A Deadly New Year

Mt. Abrams Mystery #4

by Dee Ernst

Ellie Rocca is spending the New Year’s with Sam Kinali in a romantic Vermont inn for a murder mystery weekend with his law school friends. Practically perfect, right? It is, until a real dead body turns up. It’s pretty much an open and shut case. The killer has to be one of the inn’s guests, but Sam can’t get any of them to start talking.

Ellie and Sam find themselves working together to find the murderer, but just when they’re getting close, an arrest is made. Back in Mt. Abrams, both of them know the Vermont police have the wrong man. Returning to the scene of the crime takes them back into danger, but that’s the only way to find out which of Sam’s friends is a killer in disguise.

This novella is 25K words long, and is the fourth in the Mt. Abrams Mystery Series.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

94 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2016

About the author

Dee Ernst was born and raised in New Jersey, which explains a great deal about her attitude towards life. She loved reading at a very early age, and by the time she was ten she had decided to become a writer. It took a bit longer than she expected.

She went off to college, moved around a bit, had a job or two, a husband or two, and a daughter or two. It was the birth of her second daughter at the age of forty that got her thinking about what to do with the rest of her life. That was when she decided to give writing a real shot.

Dee loved chick-lit and romantic comedy, but hated the twenty-something heroines who couldn’t figure out how to go and get what they wanted. She began to write about women like herself — older, confident, and with a wealth of life experience to draw upon. She got an agent but no sales, and took the plunge into self-publishing in 2010.

In 2012, Better Off Without Him became an Amazon bestseller. She signed with Montlake Publishing, which went on to re-release Better Off Without Him and launch A Slight Change of Plan in 2013.

Since then she has written across several genres (cozy mystery, YA/fantasy, women's fiction) gone from full-length novels to short stories, and has written for Lake Union Publishing. She self-publishes under the 235 Alexander Street logo.

She is still in New Jersey, where she writes full-time. She lives with husband #2, daughter #2, a few cats and a needy cocker spaniel. She loves sunsets, long walks on the beach, and a really cold martini.

Reviews

[Laura Cobrinik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, Dee Ernst's book "A Deadly New Year (Mt Abrams Mystery #4)" kept me reading and turning the pages...I was actually surprised that I had finished the book....Although I wanted Ellie and Sam's vacation to go on and on, I did not like this books as much as the other ones of Ernst's that I read before.
Possibly because the book did not take place in Mt. Abrams and the "usual suspects" did not appear, Ellie seemed a little more reserved as most of the character's were Sam's friends, whom Ellie really did not know. There was some slight banter with her daughters--and talk of divorce/or possibly getting back together with Marc...Now it's for you to see what happens...A good read after all.
Laura Cobrinik,
Boonton Township, NJ

[Rena Cobrinik · Rating 5 out of 5]

just got familiar with Dee Ernst's cozies, and habitually read them till they're done. During a challenging time--family hospital visit--perfect. Like, Stealing Jason Wilde, and the Mother's Day Murder, they take place in my town (fun) and include a boost for feminism, smart-ass repartee, good natured banter, plots moving at a crazy pace, and cozy romance. I recognize Ernst characters, her clothing and decorating assessments and insecurities and like old friends I still treasure.
Read them, they're fun.
Rena Cobrinik

[Tracy Zullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mystery - another dead body - I liked watching Sam take the lead with this one. Editorial errors distracted.

[Juliean Mihalovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great cozy mystery that Sam and Ellie get to solve together. Only this time they were supposed to be spending a lovely weekend together in the Vermont countryside with Sam's friends.
I found this, 4th in the series, book even more intriguing because we are now getting to know more about the previously unknown history of Detective Sam Kinali. Ellie is pretty impressed, at first, that all of his friends are from his college years and that Sam actually was a lawyer before turning his wonderfully inquiring mind to catching bad guys. With a set of friends, a "murder mystery weekend" and being snowbound in Vermont the stage is set for the best yet in this cozy series. We all know that at least one of the suspects is a friend, and a killer, but who and why is the question that Sam and Ellie need to answer. There is suddenly a confession, but neither Sam nor Ellie believe this is the true killer, and after being released from the Vermont police to return home to Mt. Abrams, they continue their quest for the real killer.
I am counting the days until the next book in the series is available with the hopes of learning more about Sam and how he and Ellie will deal with the next set of problems to be faced. Romance, mystery and a dead chief during a Vermont snow storm. I consider this to be the best of the series so far. A very enjoyable read. I recommend the books be read in order to get the full benefit of the author's beguiling story telling.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the Mt. Abrams Mystery series, and this one is a another fun addition to the series. A Deadly New Year can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading the full series to get more background on the characters. Once again the main characters Ellie and Sam found themselves in the middle of another murder. This is a quick read, but there is a cast of interesting characters, lots of twist and turns to the story and an ending you don't suspect. I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and this is another one from this author that I certainly recommend.

[Llij Trazoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review). The Mt. Abrams series continues to grow on me. I enjoyed the fact that this book removed Ellie and Sam from their daily lives and showed us something new. I also liked that we got to know Sam better (I’ve been on the fence about him). I did have trouble keeping the secondary characters straight—Sam has a lot of friends—but it didn’t take away from the overall story.

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love This Series

Another entertaining addition to an entertaining series. This is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fun light hearted cozy mysteries.

[Cassandra Hecate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just keep getting better!

I wish there were more in this series. Great story and even better writing. I'll have to get the rest of her books immediately.