Review: Everything you'd want in a cozy mystery!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2014
I knew Lucy was in trouble the minute she locked onto the warm, toffee colored eyes of Martin. What’s a girl to do? She already had a great boyfriend in Peter, a police detective.Martin came to her rescue when she tripped and rolled down the hill in the minus 30 degrees cold while trying to find her Malamute, Kiska. Before she could stop herself, she volunteered for the Silver Trail dogsled race, which was being held in her town of Helena, Montana. I could see all kinds of delicious trouble brewing.Lucy owns Dusty Deals, an antique store, with her self-proclaimed partner Phyllis and employee, Betty, who actually run it more than she does. These two were hilarious. Always volunteering her for this and that, angling to make her a who’s who in Helena.At the fundraiser, Lucy arrives sporting her new do, blue hair courtesy of an episode involving a matchmaking biddy at the hair parlor. As the trail route is revealed, Frank, a member of the Skyers, a snowmobile club, objects, claiming part of the route is theirs and the planned route will have to be changed. Red, the trail organizer, manages to deflect Frank until after the presentation, where they are seen in heated debate. Seems like trouble has arrived in Helena.The next morning, Lucy’s morning coffee is interrupted by the howls of the hounds from hell. Rushing to the window, she spies a team of sled dogs running loose. Being a dog lover, she lures the team into her jeep with some hotdogs and heads to their kennels to return them safe and sound.When she arrives at the truck, all the kennel doors are open. This couldn’t be an accident. After she stumbles upon Red, she’s sure of it. The bullet hole in the back of his head indicates murder has come to her town.The rash of snowmobile thefts and the dispute over the trail route might be connected and Lucy’s previous job at The Helena Daily News comes into play with her nose for ferreting out stories. Let’s just hope her snooping doesn’t put her in the killers crosshairs.Romance, dogs, murder, and humor. What more could I ask for in a cozy mystery.The romance is interesting. Enter Martin, the ruggedly handsome musher, and Peter, the absent boyfriend. Hmm…While the cat’s away…The mysteries were fun to follow. I was curious whether the snowmobile thefts and the dispute over the trail route were connected. Was there a saboteur and a murderer working together? Was there just one culprit? What there was, was plenty of suspects and a heck of a good time sorting them out.Lots of local color and flamboyant characters along with comic relief made this a truly fun cozy mystery. I already knew it would be when I spotted the adorable cover art. You can be sure I’ll be reading more of this series.I received this book for my honest review. I'll happily buy more of this series.