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Northwoods Mystery #3
Snow Time to Die
Winter has wrapped the Wisconsin Northwoods in a bitter chill, and Emmy Cooper's family lake cottage resort, Cooper’s Cove, is no exception. But it's someone from Emmy's past who's about to bring the real frostbite!
A stormy mix-up at a local hotel reroutes an unwanted group of guests to Cooper’s Cove Resort, including Emmy's former boss and the reason Emmy slunk home with her tail between her legs, Gwenda Caperwell. As if being face-to-face with an old grudge wasn't bad enough, a fierce blizzard picks that moment to strike, leaving Emmy snowed in with her least favorite person on earth. But things go from bad to downright chilling when Gwenda suddenly turns up dead—colder than the January air—and Emmy's snowed in with a corpse!
With the roads impassable and the safety of the other guests at stake, the local law enforcement had no choice but to rely on Emmy and her parents to help solve the mystery and catch the real killer, much to the dismay of Emmy's love interest, Officer Dean Erickson. But it quickly becomes clear that plenty of the other guests snowed in at Cooper’s Cove had a reason to want the Gwenda dead. Battling through drifts of secrets and lies, Emmy must navigate the frosty web of suspicion to uncover the murderer—before the next victim is iced!
"Will have you laughing and near crying. I realize that these are fictional characters, but Annie McEwen has such a talent for bringing them to life. I have enjoyed books one and two so much that I can’t wait to see what she brings us in book three!"
~ Kings River Life Magazine
"This was a fun book, and I can’t wait for the next book in this delightfully entertaining new series that is a welcome addition to the cozy genre."
~ Dru's Book Musings
A stormy mix-up at a local hotel reroutes an unwanted group of guests to Cooper’s Cove Resort, including Emmy's former boss and the reason Emmy slunk home with her tail between her legs, Gwenda Caperwell. As if being face-to-face with an old grudge wasn't bad enough, a fierce blizzard picks that moment to strike, leaving Emmy snowed in with her least favorite person on earth. But things go from bad to downright chilling when Gwenda suddenly turns up dead—colder than the January air—and Emmy's snowed in with a corpse!
With the roads impassable and the safety of the other guests at stake, the local law enforcement had no choice but to rely on Emmy and her parents to help solve the mystery and catch the real killer, much to the dismay of Emmy's love interest, Officer Dean Erickson. But it quickly becomes clear that plenty of the other guests snowed in at Cooper’s Cove had a reason to want the Gwenda dead. Battling through drifts of secrets and lies, Emmy must navigate the frosty web of suspicion to uncover the murderer—before the next victim is iced!
"Will have you laughing and near crying. I realize that these are fictional characters, but Annie McEwen has such a talent for bringing them to life. I have enjoyed books one and two so much that I can’t wait to see what she brings us in book three!"
~ Kings River Life Magazine
"This was a fun book, and I can’t wait for the next book in this delightfully entertaining new series that is a welcome addition to the cozy genre."
~ Dru's Book Musings
- GenresCozy Mystery
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2025
24 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Annie McEwen
5 books100 followersAnnie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, set amongst the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin where she spent vacations as a kid. Because of a sweet love story between her youngest sister and a local Wisconsin boy (storyline idea!), she’s still been able to keep on visiting the beautiful place that means so much to her.
Annie and her husband are empty nesters—their son is married to his high-school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies.
When Annie isn’t writing or playing with her grandsons, she works as a radiological technologist, aka, she takes pictures of bones...you can’t hide much from her! Writing, though, is her first love.
Annie and her husband are empty nesters—their son is married to his high-school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies.
When Annie isn’t writing or playing with her grandsons, she works as a radiological technologist, aka, she takes pictures of bones...you can’t hide much from her! Writing, though, is her first love.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 5, 2025
I really like this series and find the books are hard to put down. The small town setting in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is a tourist area on a lake. Emmy Cooper is back working at the family lakeside resort after being fired by her boss in Chicago and is really liking being home working with her family at their resort with a lodge and cabins. When some folks show up needing a place to stay and her old boss is there along with other acquaintances, well, she is not super happy. The woman is a mean person, not liked by anyone. But she didn't wish her dead. Someone did and Emmy found her outside the lodge during a blizzard. This mystery is fun to unravel with a killer on the loose and the resort filled with people during a winter storm. Emmy, Dean, her police officer boyfriend, along with her friends, family, and other police officers try to find whodunit among the guests without letting it be known the death was not accidental. This one has lots of twists, surprises, layers and wonderful characters. I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These are my thoughts.
March 7, 2025
You might want to have a warm fire, a hot drink, and a fur baby to cuddle when you sit down with this one. What we have here is not a closed room mystery but a closed resort mystery, and it is closed because of a hugh blizzard. Before the winds start howling, the snow starts piling up, and the governor shuts the state down, Cooper Cove resort gets a couple of visitors it could do without, Emmy is forced to deal with her two least favorite people in the world, her ex-boss Gwenda Caperwell, who fired her without cause and Vanessa Vernor her childhood nemesis who has to move Gwenda and her group to the Cooper's resort because she has overbooked her own. Of course, mayhem ensues. This was really a very good mystery with lots of moving parts. I love the warmth of Cooper's resort, the tight relationships with family and friends, and the resourcefulness of the group to take care of one another with a murderer in their midst. This is quickly becoming a favorite series.
October 10, 2025
Returning to Cooper's Cove is like coming home. When a winter storm brings a group of guests to Cooper’s Cove Resort, the resort Emmy runs with her family, she’s shocked to find that one of the group members is her former boss who’d fired her. Gwenda is not a nice woman and when she later turns up dead, Emmy herself becomes a suspect. Gwenda had made many enemies and Emmy must sift through the suspects and motives to find the killer before they strike again. Grab a hot cup of tea and a blanket and settle in as you unravel this fun mystery!
June 14, 2025
Such a fun book. Our gang gets snowed in... with a murderer. The Cooper family understands hospitality and serving others, and they figure out how to feed and entertain their guests during a snow storm. Coordinating dietary requirements, dogs, snowmobiles, undercover police work, a cat, mixed feelings for the most hated woman in America (or at least at Cooper's Cove), and investigating a murder... just a day in the life of our favorite family. You definitely don't want to miss this book.
Disclosure: We received a free copy of this book. No guarantee of a review or other compensation was made.
Disclosure: We received a free copy of this book. No guarantee of a review or other compensation was made.
March 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this latest entry in the Northwoods Mysteries! In this episode, snow dumps on the northern Wisconsin Woods and traps the visitors to Cooper's Cove Resort more or less in their cabins. The Coopers, being remarkable hosts, set up delivery of food, books and games for their guests. However, things go awry when one of the guests (who used to be Emmy's boss) is discovered frozen to death by the back door to the Lodge. What happened? Did she simply get lost and die or was it murder, and if so, who did it and why?
The witting in this book is so good that as I was reading it, I kept finding myself thinking I was sitting out a snowstorm, and being surprised to look up from the book to see a lovely, sunny day!!
The witting in this book is so good that as I was reading it, I kept finding myself thinking I was sitting out a snowstorm, and being surprised to look up from the book to see a lovely, sunny day!!
February 18, 2025
This is another winner in an outstanding series. I love Emmy Cooper, the family resort, and her friends (Bestie Whitney, and Officer Dean Erickson). The author has an excellent writing style and I just love being entertained by these stories from page one through the conclusion. The mystery and suspense are well crafted. Each book is amazing, you will want to read them all.
January 5, 2025
Murder and mystery returns to Cooper's Cove. Set during a blizzard, there's romance, friends, family, a vindictive former boss and her ex husband, pets, and plenty of guests. It is essentially a closed door mystery that will keep you reading to figure it all out. This exciting story, filled with interesting characters and many surprising twists, kept me guessing until the end.
April 14, 2025
Grab a warm blanket and snuggle in to read this cozy mystery! I loved visited Cooper’s Cove again. Another fun mystery in the Northwoods with twists, surprises, humor, and a new furry friend!
August 10, 2025
This is the 3rd book in the series, and my favorite so far, although I really enjoyed books 1&2 as well. Can't wait for book 4 to come out. Annie McEwen, thank you for the stories!
February 25, 2025
Loved it
February 22, 2025
I enjoyed McEwen's story so much. The snowy setting at the camp is the perfect place for a mystery. The characters are fun and the story's twist was a surprise. One warning-you may be hungry by the end of the book. :) If you enjoy cozy mysteries, Snow Time to Die is exactly what you want to read. Don't miss books 2 & 3 in the series. I purchased a copy.
February 21, 2025
I really enjoyed this book & the other two in this series. I love reading books set in a state that I live in. The storyline and characters are fantastic. The book is very hard to put down. I hope there will be many more in this series.
February 12, 2025
This is my favorite of the Northwoods Mysteries thus far. Book three is a cozy character’s nightmare and growth arc all in one. You cannot help but like our sleuth, Emmerlyn “Emmy” Cooper, she is kind, thoughtful, funny, a little sassy, and a bit of a klutz. In other words, she is completely relatable and someone that you could see having as a friend. As with many cozy characters, she didn’t truly realize her self-worth until she needed to either return home or start over somewhere new. In Emmy’s case, she came back home to Lake Covington and sort of started over in the family business, Cooper’s Cover Resort. While all of this is hashed out in the series starter, there are plenty of references in book 3 to keep the reader on the same page as the characters.
On to the nightmare part of the mystery and no it is not the murder, it is an encounter with the childhood nemesis Vanessa Vernor, and her over the top childish comments and entitled attitude. The tête-à-tête is followed by an encounter with Gwenda Caperwell, the woman who fired Emmy from Trent Architecture and Design just 9 months prior and led to Emmy returning to Lake Covington and truly living her best life. But wait the nightmare gets even scarier. Both viper like women end up getting snowed in at Emmy’s family resort and then Gwenda is found dead...by Emmy.
It will quickly become obvious that Gwenda has not made many friends in her life and she seemed determined to chastise, harangue, and otherwise belittle as many people as possible, which means there are plenty of suspects right there at the scene of the crime, and I don’t mean Emmy. There is the recently divorced husband, the old college boyfriend she dumped for said ex-husband, the college girlfriend of the ex-husband, a professional adversary who is also her sister-in-law, and the poor assistant who is at her beck and call and the brunt of Gwenda’s bad moods. With all of those suspects snowed in at the resort, of course Emmy is going to get herself involved, she cannot help her curious nature. Fortunately, her cop boyfriend Dean Erickson is understanding, her best friend Whitney is able to be brought up by snow mobile to help with cooking and clue finding, plus there is the undercover Addy who is more than capable of handling herself.
This mystery does a great job holding your attention as you find yourself turning page after page and snickering at Emmy’s creative cozy style cursing. There is even some sighing over how cute DKDK and Emmy are together, just the right amount of romance and fun. I kept guessing but did not completely get it until Ms. McEwen was ready to have Emmy lead me to the solution. An excellent cozy and I look forward to my next visit to Cooper’s Cove.
On to the nightmare part of the mystery and no it is not the murder, it is an encounter with the childhood nemesis Vanessa Vernor, and her over the top childish comments and entitled attitude. The tête-à-tête is followed by an encounter with Gwenda Caperwell, the woman who fired Emmy from Trent Architecture and Design just 9 months prior and led to Emmy returning to Lake Covington and truly living her best life. But wait the nightmare gets even scarier. Both viper like women end up getting snowed in at Emmy’s family resort and then Gwenda is found dead...by Emmy.
It will quickly become obvious that Gwenda has not made many friends in her life and she seemed determined to chastise, harangue, and otherwise belittle as many people as possible, which means there are plenty of suspects right there at the scene of the crime, and I don’t mean Emmy. There is the recently divorced husband, the old college boyfriend she dumped for said ex-husband, the college girlfriend of the ex-husband, a professional adversary who is also her sister-in-law, and the poor assistant who is at her beck and call and the brunt of Gwenda’s bad moods. With all of those suspects snowed in at the resort, of course Emmy is going to get herself involved, she cannot help her curious nature. Fortunately, her cop boyfriend Dean Erickson is understanding, her best friend Whitney is able to be brought up by snow mobile to help with cooking and clue finding, plus there is the undercover Addy who is more than capable of handling herself.
This mystery does a great job holding your attention as you find yourself turning page after page and snickering at Emmy’s creative cozy style cursing. There is even some sighing over how cute DKDK and Emmy are together, just the right amount of romance and fun. I kept guessing but did not completely get it until Ms. McEwen was ready to have Emmy lead me to the solution. An excellent cozy and I look forward to my next visit to Cooper’s Cove.
November 25, 2025
"Snow Time to Die" is book #3 in the "Northwood Mysteries" by Annie McEwen.
A bitterly cold winter storm has hit the area leaving guests of Cooper's Cove pretty much stranded in their cottages thanks to a state of emergency declaration by the county. There is also the matter of Emmy's former Chicago based design boss (a nasty bully!) found dead just outside a door to the main lodge...
Who wanted Gwenda Caperwell dead? One of the people she was travelling with? Perhaps one of another group that was staying at the Cove? Thanks to Emmy, her parents and her BFF, Whitney, the police are able to gather a few important clues but pieces are still missing and a killer is among those staying at Cooper's Cove.
Granted there were a number of potential suspects given what a piece of work Gwenda had been but I did have a strong hunch well before Emmy clued into the truth. Even so, turning the pages to see how this all came together and the truth came out was a great read!
I love the core characters of this series. Emmy, her parents, her friends and the furry family members add to the fun. Witty dialogue (and inner thoughts from Emmy) as well as the deliciousness of the food described add to the enjoyment. The vivid descriptions of the winter storm conditions were easy to relate to as I've been through a lot of bitter cold and storms living my entire life in Southern Manitoba Canada!
This was a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery to curl up with! Looking forward to the next book in this series!
A bitterly cold winter storm has hit the area leaving guests of Cooper's Cove pretty much stranded in their cottages thanks to a state of emergency declaration by the county. There is also the matter of Emmy's former Chicago based design boss (a nasty bully!) found dead just outside a door to the main lodge...
Who wanted Gwenda Caperwell dead? One of the people she was travelling with? Perhaps one of another group that was staying at the Cove? Thanks to Emmy, her parents and her BFF, Whitney, the police are able to gather a few important clues but pieces are still missing and a killer is among those staying at Cooper's Cove.
Granted there were a number of potential suspects given what a piece of work Gwenda had been but I did have a strong hunch well before Emmy clued into the truth. Even so, turning the pages to see how this all came together and the truth came out was a great read!
I love the core characters of this series. Emmy, her parents, her friends and the furry family members add to the fun. Witty dialogue (and inner thoughts from Emmy) as well as the deliciousness of the food described add to the enjoyment. The vivid descriptions of the winter storm conditions were easy to relate to as I've been through a lot of bitter cold and storms living my entire life in Southern Manitoba Canada!
This was a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery to curl up with! Looking forward to the next book in this series!
January 17, 2025
Thoughts: This is the third in a series, but you don’t need to have read the first two to know what is going on. The author lets you in on who’s who and their background with a deft hand. The story has great imagery. Set in Wisconsin during a blizzard, her descriptions actually made me shiver and want a mug of hot chocolate!
Emmy runs a lodge with her parents, has great friends, and a cop boyfriend. The lodge is booked for the week with people coming in for a skiing competition and an ice fishing event. Unfortunately, her ex-boss and workers as well as others she knows from her past. Unfortunately, a blizzard traps them all at the lodge. When Gwenda (her ex-boss and the queen of mean) literally falls dead at Emmy’s feet, the entire family comes together to help solve who killed the woman. In addition, they have to provide unexpected meals, entertainment, and comfort to the guests – even Emmy’s old high school nemesis.
While they survive the blizzard, nasty guests, and solve the murder, there are a couple strings left dangling (lightly) so you know there is more to come (yay!). I loved that Emmy is a bit of a klutz. And the introduction of Mr. Cat was fun.
Definitely recommended! I can’t wait for the rest.
Emmy runs a lodge with her parents, has great friends, and a cop boyfriend. The lodge is booked for the week with people coming in for a skiing competition and an ice fishing event. Unfortunately, her ex-boss and workers as well as others she knows from her past. Unfortunately, a blizzard traps them all at the lodge. When Gwenda (her ex-boss and the queen of mean) literally falls dead at Emmy’s feet, the entire family comes together to help solve who killed the woman. In addition, they have to provide unexpected meals, entertainment, and comfort to the guests – even Emmy’s old high school nemesis.
While they survive the blizzard, nasty guests, and solve the murder, there are a couple strings left dangling (lightly) so you know there is more to come (yay!). I loved that Emmy is a bit of a klutz. And the introduction of Mr. Cat was fun.
Definitely recommended! I can’t wait for the rest.
March 8, 2025
Snow Time to Die is the 3rd book in the wonderful Northwoods Mysteries by Annie McEwen. The characters are fabulous and the mystery kept me guessing! Emmy Cooper moved back to WI to help her family with their resort cabins, Cooper's Cove. There is an ice fishing competition and also a skiing event and a big winter storm hits. Everyone is stranded at Cooper's Cove including Emmy's archrival Vanessa and her horrible former boss Gwenda. One of the guests ends up dead and there is a murderer among them! Many of the guests have secrets and it is up to Emmy, her best friend Whitney, Emmy's boyfriend Dean, Detective Tom, Officer Abby and Emmy's parents to figure out what is going on. This book moves at a good pace and there is enough going on to keep it interesting right to the end. I loved every minute of this book! The whole series is one you don't want to miss! #SnowTimeToDie #NorthwoodsMysteries #AnnieMcEwen #GemmaHallidayPublishing
February 2, 2025
Snow Time to Die is a fabulous snowed in, almost locked room, mystery. With a blizzard keeping the roads impassable and all the guests and suspects snowed in at Cooper’s Cove, it’s clear Emmy and family are hosting a murderer. The only problem is figuring out which one of the guests is a cold-blooded killer.
I loved getting more of Emmy’s backstory about why she had been fired from her design job in Chicago, and meeting the unlikeable woman who fired her. Not only did this third book in the Northwoods Mystery series feel like a visit with old friends, it also gave me perfect The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty vibes. The snowy, winter setting put the chill in my bones, in the warmest way! I absolutely loved it!
I loved getting more of Emmy’s backstory about why she had been fired from her design job in Chicago, and meeting the unlikeable woman who fired her. Not only did this third book in the Northwoods Mystery series feel like a visit with old friends, it also gave me perfect The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty vibes. The snowy, winter setting put the chill in my bones, in the warmest way! I absolutely loved it!
February 3, 2026
Happy sigh! My idea of the perfect cozy read. Love the Northwoods rural resort setting and the whole Cooper family. This is the third book in the series and it really felt like coming home. I expected to be ushered into a cabin reserved just for me. :-) Emmy is a great cozy mystery heroine - equal parts curious and klutzy and she has the back up of understanding friends (including police officers) to help her along the way. I'm also a fan of the romance (be still my heart!) and the wonderful secondary characters who add to all that homecoming warmth. Great mystery with some mean girl vibes and enough twists to keep me guessing. And bonus for me, I actually read this book in the right season -- brrrr, blizzarding outside my cozy little house and blizzarding inside my cozy little read!
February 12, 2025
A massive snowstorm envelops Cooper's Cove Resort, leaving Emmy Cooper, her parents, and her friend Whitney snowbound with the other guests. With the pressing challenge of keeping everyone well-fed and content, they face unexpected hurdles. Amidst the confinement, hidden secrets unravel, culminating in a shocking murder.
I really like the Northwoods Mysteries series. The author, Annie McEwen, once again delivers vivid descriptions that draw you into the story, making you feel connected. You can effortlessly picture the resort and almost feel the biting cold of the snowstorm.
I really like the Northwoods Mysteries series. The author, Annie McEwen, once again delivers vivid descriptions that draw you into the story, making you feel connected. You can effortlessly picture the resort and almost feel the biting cold of the snowstorm.
May 2, 2025
Nothing worse than be snowed in with a killer. But also with your nemesis who is one royal pain in the neck. Emmy and her family work hard to keep food and goodies for their guest and even came up with an idea that everyone come to the main house where there is a pool and other fun tings to do to break up the boring time stuck in the cabin. I was surprised as to who the real killer turned out to be. Another fun and enjoyable book in the series....looking forward to book 4....I want to know if Whitney accepted that job.
February 18, 2025
Excellent snowed in mystery. Not only does Emmy have to deal with her ex boss but she also has to deal with her nemesis as well. On top of all that drama they are all snowed in at the Cooper Lodge when her ex boss turns up dead. What a whirlwind of events. So many suspects and so many secrets. Absolutely couldn’t put this one down. Loved it so much.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
September 5, 2025
Snowed in danger
Emmy and her family are expecting a close to full house at their lodge and cabins. What they're not expecting is a snowstorm that leaves them snowed in with people from Emmy's old life in Chicago.
Then one of them dies and it wasn't an accident. Emmy and her friends and family investigate with small amounts of help from detective Tom.
I enjoyed reading Snow Time to Die and returning to the Northwoods.
Emmy and her family are expecting a close to full house at their lodge and cabins. What they're not expecting is a snowstorm that leaves them snowed in with people from Emmy's old life in Chicago.
Then one of them dies and it wasn't an accident. Emmy and her friends and family investigate with small amounts of help from detective Tom.
I enjoyed reading Snow Time to Die and returning to the Northwoods.
February 18, 2025
In Snow Time to Die Emmy and her folks get snowed in with the corpse of Emmy least favorite person in the world. The roads are impassable, local law enforcement is stretched to the limit and Dean has to accept Emmy’s help solving the case, all while not telling the other guests it was murder! This is an exciting, interesting, twisty, cozy mystery that I could not put down. I love this series!
January 13, 2026
Perfect setting for a cozy mystery
Great wintery locked in setting. The mystery kept me guessing and it was a fun ride. The heartwarming charactes and their friendships add something special to this series.
Great wintery locked in setting. The mystery kept me guessing and it was a fun ride. The heartwarming charactes and their friendships add something special to this series.
June 9, 2025
I really enjoyed this book.
Loved being back in the Cove - I wish it was a real place to visit and stay.
Great characters and plotline that had me guessing all the way through.
Loved being back in the Cove - I wish it was a real place to visit and stay.
Great characters and plotline that had me guessing all the way through.
July 8, 2025
This was a good one! It kept me guessing and kept me entertained. My only disappointment was that despite all the yummy food mentioned, there were no recipes!
October 25, 2025
Such a cozy, heartwarming read! The mystery caught me off guard, and I loved being immersed in Emmy's world again. A fantastic winter read - you'll feel a chill!
December 30, 2025
An amazing mystery ! Couldn't put the book down.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews