A Trip with Trouble

A Trip with Trouble by Diane Kelly is the second A Mountain Lodge Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. I like Diane Kelly’s writing style. It is casual and friendly. I was quickly drawn into A Trip with Trouble. I enjoyed the picturesque descriptions of the Mountaintop Lodge and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. It sounds like a beautiful place to visit in the fall. Evidently, the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club thought so as well. They bought out the Mountaintop Lodge for the week to enjoy rides on the mountain roads and hikes on the trails. Unfortunately, one of the group ends up dead and Misty suspects foul play. Misty likes the motorcycle ladies and is determined to get justice for their show more fallen leader. I like Misty, Brynn, Rocky, Patty, and Yeti (Misty’s cat). It is a good cast of characters. I am glad that the author gave us an older protagonist. Misty is fifty and recently divorced. She has two sons in college. Misty is smart, independent, resourceful, and good with people. This makes her a great innkeeper. I enjoy the chapters told from Yeti’s point of view (I laugh often while reading them). Diane Kelly really captures a cat personality and antics. The mystery had several suspects which included a member or two of the Dangerous Curves and members of the victim’s “family.” I joined Misty as she set out to unravel the clues and find the victim’s killer. I like that she worked with the police. A helpful deputy may have overshared just a touch. While I had a clue as to who was behind the murder, I still had fun following Misty. The author has provided developed, realistic characters that you want to get to know better. I felt transported to North Carolina in the autumn. There is a touch of romance. Misty likes Rocky, but she is not ready to start dating. They have casual dinners at home, chats, walks, and evenings in front of the fire. I was sorry for A Trip with Trouble to come to an end. I am looking forward to Misty’s next adventure. A Trip with Trouble transports readers to the Blue Ridge Mountains with motorcycle mavens, falling leaves, greedy relatives, a hunky handyman, a scaredy cat, a fallen friend, a firebrand rider, and an indomitable innkeeper. show less

A Trip with Trouble by Diane Kelly is the second book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries and it continues to impress me! First, there’s the gorgeous location and the welcoming lodge. The way that Kelly describes it would make any reader want to vacation there. We also have a restaurant next door that caters breakfasts in the morning, and the descriptions are another reason I really enjoyed this book.

Not only do you have stunning descriptions of the lodge and food, but then there’s the well developed characters. I appreciate that Misty is 50 and the love interest is 47, and by the end of the book we get more growth in their very positive relationship. The two animals Yeti, the cat, and Molasses, the dog are adorable and add a fun show more element to the story… especially Yeti, since we get to see a bit into her thoughts as she watches the world outside her bedroom window.

The mystery was very well done too, but Kelly left enough clues that if you are paying attention you may be able to solve it before Misty and the gang. And in regards to the mystery I really liked that the love interest didn’t continually try to dissuade Misty from asking questions, and even helped her along the way.

Another fun book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries, and I’m looking forward to book three in the series. show less

In this second offering in the Mountain Lodge series, lodge owner Misty hosts a group of biker gals, with whom death is a rider as well! When the mentor and matron of the Dangerous Curves motorcycle club is involved in an accident that leads to her demise, the group's riding trip is ruined and foul play is evident. Suspects abound and Misty along with her trusted housekeeper Brynn, friend Patty, and handyman Rocky become involved in helping local law enforcement solve the crime.

The women bikers added a special twist to this story. Although I read many mystery novels, this is the first one I have found that features biker chicks. For that reason alone, this well-crafted novel is worth a read. Although second in the series, readers can show more enjoy this book as a standalone.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. show less

The Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club comes roaring into the Blue Ridge and park their cycles at the MountainTop Lodge. Misty Murphy, the owner of Lodge has a full house . The lady bikers are friendly and fun-loving, so when their leader has a tragic "accident" that turns into murder, Misty is once again driven to find a killer.

This second installment was great because we see definite character development as well as a good mystery.

The second book in the Mountain Lodge Mysteries was just as good as the first. And as with the first there's a lot packed into these pages. The fact that a women's motorcycle club is staying at the lodge was interesting. Same as I said about the first book - great setting, the characters are three-dimensional. Trying to figure out who the killer was wasn't easy. I had a lot of fun reading this one and I'm looking forward to reading many more in this series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC.

North-Carolina, wiccan, murder, murder-investigation, pets, divorcee, of-a-certain-age, cozy-mystery, small-business, small-town, hotelier, motorcycles, secrets, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, suspicion, suspense****

I still think that the wrong person got knocked off.
Missy is the main character and is the owner of The Mountaintop Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Brynn works for her as Missy's assistant manager/general factotum (and Wiccan), and Rocky is the local handyman who also lives at the lodge. The members of the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club (a nonbranded club) are guests at the lodge for the week. Some of them have secrets, and some have unpleasant hangers on, one is a loose cannon. Predictably, one show more member of the group has a single cycle event that might be an accident or probably murder Let the sleuthing begin!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you! show less