Winter at the Door

November 17, 2014
In this promising first in a new series, cop Lizzie Snow, who was introduced in Graves’s 16th Home Repair Is Homicide mystery, 2013’s Bats in the Belfry, still has her doubts about leaving Boston for Bearkill, Maine, especially since her former lover, police detective Dylan Hudson, made the recommendation. But the possibility that her missing niece, Nicki, could be in the area was enough for her to accept the hazily defined position with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Cody Chevrier hopes that she can get to the truth in the suspicious deaths of several retired policemen around this Canadian border region. As Lizzie settles in, Dylan’s investigation of two murdered girls in Bangor leads him to Bearkill and an attempt to rekindle his relationship with Lizzie. Amid all the murder and mayhem, Lizzie connects the dots, and the plot cannonballs to a conclusion that leaves readers eager for the next installment. Agent: Jane Rotrosen, Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency.

Starred review from December 1, 2014

In this series launch featuring Boston homicide detective Lizzie Snow, first introduced in 2014's A Bat in the Belfry, the latest in Graves's long-running "Home Repair Is Homicide" series, Lizzie has accepted a job as a neighborhood liaison officer in the remote Maine town of Bearkill after she receives a tip that her missing niece may be nearby. However, Sheriff Cody Chevrier has ulterior motives in offering her the job: he's convinced some area suicides of retired cops are actually murders and hopes Lizzie's homicide experience will help his off-the-record investigation. VERDICT Darker in tone than Graves's previous series, this is a superbly suspenseful mystery with likable tough cop Lizzie and a town full of character. It's bound to appeal to readers who enjoy Jenny Milchman's books.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Graves brings Elizabeth Lizzie Snow back from her previous series, Home Repair Homicide, to the town of Bearkill, Maine, where Lizzie hopes to leave the troubles from her life in Boston behind. As a deputy sheriff in a tight-lipped small town, she is in for some surprises. Sheriff Cody Chevrier is hoping that Lizzie's experience as a homicide detective will help him solve his latest case. Four men have died in what appear to be accidents or suicides. All are former police officers. Chevrier thinks that there are connections and that foul play may be involved. Lizzie is recovering from her sister's tragic death and hoping to find her young niece, who has disappeared. She also has to deal with a a former boyfriend hoping for another chance and with the attentions of the local veterinarian, who is attractive but a bit too smooth. Readers who enjoy Linda Castillo and Lisa Gardner will welcome Lizzie, a strong, motivated woman making her way in the frozen north.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)