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vvijayanti's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Dead of Winter by Wendy Corsi Staub is a leisurely-paced cozy mystery set in the psychic/medium enclave of Lily Dale. This third installment in the Lily Dale Mystery series can easily stand on its own, but I recommend the other novels in the series as well.
The day after observing a curious light on the lake and hearing an ominous scream, innkeeper and non-psychic Bella Jordan finds a corpse washed up on shore. The widowed mom of six year old Max is shaken by the discovery and when Max's friend Jiffy Arden goes missing, she is very worried about the little boy. She has little in common with his mother, medium Misty Starr, who is not the most attentive of parents. Although Bella empathizes with the young mom's concern for her missing son, she is also frustrated by Misty's reliance on her mystical powers to find Jiffy. When another victim is found and Misty also vanishes, Lieutenant John Grange hopes Max and Bella can help with the investigations.
Coming up on the one year anniversary of her husband Sam's death, Bella is busy getting ready for the holidays and trying to finish up the renovations she is doing for extra money. She keeps a rather close eye on both Max and Jiffy after her shocking discovery of the murdered man but she is distracted the day Jiffy disappears. Although somewhat skeptical of her neighbors' supernatural abilities, Bella cannot help but take some of their vague warnings to heart in the aftermath of Jiffy's kidnapping and Misty's troubling disappearance. Can the answers to the recent events in town somehow be related to the unexpected phenomena Bella is suddenly experiencing at the inn? Is Jiffy's disappearance related to the unsolved murders? And even more worrisome, where is Misty?
Despite the rather unhurried pacing, Dead of Winter is an engaging mystery with a cast of quirky yet likable characters and a clever storyline. Bella is a wonderful protagonist who continues to evolve as the series progresses. The mystery element of the storyline is well-done and Wendy Corsi Staub brings the novel to an exciting conclusion. This latest release is another entertaining installment in the Lily Dale Mystery series that old and new fans will enjoy.
The day after observing a curious light on the lake and hearing an ominous scream, innkeeper and non-psychic Bella Jordan finds a corpse washed up on shore. The widowed mom of six year old Max is shaken by the discovery and when Max's friend Jiffy Arden goes missing, she is very worried about the little boy. She has little in common with his mother, medium Misty Starr, who is not the most attentive of parents. Although Bella empathizes with the young mom's concern for her missing son, she is also frustrated by Misty's reliance on her mystical powers to find Jiffy. When another victim is found and Misty also vanishes, Lieutenant John Grange hopes Max and Bella can help with the investigations.
Coming up on the one year anniversary of her husband Sam's death, Bella is busy getting ready for the holidays and trying to finish up the renovations she is doing for extra money. She keeps a rather close eye on both Max and Jiffy after her shocking discovery of the murdered man but she is distracted the day Jiffy disappears. Although somewhat skeptical of her neighbors' supernatural abilities, Bella cannot help but take some of their vague warnings to heart in the aftermath of Jiffy's kidnapping and Misty's troubling disappearance. Can the answers to the recent events in town somehow be related to the unexpected phenomena Bella is suddenly experiencing at the inn? Is Jiffy's disappearance related to the unsolved murders? And even more worrisome, where is Misty?
Despite the rather unhurried pacing, Dead of Winter is an engaging mystery with a cast of quirky yet likable characters and a clever storyline. Bella is a wonderful protagonist who continues to evolve as the series progresses. The mystery element of the storyline is well-done and Wendy Corsi Staub brings the novel to an exciting conclusion. This latest release is another entertaining installment in the Lily Dale Mystery series that old and new fans will enjoy.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Bella Jordan unwittingly sees a murderer dump a dead body into a lake across from the Valley View, the bed and breakfast she helps manager. The killer is scared off at that moment, but Bella could be in danger. Like Bella, her young son Max's best friend, Jiffy Arden, was also in the wrong place at the wrong time and has disappeared. Some feel the independent boy, who has a free-spirited mom, has just wandered off. However, Max is positive his friend has been kidnapped and the longer he's been gone, the more it looks like Jiffy, who had premonitions of the event, is also in grave danger.
"Dead of Winter" is the third in the author's Lily Dale series aimed at adults, which is separate from her young adult series. The book has a nice mixture of portraying ordinary small-town life, with the sense of community as well as the gossip, with the paranormal since many of the town's residents have psychic abilities. New readers will feel at home in Lily Dale and those who have read the prior two books will be happy to see the recently widowed Bella settling into her new life in Lily Dale and trying to move on with her life. I also enjoyed getting to know Jiffy's mother Misty better and like her much more after learning more about her.
The main plot about the murder and Jiffy's disappearance is suspenseful. I was frustrated that the investigation drug out more than it needed to because characters wouldn't listen to each other. I found it strange that in a town filled with psychics, there were so many skeptics when someone had a lead on the case based on their intuition. There was a side-plot with one of the town's psychics, Pandora, and her clients that could have served as nice comic relief, but became too over-the-top and got annoying. Luckily, that's a small part of the book, but the rest is interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed the book and hope this unique series continues.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
"Dead of Winter" is the third in the author's Lily Dale series aimed at adults, which is separate from her young adult series. The book has a nice mixture of portraying ordinary small-town life, with the sense of community as well as the gossip, with the paranormal since many of the town's residents have psychic abilities. New readers will feel at home in Lily Dale and those who have read the prior two books will be happy to see the recently widowed Bella settling into her new life in Lily Dale and trying to move on with her life. I also enjoyed getting to know Jiffy's mother Misty better and like her much more after learning more about her.
The main plot about the murder and Jiffy's disappearance is suspenseful. I was frustrated that the investigation drug out more than it needed to because characters wouldn't listen to each other. I found it strange that in a town filled with psychics, there were so many skeptics when someone had a lead on the case based on their intuition. There was a side-plot with one of the town's psychics, Pandora, and her clients that could have served as nice comic relief, but became too over-the-top and got annoying. Luckily, that's a small part of the book, but the rest is interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed the book and hope this unique series continues.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
bella_247's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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