Inn The Dead Of Winter

Welcome to Spirit Lake in the dead of a Minnesota winter, where the brutally cold temp isn't the only thing to fear.

 Andie Rose Kaczmarek, a six-year sober life coach and owner of the haunted Spirit Lake Inn, has learned the hard way that the living are far more dangerous than anything in the spirit world.

 When a controversial guest fails to return to her room on the same night a body is discovered in a fish house on Big Spirit Lake, Andie Rose teams up with her sponsor and sidekick, Sister Alice, and her emotional support red retriever, Aspen, to solve the case.

 After Andie Rose discovers illegal activity on the inn’s property that ties to the murder, the investigation shifts into high gear. As she uncovers shocking secrets of those she thought she knew, someone is intent on keeping her quiet at any cost.

 Can the inn’s resident ghost save her from impending harm when it seems the ones closest to her pose the greatest threat?

my review...

Some people might think I’m quirky and therefore would identify with some of the characters in this cute little cozy. Maybe I wouldn’t identify with the cute part, but Inn the Dead of Winter definitely has its share of quirky characters. Tootsie, possibly not her given name, gets tipsy in the hot tub and can’t be found. From that point on, the old and the new detectives deal with a cast you’ll love. There’s a life coach, a weed growing gardener, and a funny as heck sister, the kind that wears a habit.

I must admit, paranormal talking dogs and ghosts aren’t my favorite subjects, but this cozy isn’t just about those things. It has a true cozy mystery running throughout and that is what kept me reading. Andi Rose, the current owner of the Spirit Lake Inn in Minnesota, has a houseful of guests and the author has you thinking it could be any one of them at times. I think a great part of this was because of her great attention to detail about her characters.

An enjoyable read with lots of fun details. Sure hope the series continues.

read an excerpt...

Tootsie’s attitude hung between them, and I held my breath for a moment.

“Knock it off, Toots.” Simon’s voice was a low grumble.

“Knock what off?” She turned on him. “Showing the ladies how to live a little? That they’re not only a mom and a wife, but they’re also their own person?”

Simon grasped his wife’s upper arm. “Toots,” he warned. He turned his attention toward Bobby and Jerry. “You’ll have to excuse my wife, gentlemen. She’s become a bit too, shall we say, independent, as she gets older.”

She released a heavy sigh. “Lighten up, Simon. You say that like it’s a bad thing. I have always been independent. This isn’t the dark ages. Women have every right to be independent of men.”

Again, I agreed wholeheartedly with Tootsie, but swallowed my retort to Simon. A gift sobriety had given me. The ability to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

“Refreshments,” I said merrily as I could to lift the cloud that levitated in the room. Two guests had been smart and skittered from the room unnoticed from all  except me.

“Aspen’s with Jade,” Sister Alice said as she came through the door. She quirked a brow as she scanned the guests and touched the crucifix that hung around her  neck. “Do I sense tension in the room? What did I miss?”

Tootsie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “My husband emerging from a cave.”

about Rhonda Blackhurst... 

Rhonda is an avid reader, writer, coffee and dark chocolate connoisseur, and certified life coach. She has 10 independently published novels: The Inheritance, a contemporary fiction novel; seven books in the Melanie Hogan Mysteries; and Finding Abby and Abby's Redemption in the Whispering Pines Romantic Suspense duology. She was awarded the 2022 Master of Literary Arts Award from the Brighton Chamber. 

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