A Murder on the Mountain is the first book (updated with a new publisher) in the Meg Reed Investigates series by Ellie Alexander. This is an exciting cozy mystery featuring Meg Reed. Meg needs to find a job so she can get her own apartment and leave her friend Jill's couch. She ends.up with an entry level job at Northwest Extreme magazine. She wants to be a reporter so this could be her big break except she is afraid of heights and isn't athletic. Meg is asked to help her boss Greg cover the TV show Race the States for the Oregon segment. The first day is rough because they have a long hike, she exaggerated her abilities and she has on new hiking boots. The day gets worse when one of the competitors ends up dead. The suspects are the other competitors and the TV crew. None of them are likable. Meg relies on her best friends Jill and Matt. Meg's father died recently and he was a well known reporter. The story moves a long at a good pace for the most part. Meg is writing about each of the competitors which is a good way to get some of their background. Of course they all have secrets. There are lots of descriptions about the scenery. The mystery was good and I suspected the culprit but wasn't sure as more details were unveiled later on. This is an enjoyable cozy mystery and I look forward to more books. #AMurderOnTheMountain #MegReedInvestigates #StormPublishing

a new cosy mystery series. im not quite sure yet. but im not always sure on the first in series unless im blown away.
i like how it took me out of my comfort zone as i didn't know anything about the place or subject matter when its all to do with outdoors. but this never holds me back, hence me being a bit unsure for now on the series itself as i wasn't sure why it didn't grip me. perhaps its just one of those days.
equally though id want to read more from her and especially her friends. the characters were good and the story evolved really well from one thing leading to another like one of those proper cosy mystery we all love the layout of.
i got the picture of the scenes in my mind even the fall!
im ready for more from this author and series. it was a great setup of our character and she was full of all the quirks,endearing moments but also flaws which we all enjoy from our detectives.

She always wanted to be a newspaper reporter because of her grandfather's love of the medium. But then he died suddenly, she graduated with a degree in journalism, and the only newspaper she cared about was majorly downsizing. In time she got a position with an outdoorsy magazine (SO not her thing), and then she stumbles on a man falling down a mountainside! Let the pratfalls and situational laughter begin! Looks like this could be another great series for the author!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. #AMurderontheMountain by @ellie_alexander #MegReedInvestigatesBk1 @stormbooks_co #NetGalley #Mysterythriller #CozyMystery #Contemporary #Pacificnorthwest #investigativereporter
#newjournalist #firstinseries #family #grieving #inept #family #friends

It took journalist, Meg Reed a while to find a job after finishing college but now she's finally working at Northwest Extreme magazine she isn't about to reveal her fear of heights and love of more sedentary pass times! Tasked with being lead reporter on the Race the States an extreme pursuits reality competition and armed with new pink hiking boots and a very heavy backpack, Meg cautiously climbs towards Portland's Angel's Rest summit with the final three competitors only to see a body hurl by her to certain death. With her late father's reputation as an investigative journalist spurring her on Meg begins her own quest to find the killer but as the danger increases will she be able to put all the clues together before she becomes another fatality on the mountain?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. Previously released as Scene of the Climb, this was a thrilling read from the start. It is clear the author knows and loves the area around the Columbia River Gorge, and her descriptions take the reader to the heart of the action. Meg was a likeable main protagonist, and I enjoyed the work situation she found herself in and the cliffhanger at the end. The remaining books in this series are also being re-released, and I will definitely be on the lookout for them.

A wonderful mystery. Meg, with her new journalism degree, bluffs her way onto the staff of an extreme sports magazine. On her first assignment, she witnesses a competitor fall off a cliff during the Race the States competition. Not one to back down and convinced something seems off about the fall, she investgates, getting herself into all sorts of scrapes along the way. Meg's a great character and it'll be fun seeing how she gets on in future stories.
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

An enjoyable and entertaining cozy mystery. A fish out of water type main character. She tries hard but seems prone to minor injuries. Good friends. Grandmother with unusual talents. Nice to see this is the first of a series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I devoured Elle Alexander’s Secret Bookcase mysteries and was pleased to get the opportunity to read the first book in the Meg Reed Investigates series.

Meg Reed is a newly graduated journalism student still grieving the death of her reporter father. After a chance meeting with an editor in chief of an outdoor adventure magazine, she gets a job for the journal by fudging a bit on her hiking expertise. She soon gets the chance to cover a filmed race in Oregon. While she struggles to follow the contestants as they climb a mountain, she sees one of them fall to his death. It turns out to be a murder, and she find herself investigating the death.

I loved the very apt and beautiful discussions of Oregon and trails along the Columbia Gorge. I also loved the way Meg and her friends interacted, and Meg’s relationship with her grandmother. The cozy mystery is constructed well and had me guessing as to the identity of the murderer. However, sometimes I was frustrated with Meg’s penchant for putting herself in danger to solve the case. She is only 23, so maybe she is too young to rely on common sense.

However,
I still very much enjoyed the novel and will read the others in the series.,

I really enjoyed reading this book. Meg is a fun character and her ambitions had me laughing so hard while reading the book.
Meg desperately needs a job, so when she exaggerates on her experience, she finds herself with blisters on her feet, bruises on her body, and aches and pains where she didn't expect to.
Meg tries her best to fit the part, and her writing skills are top notch, but when she insists on investigating a possible murder, she may end up with more than bruises and blisters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was so good! I did not know about this early series from Ellie but I am so glad I was able to read it! Another perfect cozy mystery by the queen herself. I’m hoping to read the rest!

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had all the markings of a perfect cozy mystery. The plot line caught me from the description and I was hoping to be hooked immediately. Unfortunately, it took me quite a while to get into this book. Even once it had my attention, it still fell short.

The characters were lack luster and seemed to have no growth or likability. The FMC crushes on her boss half the book, despite him flirting with every woman character and infantilizing her. Everyone is instantly rude the FMC before she even starts investigating, which made no sense. I felt like something was missing.

I'm slightly curious at the curveball right at the end. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series, but I'm not completely counting it out.

Oregon native Meg Reed is a year out of college with a journalism degree collecting dust while she camps on her best friend's couch, jobless. A chance meeting at a coffee shop gets her a job at Northwest Extreme, a magazine for extreme sports and outdoors, the only problem is she knows nothing about the outdoors. After a few months at the magazine she's thrown into the deep end to cover the last leg of the Race the States reality competition show. On her first day she ends up witnessing the death of a contestant and it is quickly determined to be foul play. She uses her journalism skills to try and catch a killer.
I liked the premise of the book, the descriptions of the Pacific Northwest were wonderful and almost makes me want to start hiking. Almost. The mystery was good, I did not guess who the murderer was. Gam was a hoot and I wish we saw more of her.
The only thing I did not like about the book was the main character. I had to remind myself that she's very young and very little life and real world experience. She often came across as immature, jumping to conclusions, lacking common sense, and very oblivious.

A perfect cozy for thriller girls who prefer dirty chai over dirty hiking boots
love this new series, especially Meg Reed!! This book walks the perfect line between cozy and suspense. The Columbia River Gorge setting is more than just atmospheric—it breathes. You can practically feel the damp moss and trail dust, which makes the danger feel even more real. It’s not just nature Meg has to survive—it’s the ambitious race crew, secrets behind every sponsor, and a suspicious fall that definitely wasn’t an accident.

There’s a lot to love here:
✔️ A flawed but gutsy protagonist with something to prove
✔️ An actually twisty mystery (with zero filler fluff)
✔️ A sidecast that feels lived-in and real (I need more of her friends ASAP)
✔️ Subplot about her dad’s death that gives the book emotional weight and teases a longer arc

I'm a huge Ellie Alexander fan so if you are too, you're going to love this new series.

Book review: Ellie Alexander’s A Murder on the Mountain
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC.

This smart, sharp, and perfectly paced cozy marks the start of the Meg Reed Investigates series—but it’s not the first time we’ve seen this story. Originally published in 2014 under the title Scene of the Climb by Kate E. Dyer-Seeley, this book introduced Meg Reed to readers long before the author began writing exclusively as Ellie Alexander. In 2017, she merged her identities, and now Meg’s back under her unified author name, with a fresh edition and a little polish.

Meg is the kind of amateur sleuth I can get behind—relatable, over her head, but absolutely determined. Fresh out of journalism school, broke, and couch-surfing in Portland, she lands a job at Northwest Extreme by bluffing about her love of the great outdoors. In truth, she’s terrified of heights and owns more lattes than hiking boots. Her first big assignment sends her up Angel’s Rest—where she witnesses a murder and realizes her job may have come with a side of homicide.

The Pacific Northwest setting does more than look pretty—it shapes the story. You can feel the mist, smell the fir trees, and hear your own boots crunching the trail. The mystery unfolds around a reality TV race with a cast of competitive athletes, hidden agendas, and plenty of red herrings. “Sometimes the most dangerous thing about the great outdoors might just be the people in it,” Meg says, and it’s more than just a clever line. It’s the core tension.

Meg’s voice carries the book. She’s funny, flawed, a little dramatic, but totally committed once she senses something’s off. Her support circle—espresso-loving best friends, a Reiki-practicing grandmother, and the loyal (possibly more-than-friend) Matt—adds color and heart without slowing things down. The subplot about her father’s suspicious death adds depth and promises a long game across the series.

Whether you’re a new reader or revisiting a cozy favorite in its new form, this one delivers. The mystery is tight, the setting is rich, and the lead is someone you’ll root for all the way up the mountain. Pair it with a strong mocha or a dirty chai—whichever gets you through the climb.

4.5/5⭐️

Meg has a new degree in journalism, but no job prospects. She is thrilled when she bumps into the editor of an outdoors magazine and is offered a job. The big problem: she is terrified of heights and has no outdoor adventure experience. On her first outing, a climber falls (or is pushed?) off the trail and dies on the rocks below. Meg is convinced it’s murder and continues to dig for evidence. Meg’s naive and seems to lack common sense, but she is a fun character.
I have read and enjoyed other Ellie Alexander books and this is a fun read, too. Being from the Portland area, I loved reading about familiar places and the descriptions were spot on. And, just like Meg, I didn’t carry an umbrella.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Employment desperate Meg Reed enhances her resume to get a job at Northwest Extreme magazine. She really doesn’t like doing more than walking. When assigned to report on Race the States in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, she has to put on her pink hiking boots and stagger her way up hill, only to witness a man falling off a cliff to his death. Meg and her friend Matt are fun and young, the description of Oregon’s mountains are amazing, and it has a great set up for many more mysteries to come. Thrilled to get to read this reissue of Ellie Alexander’s Meg Reed Investigates series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#AMurderontheMountain #NetGalley