Mary Daheim

Alpha Alpine by Mary Daheim is a 2017 Alibi publication.

It feels so good to touch base with my old book friend, Emma Lord!!

Once I’d turned the final page of ‘Alpine Zen’, I felt certain the series was at a close. The ending of ‘Zen’ was almost perfect and set the stage for Emma and Milo to peacefully move forward with their life and marriage, free of some heavy personal burdens standing in their way.

But, deep down I hoped it wasn’t really the end. To my great delight I show more discovered Dahiem was continuing the series and wasted no time requesting this latest installment from Netgalley!!

For those following the series, the story picks up where we left off, more or less, with most of the loose ends tied up.

But, ‘Jack Black’ is back up to his old tricks, giving Milo plenty to worry about. But, the atmosphere in Alpine, turns a little dark and tense, when a young woman is found murdered and Milo suspects she might be the latest victim of a serial killer.

Emma believes there could be a connection between Jack Black and the murders, so she commissions her receptionist, Alison, to do a little sleuthing on the side. However, Emma soon begins to worry that Alison has started to enjoy playing detective a little too much, which could land her in the killer's cross hairs.

The mystery here touches on some timely issues, and seemed just a tiny bit edgier to me for some reason. But, the familiar characters we’ve come to know are here, and the banter between Emma and Milo has settled into newlywed bliss, but with an 'old married couple' slant to it. They are such a cute couple and laugh out loud funny sometimes. For those just joining us, you may find their banter a bit shocking, but once you get to know them, you will see just how crazy they are for each other.

For me, part of what makes this series so great is touching base with the characters, returning to the idyllic locale of Alpine, and spying on all the drama and mayhem. But, even if you haven’t read all the books in the series, or are starting out with this one, the crime elements are exceptional, the characters were exactly on cue, and the dialogue is sharp and witty.

Every time I read a book in this series, I wish I had the time to go back and read the series from the beginning, because it really is that good.

Fans of Emma Lord will love this one, but this one might be a great place for people who haven’t read the series to jump on board, as well. Obviously, there is some history you may feel you are missing out on, but this installment also has a ‘fresh start’ feel to it. Reading ‘Alpine Zen’ would set the stage for you a little better, but you won’t need to read all the twenty-six installments to catch up.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It may not be the strongest chapter of the series, but after twenty-seven installments, it is still fresh, still sharp, and Emma and Milo are as delightfully cranky as ever.

4 stars
9 likes show less

[Non-Plot Spoilers Ahead]

I blame myself for this one.

My guard was down. Oh, I thought. A book! A book featuring a newspaper owner in a small town in Washington state. Strong female main character, quirky cast, the series promised. There being ~30 books in the set, I was aiming for a fun romp.

The series, for me, started with the book I found on the library shelf, began with interfamilial conflict alongside the murder storyline. Emma's, the MC, male relatives came into town. Both priests, show more they casually demanded to be waited on for housework and food, and didn't shy when it came to telling her what to do or making demands of her.

She snapped back at them, made them help with the dishes at least once, and the author depicted too, how the townsfolk would compete to invite the priests over as though they were some racehorses and frequently came home buzzed.

Nevertheless, she stood up even argued with them--save for bending over and spending most of her poor salary on her son's comfort, to fulfill his every request. That, I could buy. Mother's Blind Spot. Character Flaw.

Alright, I decided. The wordsmithing was alright. The characters were interesting. I'd give this another chance.

Picked up a few more books, and off we g--

...okay, there were murder(s). Check.

...aaand Emma ends up in a relationship with a guy who the story swears is long-term, true love. I mean, if you count how he:
- verbally abuses her
- manipulates her
- controls and remodels her house along his decision-making
- demands dinner be made for him and tells her what it's going to be
- controls when they hump

...at one point, she even "snugs" up at the foot of his chair when he sits in it (after near-yelling at a visitor that That Chair belonged to Muh Man). The two, too, spend time smoking indoors "despite the nonsmoking signs" while lamenting how privacy gets in the way of legal justice.

...aaaand the books are going back to the library.

That brings me to part two.

Why did the author turn this character into a toxic doormat?

My main thought is that she became tired of writing the series after so many novels, and despite her talent, ended up falling back on awful, awful romance tropes to sell the books. It's all I can think of; or, she just really meant to depict life in a small town that way. show less

The Alpine Xanadu by Mary Daheim is a 2013 Ballantine Books publication.

It is always fun to touch base with the characters in this series. This 24th installment in the Emma Lord saga begins with a freak accident, which might actually be the murder of a distasteful resident no one really liked. Milo has his hands full with the investigation and a visit from his former wife and his troubled daughter. But, Emma and Milo have finally agreed to an engagement and are more or less living show more together... finally.

This mystery was especially confounding and the Sheriff has his hands full with a plethora of other issues, both professional and personal. Emma and Milo struggle to maintain professional boundaries since it would be super tempting for Emma to gain the inside scoop from Milo and vice versa. It feels awkward at times but they make it through.

I love the odd duck characters in this series, the small community atmosphere, and the dark little secrets buried there. Milo and Emma have some of the best banter between long term couples in any series I have read, often making me laugh out loud. As with many cozy mysteries, the great appeal for readers is how the story is more character driven, with the mystery sort of unfolding in the background amid all the relationships and secondary happenings. I think after a time, revisiting these characters is like touching base with old friends, and it's comforting. I am so pleased with how things are going for Emma and Milo, and hope things continue on this way.

These are the types of cozy mysteries I love to read. I have the next two installments queued up and ready to go. I'm looking forward it! 4 stars show less

I got this on a foray into "Gimmick" murder mysteries; where I tried to find books with cat detectives, murders with crossword puzzles, murders with chocolate, or recipes, or antiques, etc, and from the title and the name of the series I was sure I had a winner. It turns out that this one, at least, is surprisingly gimmick-free. If there is a gimmick, it's that the detective runs a little B&B and all the murders and suspects come to her, which, while not an unreasonable assumption for a show more one-off, would probably start to get silly over the course of several books.

If you're willing to take a few leaps of faith the plot holds together fairly well. It relies a bit on the foolishness of the police, and some characters that combine a kind of schizophrenia with a sunny sociability that doesn't seem realistic. But you may be very comfortable in judging this book by its cover. show less