Slayed on the Slopes

Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer-Seeley is the second book in the Pacific Northwest Mystery series.  Meg (Mary Margaret) Reed wants to write a feature on the Ridge Rangers.  It is a new group made up of primarily competitive snowboarders that will lead groups of climbers up the mountains (newbies and experts).  Their goal is to make sure that each climber reaches the summit.  Meg pitches her idea to Greg Dixon, her boss at Northwest Extreme magazine.  Greg agrees to the idea and Meg outfits herself to spend time in the mountains (while hoping it does not snow).  When Greg asked if Meg could ski, Meg, of course, answered in the affirmative! 

Meg sets off for her interview the weekend before Thanksgiving outfitted with all the necessities (even if she does not know how to use any of it).  The Ridge Rangers are going to have rescue training, gear demonstrations, snowboarding exhibitions, and team bonding at Timberline Lodge.  Ben Tyler is in charge of the Ridge Rangers.  He is funding the company.  Ben is young and obnoxious.  Lola who is the host in their lodge has been fending off his advances since he arrived.  Clint Shumway, the oldest member of the group, and Ben seem to have different ideas for the venture.  Ben does not seem to be getting along with anyone at the lodge including Jackon (a doctor), his new fiancé, Malory, and Henry Groves (youngest member of the group).  It is going to be a long weekend.

A blizzard keeps all of them in the cabin overnight and the next morning they notice that Ben is missing.  They divide up and set off to find Ben.  Ben is found dead near the lodge.  The Sheriff is called to investigate.  Meg is again told to stay out of the investigation.  However, Meg is nosy and sets out to find the killer.  She ends up with a lump on her head and outside in the cold in her bathing suit.   This does not stop Meg.  Meg wants to find out what happened to Ben Tyler.  Let us hope that she avoids any serious injuries and frostbite!

Meg and her friend, Matt Parker (Matt would like to be more than a friend) are looking into Charlie Reed’s death (Meg’s father).  They do not think his death was accidental.  Charlie was meeting someone on the day he died and now that person is also dead.  Matt is also worried that Meg’s boss, Greg is not being up front with her.  How did Greg happen to run into Meg that day at the coffee shop?

Slayed on the Slopes is a fun mystery that is easy to read with enjoyable and engaging characters.   The murder of Ben Tyler, though, was child’s play.  I like that there is a second mystery (Charlie’s death) that is still unsolved and we are just given a few clues at a time in each book.   I give Slayed on the Slopes 4 out of 5 stars.   I look forward to the next book in this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley (and Kensington) in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for reading my review of Slayed on the Slopes!  I am currently reading The Decision by Wanda E. Brunstetter.  

Kris