I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Winter Takes All
by M.L. Erdahl
Series: Seattle Wilderness Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by The Wild Rose Press on October 23, 2019
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 264
Format: Kindle
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Audible
Also in this series: Spring Upon a Crime
Crystal Rainey is aghast when she realizes her new year's resolutions haven't changed one whit from the previous year. Wanting to escape a future as dreary as a Pacific Northwest winter, she walks out on her dead-end office job, despite her tenuous savings account. Stumbling across a job opening posted by a wilderness guide outfit, an intrigued Crystal bluffs her way into the position. With a handsome fellow guide, the stalwart Conner Oakes, she leads a corporate retreat on a snowshoe hike to a majestic alpine chalet. But when the company's detestable owner turns up dead in the snow, she fears her new life and budding romance slipping away. She finally has something worth fighting for and is determined to solve the murder and grab her chance at happiness before it's too late.
Winter Takes All by M.L. Erdahl is unique and refreshing. I loved the concept and the characters.
Will Crystal find the killer or lose the future that she wants desperately?
Crystal
Crystal is our main character and sleuth. She doesn’t start as a sleuth, but when her new profession is threatened, Crystal must find out what happened to Philip. Crystal quit her tedious office job and started working as an outdoor guide, which is something that she has wanted to do for a long time. Yet, now she is doing what feels best, and that is being a guide and dating Conner.
I like that Crystal has made up her mind to do what makes her happy and not what her mom wants. Crystal is going to protect her newfound life. I can’t wait to see how Mr. Erdahl gets her to sleuthing in the next book. Oh, I loved the way that Crystal leaves her former office job.
The Mystery
The victim is a cad. Philip thinks because he has money and power that he can be inappropriate with his young female interns. Philip books his company on a snowshoe guided adventure with rooms in a chalet in the wilderness. However, Philip gets in an argument with multiple members of his staff and ends up dead. But was it an accident or murder? Who would have the most significant motive for Philip’s death? Crystal starts investigating once her boss has to stop the tours until the investigation is completed.
Four Stars
I think that Mr. Erdahl has a well-plotted mystery, the characters are superb, not just Crystal and Conner but the entire staff at Calvert and Associates. The setting is so beautiful, from the quiet of the mountains to the neighborhoods of Seattle. I am giving Winter Takes All by M.L. Erdahl four stars as it was an enjoyable read.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Winter Takes All by M.L. Erdahl.
Until the next time,
About M.L. Erdahl
ML Erdahl lives amidst the trees of the Pacific Northwest, where he pens humorous cozy mystery novels set in the wilderness he has spent his lifetime exploring. The only thing slowing him down is when his adorable rescue dogs, Skip and Daisy, demand to be petted and cuddled on his lap while he types. When he’s not wandering the mountains, you can find him gardening, reading, or searching for the best coffee in Seattle with his wife, Emily.
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much for taking the time to review the first book in my Seattle Wilderness Mystery series. The second book is off to my publisher, and I hope to have it out later this year.