Dead of Winter (Lily Dale Series #3)

by Wendy Corsi Staub

Overview

Just as a murderer dumps his corpse into the lake across Valley View in Lily Dale, Bella Jordan happens to be at her window, not quite realizing what she’s seeing. Unbeknownst to her, the killer spots her silhouette and prowls straight to her door. That is, until he’s interrupted by a black cat. A superstitious gambler, he takes off, but Bella’s seen too much, and he vows to return.

Jiffy Arden, a neighborhood kid looking for the black cat and stumbling across the killer, begins to have premonitions of being kidnapped during the season’s first snowstorm. Sure enough, when it strikes, he vanishes, never arriving home from the bus stop. While her son, Max, believes Jiffy has been kidnapped, Bella is convinced he’s just wandered off as he typically does...until a body shows up in the lake.

Now everyone is pulling out all the stops to find the missing child, identify the victim, and collar the killer. And fast, because he’s coming for Bella next in Dead of Winter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683313342
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Series:	A Lily Dale Mystery , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than eighty novels and has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband, their two sons, and a rescued stray cat named Chance. This is her third Lily Dale mystery after Nine Lives and Something Buried, Something Blue.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Dead of Winter:
“Entertaining...The endearing town, its quirky psychic medium residents, and a hint of romance...carry through to a suspenseful ending."
—Publishers Weekly

"This warm, small-town series will appeal to fans of the Hallmark Channel’s The Good Witch, starring Catherine Bell.”
—Booklist

“A spectacular whodunit.”
—NY Journal of Books

"With enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, the avid mystery reader who enjoys a strong element of the paranormal will be thrilled with this book. In fact, I recommend the whole series!"
—MyShelf.comPraise for Something Buried, Something Blue:
“A touch of the paranormal, a hint of romance, and a sweet and sympathetic protagonist will lure readers to enchanting Lily Dale again and again.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A rousing success.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Laced with humor...Staub conveys Bella’s frustrations well as she deals with an unusual series of circumstances.”
—RT Book Reviews four stars

"Something Buried, Something Blue is an absolute treat...Corsi Staub has infused this series with a great deal of heart, loveable characters, and a lot of fun.”
—Crimespree Magazine

“Staub is a writer who always has a surprise waiting around every corner, and this title is no different. The writing is so vivid that the reader feels as if they’re a part of the frenzy happening inside this Upstate New York bed-and-breakfast, and using the spirit world to bring about a murder turns out to be the perfect recipe for a great read!”
—Suspense Magazine

"Fans of this series will not be disappointed, and new readers will be eager to pick up the first book...Staub writes with her usual flair and leaves you wanting more."
—Night Owl Reviews Top Pick, 4 1/2 Stars

“I thoroughly enjoyed Bella’s tale and can’t wait for the next one.”
—Kings River Life Magazine

“Dynamic characters, intricate plotting, and a visceral setting...Just because this one’s a cozy doesn’t mean you won’t feel the chill.”
—The News and Times

From the Publisher

2017-08-30
Spirit, an omniscient guide, helps residents of a small town find a missing boy who may have been kidnapped.Living in the idyllic town of Lily Dale has felt like a dream for Bella Jordan, who moved from New York City following the sudden death of her husband. Now Bella runs the Valley View Manor guesthouse and spends most of her time trying to keep Max, her young son, out of trouble. But Max is easy to take care of compared to neighbor Misty Starr's son, Jiffy, a curious kid who doesn't know when to quit. Bella prides herself on values like common sense, something Misty lacks, and she feels more like admonishing the young mother than expressing kinship with her, even though Max and Jiffy are close friends. Misty tries to keep an eye on Jiffy through his daily ramblings, but she's been distracted more than usual lately by the news that her military husband won't be home for Christmas. Michael refuses to call Lily Dale his home, and he's wary of the very idea of a guiding Spirit, even though Spirit is what brings most people to Lily Dale. In her role as a psychic, Misty is a natural believer, and even Bella finds herself thinking that Spirit may be communicating with her. When Jiffy doesn't come home from school one day as a winter storm approaches, both Bella and Misty worry that something has gone wrong, and when Max cheerfully announces that Jiffy knew he was going to get kidnapped, the two mothers must spring into action and work together despite their very different parenting styles. Though Staub's look at divisiveness within communities, especially differences over child-rearing, addresses some serious real-world concerns, the lack of focus in her small-town setting and her use of outsiders as the bad guys do little to develop the world of Lily Dale (Something Buried, Something Blue, 2016, etc.).

Kirkus Reviews