Frozen Detective by Amanda Flower

Frozen Detective

Book Summary

Murder on the ski slopes.

The weapon? A bow and arrow.

The suspects? Every guest at the villa.

Intrigue, a fake relationship, and humor come together in a Knives Out-style cozy mystery from bestselling author Amanda Flower and Hallmark Publishing.

A wealthy doctor invites many of his associates to spend a week at a giant, luxurious ski villa. Darby Piper, a seasoned private eye, and Tate Porter, her new partner at the detective agency, are among the guests, going undercover as a romantic couple. They were hired by the doctor’s much-younger wife to investigate anonymous threats against her husband’s life. But before long, Darby and Tate are investigating a murder instead.

As they dig up buried grudges, Darby’s jealous ex-boyfriend on the police force thinks they’re wasting their time. Will Darby and Tate figure out who the killer is…or will it become another cold case?

This cozy mystery contains a free Hallmark original recipe for Goat Cheese Phyllo Puffs

My Thoughts

Darby Piper and Tate Porter have a new case.  Tate’s old high school girlfriend, Cecily Madd is in town with her husband.  They have rented out the most expensive lodge in the area for a big New Year’s Eve party.  Cecily tells them that her husband, Dr. Garret Madd has been getting threatening notes and she wants them to uncover who is behind the threats.  Dr. Madd does not want to involve the police.  Cecily wants Darby and Tate to pose as a couple (awkward).  The night after the lavish party, Darby is in the lodge’s gym when she notices someone lying in the snow.  She finds Dr. Madd dead with an arrow in his back.  Darby and Tate will need to work quickly if they want to identify the killer behind this chilling crime before all their suspects fly the coop.  

Frozen Detective by Amanda Flower is the second A Piper & Porter Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series.  I found the story easy to read thanks to Amanda Flower’s friendly writing style.  I like that we get to know more about Tate Porter.  The whodunit had plenty of suspects since the victim was not well liked. There is a red herring or two to distract readers.  There are clues to help readers solve the crime.  I enjoyed the action which kept things lively. This was a fun mystery to solve.  I thought the method of murder was unique.  There is a wrap up of the crime at the end, but I was left with one lingering question.  I believe this case will leave the agency in the red thanks to Darby’s purchases at the ski shop (she was not prepared for cold weather).  I just loved Tiny, the Saint Bernard that belonged to the manager of the lodge.  He is a sweet and clever dog.  I liked the humor at the end.  I wish there had been more of it in the story.  Get cozy in your favorite chair with a comfy blanket to enjoy Frozen Detective.  Frozen Detective is a wintry whodunit with ominous notes, an astonishing announcement, a purple parka, a dead doc, a sweet St. Bernard, a defensive detective, and a bracing blizzard. 

Frozen Detective is available from Amazon*.  The first A Piper & Porter Mystery is Dead-End Detective.  Amanda Flower has Honeymoons Can Be Hazardous coming out December 27.  It is the fourth An Amish Matchmaker Mystery.  Blueberry Blunder comes out May 23, 2023.  It is the eighth An Amish Candy Shop Mystery.  You can find Amanda Flower's other novels here.  Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I am featuring Knot a Game by Betty Hechtman.  It is the ninth A Yarn Retreat Mystery.  I hope that you have a relaxing day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Dead End Detective by Amanda Flower

Book Summary

Dead-End Detective by Amanda Flower has Darby Piper shocked when she is wakened during the night to be told that her business partner, mentor, and friend, Samantha Porter is dead.  Darby does not like it that they were at odds with each other and now the situation cannot be rectified.  Then she learns that Samantha was deliberately run off the road and the evidence is pointing to Darby as the guilty party.  Darby and Samantha were partners in the Two Girls Detective Agency.  Darby is surprised to learn that Samantha did not leave her shares of the business to her as they had agreed.  Samantha changed her will leaving her sixty percent to her wandering nephew, Tate Porter.  Tate has returned to town and wants to join Darby in her investigation into Samantha’s death.  Darby does not know if she can trust Tate, but he will not take no for an answer.  Can this detective duo unravel the clues to discover who did away with Samantha?

My Thoughts

Dead-End Detective by Amanda Flower is the debut of A Piper and Porter Mystery series.  We are transported to Herrington, New York on Seneca Lake where Samantha Porter and Darby Piper run Two Girls Detective Agency.  Darby is upset because Samantha is talking about selling the business and a taking a job as head of security at Lake Waters Retreat.  Samantha is then murdered, and someone has set up Darby to take the fall.  Darby reluctantly teams up with Samantha’s nephew, Tate Porter to find the killer.  I thought Dead-End Detective was well-written with interesting characters and a beautiful setting.  I like that the author took the time to establish the setting and the main characters.  Tate is still a bit of an enigma, but I am sure we will get to know him better in each subsequent book.  He is a charmer and I like how kept popping up when Darby attempted to investigate on her own.  I liked Darby’s mother who is the town librarian.  The whodunit had several suspects, misdirection, and subtle clues.  Someone worked hard to frame Darby.  I like how it all came together, though, I did feel that Darby stumbled upon the solution.  I would have preferred for Darby to solve the case since she is supposed to be such a good detective.  I like how she questioned her various suspects and solved her open cases.  There is humor in the story that mostly comes from the elderly Mrs. Berger and her spoiled cat, Romy.  There is romance potential for Darby.  There is her ex-boyfriend (who does not deserve her) and Tate.  I loved the name of Darby’s cat, Gumshoe.  There is a secondary storyline involving Matt Billows who owns Lake Waters Retreat.  He is trying to buy Mrs. Berger’s land which she does not want to sell.  Dead-End Detective is a good start to this new series, and I look forward to reading the next installment in A Piper and Porter Mystery series.  Dead-End Detective is a charming cozy mystery with one dead detective, an itinerant nephew, a climbing cat, a tenacious nonagenarian, and a set-up sleuth.  

Romy went up the tree again

Dead-End Detective is available from Amazon*.  You can find other mysteries by Hallmark Publishing here.  Amanda Flower has Candy Cane Crime coming out on October 27.  It is An Amish Candy Shop Mystery novella (Book 5.5).  Lemon Drop  Dead will be the 6th An Amish Candy Shop Mystery and it releases on April 27, 2021.  Thank you for reading my review today.  Next time I am featuring Thread and Dead by Elizabeth Penney.  It is the 2nd book in The Apron Shop Series.  I hope that you have a restful day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.