Customer Reviews

In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Once upon a time I read many many Romance novels and realized there are two main plots: "Beauty and the Beast" and "Cinderella." Because this novel is a mystery, it is slightly different from the usual Romance novel. The mystery isn't bad. The characters are okay. The romance is definitely rushed, but that is common for the genre. It will be an entertaining read for people who like mystery/romance paperbacks. One caveat is that it is chock-a-block full of religion. Proselytizing seems to have been the author's intention in writing the book.

Our heroine is a college student who comes home to settle her belived Aunt's affairs after he Aunt's untimely death. The untimeliness turns out to be cause by murder. Quite a bit in this mystery is telegraphed.

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.

I don't often pick up inspirational fiction, but while Nancy Mehl's In the Dead of Winter falls into this category, it is no less conventional mystery for that. In fact, the theme of goodness, embodied by Aunt Bitty, lends an added dimension, all the more suited to a novel that takes place in the holiday season.
Ivy Towers, college undergraduate-turned-sleuth, inherits her great aunt's Bygone Bookstore in the remote Kansas town of Winter Break. Hats off to Ms. Mehl for creating great atmosphere, and this isn't confined to the bookstore. The whole town comes to life. In fact, I felt compelled to Google the town of Winter Break, just to see if it existed. The characters, while eccentric and larger-than-life (think Dickens), are wholly believable too.
Back to the mystery... Ivy (who hates her name and changes it to escape her gauche past) must discover who caused Aunt Bitty's fall from her ladder before she can return to her new life. In this pursuit, she is aided and abetted by a childhood friend, now the town sheriff. He refuses to call her by her new name of Sam. He likes her just the way she is and was. Well, everybody likes Ivy and everybody thinks she should stay.
Will she, won't she: solve the murder, determine her destiny, and find true love?

I liked this a lot. I just got into reading mysteries. This is one of my favorites so far. Wasn't sure about reading a Christian mystery but it was not like I thought. It kind of makes you feel good, so I would recommend it for Christmas.

It would have been nice to know that "faith based" / "religion" / "Christianity" was a major theme of this series before I purchased 4 of them. If that's your preference, great..my objection is that it wasn't apparent in the title, editorial review or product description. Most cozies proclaim their themes in these places. Constant religious messages on every page are not my reading preference - had it been referenced in the title / editorial review / product description I would not have purchased them. Intentional or not...the lack of mention of a major component of the theme feels a bit underhanded. It has taught me to always read all of the reviews before purchasing....

What a pleasant surprise I had in store for me when I won this book! I found myself intrigued from the first sentence. This author can write! Her writing reminds me of Jan Karon's Mitford series, and is so descriptive that now I crave a Ruby's Redbird Burger!

A recipe for Aunt Pettibone's Huckleberry Muffins is included at the end of the book.

The plot involves a young college student, looking for the place God would have her settle. She's left the small town where she grew up and changed her name to reflect her new adult status. Now, she must return to bury her great Aunt Bitty, an owner of a bookstore. Soon after her arrival, she begins to suspect murder took her aunt, not an accident as she had been told. A good tale unwinds.

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.