Under Cold Stone

Constable Molly Smith's mother, Lucky Smith, is off at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta with her boyfriend and Molly's boss, Paul Keller. When Paul's estranged son, Matt, calls to tell him he just got home and found his roommate dead, they immediately tell him to call the police and rush over to see if they can help. By the time they arrive, Matt has disappeared. Lucky calls Molly and asks her to come over and help them look for Matt. They think Matt is innocent but the longer he's gone, the more likely the local police are to think he's the one responsible.

In a separate story-line back in Trafalgar, there's a potential problem with the development of vacation homes in the wilderness which focuses on one of the other main characters, show more Sergeant John Winters. We know that eventually the two stories will tie together but I was completely surprised by how they eventually did.

This is the seventh book in the Constable Molly Smith series and we can see she's gotten much more confident in her police skills. Her mother, Lucky, is one of my favorite book characters and it was fun to see her in the forefront of this mystery. Nevertheless, this wasn't my favorite. I found the plot line back in Trafalgar less interesting and wish we had focused fully on the story in Banff. This series is neither cozy, nor gritty, and I've found it quite enjoyable. I definitely plan to keep reading the new ones, as they become available. show less

When Paul Keller's son Matt seems a likely suspect in the homicide of his roommate, Constable Molly Smith drives to Banff to see how she can help her mom and her boss who are vacationing there. We meet a host of characters connected with Matt's life in the resort town. Meanwhile back in Trafalgar, Sgt. Winters and RCMP Adam Tocek are monitoring a potential situation between developers and environmentalists with the Grizzly Resort. While I enjoyed this installment, I was sad so much of it occurred away from Trafalgar.

I've missed two in the series but jumping ahead did not affect my enjoyment of this Molly Smith novel, set in the area where I live. The setting for this one was mostly in Banff, Alberta, in the heart of the Rockies, and the fictional town of Trafalgar, British Columbia, Mollie's home town on the western edge of the Rockies. I've enjoyed all of the series but this could be my favourite, mostly because of my familiarity with the locations.

Mollie's parents were 1960s hippies (common in this area) who named their daughter Moonlight. Now that she is grown up and a cop, she prefers Mollie. Her widowed mother is in a relationship with police chief Paul Keller, and on a short Thanksgiving break in Banff when Paul's son reported the murder of show more his roommate. Matt then takes off before he can be questioned, making him a suspect. Molly joined her mother for support and as a civilian tries to find Matt. Meanwhile in Trafalgar a situation is growing between developers and environmental activists regarding the potential development at the Grizzly Resort. The two cases come together in a dramatic conclusion. show less

Lucky Smith and her boyfriend, Paul Keller, are off on what was supposed to be a romantic getaway. While in a coffee shop, Lucky is treated badly by other customers, a couple of bullies who leave her a bit shaken in the confrontation that they had. It turns out that one of them is Matt, the estranged son of her friend. The next day, Matt is implicated in a murder, and calls his dad, a policeman, for help. But Matt disappears before he can make any contact with his dad. Before long, Lucky has called her daughter Constable Molly Smith to come and help by unofficially investigating. What makes even stranger, Paul is her boss back in their hometown. This is a complex and very intriguing tale. It is quite well thought out, gripping from the show more very beginning. Twists and unexpected happenings along the way will keep readers flipping pages until the startling conclusion. show less

Constable Molly Smith's mother, Lucky Smith, is off at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta with her boyfriend and Molly's boss, Paul Keller. When Paul's estranged son, Matt, calls to tell him he just got home and found his roommate dead, they immediately tell him to call the police and rush over to see if they can help. By the time they arrive, Matt has disappeared. Lucky calls Molly and asks her to come over and help them look for Matt. They think Matt is innocent but the longer he's gone, the more likely the local police are to think he's the one responsible.

In a separate story-line back in Trafalgar, there's a potential problem with the development of vacation homes in the wilderness which focuses on one of the other main characters, show more Sergeant John Winters. We know that eventually the two stories will tie together but I was completely surprised by how they eventually did.

This is the seventh book in the Constable Molly Smith series and we can see she's gotten much more confident in her police skills. Her mother, Lucky, is one of my favorite book characters and it was fun to see her in the forefront of this mystery. Nevertheless, this wasn't my favorite. I found the plot line back in Trafalgar less interesting and wish we had focused fully on the story in Banff. This series is neither cozy, nor gritty, and I've found it quite enjoyable. I definitely plan to keep reading the new ones, as they become available. show less