Dead of Winter:  A Lily Dale Mystery

by Wendi Corsi Staub

Winter in Lily Dale is quiet, peaceful.  The summer crowds have left and business for the local spiritualists has slowed down.  However, the summer like temps have Bella questioning the weather reports of four or more inches of snow.  Misty Starr, on the other hand, is having visions of her son, Jiffy, in a bus traveling through a severe snow storm.  Extremely frustrated, she is unable to decipher the feelings of dread that envelope her regardless of who she is supposed to be reading. Troubles escalate when Bella finds a body in the lake and her son Max and his buddy Jiffy have found a treasure. The snow begins to fly and as it quickly begins to pile up, so too do the troubles and no one seems to know what is going on, even the spiritualists.

My first encounter with Lily Dale and its quirky, colorful community of spiritualists began with Lily Dale: Awakening.  It introduces the reader to Calla and her delightful grandmother, Odelia.  The first three books were published as young adult and follow the teenage Calla.  The next grouping of Lily Dale stories involves widowed Bella Jordan and her son Max.  Bella has reluctantly taken up residence at the Valley View Guesthouse as its innkeeper.  She often questions her decision to remain but Max thinks it’s fantastic since he has a new best friend in Jiffy.  Sweet, free spirit Jiffy is a handful to his mom, Misty and often is on his own which drives overprotective Bella a little crazy.  Previously introduced characters, such as Odelia and Calla, are generously sprinkled throughout these books.  The stories begin light but can take a scary and suspenseful turn.  Story lines are not gratuitously graphic and do not have overt sexual scenes.  Instead, Staub delivers up good storytelling and sprinkles in the colorful and often kooky residents of Lily Dale. These books are a good fit for teens interested in mysteries with a little supernatural twist.  They are entertaining and I hope to see more that showcase some of the more colorful characters.

I wish to thank the publisher for generously providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy through NetGalley for my honest review.

Lily Dale: Awakening                                                      Nine Lives

ISBN:  9780802796547                                                  ISBN:  9781629532486

Available Now                                                                   Available Now

Lily Dale: Believing                                                         Something Buried,  

ISBN:  9780802796561                                                  Something Blue

 Available Now                                                                  ISBN:   9781629537726

                                                                                             Available Now

 

Lily Dale: Connecting                                                      Dead of Winter

ISBN:  9780802797858                                                  ISBN:  9781683313335

Available Now                                                                   Pub Date:  Nov. 17, 2017

                                                                                              Crooked Lane Books

Genre:  Cozy Mystery