International resort developer Nigel Goodwin has traveled all the way from London, England to Misty Murphy’s little corner of North Carolina and bought out the Mountaintop Lodge for the week prior to Christmas. Their intention? To pitch an exclusive new resort concept to wealthy American investors.

But locals are at odds over the idea, and when a group comes to the lodge to express their worries to Mr. Goodwin and the potential investors, a blizzard hits Beech Mountain. Like the weather outside, things quickly get frosty, and Misty has to call local police to intervene. Handyman Rocky Crowder plows the lodge’s drive and, in an attempt to regain a jovial holiday atmosphere, smooths the snow pile into a makeshift sledding hill for the guests to enjoy.

Misty’s boys have finished their exams and are “home” from college for the winter break, planning to spend most of their time snowboarding at the ski resort. While taking a few runs down Rocky’s sledding hill, they discover a funny-looking, nose-shaped rock. Only it’s not a rock. It’s the frozen nose of Nigel Goodwin, who’s found dead and buried under the mound of snow.

Who put the developer on ice and why?

4 Star

It’s the holiday season and Misty’s got a lot going on at her Mountaintop Lodge. Not only do her boys get to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with her. Rocky‘s daughter is also home from college and she is spending time with them at the lodge as well. Misty is also hosting an international resort developer from England. He is planning to pitch a resort idea to wealthy American investors that has caused a little commotion amongst the locals. As Misty and her handyman, Rocky do their best to make her little lodge as cozy and comfortable as can be, the townsfolk bring on a nasty little confrontation that has Misty calling the local police.

Just as things settle down a blizzard hits the area. Misty sons are having some fun on a sled hill that Rakim made, and discover a strange rock that turns out to be the resort developers body on ice.

Misty finds herself right in the middle of a murder.

I have been invested in this series since the first book, and each one gets better and better. Diane Kelly does an amazing job transporting the reader to a completely different place when opening the cover of one of her books. Snow Place for Murder was enjoyable in many aspects for me. The mystery was very well written. I have to say I did not figure out who did it in this one because there were just too many ways it could have gone. I love the chapters from Yetis point of view. They are fun and add quite a bit of humor to the story and honestly, I really do think the thoughts that that cat has or what cats would truly think. I like that we got to see the relationship with Misty and her children along with her ex-husband. We’ve heard her talk well of him through the other books and it was nice to see the interaction between the two of them and that they did have a good relationship after divorce. I honestly wish that the Mountain Lodge truly existed because I for one would spend quite a bit of time there. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure for Misty and Yeti will be.