The Alpine Uproar

Emma Lord #21

by Mary Daheim

The picturesque little town of Alpine in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains is no longer the rough-and-ready logging camp of yesteryear. So when a drunken brawl at the Icicle Creek Tavern leaves a loner named Alvin De Muth dead, the residents feel as if they’ve gone back to the Bad Old Days.

The inquiry into the unfortunate incident should be a no-brainer. There are plenty of witnesses to the fatal fight, but since most of them were half-tanked at the time, Sheriff Milo Dodge is left scratching his head over a fistful of conflicting stories. Luckily for Emma Lord, editor and publisher of The Alpine Advocate, the news breaks just before the paper’s Wednesday deadline, so for once she can give the radio station some real competition. But soon she has an even bigger story to report: a heartbreaking highway accident that leaves two people dead and a likable young local on life support.

From Front Street to River Road, from Stella’s Styling Salon to the Burger Barn, rumors are flying. Are the two tragedies linked in some inexplicable way? Was De Muth a mentor or a menace to Alpine’s teenage boys? What compels an ethereal female to visit Emma and insist that De Muth’s self-confessed killer is innocent? And (much to Emma’s chagrin) is it true that the sheriff is about to rewed his ex?

Emma senses that there’s a story behind the story and is determined to uncover the truth. Assisted by that human bulldozer Vida Runkel, the Advocate’s House & Home editor, Emma goes for the gold.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Amateur Sleuth

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2009

About the author

Mary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Emma Lord series and the world that Mary Daheim weaves in Alpine WA.

[Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for new authors and picked this one up on a whim. I really liked it. This was #21 but they filled in all the blanks along the way. I will definitely start with #1 now and read more.

[Kshydog · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those that have read the series would enjoy it more. More than half the book was giving more details about the ongoing characters and previous cases which got confusing for someone who never read from this series. The setting is small town where everyone downtown knows things about others. Of course there are the closet secrets that surprise them. Reminded me of Stephanie Plum but not as silly. Milo is more into doing his cop activities. Emma loves snooping where not wanted but stays professional as an editor journalist. Last half was more interesting once the setting and action made sense.

[Mary Newcomb]

Alpine's problems have gotten more complex. What apparently started out as a drunken brawl at a local tavern, which ended in a death is much more than it seemed. The intrepid Emma Lord and the staff of The Advocate keep digging with some unexpected results.

[Gail Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uproar

Very good and full of surprises. Am trying to catch up on some I missed so it helped link some of the future books and things mentioned in them. Enjoyed it a lot and as always a good read.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good episode in the Emma Lord series, which deals with some serious issues. This series continues to come up with new and fresh material, while keeping us up to date on the lives of our favourite characters.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 21st book in the Emma Lord series. A light, cozy mystery.

[Sharon Bezrutczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good read. I enjoyed it and it did not end like I thought. I can’t wait to read the next one..

[Shanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tops

[Mary Longo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery series. Highly recommended!

[Sandy Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like her Alpine mystery series. Light reading but enjoyable because of the characters.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series, mediocre as it is, because it takes place in a little town called Alpine - an old logging town nestled in the Cascades and the Cascades mean the great Pacific northwest wherein lies my heart .

Emma Lord runs the Alpine Advocate and solves murders as well as runs the paper. She has a bunch of characters as friends: Her House and Home editor, Vida Runkel, who has a closet full of extraordinary hats, and helps solve the murders, because she knows everyone in town, Milo Dodge, the Sheriff. and sometime lover who refers to his ex-wife as old mulehide. The murder takes place in an off beat salon and seems a simple matter because the murderer admits his guilt, but it is not quite that simple. Emma and Vida finally untangle the whole thing and everyone is satisfed. This is not the best of this series but it will do until the real thingcomes along.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series. The characters are all realistic and since this is the 21st book in the series I feel like the characters are old friends. Even though Emma Lord is the main protagonist, I feel like all of the characters share in the protagonist roll, especially Vida the woman who knows everyone and everyone's secrets. The ending in this book teared me up a little as Vida had to face some ugly realities about her beloved grandson Roger. In one sense you want to say "it's about time" but yet it was truly sad to see Vida face the reality of who Roger really is. I look forward to book 22.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another visit to Alpine. There is a fight at the Icicle Creek Tavern and Dodge has arrest one of the participants as other is dead. It happen just before the Advocate Alpine's deadline. Emma for once is able to get the story in this week's addition. Emma starts investigating about how the fight started. Ginny has her baby. Vida has something bothering her. Emma buys 2 crab for supper to Fed Milo. Holly Gross hits Emma's car and planning to sue Emma. She claims she a witness. Milo has to cancel as he has to met with his ex-wife to plan their daughter's wedding. All these various stories are nicely woven into one.

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The next book in the Alpine series is better that the last Daheim story I read. This involves a death at the local tavern where everyone really doesn't know what happened. Emma, the publisher of the local weekly paper gets involved again with trying to find out what happened that night perferably before her next deadline. I enjoy reading about Emma and wish her personal life would take an upward swing. It saddened me when Tom died in previous stories of this series. I wonder what happens a Z.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, but for personal reasons I ran into the library to quickly grab some books and didn't realize that I didn't get the ones that were right after the one I got done reading. Was transported 10 years later and was lost on some of the characters and going on in the town and took a bit to get in the rhythm of the story. Maybe better read in the right order. Need to get back and catch up where the other books left off.

[Mahrie Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing characters and relationships complicate the new mystery - who killed the man in the bar? About a dozen people saw it and even the accused didn't see it happen. Will they unravel it all before the wrong man is convicted. this detailed Emma Lord Mystery certainly fits the traditional, cozy mystery genre. No stunning moments - just building events and evidence leading to a shoot out ending.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Daheim was correct to call this one the Alpine Uproar! Lots going on in this book and it kept me reading until the end. I'm glad to see a new development in one of Vida's long-time relationships! Very glad! I've come to know the folks of Alpine and almost feel like I've lived in this town for many years. An enjoyable read.

[Lbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite of the series, found it hard to get into and with too many characters. Emma and Milo's on and off relationship has hit the point of annoying me. Would like the book to be more focused on Vida or Emma, found the part about Emma's son unnecessary and a little interruptive.
Definitely not the best book in this series.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I have enjoyed the Bed and Breakfast series, I wanted to give the Alpine books a try. It didn't grab me like the B&B's, because I missed their wacky humor. If I hadn't been comparing the 2 series, I would have enjoyed this more. There are a lot of books in the Alpine series, so it will be easy to grab another one at the library and travel to Alpine.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This had some interesting twists. I think I must have missed a book or two in the series, as some things didn't make sense to me. And one of the characters, Roger, was way older than I remember.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first it was tough to relate to the characters and I wasn't quite getting into the story. However, I like Emma Lord and I was curious whodunit.
I may or may not go back to the beginning and check out others in this series.

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

When, I started the book, I wasn't sure I would like the characters. After reading at a bit, I realized the murder was a secondary character. The real story was the main characters and their interaction with each other. Cheered for them at the end.

[Judy Iliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. At least the main characters seem realistic unlike those in her other series who have become irksome!

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This entry in the series seemed to move very slowly. It did pick up a little at the end, but over all the story was very sluggish.

[E Goldberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy going entertainment.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read after I got used to the author's narrative style, she really brings the characters to life and the story moves right along.

[Cece · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a brain stretch, but enjoyable. I'm interested to see what's up next-The Alpine Vendetta? The Alpine Victory?

[Felicia Maffia]

Thank god Vida finally had to confront Roger's real personality.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always entertaining and an easy read. I really enjoy Daheim's writing style and the incorporation of humor and regular, odd characters that are part of the Alpine series.