Cozy in Kansas: In the Dead of Winter/Bye, Bye Bertie/For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls

Ivy Towers #1-3

by Nancy Mehl

Running a small, rare bookstore in Winter Break, Kansas-a town so small they don't even have their own gas station-may sound peaceful. But Winter Break's eclectic citizens have their secrets. Ivy Tower s nose for mystery propels her into adventure and danger in this three-book collection of stories that will keep readers guessing until the very end!

Genres: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Christian Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Nancy Mehl is the bestselling author of over 50 books. She’s won the Daphne Du Maurier Award, as well as an ACFW Mystery Book of the Year Award and a Carol award. She was also a finalist for the prestigious Christy award. Her short story, Chasing Shadows, was in the USA Today bestselling Summer of Suspense anthology. Learn more about her at www.nancymehl.com and on her blog, the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Janet Marie Dowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for good mystery,Read the Ivy Towers Series!!! You will not be disappointed!! There are 4 books in the series!! Awesome Series!!! She makes you feel as if you are there with the Characters!! We have become friends on facebook. A Very Special Lady!!!!

[Alexee Andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give this book an extra .5 I would, but I can't so its stuck with a 3. This book was charming and made you feel good. It had a very interesting suspense part to it, and it was totally unexpected! While it wasn't the type of suspense to have you on the edge of your seat (except maybe the last portion) it was still a fun time nonetheless. I also love me some good Christian centered characters :)

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d say 2.5 stars. This book was a trio of short mysteries. Cute, simple, “cozy,” with an “ah ha!” moment in each that reminds me of the Encyclopedia Brown series. Very, very religious, which I wasn’t expecting. But if you don’t mind the intense religious focus they’re fun books for a snow day.

[Melva Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely Christian Romance Cozy Mysteries. This book actually contains three books. Ivy inherits a used bookstore from her Aunt Bitty. It is in a tiny town in Kansas. The books are about her adventures.

[Kathyleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found I wasn't able to put the book down at times. Great book and an excellent author.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read; three romance mysteries set in Kansas small town.

[Debie · Rating 3 out of 5]

October book club

[Bertina · Rating 5 out of 5]

cozy in Kansas - 3 Great Stores in 1 book - Good clean mystery - I Loved It - Looking forward to more in the series

[Dawn M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a nice read...mystery, romance, reality all mixed together with the bible. If you like Christian Romance, this is a great series. If you are new to this genre, it is not preachy or pushy.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Towers holds fond memories of her times in Winter Break, Kansas with her Aunt Bitty. Bitty ran Bygone Bookstore in Winter Break. Bygone Books was a place of refuge for many of the town’s citizens. It was not unusual for someone to spend an entire afternoon in the sitting room of the bookstore reading or dozing. Many in the town loved Bitty but now Ivy was returning because Bitty had died. Bitty had fell from a ladder in her beloved bookstore. That fact alone made Ivy suspicious that more was going on than just an accidental death. Ivy is shocked to find that Bitty has left the bookstore to her.

Ivy’s initial reaction is to dispose of everything and get back to her classes in Wichita and go on with her the new life she is trying to build. But as she becomes more and more suspicious of her Aunt’s death and is gradually sucked back into the charm of the town she begins to change her mind about her future.

Deputy Sheriff Amos Parker wants nothing more than to have Ivy stay on in Winter Break although Ivy’s parents who are missionaries in China aren’t supportive.

Cozy In Kansas is three books in one. The Dead of Winter, the first book, ends with Ivy still in Winter Break. In the second book, Bye Bye Bertie, Ivy finds a map that she thinks leads to an old buried treasure that she heard about as a child and she does find something buried but it isn’t the gold she was hoping to find. It is an old lunch box with medals and things of value to a boy that left Winter Break years ago and never returned to see his mother.

For Whom The Wedding Bell Tolls is the last book in Cozy in Kansas. Things become a little violent in this book with not one but two mysterious deaths. Amos and Ivy are able to get to the bottom of the mystery and the answer is a big surprise to everyone.

These three books are cozy mysteries with a little romance and a lot of wonderful characters. Ivy has a strong faith in God, as do many of the residents of Winter Break. Her faith helps her through her hard times.

I very much enjoyed reading Cozy in Kansas and would like very much to visit there and eat at Ruby’s Redbird restaurant but I can’t seem to find the town on the map.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Towers has gone to Winter Break to bury her aunt and close up her affairs. Her aunt it turns out was murdered by someone she thought was a good person. She has help from her friend from her visits as a child and they grow closer than ever through the stories finally becoming engaged and married. In the 2nd book, she becomes engaged. She finds a murderer, a missing child (now grown up) and reunites him with his mother, and becomes close with her parents again. In the third book, she marries the man of her dreams and finds a bank robber, a double murderer. This man murdered the woman was going to help her plan her wedding and then his own wife, so he would have a valid excuse for leaving the area and not returning. He casts suspicion on many different people for all the things he has done.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up by chance from Sam's Club. Three books for $6, you can't beat that! I'm so glad I did! I LOVED them!! I've been looking for more books by Nancy Mehl, but can't seem to find any. There are even some recipes at the end of each story--love that! We tried the burgers she raves about in each story. They were too spicy for our family, but I think I'll try tweeking them a bit to suit our tastes.

[Julie Heiney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery book that was actually a mystery until the end for me. I couldn't figure out the plot of each of the three stories in the book. The characters were complex but easy to identify with. Really enjoyed it!

[Cws]

YA-M-Meh

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet romance mysteries with a Christian slant
I enjoyed getting to knwo the setting and the townspeople

[Sherry Lochner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series! I think the last one in the series was my fave.

[Barbara Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a few years ago.. really fun cozy mysteries. Can buy the books separately.

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