In the Dead of Winter (Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1) by Nancy Mehl

Ivy Samantha Towers is forced to return to Winter Break, Kansas, to make funeral arrangements for her Aunt Bitty. Ivy is suspicious that her aunt’s death is not accidental when she discovers that Aunt Bitty had fallen from the ladder in her used bookstore. Her suspicions are realized when someone leaves a note on an envelope stating that Aunt Bitty was murdered.

Ivy immediately begins to make a list of suspects—and in a small town, that is virtually everyone. Ivy’s childhood friend, Amos Parker, is now the Sheriff of Winter Break, but he seems to be warning Ivy to leave town. Why? A missing book and an extra coffee cup leave more questions than answers.

My Review:
What a pleasant surprise I had in store for me when I won this book! I found myself intrigued from the first sentence. This author can write! Her writing reminds me of Jan Karon's Mitford series, and is so descriptive that now I crave a Ruby’s Redbird Burger!

A recipe for Aunt Pettibone’s Huckleberry Muffins is included at the end of the book.

The plot involves a young college student, looking for the place God would have her settle. She's left the small town where she grew up and changed her name to reflect her new adult status. Now, she must return to bury her great Aunt Bitty, an owner of a bookstore. Soon after her arrival, she begins to suspect murder took her aunt, not an accident as she had been told. A good tale unwinds.