Virtual Tour for Skiing is Murder by Carolyn Arnold

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Skiing is Murder by Carolyn Arnold.  Please leave a comment or question for Carolyn to let her know you stopped by.  You may follow all of the stops on her tour by clicking on the banner above.   

Skiing is Murder

By Carolyn Arnold

McKinley Mystery Series, Book 10

Publisher:  Hibbert & Stiles Publishing, Inc.

Expected Release Date:  January 28, 2016

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Format: eBook

Length: 140 Pages

ISBN 13: 9781988064642

ASIN: B017UIZQAS

Pre-Order Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

About the book: 

They’re ready to hit the slopes when things go downhill…

Sean and Sara were supposed to have a relaxing vacation in Vail, but it all goes up in a puff of powder when there’s a suspicious death on the mountain. And the deceased is not just anyone; it’s Adrian Blackwell, a two-time Olympic skiing gold medalist.

Rumor has it that Adrian died in a skiing accident, but he was too skilled for Sara to accept it as fact. Though she’s convinced Adrian was murdered and she’s itching to find the killer, she doesn’t want to disappoint Sean by ruining his ski trip.

Sean has never had the ability to say no to Sara before, but this time he comes close. It takes a call from their PI firm back in Albany to change his mind. A job’s come in to investigate Adrian’s death, and his agent is the one footing the bill, leaving Sean with more questions than answers.

Yet one major problem remains: their New York State PI licenses hold no legal authority in Colorado. But they still can’t help but look into Adrian’s death on the sly. This case will definitely involve some underhanded tactics, all while trying to dodge the local police during the course of the investigation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the international bestselling and award-winning author of the Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher, and McKinley Mystery series. She is the only author with POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town, but that never kept her from dreaming big. On par with her large dreams is her overactive imagination that conjures up killers and cases to solve. She currently lives outside Toronto with her husband and two beagles, Max and Chelsea. She is also a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

Author Links:

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While I’m not a fan of snow and have never gone skiing, I jumped at the chance to read Skiing is Murder by Carolyn Arnold.  I love the book’s cute cover, enjoy reading books with crime solving couples and I thought it sounded like it could be a lot of fun.  Filled with colorful characters and an intriguing mystery which takes advantage of its winter wonderland type setting, Skiing is Murder is a fine addition to an established series and can be enjoyed on its own. 

On vacation in Vail to celebrate their upcoming second anniversary, investigators Sara and Sean McKinley plan to ski, drink hot chocolate and enjoy themselves.  They definitely don’t plan to get involved in solving a murder, but murder seems to follow them wherever they go and it isn’t long before there’s a suspicious death on the mountain and Sara wants to get involved.  Will Sara and Sean agree to investigate the mysterious death of a two time Olympic gold medal skiing champion when it’s out of their jurisdiction?

Ms. Arnold does a good job introducing the primary characters, Sara and Sean, and part of their backstory, right from the start.  I easily connected with both Sara and Sean as they got sucked into investigating a murder they legally weren’t licensed to investigate.  I liked how they related to each other, their dialogue is sharp and their emotional connection is clearly evident.  They reminded me a bit of one of my favorite childhood TV crime solving couples – MacMillan and Wife.  I even found myself laughing as Sara and Sean found clues and bantered back and forth.

The secondary characters were well developed and very colorful.  The mystery is well written and takes several twists and turns and there are plenty of suspects due to the victim’s celebrity lifestyle.  The story’s pace is fairly quick and while the story isn’t very long, there are no lose ends at the story’s conclusion. 

Will Sara and Sean discover who killed the Olympic champion?  Will they get to enjoy their vacation at all?  And will Sara ever get to take advantage of resort’s spa package?  You’ll have to read Skiing is Murder to find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the previous stories in this series.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns