Northern Winters Are Murder (A Belle Palmer Mystery)

Rating:
Summary: How Cold Is It!!
Review: I really enjoyed the first Belle Palmer novel from Lou Allin. The setting vividly evokes the North Country around Sudbury during the winter time. That, I'm afraid, is the source of my main criticism; We hear over and over about how cold it is. Ok, I get it! It's cold! Can we move on? All in all a good read though.

Rating:
Summary: A Chilling Murder
Review: There's a new amateur detective in town, and she's not only a role model for middle-agers but a pip. Belle Palmer is a likable, adventurous, teacher turned real estate agent turned unofficial private eye. She lives with her German Shepherd in a lovely, if not primitive area of Canada known as the nickle capital of the world. It reminds me of the bustling blue-collar cities reduced to seasonal resorts that dot America's coasts. Author Lou Allin creates a picture of a town and countryside that we know by heart toward the end of the book. Sudbury struggles against a seven month winter, and Allin's descriptions of the landscapes, storms, snowmobiling, and cars sliding on the ice into snow banks are so real that the reader thinks she's there. I needed a comforter and hot chocolate to finish this chilling read. And murder happens here too. But Belle keeps dressing up and asking questions until she finds out who did it, and this almost costs her life. I think the ending is the best part of this book-twists, turns, chases, and lots of Palmer ingenuity. Don't miss this one!

Rating:
Summary: Great setting
Review: This book is best read while sitting someplace really warm! The author has done an excellent job of writing about the snowy north, makes me really feel like I'm there. Brr. The book has a unique voice too. Apparently she loves old movies, and you can really tell. She's got a quirky way of looking at things. Makes for a nice change.