In the Dead of Winter

The Falls #1

by George Jackson

(The first novel in The Falls small town mystery series.) West Sugar Shack Falls is a small town in Vermont. The sheriff, Cash Green and his deputies, Ericka Yamato and Horace Scofield pride themselves on watching over their colorful cast of community members. But one frosty, snowy night in January, murder comes to The Falls. As the snow falls over the next few days, the bodies mount up! Join in with the downhome humor, the lovable (and destestable!) characters you meet and try and figure out "who dunit". The end is all action, involving a professional hitman, battling funeral directors, some nefarious community members and an exciting romp in the snow banks and freezing weather of New England. The story ranges from heartwarming to humorous to rugged action. This is the first of many Falls novels. Welcome to The Falls!

441 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2012

Reviews

[That Book Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda like a Murder She Wrote episode but in Vermont, and with a professional killer on the loose. Enjoyable, likable characters and a town that’s sounds like a nice place to live ... except all the killing. Looks like there are 38 more entries in this series. Wow.

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The biggest flaw in this book is that it claims to be a mystery. It has plenty of murder but is without both the suspense and the puzzle needed in a mystery. And there isn't enough tension or suspense for it to be a thriller either.

The townspeople are interesting enough, but the plot is frequently bogged down by showing the same scene over and over and over and over and over from different perspectives. It gets ridiculously boring and can be confusing, because initially don't know whether a perspective is going back in time or moving forward.

So even if I "forget" it claims to be a mystery, it is still rather blah. The author has a nice voice and potential, but needs to go into a different genre and work on tightening things up. Too many POV shifts and way too much repetition.

[LLona Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those stories I would enjoy more as a movie. There is a mystery, but the early focus on getting to know the people and the place make it more of a relaxation exercise that may have trouble competing with busy lives most readers maintain. But you can enjoy this one if you make sure you have a quiet place and plenty of time to read. Try to immerse yourself in the community. Then sit back and let it happen.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me awhile to get in to the story. I'd been looking for an easy read and this one had too many characters and too many scenarios to make it that. In the end, what bugged me most was an error made either by the author, the proof reader, or the editor. The name of a prominent character was spelled two different ways for most of the book. I read a Kindle Edition.