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Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries #3
A Killing in Vail
Kathryn “Ryn” Lowell is settling into her new job as editor of the Pineland Park Star when she is shocked to read of the sudden death of a dear friend from her childhood. Shot while skiing near the posh town of Vail, Colorado, the young man’s death is ruled an unfortunate hunting accident by the Vail police. But something about the incident just doesn’t add up, and Ryn is determined to find the truth. But asking too many questions can be dangerous. Will Ryn be able to solve yet another murder? Will her “snooping” put her life in danger once again?
What about Garrett? Is he still waiting patiently for Ryn to commit to him? Or is the beautiful new policewoman in his precinct becoming a distraction?
A Killing in Vail is the third book in the exciting Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series
What about Garrett? Is he still waiting patiently for Ryn to commit to him? Or is the beautiful new policewoman in his precinct becoming a distraction?
A Killing in Vail is the third book in the exciting Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 2, 2019
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
D.M. O'Byrne
7 books15 followersD.M. O'Byrne's first job was as a waitress. Now she's a writer of mystery novels. In between, jobs included English teacher, racehorse exerciser, jockey, accountant, golf resort assistant manager, writer, and editor. Her places of residence ranged from the Jersey Shore to a lengthy sojourn in California, and finally to the Colorado Rockies. Each profession, each location was rife with life lessons, fascinating characters, potential plot lines, and wide-ranging experiences. Sooner or later, they will all end up on the written page.
O'Byrne is the author of Dangerous Turf, the sequel, Three to One Odds, and Death in Trout Fork, book one of the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series.
D.M. lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and their cat, Warnie. They spend much of their time riding bikes and enjoying the scenery. Warnie spends his time watching the bunnies out the window, lounging on the sofa, and trying to catch his tail.
O'Byrne is the author of Dangerous Turf, the sequel, Three to One Odds, and Death in Trout Fork, book one of the Ryn Lowell Colorado Mysteries series.
D.M. lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and their cat, Warnie. They spend much of their time riding bikes and enjoying the scenery. Warnie spends his time watching the bunnies out the window, lounging on the sofa, and trying to catch his tail.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 12, 2019
A Killing In Vail by D.M. O'Byrne is the third book in her Ryn Lowell Colorado series but can be read as a standalone. I had read the first book in this series, Death in Trout Fork, but not the second but I had no problems with feeling right at home again with Ryn and the Trout Fork community.
Ryn is one strong and independent woman who has finally found a "home" for herself in the small community of Trout Fork. The residents of Trout Fork feel genuine as I read about them and I enjoy their friendship and support of each other. Ryn just can't stop snooping into this murder as it was an old friend from childhood. Just plays it safe during this one and keeps the police at all times in the loop but that doesn't help with her boyfriend, Garritt. So this is a bumpy ride for her personally. The twists in this story were mind boggling at times, the plot is swift and the reveal was so very sad. I finished this book in an afternoon because I couldn't put it down.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Ryn is one strong and independent woman who has finally found a "home" for herself in the small community of Trout Fork. The residents of Trout Fork feel genuine as I read about them and I enjoy their friendship and support of each other. Ryn just can't stop snooping into this murder as it was an old friend from childhood. Just plays it safe during this one and keeps the police at all times in the loop but that doesn't help with her boyfriend, Garritt. So this is a bumpy ride for her personally. The twists in this story were mind boggling at times, the plot is swift and the reveal was so very sad. I finished this book in an afternoon because I couldn't put it down.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 14, 2021
Reading the newspaper one morning, Ryn learns about the death of a dear friend. The Vail police are calling it an unfortunate accident, but Ryn is calling their bluff. Determined to figure out what happened to her friend, she begins an investigation of her own against the advice of her boyfriend, the Trout Fork police captain. But, when her life is put in danger, she must examine not only her suspects, but also the importance of her relationship.
I must admit, I had a rough start reading this mystery. There is a lot of front matter that I had to scroll past before I could get to the actual story. Then, I got to the first chapter.
The story begins with an info dump in the form of an epistolary and, I gotta say, I think it works. In a few short pages, we learn the main character's name, her boyfriend's name, and their hometown, as well as the name of her friend and a little background information. It was just enough information to get to know the players, maybe even get the reader interested in the story and clue the reader in to some information from the previous books, since this is #3 in a series. However, it was not enough to be overwhelming or confusing.
Unfortunately, the following scenes are full of narrations with ideas that bounce around. Much of it is expanding on topics that were mentioned in the opening emails and overall, I found the first chapter very confusing. I felt a lot of the back story that is given in the first chapter could have been shown in dialogue with the main character interacting with party guests in a wedding instead of just narration.
Within the first chapter, two weeks pass by without anything happening. It made me wonder why the wedding scene was even included. While I am not trying to rewrite the book, in my opinion, the story would have been stronger if the wedding was shown as a prologue or if more details were given to explain the main character's relationship with the deceased a little better. Then, the next chapter could start the two weeks later when Ryn reads the story of the dead body.
However, once I got through the first chapter, I found I did not want to put the book down. Although there was a lot of repetition in this book, and a little too much exposition, I really enjoyed the story and found myself invested in both the investigation and the relationship. Although this book is a mystery, I found myself more engrossed in the relationship between Ryn and Garrett than the investigation. I was pleased to learn that I figured out the whodunnit long before Ryn, though I did like the twist at the end when describing the how.
At the end of the story, I walked away from the book feeling like I needed just a little more. A little more description. A little more action. A little more dialogue. A little more romance.
That said, I really enjoyed the romance element of this book and will be reading more in this series to learn how Ryn and Garrett met and what happens to them after this.
I must admit, I had a rough start reading this mystery. There is a lot of front matter that I had to scroll past before I could get to the actual story. Then, I got to the first chapter.
The story begins with an info dump in the form of an epistolary and, I gotta say, I think it works. In a few short pages, we learn the main character's name, her boyfriend's name, and their hometown, as well as the name of her friend and a little background information. It was just enough information to get to know the players, maybe even get the reader interested in the story and clue the reader in to some information from the previous books, since this is #3 in a series. However, it was not enough to be overwhelming or confusing.
Unfortunately, the following scenes are full of narrations with ideas that bounce around. Much of it is expanding on topics that were mentioned in the opening emails and overall, I found the first chapter very confusing. I felt a lot of the back story that is given in the first chapter could have been shown in dialogue with the main character interacting with party guests in a wedding instead of just narration.
Within the first chapter, two weeks pass by without anything happening. It made me wonder why the wedding scene was even included. While I am not trying to rewrite the book, in my opinion, the story would have been stronger if the wedding was shown as a prologue or if more details were given to explain the main character's relationship with the deceased a little better. Then, the next chapter could start the two weeks later when Ryn reads the story of the dead body.
However, once I got through the first chapter, I found I did not want to put the book down. Although there was a lot of repetition in this book, and a little too much exposition, I really enjoyed the story and found myself invested in both the investigation and the relationship. Although this book is a mystery, I found myself more engrossed in the relationship between Ryn and Garrett than the investigation. I was pleased to learn that I figured out the whodunnit long before Ryn, though I did like the twist at the end when describing the how.
At the end of the story, I walked away from the book feeling like I needed just a little more. A little more description. A little more action. A little more dialogue. A little more romance.
That said, I really enjoyed the romance element of this book and will be reading more in this series to learn how Ryn and Garrett met and what happens to them after this.
August 23, 2020
I loved, loved, loved this book. This is the first time that I have read any of this author's books and I am definitely going to be reading her others. I did receive this book as a free one to read and do a review on but I am so glad that I did. It was a great mystery with lots of twist and turns and had great characters in it. I also appreciated the fact that it was a clean book (which you often times can't tell by just the title). I now have a new author to follow.
PS the only reason that it took me 3 days to read is because, unfortunately, I have other things to do - lol. I had a hard time putting it down!
PS the only reason that it took me 3 days to read is because, unfortunately, I have other things to do - lol. I had a hard time putting it down!
January 4, 2020
Book Three did not disappoint!!
After reading the two previous books I was fully invested with each character. It was written so well I just could hardly wait to read book three and continue to learn more.
There were twist and turns that I didn’t expect.
It is written in a way that just draws you in. I would love to just walk into the story and meet these precious people. So you can know I am so looking forward to book four.
It’s not very often that I read a book and am so sad when I get to the last page. It absolutely left me wanting to know more.
Thank you for this beautiful story!!
After reading the two previous books I was fully invested with each character. It was written so well I just could hardly wait to read book three and continue to learn more.
There were twist and turns that I didn’t expect.
It is written in a way that just draws you in. I would love to just walk into the story and meet these precious people. So you can know I am so looking forward to book four.
It’s not very often that I read a book and am so sad when I get to the last page. It absolutely left me wanting to know more.
Thank you for this beautiful story!!
August 13, 2020
I received this book through Voracious Readers Only - I did enjoy the story and found the idea and links gripping. I read it in 2 days and there was an unexpected twist to the storyline. However, I would have appreciated a little more build up in places the ending to the mystery came quite suddenly for example. Perhaps a humanist story on the characters (no mystery) could also be pleasant.
October 1, 2020
I received my copy via Voracious Readers Only for an honest review. Although this type of book isn't my usual read, I did enjoy it and found it an easy book to read. Great characters with plenty of twists and turns. If you like this type of book I would definitely recommend it. I will probably read more by the author.
February 5, 2021
What a great read. I found it a little hard at the beginning, but when I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Who had killed Dan? I also the little side stories that made the Bryn real. Great ending - maybe a little soft. Thoroughly enjoyed my complimentary copy from Voracious Readers Only.
July 28, 2020
Read in 1 sitting, looking forward to find out what happens next.
August 22, 2020
Now I need to read #1 and #2. A fun Cosy mystery. Recommended
October 25, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to read style. Strongly recommend
August 30, 2020
I read this book through a Voracious Readers recommendation and found myself finishing the book in one sitting. The story moved at a good pace and weaved characters through the story engagingly. I did not feel that I missed out on the prior themes by picking up Book 3, as the author succinctly described any backstories. I actually see myself reading Books 1 and 2 in the near future. A very enjoyable read!
June 8, 2023
I received a copy from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not a cozy mystery fan, but I felt like something light and thought, why not? (Turns out, there were legitimate reasons as to why not, but I'll get to that.)
For fans of the genre, I feel like it would be a sure bet. Confident, established writing style that is totally perfect for the genre, a cast of colorful characters, a picturesque setting, cute cats... There was a big focus on the protagonist's personal life, which I think would be appreciated by anyone following the series. So yes, as far as cozies go, this one seems to be quality.
That said, though, for me it felt like homework. I'm interested in mystery, not in the love life of a 29 year old woman who behaves like a rash teenager. The romantic subplot really seemed like the main plot. The mystery was secondary. Ryn, the protagonist, was reckless, selfish, jealous and honestly kind of dense. She made dangerous decisions. She almost died completely needlessly. She was a terrible judge of character and missed obvious clues as to the identity of the killer. She didn't know what a bootlegger was. And she's a newspaper editor. How?
Also, the solution to the mystery was just silly. I won't spoil it, but it was very daytime soap. Half of it was obvious from the start, but the other half was so outlandish that I thought, wait, did the author really just..?
Yeah, this was very much not for me, but I can easily see folks loving it, especially those who enjoy their mysteries with a heavy dose of romance.
I'm not a cozy mystery fan, but I felt like something light and thought, why not? (Turns out, there were legitimate reasons as to why not, but I'll get to that.)
For fans of the genre, I feel like it would be a sure bet. Confident, established writing style that is totally perfect for the genre, a cast of colorful characters, a picturesque setting, cute cats... There was a big focus on the protagonist's personal life, which I think would be appreciated by anyone following the series. So yes, as far as cozies go, this one seems to be quality.
That said, though, for me it felt like homework. I'm interested in mystery, not in the love life of a 29 year old woman who behaves like a rash teenager. The romantic subplot really seemed like the main plot. The mystery was secondary. Ryn, the protagonist, was reckless, selfish, jealous and honestly kind of dense. She made dangerous decisions. She almost died completely needlessly. She was a terrible judge of character and missed obvious clues as to the identity of the killer. She didn't know what a bootlegger was. And she's a newspaper editor. How?
Also, the solution to the mystery was just silly. I won't spoil it, but it was very daytime soap. Half of it was obvious from the start, but the other half was so outlandish that I thought, wait, did the author really just..?
Yeah, this was very much not for me, but I can easily see folks loving it, especially those who enjoy their mysteries with a heavy dose of romance.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews