution. Still, she was a fun mix of competence and awkwardness typical of someone in their early 20s starting out in their career. Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.

I really wanted to love this one, especially knowing it was Ellie Alexander’s debut novel and the start of a new series. But I found it tough to get through. The story was bogged down with way too many hiking and trail details—it felt like I was reading a trail guide more than a mystery at times. I get that the setting was important, but it slowed the pacing and made it hard to stay engaged.

Since this is the first book in the series, I wish the characters had been more clearly established. I didn’t feel like I got to know Meg or the supporting cast well enough to really connect with them. That said, there was a glimmer of promise in the ensemble—I'm curious to see how the side characters might develop in future books.

I understand this was Ellie’s first novel, and while it’s cool that it was re-published, I think it could’ve used a bit more refining before being re-released. The bones of a good cozy mystery are there, but it didn’t quite come together for me.

This was a decent start to the Meg Reed series, but it didn’t completely grab me. I enjoyed the Oregon mountain setting, which added a fresh atmosphere to the cosy mystery formula and made the story feel different from the usual small-town backdrop.

Meg herself is likeable and her journalist background makes sense for an amateur investigator, but at times she feels a little underdeveloped as a character. The pacing was also on the slower side, and I found the mystery a bit predictable once all the suspects were introduced.

I struggled a bit with the realism, especially toward the end. Without giving spoilers, there are moments where character traits and the actual consequences just don’t line up believably. It pulled me out of the story and kept me from fully enjoying the resolution.

That said, the writing is easy to sink into, and there’s a nice balance between cosy charm and a touch of suspense. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it either. I will pick up the next book to see how the series grows.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun cozy mystery novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A Murder on the Mountain by Ellie Alexander is the first book in the Meg Reed Investigates series. Meg Reed is a cliched bumbling stumbling always late early twenties woman who wants to be a “real journalist” and is presently residing on her best friend’s couch. I’m sorry, but I am tired of the clumsy main characters (they are all the same). Meg gets a job at Northwest Extreme magazine by lying through her teeth (her idea of spending time outdoors is relaxing on the beach or enjoying a picnic with dreamboat). A bonus to the job is Meg’s hunk boss and we get to hear about his attributes frequently. The whodunit was straightforward. There is a small pool of suspects. Of course, the guilty party can be identified before the victim flies off the cliff. Meg is told repeatedly to stay out of the investigation, but she is a chip off the old block (her father was an investigative reporter). I enjoyed the picturesque descriptions of Oregon. Meg continued to annoy me throughout the story (I rolled my eyes often). I mean who goes a hike to ask questions for an article and decides to take notes by hand. The best character in the story was Meg’s grandmother, Gam who is a reiki healer. A Murder on the Mountain is an Oregon outdoor cozy with extreme reporting, aggressive racers, a burdensome backpack, a victim flying off a cliff, big blisters, a bodacious boss, a comfortable couch, scenic hikes, and reiki practicing grandmother.

I very much enjoyed A Murder on the Mountain by Ellie Alexander. This was her very first mystery, and the one that set her on the path to her destiny as an excellent Cozy Mystery author.

Meg Reed is terrified of heights, and not much for hiking the great trails of Oregon. So what happens? She gets a job as a writer for Northwest Extreme Magazine. Her first big assignment is to cover Race the States, a reality show in which contestants participate in races throughout the US, and as they make their way to Oregon, eliminations take place. The stakes are high, with a million dollar purse for the winner. There are three contestants left upon reaching Oregon, and they will participate in several races. On the first day of the race, our intrepid (and scared to death) reporter is hiking behind the racers and crew when she nearly goes off the cliff. As she clings for survival, she sees the body of the much disliked contestant fly off the rock above her. Meg inherited her investigative skills from her journalist father, so she sets out to find the killer.

Besides the mystery of the murdered contestant, we find out that Meg’s father, while investigating the meth problem in Oregon, is suspended, and then dies in a tragic hit and run accident. But was it an accident? I think this will be another mystery thread that will run through the series.

The characters are wonderful, with Meg fresh out of J-School, her BFF Jill, and their friend Matt (with the astonishingly ripped abs, Meg finds out!). I’m rooting for Meg and Matt to get together.

The story takes place in the Portland area, with Multnomah Falls nearby. I’ve been there, and it’s an incredible sight. Yes, I made the hike to Benson Bridge to view the stunning vista. I volunteered to let my husband hike up the rest of the way to the top of the falls while I stayed below and took pictures of him. <wink>

It’s a gorgeous area of Oregon (the whole state is beautiful!), and the way the author describes it, I can vividly picture the scenery.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book. I am happy to leave my honest review.

This is such a fun and engaging mystery with a likeable heroine you can root for. Meg Reed is a young, broke journalist fresh out of college, crashing on her friend’s couch and desperate for a big break. When she lands a job at an adventure magazine, she quickly realises she may have exaggerated her outdoorsy skills just a little. Determined to prove herself, she covers an adventure race in the beautiful yet treacherous Columbia River Gorge.

When a contestant falls to their death from Angel’s Rest summit, Meg is the only witness – and she knows it was no accident. With her new job on the line, she pushes past her fear of heights to investigate. Armed with her notebook, a strong mocha and the encouragement of her friends, she delves into the secrets and rivalries of the adventure racing world.

A lively, fast-paced read with an atmospheric setting and a satisfying mix of humour, danger and determination.

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I don’t know it it’s just me (maybe it’s the books I’m picking up) but cosy crime seems to be trending these days towards the cosy and away from the crime. So it was with Ellie Alexander’s A Murder on the Mountain, and it’s fine, it really is, but…it’s just short on what I’m looking for in a crime novel.
The book is set in Portland, Oregon, where wannabe investigative reporter Meg finds herself with a job at an extreme sports publication. Here, naturally, she is required to become involved in extreme sports at which (of course) she is inexperienced and so, expectedly, gets herself into a lot of scrapes. During one of these, as she is covering the filming of an extreme sports competition, she witnesses one of the competitors falling past her to his death as she clings to the side of a mountain.
It wouldn’t be cosy crime of Meg didn’t immediately need to get to the bottom of it, despite being warned off by both the sheriff and a mysterious personage we assume to be the killer. So far, so mainstream.
The trouble is, I found it all a bit…twee. It’s not just that Meg is improbably ditzy for a reporter, and keeps getting herself into situations which would have been avoided if she’d done as the Sheriff told her and stayed at home. It’s that the crime itself is incredibly sketchy. There are no witnesses to see how the victims came to fall and yet the Sheriff concludes that it’s homicide. We never find out why. Most of the investigation is Meg digging around to find out the background of the contestants which, let’s face it, is something the police would be perfectly able to do for themselves — probably rather better and rather quicker.
What we did get, instead of the crime, was a lot of froth. We had the detail on what Meg snd her friends wear, and eat, and detailed explanations of where they live. The secondary characters — friends, family, suspects — are stereotypes and without depth. Difficult mother, grandmother into crystals and alternative therapy, handsome boss vs male best friend, successful female best friend with smug boyfriend — the tropes are all there but there’s nothing to make them any more than one dimensional. That said, Meg herself, despite being on the irritating side, does at least have a complex backstory with which I was engaged, though not enough to read on beyond the end of this book to discover more.
I loved the setting, though, and was following the action with Google Maps open on my phone. The descriptions were great and really evoked the awe-inspiring setting of the Columbia Rover and its gorge, and I did like the touch of including information about all the locations at the end of the book.
Overall, though the tone veered way too much towards the frothiness of a light romcom for my taste. Cosy or not, I’m looking for a little bit more of an edge than this in a crime novel, I’m afraid.

A Murder on the Mountain is the first in the series, and I'm already itching to read the second book.
The story follows Meg, a reporter on her first big assignment for an extreme sports magazine. Unfortunately, Meg, who lied to get the job, has to get involved in the activities alongside the participants in order to write her article. This was one of the most humorous aspects of the novel. Meg had no intention of completing the climb and pulled every delaying tactic she had up her sleeve to slow the pace of the team down, all whilst being decked out in trendy pink climbing gear and lugging an overpacked backpack. I could imagine her horror at the prospect of hiking up a mountain, and found her reactions completely relatable. At the same time, I loved the author's descriptions of the area. Not only could I picture the entire scene, but it left me wanting to see it in real life.
The mystery of who killed Lenny and why had me stumped, and I suspected everyone at some stage, except Matt, of course. The 'who' surprised me in the end, but I thought the 'why' was a little bit weak.
Meg has a nice support cast of friends and a grandmother, Gam, who is a little bit eccentric. There's a gentle romantic subplot bubbling behind the scenes. Matt is in love with Meg, while she is crushing on her boss, Greg. There is also the backstory of her father's death, which may not have been an accident. So, there are lots of threads to pull together for subsequent titles in the series, and I can't wait.

I originally read this book when it was first released under a different name, although I didn't realize it until a few pages in. I didn't remember the killer or main plot points, so I decided to re read it and I enjoyed it more then the the first time. THe Pacific northwest scenery was beautifully described and I loved the characters of Matt and Meg's Grandmother. Meg seems to have a great support team surrounding her after the tragic death of her investigative reporter father. I this book Meg takes on a reporting job at an adventure magazine, even though she's terrified of heights and is not exactly outdoorsy. She desperately needs the cash and a way into the struggling reporting industry so she pushed herself to take the plunge. She ends up covering an adventure race and it's final three contestants and witnesses one of their deaths. She gets pulled into the investigation and it puts her in hot water. Overall I enjoyed this re-read and I know the underlaying mystery of this series surrounding Meg's father is very compelling. Meg could be a touch less naive at times, but she is in her early/mid twenties so I'll let that slide. 4 stars.

This was a very different book. Still cozy mystery but the extreme sport and magazine writing aspect was interesting! Kept me interested throughout. And I definitely was surprised by the killer!

This is going to be a great new series. One full of adventure and suspense plus a murder or two. What's a cozy without one of those. Ellie Alexander is a seasoned author with lots of great works under her belt. .This is bound to be her next best seller.