read: A Cold, Cold World by Elena Taylor ★★★★★

A Cold, Cold World by Elena Taylor
My rating: ★★★★★

I really liked the first book in this series, from the new sheriff to the setting to twisty plot to the writing itself. This new story is quite different from that one, except in the ways it is the same. There is still the feisty sheriff who's good at her job, but full of self-doubt. Still the small town where everyone knows everyone. Yet another dead body that's discovered in a remote area under mysterious circumstances. And still the relentless police work to get to the truth.

The big change is that this time everything is happening in the middle of winter and in the middle of one of the largest, most dangerous snow storms ever. The small town of Collier hunkers down and pulls together to ride out the storm. But there's a murderer in their midst. Add a missing person or two and another possible murder and the reader feels the walls closing in on a classic locked room mystery. Who can Sheriff Bet Rivers trust? And where are her suspects?

It all builds slowly as the characters all step onto the stage and questions are raised. For every answer there are two or three more mysteries. The reader is kept guessing right until the end.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie ★★★★

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
My rating: ★★★★

A very classic whodunit story almost worthy of 5 stars. But knock off a star for a somewhat convoluted setup and undeniably outdated and clunky style (lots of head-hopping). Knock off another star for the overly long and talky appendices. But add another star because this is a classic story and she kept this reader guessing until the very last page.

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