Winter at the Door

I first became acquainted with Sarah Graves through her Home Repair Is Homicide cozy series featuring Jacobia Tiptree. When I saw her name on this new series that looked much edgier, I knew I had to give it a try. I'm glad I did.

Lizzie Snow is definitely a city girl with her city clothes, hair, and makeup. But don't let that fool you. She's smart, tough, and intuitive. She also has a good sense of humor, and her one-liners often bring badly needed comic relief after something dire has occurred. I really enjoyed Lizzie's voice-- and the setting of the Great North Woods of Maine. As an outsider myself, I appreciated following along with Lizzie as she became acquainted with the local residents.

One of the strengths of Winter at the Door is show more its cast of characters. Yes, Lizzie is front and center, but she's not the only interesting face in the crowd. Her boss, Sheriff Cody Chevrier, has some of the traits of a more famous fictional Wyoming sheriff, and it definitely makes me keep an eye on him whenever he appears. Then there's a young woman named Missy; Lizzie thinks Missy would be top notch working in her office-- and I agree. Trey, the local veterinarian, is easy on the eye and the heart, but unfortunately Lizzie keeps getting distracted by an old flame who broke her heart. Dylan is the heartbreaker, and I wish he'd leave Lizzie alone. Romantic triangles get old really fast.

Then there's the young boy called Spud. Is he a good kid? A bad one? Can he be put on the right path? I learned a lot about both Spud and Lizzie in their scenes together.

Graves had me in the palm of my hand with her setting, story, and characters. The only thing that kept me from giving this book the highest rating that I could was the fact that there was a bit too much going on all at once for such a sparsely populated area-- and a few inconsistencies (a radical personality change, smoking wood that had just been completely soaked with water, a gunshot victim who's a miracle healer) that could've been taken care of with more careful editing. I can see these things throwing some readers completely out of the story. Thankfully I just filed these tidbits away and kept on enjoying-- so much so that I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, The Girls She Left Behind. show less

If you think small towns are quaint and peaceful, this book will change your mind in a hurry. Lizzie Snow is a big-town cop headed for a new job in a small town in Maine. She has a quest of her own – to find her dead sister’s daughter who disappeared several years ago. But the police chief who hired her also has a mission of his own. He believes that the recent deaths of some retired law enforcement agents are the result of killer or killers unknown and not the suicides or accidental deaths that the official reports claim. He wants Lizzie to investigate them, and she wants to find her niece, supposedly seen in that area. Danger abounds, for Lizzie as well as for others who may know too much. Evil lives in the pristine woods, a man show more without a conscience who has killed and will kill again, unless he can be stopped. But who he is, what he wants, and what he will do, no one knows for sure. Or if they do, they are not saying. Sarah Graves has written a top-notch thriller, first in a new series. With an intricate plot and well-developed, likable characters, this story will captivate you from the very start. Lizzie Snow is not perfect but is trustworthy and capable. A great start in a series that promises to be intriguing as well as entertaining. show less

A special thank you to Random House Bantam Dell and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (nice cover)

WINTER AT THE DOOR (Lizzie Snow #1), a new crime series by Sarah Graves introduces likable cop, Lizzie Snow who has left Boston for Bearkill, Maine where things are rather dark, and not so calm.

Liz has some troubles of her own with her sister’s death and her missing niece, Nicki which is a big reason for coming to Maine in all its cold and ice. As small towns go, outside visitors are not so welcome and forthcoming with information.

To further complicate matters, the handsome state cop, Dylan who once broke her heart wants another chance and her boss, Cody needs her help in solving the death of former cops. What show more ties the murders to ex-cops? Dylan is also investigating the murders of two girls and leads him to the area, so Lizzie has plenty of action going on.

This was my first book by Graves and enjoyed the short fast-paced crime mystery as she sets up for the next installment. I had read Winter at the Door compares to a few books I have read: This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport, Fallen by Leslie Tentler, and Presumption of Guilt by Marti Green; however, did not find a lot of similarities as each have their own unique style.

I delighted to be introduced to this newfound author and look forward to reading more from the Lizzie Snow character, as she is funny, quirky, and smart and enjoy her personality. Sounds like the author knows her way around Maine and the snow.

I enjoy reading about it, but prefer my warm sunny beach weather here in South Florida, even though a rustic log cabin in the woods with a fire, a crime thriller, and snow sounds warm cozy! show less

When I learned that I'd won a copy of Sarah Graves' Winter at the Door through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers, I felt ambivalent about the news. I'm a fan of her 'Home Repair is Homicide' series, but I don't always like all of the series an author writes. I needn't have worried. This first Lizzie Snow novel lacks the humor of the other series, but I kept reading. There were some decent red herrings. A few subplots were left open for more books.

First off, Lizzie Snow is no Jake Tiptree. Lizzie has no family except for her niece, Nicki, who disappeared years ago. She'd be nine now, if she's still alive. Lizzie has left her job as a Boston homicide cop to move to Maine's northernmost county, Aroostook, because she's received a tip that show more Nicki might have been spotted there.

Bearkill is a small town. How will Lizzie adjust to being a deputy there? Her furnished rental house hasn't much to brag about except its view. Well, there's a nice backyard if you like that sort of thing (I do!). I approved of Lizzie's feelings about her new office and the changes to be made there. Her first test of small-town policing comes when she visits Area 51, the local bar. It won't be her last.

Ms. Graves gives caring readers reason to worry. There's a baby whose loving grandmother's illness is worse than her daughter realizes. There's also a husky teen with tattoos and piercings whose home life is far from ideal. Worse is a stranger who wants Lizzie watched. Why?

There are two potential romances here: a state trooper and a veterinarian. Unless there's some Awful Revelation later down the road, I'm rooting for the vet. Cat lovers are out of luck, but dog lovers have a black and tan hound named Rascal to enjoy.

Has there been a rash of suicides in the county, or is there a serial killer at work? So far as Lizzie knows, the dead men have only their former occupations in common. Then the search for Nicki takes a deadly turn. Who's playing for keeps and why?

I loved the descriptions of the woods and the characters grew on me. I still like Jake Tiptree better, but I'm looking forward to more of Lizzie Snow. By the way, Lizzie was introduced in the 16th and last Home Repair is Homicide mystery, A Bat in the Belfry, if you haven't read it. show less

The author does a great job of portraying life in this small Maine town in Aroostook County. I liked her touch on the art of potato picking...moose...and meth dealings...although the Chamber of Commerce may not think it was so funny. Lizzie, Dylan, Cody, and the rest of the characters were all likable and believable. There were a few things that were a little peculiar. We never really saw Lizzie investigate any of the crimes. She was more like a bystander than a trained investigator....and it seemed that the murders of the retired lawmen was more of an after thought than a bigger part of the story. Still, it was a good read and I will read another in the this series.

Unusual, in that we have a fairly ambivalent/favorable character who turns out to be a serial killer, and that there are 3 large mysteries here that end up connecting. I found the connections to be plausible and firmly grounded in contemporary reality. I found the romantic stuff to be awkward and annoying, but that does seem to be how the character feels, too, so there's that. I'm having a hard time with Lizzie's quest to find her niece -- I'm just not sure why it's plausible that her niece is traceable in some way, nine years after the fact. Unless she DNA tests every nine year old blonde in Maine, I don't see how she's likely to find her. And why wouldn't the person who took the child move out of state? It's just a weird and unlikely show more premise, given how realistic and grounded the rest of the book is. Pretty interesting community, pretty interesting cop, interested to see where it goes next. show less

Lizzie Snow, an experienced homicide detective from Boston, has come north to the farthest reaches of Maine to take a job in a small town where the sheriff is concerned about a string of suspicious deaths among former police officials.  We quickly learn that Lizzie is there only because she's looking for her missing niece, although we never quite seem to find out much about this missing girl.

In the meantime, the plot thickens as Lizzie settles into small town, winter-time life in rural Maine.   I've enjoyed Sarah Graves' "Home Repair is Homicide" series set in the same general locale, and actually thought this one was better written.   The characters are edgier and more sketched in, and the place descriptions are spectacular.  show more However, the plot really became very much like the runaway logging trucks that are the stuff of legends in the Maine wilds.   Way too much going on with no brakes on the wild ride.  We had little vignettes of quirky town characters, we had Lizzie fending off two suitors, both too good to be believed and too edgy to be comfortable about.   We had those suspcious suicides, out of control teen agers, and mysterious bad guys running around unnoticed.

I actually couldn't put it down because I had to see how all of these pieces would ever come together.   Graves does a reasonable job of tieing up loose ends, and gives us a real kick-a surprise at the end, but there is still laundry hanging on the line at the end.   I guess this is her way of making us wait for the second installment.   I think there's plenty of potential for a good series here.   Lizzie Snow is definitely a female character with lots of pizazz.  I just hope that Graves isn't going to do one of these series where we are forever hanging waiting for the heroine to decide who's sleeping in her bed that night.  Lizzie appears to be too smart to let that go on for long.   Let's hope so anyway. show less