Thursday, December 21, 2017

Dead of Winter: A Lily Dale Mystery


Welcome!  Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton will be published on January 30 along with Class Reunions are Murder by Libby KleinAmish Cooking Class - The Celebration by Wanda Brunstetter will be available on February 1 (I am looking forward to reading it).

Dead of Winter by Wendy Corsi Staub is the third book in A Lily Dale Mystery series.  The night before Bella Jordan heard a scream out on the lake and the next morning she discovers a dead body wrapped in a tarp on the shore.   Then Max’s friend, Jiffy Arden (who manages to lose his belonging on a routine basis) disappears one day during snowstorm.  To top it off, Misty Starr (Jiffy’s mom) disappears.  What is going on in Lily Dale?  Did Jiffy see something the night the body was dropped into the lake?   
Dead of Winter is not a standalone novel.  You need to read the first two books in the series prior to Dead of Winter.  The story is told from multiple POVs which makes for a confusing story (and frustrating).  It switches between Bella, Max, Jiffy, Misty, and the killer.  Then there are the multiple townspeople who all seem to be psychic (but cannot find the missing kid or prevent him from being kidnapped). The paranormal elements are not believable (come across as contrived).  I felt that Dead of Winter needed a rewrite and editing.  There is a significant amount of repetition (the same details over and over).  The story also jumps around (the multiple POV thing).  Dead of Winter lacks flow and continuity (and it way too long).  The ending was unfinished.  Important details were left out (like what happened to the four stolen gold rings).  The mystery is one that plays out and readers are not given a chance to solve the murder.  I did not enjoy reading Dead of Winter (it was blah).  This was the last A Lily Dale Mystery for me.  The first two books in the series are Nine Lives and Something Buried, Something Blue.
I appreciate you taking the time to visit today and read my latest review.  I will return tomorrow with In This Moment by Karen Kingsbury (part of The Baxter Family series).  How much did Santa pay for his sleigh?  Nothing--it was on the house!  I hope you have a cheerful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

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