In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1 [Mass Market Paperback]

Nancy Mehl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

Samantha "Ivy" Towers returns to Winter Break, Kansas, where she spent her summers as a child, to make funeral arrangements for her Aunt Bitty. While there, she begins to suspect her aunt's death, which resulted from a fall in her bookshop, wasn't an accident after all. Childhood friend Amos Parker, now sheriff of Winter Break, seems anxious to get Ivy out of town. A missing book, a message scrawled by an unknown person, and an extra coffee cup leave Ivy with more questions than answers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewing a cozy mystery is a new experience for me, but I became an immediate fan of the genre. Nancy Mehl weaves her cozy spell so skillfully that I was enthralled from page one. Ivy Towers is an appealing heroine, Winter Break, Kansas the ideal location, and supporting characters lend depth to the delicious plot.

Ivy Towers holds fond childhood memories of Winter Break and her Great Aunt Bitty. Ivy's parents are missionaries to China. Bitty nurtured the girl in her parents' absence. Many happy, comfortable times were spent in Miss Bitty's Bygone Bookstore. Now Bitty has died, leaving everything she owns to Ivy, including the book store. Winter Break is a tiny Kansas town where winter comes early and leaves late. The book store never changes. Outside a wintry wind blows sleet and snow against the windows, but inside Bitty's store Ivy finds a familiar sanctuary: the scent of lemon oil and smell of old books, a warming fire crackling in the fireplace, the old grandfather clock, and a purring cat. Cozy. Safe. Comforting. Ivy knows Aunt Bitty considered death to be a "home-going" and not a loss, but the truth is immediately apparent and troubling. Bitty's death was not the accident it seemed at first, and someone helped Ivy's aunt get to heaven prematurely. The small town book store owner and doting aunt was an expert in rare books and had clients all around the world. Did someone kill Bitty to possess a rare book? Or is the cause of death more sinister than that?

Mehl scatters tantalizing hints and red herrings throughout the story for readers to unravel. Did one of the colorful locals murder Bitty? Maybe the kindly owner of the Food-a-Rama didn't love Bitty as much as he pretends. Did her hired assistant weary of his labors and do Bitty in out of spite? And why is Amos Parker, Ivy's childhood friend turned deputy sheriff, so insistent that she leave town immediately? I can almost guarantee readers won't solve the mystery before Ivy does. If you love mysteries -- cozy, Christian, or otherwise -- you won't want to miss even one of the Ivy Towers books. Nancy Mehl's writing style is exceptional and her books highly recommended.

Review by Laurel Johnson for Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Nancy Mehl's novels are all set in her home state of Kansas. "Although some people think of Kansas as nothing more than flat land and cattle, we really are quite interesting!" she says. Nancy is a mystery buff who loves the genre and is excited to see more inspirational mysteries becoming available to readers who share her passion. Her Barbour novel, "In the Dead of Winter," will combine two of her favorite things - mystery and snow. "Unfortunately, our past several winters have been pretty dry. I enjoy writing fiction because I can make it snow as much as I want!" Besides her writing, she is also a popular book reviewer. She has reviewed for The Charlotte Austin Review, MyShelf.com, Midwest Book Review, and The Wichita Eagle. Nancy works for the City of Wichita, assisting low-income seniors and the disabled. Her volunteer group, Wichita Homebound Outreach, seeks to demonstrate the love of God to special people who need to know that someone cares. She lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband of thirty-three years, Norman. Her son, Danny, is a graphic designer who has designed several of her book covers. They attend Word of Life Church.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597895229
• ISBN-13: 978-1597895224
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 3.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her son, Danny. She's authored nine books and is currently at work on two new series for Barbour Publishing.

All of Nancy's novels have an added touch - something for your spirit as well as your soul. "I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing," Nancy says. "It's a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn't be writing at all if I didn't believe that this is what He's called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can't overcome with His help." She and her husband attend Believer's Tabernacle in Wichita.

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com or her blog at: www.nancymehl.blogspot.com. You can also find her on FaceBook!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mehl weaves a cozy spell in this one..., August 19, 2008

By 

Laurel Johnson (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1 (Mass Market Paperback)

Reviewing a cozy mystery is a new experience for me, but I became an immediate fan of the genre. Nancy Mehl weaves her cozy spell so skillfully that I was enthralled from page one. Ivy Towers is an appealing heroine, Winter Break, Kansas the ideal location, and supporting characters lend depth to the delicious plot.

Ivy Towers holds fond childhood memories of Winter Break and her Great Aunt Bitty. Ivy's parents are missionaries to China. Bitty nurtured the girl in her parents' absence. Many happy, comfortable times were spent in Miss Bitty's Bygone Bookstore. Now Bitty has died, leaving everything she owns to Ivy, including the book store. Winter Break is a tiny Kansas town where winter comes early and leaves late. The book store never changes. Outside a wintry wind blows sleet and snow against the windows, but inside Bitty's store Ivy finds a familiar sanctuary: the scent of lemon oil and smell of old books, a warming fire crackling in the fireplace, the old grandfather clock, and a purring cat. Cozy. Safe. Comforting. Ivy knows Aunt Bitty considered death to be a "home-going" and not a loss, but the truth is immediately apparent and troubling. Bitty's death was not the accident it seemed at first, and someone helped Ivy's aunt get to heaven prematurely. The small town book store owner and doting aunt was an expert in rare books and had clients all around the world. Did someone kill Bitty to possess a rare book? Or is the cause of death more sinister than that?

Mehl scatters tantalizing hints and red herrings throughout the story for readers to unravel. Did one of the colorful locals murder Bitty? Maybe the kindly owner of the Food-a-Rama didn't love Bitty as much as he pretends. Did her hired assistant weary of his labors and do Bitty in out of spite? And why is Amos Parker, Ivy's childhood friend turned sheriff, so insistent that she leave town immediately? I can almost guarantee readers won't solve the mystery before Ivy does.

If you love mysteries -- cozy, Christian, or otherwise -- you won't want to miss even one of the Ivy Towers books.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A cozy Christian mystery, June 29, 2008

By 

P. Mann (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1 (Heartsong Presents Mysteries #3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Winter Break, Kansas, named by the Western settlers who used the town as one of the last stops before the way west became mountainous, is the setting for this cozy Christian mystery. To this VERY small town, Ivy Samantha Towers--Sam, please--returns after the death of her aunt. For the college student Sam, Winter Break represents a past she remembers fondly but would rather break free of. In Winter Break, she is known as Ivy. In college, she is Sam. To her, each is a different person. But Aunt Bitty has apparently fallen off a ladder in the town's book store, and Sam/Ivy returns to take care of final arrangements. The onus is hers in large part because her parents are missionaries who are in China and unable to take care of matters. Then there's the fact that Sam/Ivy was extremely close to her aunt and is the primary beneficiary of the will.

When Ivy, as everyone in Winter Break knows her, arrives at the book store, she finds some unpleasant surprises. Amos Parker, her childhood friend, is now the sheriff--this despite her memory of him shoplifting and of their awkward parting a few years earlier. The entire store has been willed to Ivy, leaving her to decide whether to sell it and return to Sam, the more mature college student ready to make her mark on the world, or to run it, as many in the town want her to do. She also finds a singularly unpleasant surprise: an anonymous note telling her that her aunt was murdered. When a handsome bookseller arrives, telling her he wishes to purchase the store's stock, Ivy seems to forget these issues in favor of romance, an option the bookseller does not seem entirely opposed to.

"In the Dead of Winter" seems to have three separate parts. There is the mystery, which is the nominal engine driving the novel. There is Ivy's faith, which pervades the novel, and in which she finds renewed strength among the faithful of the town she spent a great deal of time in when she was young. And there is the romance. Each of these parts has strengths and weaknesses, which I will deal with in order.

The mystery is not especially complex, but it does serve as an adequate means of propelling the story. There is, at least in theory, an entire town full of potential suspects, but Nancy Mehl easily whittles the list down to a manageable few, and the resolution of the mystery, while hardly novel, is satisfactory.

The religious aspects of the book may well be the story's raison d'etre, especially given the Heartsong Mysteries imprint. Here, I found a mixed bag. Ivy's return to the church of her youth, for example, takes up almost an entire chapter, one of the best chapters in the book. In this chapter, a confused young woman wrestles, not with her faith as such, for her faith never truly seems in doubt, but with the ramifications of that faith and her place in the world as revealed through her belief. On the other hand, there seems to be an excess of Christian references, even for a Christian novel. This comment is, of course, entirely subjective, but reviews are by their nature subjective, so there it is.

Finally, the romance seemed the least developed part of the story, far too abrupt and hasty, in large part, I think, because Ivy is so unsure of her place in the world and of her heart.

On balance, though, I really enjoyed "In the Dead of Winter." I had a sense of the town and of several of its denizens and missed both when I closed the final page. This novel is certainly not an epic, but I did enjoy it and do recommend it, primarily for its keen portrayal of a confused young woman, to those who want to spend three or so hours in an enjoyable cozy.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, August 30, 2008

By 

Cynthia Hickey "Cynthia Hickey" (AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1 (Mass Market Paperback)

When Samantha "Ivy" Towers returns to Winter Break to put her aunt's affairs in order, it quickly becomes clear something foul is in the air. With the help of her friend, Amos Parker, Samantha sets out to find her aunt's murderer.

The town of Winter Break is a blip on a map, yet full of characters so rich you won't easily forget them, or the town. Join along with Ivy as she embarks on one adventure after another. I can't wait to read the next book in the Winter Break series.