Murder in the Mountains

Destination Murders #2

by Cathy Wiley, Cathy Wiley, Leslie Budewitz

Whether you love spring, summer, fall, or winter in the mountains, you'll be elevated by nine new stories from award-winning and bestselling cozy mystery authors Gretchen Archer, Leslie Budewitz, Karen Cantwell, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Tina Kashian, Shari Randall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, and Cathy Wiley. With mountainous murders galore around the world, this anthology is full of peaks and valleys! Climb every mountain, search low and high For clues to a murder, and try not to die Four seasons of Spring DOUBLE BLUFF by Gretchen Archer. A new short story in the Davis Way series. Two trophy wives and one dead body equals a trip to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee for Davis Way and her co-worker. FIVE DAYS TO FITNESS by Barb Goffman. A visit to a fitness camp in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains was supposed to be a new beginning for Bree Winterbourne. Instead, it's a final ending for one of the attendees. Summer THE SOUND OF MUZAK by Karen Cantwell. Another short story in the Barbara Marr series. When Barb and friends take a trip to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts, they are asked to help uncover the owner's dark past—one that may involve murder.  THE PICTURE OF GUILT by Leslie Budewitz. A new short story in the Food Lovers' Village series. Erin Murphy loves her town of Jewel Bay, Montana, which attracts artists, foodies, and other tourists. But one artist's visit turns deadly. Fall THE LYIN' WITCH IN THE WARDROBE by Eleanor Cawood Jones. Lorrie George and friends visit the Land of Oz theme park on Beech Mountain, North Carolina, filled with celebrities and jealousy and murder, oh my! A KILLER POCONO HIKE by Tina Kashian. A short story in the Kebab Kitchen series. Lucy Berberian is desperate for a break from the stress of wedding planning, and the Poconos should have fit the bill. But finding a body in a sinkhole leaves Lucy with a sinking feeling. Winter A PERFECT CLIMB by Shawn Reilly Simmons. A skiing trip in the Australian Alps was supposed to be the perfect start for Caroline Cabot's perfect marriage. Unfortunately, everything quickly goes downhill, as sore muscles, fighting couples, and a murder ruin the perfection. THE EDELWEISS EXPRESS by Shari Randall. A new short story in the Lobster Shack series. Allie Larkin was looking forward to her trip to the snow, skiing, and a Sound of Music Tour. But she wasn't expecting that the hills would be alive with the sound of…murder? ONE FLEW OVER THE COCOA'S NEST by Cathy Wiley. A new short story in the Food Festival Fatalities series. Former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood was invited to judge a Hot Cocoa festival at a Utah ski resort. Instead, thanks to a blizzard and a murder, she ends up judging the guilt of her fellow guests.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Cozy Mystery

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Cathy Wiley is the author of the Fatal Food Festival series, featuring a former celebrity chef who's trying to regain her career. There have been three short stories in this series published in the Destination Murders anthologies, and the first full-length novel, Claws of Death, will come out on July 29th.

She’s also written two other mystery novels set in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had almost a dozen short stories included in anthologies, one of which was a 2015 finalist for a Derringer Award.

She lives outside of Baltimore with one spoiled cat and an equally spoiled husband. For more information, visit www.cathywiley.com.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s murder and mayhem in the mountains in this collection of nine short stories. We get mountains from all over the world and stories set in every season, not just ski season. From a deadly hike or two to a hot chocolate contest with a dead body, there is plenty to keep you entertained.

Each story is from a different author, and each story is fun. A couple are filled with enough other things going on that the mysteries are short changed, but those are the exceptions. Many of these characters have appeared elsewhere, but that doesn’t truly matter as each story introduces you to the characters. These stories are on the long side for short stories; they averaged about 45 minutes each for me to read, so there is plenty here to keep you entertained. If you are missing a mountain vacation, this collection is perfect for you. Personally, I’m going to stay home where it is safe and pick up another book.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4 Star rating for the grouping of stories in this anthology. I enjoyed most of the stories—they were fun to read. Some had plots with more humor than other’s; there were all different kinds of winter settings, and each story could be read and enjoyed in about an hour’s time.

[Kathy Kennerley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Gretchen Archer short story! And I found a couple of new authors I want to read!

[Wulfwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection! The stories were quick so I’m not going to delve into the mysteries. I have read some of the authors before so it was fun going on vacation with some of the characters, (hi Lucy and Katie). Three recipes were also included, (one being Azad’s shish kebabs-yum!). I adored going to the Dirty Dancing resort, attending the Wizard of Oz fest, taking the Sound of Music tour and learning about the sinkhole in the Pocano Mountains that wasn’t roped off! I could see where that inspired a story. All of the stories were amazing!
If you enjoy cozy mysteries, don’t pass this one up!

[Ashley Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Mountains is a collection of short stories by nine different authors, where all of the stories are centered around a murder that occurs on a mountain. I picked up this book specifically because Gretchen Archer had a book included in the collection, and I will buy anything that she writes, but I was also familiar with several other authors included in the collection.

Some of the stories were better then others but all were enjoyable. I thought that a couple of the stories short changed the murder a bit but all of the stories held my attention and I was fully invested in the resolution of the story. This collection also introduced me to a couple of new authors that I am definitely interested in reading more of their work. Overall, this was an enjoyable collection of short stories and I highly recommend them all.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s murder and mayhem in the mountains in this collection of nine short stories. We get mountains from all over the world and stories set in every season, not just ski season. From a deadly hike or two to a hot chocolate contest with a dead body, there is plenty to keep you entertained.

Heather's Notes
All of the stories in this book where short. Most felt like they were part of series, but they stood on their own just fine. I didn't really like any enough to explore a new author, but all of them were enjoyable.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually in an anthology of mixed authors, you will love some, like some, and skip some because you don't like them. If you're lucky, you'll discover a new author. In this anthology, there were some stories I liked better than others, but there were none that I didn't like or didn't finish. I found a short story from a series I'd started and forgotten about. I also discovered some new authors to try.

[Candi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories which introduced me to several new authors to try! My ONLY issue was the editing...a few of the stories contained continuity, punctuation and grammatical errors :(

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several well-known authors present shorts stories featuring mountains, mayhem and, of course, murder. Love a good short story mystery collection.