Death in Trout Fork

I received a free electronic copy of this cozy mystery novel on November 23, 2019, from Netgalley, BookReviewBuzz, D. M. O'Byrne, and Black Opal Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition and this review reflects my personal opinion of this work. I am pleased to add D. M. Byrne to my favorite author's category and to recommend this Colorado mystery to friends and family.

Our story is set in the tiny mountain community of Trout Fork, Colorado, a wide spot in the road running alongside Trout Creek. Our viewpoint is from the perspective of New York journalist Ryn (Kathryn) Lowell and her orange tabby side-kick Jack Kerouac. Ryn is a columnist for an off-the-beaten-path travel magazine and Trout Creek looks like an excellent destination for vacationers who appreciate silence and a lack of crowds. With some of her readers, even the lack of cell service will appear as a plus. She will write the next issue of her column 'Out of my Way' on the attractions in this area before she moves on.

Ryn decides she really enjoys this area of small, meandering mountain roads, most one-lane, and the odd two-track, that penetrate the slopes of the Colorado Rockies 'Fourteeners', some of the fifty-three mountains in the Rockies that reach or exceed the towering heights of 14,000 feet in altitude. Ryn and Jack enjoy this nomadic lifestyle, wandering from place to place in her beat-up Toyota Corolla and exploring the countryside. Ryn cringes every time she calls her mother back in Manhattan, knowing that she does not understand Ryn's need to avoid cities - and home - for her own mental health. A week or two in Trout Fork sounds like just the ticket. She will take on the temporary job as a waitress at the only Trout Forks eatery, Alma's Cafe, which will put her at the heart of this tightly knit community. Ryn feels it is almost serendipity that the previous waitress, Heather, left Alma with no notice a couple of days ago. The majority of the permanent citizens of Trout Fork are middle-aged or older. Alma of the Cafe has a teenaged daughter, Audrey, who willingly shares her room with Ryn as she had with Heather. The nearest temporary housing is at least twenty miles away and would defeat the purpose of working in Trout Fork. Things quickly settle into a routine - an early morning jog with Jack along the path bordering Trout Creek, working the breakfast shift, a couple of hours break and the lunch crowd, then the supper bunch - makes for a long day but there are a couple of hours between busy times when Ryn can acclimate herself to a country she is beginning to love and write her column.

Motorcycle 'gangs' - mostly older, sedate riders, many repeat visitors who stop for a meal at Alma's and perhaps a beer at Trout Fork Liquors, snacks from Gil's Bait Shop, a wander through the 'treasures' to be found at Madam Gauzie's Antiques or set up camp in the clearing across the road from the shops for a quiet night of rest. But the odd 1%er slips into Trout Forks as well, those hard-core outlaw bikers who are happiest making trouble. They are frightening but don't usually stay long and have so far only made small ripples in the fabric of life in Trout Fork.

On day two Ryn finds a black Pink Floyd shirt in the creek - perhaps the same shirt Heather is wearing in the photo of her and Ashley Ryn saw posted in the cafe. Heather's favorite shirt. And then Jack Kerouac finds the missing waitress while on their morning jog. Dead. Buried alongside the Creek. Just three fingers wearing purple nail polish poking out of the duff. The police close in from everywhere, but the Denver police have jurisdiction and aren't visibly interested in finding out what happened to Heather. More local police don't have jurisdiction. Things are not looking good. And then Ashley disappears... Just as Heather did.

Murder Mystery in the Colorado Rockies
This book is the first in a series. The basic plot of a roaming travel writer in the Colorado Rockies caught my eye as that is my background. The plot surrounding the murder was very well done. The final reveal will probably give me nightmares. This story is a little more graphic than the general cozy mystery. However, there is romance without sex, little blood, and no gore. The general plot could be something you'd see on Criminal Minds. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

The story of a travel journalist going from New York to Colorado and then becoming involved with the residents of a small town during her stay was a very enjoyable read to me. The characters were well developed and the ending was not as expected! I can see this as being the start of some very interesting stories from different areas of the country. I certainly would read them!

My first book by this author. Interesting setting, small fishing town. Colorful cast of characters. Some fun, some have secrets.
Ryn, is feeling confined in her NY office so heads out on the road to find a story. Ends up in Trout Fork, she ends up staying when a murder happens. Hoping this is a series would love to visit these characters again

Death in Trout Fork by D.M. O'Byrne was an intriguing and entertaining read from beginning to end.

I enjoyed meeting Ryn Lowell, a travel writer who is traveling around Colorado looking for new travel destinations for her readers in New York. Ms. O'Byrne's writing is descriptive and I felt like I was actually visiting Trout Fork and meeting the quirky characters who live in this small community. Ryn is quite an independent young woman who has a need to wander and not be tied down as she enters Trout Fork. I liked Ryn and admired her determination to find out the truth about the murder to help her new friends. A plot that moved smoothly with a few twists and several suspects that kept me on my toes as I read. I'm glad that I found this series and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Terrific tale. A delightful new amateur sleuth. A little romance. A lot of heart. Some suspense. I am eager to follow the twists and turns in Ryn's life. Her cat is a bonus.

Trout Fork, Colorado, a fishing town, is where Kathryn (Ryn), a writer for a travel magazine, lands looking for a story.


Unfortunately for her, she gets a little more story than she had hope to find. While jogging with Jack, they discover an article of clothing belonging to a woman who has recently disappeared. Jack finds more than that. Murder is instantly on the table. Did I mention that Jack is her orange tabby cat, who is always with her even while jogging.


Ryn has fallen in love with the small town and making friends. Her new-found friends want her to investigate, which leads her to dealing with the local police detective. Along the way, she discovers that small towns hold secrets and there are lots of residents who may have had a motive to kill.


This is a gentle mystery with a bit of suspense, with a possible romance on the horizon. Ryn is a terrific series character, but she almost takes a back door to Jack, her traveling companion. The residents of Trout Fork vary in how they treat the newcomer. Some are quirky .. some are just downright fun ... and at least one is a killer.


Many thanks to the author / Black Opal Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this cozy mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Death in Trout Fork by D. M. O'Byrne is the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mystery series, and my first book by this author. I have lived in Colorado my whole life, so when I saw it was set in Colorado, and a mystery too, I had to read it. Now I am looking forward to the next two books in the series, which are already out. Ryn Lowell is a travel writer for a New York magazine, and she is in Trout Fork, writing about the small fishing town. While jogging with her cat, Jack Kerouac, he finds the dead body. Ryn is determined to solve the murder, and get closure for her new friends. I loved this book, and it kept me reading page after page. The story line and characters were well developed, I highly recommend this book of twists and turns, and the awesome cat.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Ryn Lowell is a travel writer for a magazine and finds herself in Trout Fork CO, with her cat Jack, to write about the small town. A woman working as a waitress has been murdered so Ryn offers to stay on as a waitress to help out while writing her article. She is also compelled to find out who killed the young woman.
This book doesn’t have the cutesy cover the many cozies have so I might have passed it up. However, the characters in this book are well developed and likeable. Relationships are built and there aren’t too many characters. The author doesn’t jump straight to the murder but builds a world for the reader first. The murderer isn’t extremely obvious from the beginning. I’m happy to have been introduced to a series I might not have picked. Looking forward to the next instalment.

An unexceptional read but nonetheless well written cosy detective. The scene setting is good and the characters ok if quirky - perhaps typical of any small town. Ryn, a travel writer, and her cat arrive in Trout Fork, Colorada - small town, reliant upon summer tourists for fishing. Enter a set of locals most of whom have issues of some sort. Local cafe waitress vanishes and is assumed to have decamped with one or other of the bikers that sporadically frequent the town. Cat finds body and Ryn, of course, sets out to investigate. She takes up the waitressing job (moonlighting from her paid travel job I guess), lodging in the same place as the dead girl. Police not that interested - dead biker girl in boonies, so not much street cred presumably. Local cop falls for Ryn who isn't sure whether to reciprocate or not; she continues to investigate and, the usual, gets herself into a pickle near the end only to be rescued, dada, by the cop. Most of the locals have sufficient history to be potential suspects and the evil developer adds to the twists. I've given it four stars as I'm feeling generous and do feel that it would appeal more to readers who want a light holiday read with little effort - it just feels a little shallow and stereotypical to me. Thanks to NetGalley and Black Opal Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kathryn ‘Ryn’ Lowell is a columnist for a New York travel magazine and finds herself in Trout Fork, Colorado looking for material to meet her upcoming deadline. Her traveling companion is Jack, a cat that stays close and even jogs with Ryn on a leash.

Trout Fork is a small community that is popular and draws fishing enthusiasts from all over. Her first stop is Alma’s Café, where her wait to get lunch takes a while since the new waitress has just disappeared. Alma and her daughter Ashley are scrambling to keep up so Ryn ends up taking on the waitressing gig until they find a replacement in exchange for room and board. Ryn decides this may be a good way to gather material for her column.

Unfortunately, while jogging with Jack, Ryn finds the missing waitress’s Pink Floyd T-shirt in the river and then Jack literally digs up a hand attached to Heather’s, the missing woman, dead body. Alma is quite upset and wants Ryn to help find out what happened. Being curious herself, Ryn starts looking around, asking questions.

Suspects range from Digger, the biker who abandoned Heather weeks ago, to a handful of locals. Police detective Garrett Easterbrook begins investigating.

D. M. O’Bryne writes an interesting mystery with twists and turns, realistic characters and an easy pace. Ms. O’Bryne leaves this story somewhat open ended, so a follow-up is anticipated.

Death in Trout Fork is the first mystery in a new series by D.M. O'Byrne. Released 13th Oct 2018 by Black Opal Books, it's 210 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a cozy murder mystery with a travel reporter as amateur sleuth (+ her cat). The story is set in a small Colorado town populated with interesting eccentrics with lots of seething tensions and connections under the surface. The author was quite adept at getting into the story without info-dumping all of the backstories in one go. The technical aspects of the story are very well handled and the plot, tension, dialogue, setting, and structure are competently presented and I never found myself being yanked out of my suspension of disbelief by clunky writing.

There is some moderate language (PG rated) and kidnapping and torture of a minor. There is also some familial abuse and self-harm in the book which could be potentially triggering. Lovers of the cozy mystery genre will be happy to note that the requisite hunky policeman love interest is included in the book.

Four stars. Well written and entertaining. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next couple of books in the series which are already published.

What I really liked about this book was the setting. I've read a bunch lot of cozy mysteries before, but it's something unique and new to read. There are many different twists and turns and it's always a good portion tension in it. . Everything in this book is special from the plot to the characters. The main character is writer for a travel magazine, which is something new.