CATCH YOUR DEATH by Lissa Marie Redmond
The Sixth Cold Case Investigation Mystery

A wintry weekend at a high end resort in the Southern Tier should be a relaxing respite for cold case detectives Lauren Riley and Shane Reese. Except for the fact that it's a soft opening as well as a mini high school reunion for Shane. A reunion of people who haven't been together since the murder of their classmate seventeen years ago. And the fact that Lauren is fairly certain one of the guests is a killer.

Being trapped by a blizzard in a high end resort doesn't sound so bad, after all the power is still on and there's plenty of good food and drink. Unfortunately, there's also a killer. This sixth Cold Case Investigation has Lauren Riley questioning everything she knows about her partner, the man who's had her back and saved her life more than once.

Tensions run high as old classmates revert back to their teenaged personas and anxiety is ratcheted up when one classmate deliberately provokes everyone else. I love the combination of an old cold case murder directly tied into a new one, especially when Shane is intimately involved with all of the suspects. I also enjoy how Lauren makes due with her limited resources, keeping in touch with the state police, and going a bit rogue while stringently following police procedure in other matters.

The Lauren Riley we see in CATCH YOUR DEATH is quite changed from the Lauren Riley we are introduced to in the first Cold Case Investigation Mystery. She's played and been played. Physically she's gone through hell and isn't quite back. She's grown.

CATCH YOUR DEATH is an atmospheric police procedural that brings closure to the ultimate high school drama. It's a perfect read for a snowy day, preferably cuddled up in a blanket with a warm drink at hand!

Detective Shane Reese bumps into an old school friend who invites him to a class reunion to take place in a new luxury spa hotel the friend is about to open. His partner, Detective Lauren Riley, is invited along too. But this class has a shared tragedy in their past – just as they graduated high school, one of their classmates, Jessica, was brutally murdered. All the classmates were suspects and the case was never solved, so they’ve all lived with that shadow over them. So when one of them, Erika, announces on the first evening of the reunion that she knows who killed Jessica and is going to reveal it on her true crime podcast, it’s not too surprising when she too is killed. Meantime, a blizzard has blown up and the hotel is snowed in. So the local police are relying on Riley to hold things together till they can get through…

Although this is the sixth in a series, it’s my first Redmond, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a traditional style mystery with the clear intent of mirroring the “closed circle” mysteries that were a standard of the vintage crime writers, but in a modern setting complete with modern technology and policing methods. Not in any way a cosy, but it’s also nowhere near as dark or graphic as a lot of modern crime fiction.

I liked Riley as a character. She bears some scars from physical injuries she has acquired throughout her career, but she is a well-adjusted, stable person who seems happily angst-free. There is clearly a past between her and her partner, Shane Reese, that goes beyond a strictly working relationship. The two live together in the sense of sharing a house, although as the book begins they are not romantic partners. It’s fairly obvious, though, that their relationship may be heading in that direction. In this book Riley has to take the lead because Reese, being one of the classmates, is himself a suspect. I don’t know if they work more closely as equal partners in earlier books in the series.

The plot is interesting and there’s a good variety of suspects – a failing actor, a drunken creep, a jealous husband, the jealousy-inducing wife, a computer games millionaire, the spa owner, and of course Detective Reese. The idea of a group of people being snowed in may not be the most original in the world, but it’s effective, and Redmond handles it well and credibly. The reason the original investigators failed to find the murderer was that all of the suspects had the means and the opportunity to kill Jessica, but no one seemed to have a strong enough motive. This will be the problem for Riley, too, since clearly the motive for Erika’s death is her threat to reveal who killed Jessica. I’m not convinced it could really be described as fair play, but the pacing is very good so that it kept my attention and I didn’t mind so much that I hadn’t had access to the vital piece of information that finally told Riley who the murderer was.

Well written, I felt this was well above average in the current field of traditional police procedurals. A good mystery, nothing too gruesome, zero swearing and some likeable lead characters – my kind of book! I’ll be backtracking to catch up with the earlier books in the series and am looking forward to seeing what Redmond produces in the future.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Severn House, via NetGalley.

This was a solid crime mystery. It was tense and atmospheric and held my interest. I was eager to read on to see what would happen next.

I love a book which mentions a school reunion. I was engaged the whole way through. It had a touch of unpredictability which is something I love.

A taut thriller which grabbed me from the outset.

Lauren Riley is a Cold Case Detective, and she works closely with Shane Reese. The plot begins with Lauren who is investigating the 17-year-old murder of Jessica Toakese, whom Shane knew from High School days.

One day, out of the blue, Shane bumps into an old school friend, who invites their little group from school to a reunion in a plush, boutique hotel. There is snow all around, so the setting is very picturesque. He invites Lauren too, so she was very much looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

As you can imagine all of them drank copious amounts of alcohol, leading to tempers getting frazzled. Someone among the guests was a murderer, and the links go back 17 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Catch Your Death’ and will look out for this author again.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

What could possibly go wrong? A late November reunion with high school friends at an upscale spa/resort on a pre-opening weekend with Lauren Riley attending as Shane Reese’s “other”. The complication: an unsolved murder among those friends near the end of their senior year of high school; their friend Jessica was killed and one of them must have killed her. In a variation on the classic locked room mystery, Redmond’s Catch Your Death uses an early season blizzard in the notoriously snow bound Western New York/ Buffalo region to enclose the characters of this novel in the sleek modern spa without the ability to leave once emotions begin to run high and events go south.

Another complication: Reese is one of those former students. How can Riley treat him as anything other than another suspect no matter how much she doubts that possibility? So she has a huge task ahead of her in sorting suspects, clues, motives, methods, etc. with only telephone assistance from the State Police.

I found this to be an exciting read which pulled me along to the end. I found that I did guess one aspect of the case correctly but had no clue about motives. Definitely recommend.

A copy of this book was provided by Severn House through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Very Cold Case That Strikes Close To Home

The novel opens with a flashback where the 17-year-old Shane Reese is awakened in the morning by his mother telling him that the police are downstairs and want to talk to him. The police take him to the police station and grilled him for some time. He was in a special group of students who took all their classes together. Jessica, a young girl in that group, was killed the night before. Shane might have been the last person that saw her alive. Then, the main storyline shifts to the present time where Lauren Ripley receives a call from an ex-husband dropping a dime on his former wife who 30 years before lured a person to stay late at a pawn shop and was whacked by a local mobster.

The main storyline consists of two threads. One is very short and is centered on a very old mob hit. The second starts with Lauren reviewing the Jessica murder files. She discovers that Shane had been investigating her death since joining the Cold Case Team using his free time. What makes this story interesting is that Shane’s high school group is invited to a luxury spa. One of the that group is about to open the spa and sees this as a preopening reunion. As spouses were welcome, Lauren was asked to accompany Shane. Once there, they are snowed in by the worse storm since epic 2014 Buffalo snowstorm trapping them for at least a couple of days. Soon, one of them is murdered. At this point, my interest was captured as Lauren does not have any legal authority, the state police with whom Lauren is in contact will not be there for possibly days, Lauren must keep all the guests out of their rooms and not being by themselves for possibly days, and Lauren cannot rely on Shane except to keep the guests corralled because he is a potential suspect. How would Lauren accomplish all of this kept my interest to the very end.

The same reason that Lauren cannot rely fully on Shane at the luxury spa also supercharges the B-storyline. Lauren and Shane have been partners for quite a while. They have nursed each other through terrible injuries that still nag both. While not a couple, Shane has moved into Lauren’s home to help each other through those injuries. Shane understands that in this case Lauren cannot fully utilize him as a partner, but it still raises frustration within him and increases the tension between them. Reading this playing out provides some of the intimate insight to their two personalities and enriched my reading experience of this novel.

For the aspects that turn some readers off, this novel should not a problem for most readers. There are not any intimate scenes. I found only two vulgar words and only a little more that were rude. The violence is described in the less edgy after the fact. Lastly, this book can be read first as it does not depend upon the previous novels in this series. The only references basically concerned their injuries. What was important is that fact that they are still lingering. This excellent B-storyline increased my enjoyment in reading this novel.

My descriptions above of the main and B- storylines provide what I liked about this novel the most. Also, there was an old-style Sherlock Holmes group murderer reveal session that was interesting. There was only one aspect with which I have an issue. It has nothing to do with my enjoyment in reading this novel or rating it. Describing my issue would be a spoiler. It should be obvious when you read it. As with the previous novels in this series and one separate novel, its hold on my attention was so great that I could not stop reading. This author just confirmed that my author rating of Must-Read. I am looking forward to reading her next book. I rate this novel with five stars.

I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House. My review is based only by my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Severn House for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for gifting me a digital ARC of this mystery/police procedural by Lissa Marie Redmond - 4.5 stars!

Cold Case Detective Shane Reese runs into an old high school friend who invites him to a class reunion of sorts at an upscale spa/hotel he is opening in Upstate New York. Shane brings along his friend and partner, Lauren Riley. Shane was in a small class of gifted/talented students in school and one of their classmates was murdered, the killer never found. Shane has been quietly investigating the case and is looking forward to the reunion because all the top suspects in her murder will be there. But there will be another case to solve while they are there.

I love a good locked room mystery where everyone is suspect. Add to that a remote spa that isn't open to guests yet on the eve of a huge snowstorm that shuts down the area and you have a thriller! I have read Redmond's stand alone novels but was new to this series and it didn't subtract from my enjoyment. I'm sure I would have liked it even more if I would have been privy to the complete backstory of Riley and Reese, but enough background was provided. I loved the atmospheric element to this story, including the shout out to all the essential workers of Upstate NY! I am on the other side of the state but feel as the author does about all those that keep the lights on and the roads clear under sometimes extraordinary challenges. Can't wait to read more in this series!

Cold case detective, Lauren Riley’ and her partner, Sean Reese, have been invited by an old classmate of Sean’s to preview a new luxury spa. Even though Sean hasn’t seen Chris for years, the thought of relaxing at an isolated resort for a few days is appealing and they both accept the invitation. With other former classmates also invited, it will be a reunion of sorts, even though it is a painful reminder of their classmate who was murdered seventeen years before. With Sean still feeling guilty that he has never been able to solve the crime, Lauren is determined to find out the truth. But no one could foresee the blizzard that would trap all of them at the resort…

Catch Your Death is the sixth book in the Cold Case investigations series by Lissa Marie Redmond. As usual, her latest book is well-presented and it is an enjoyable locked-room mystery. While there isn’t quite as much “action” as in some of the previous books, it is a well-written police procedural that has interesting characters and a good plot. This book moves the main characters forward, towards a possibly new chapter in their lives. It’s not a cliff-hanger but rather a preview of what’s to come.

As always, I enjoyed this addition to the Cold Case series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is book 6 in one of my favourite series and it's still showing no sign of flagging. Do yourself a favour and start from book one and read in order, you know it makes sense!
So... One day whilst grabbing a bite, Shane Reese bumps into an old school friend who happens to be in the middle of organising a reunion. At the luxury spa he has just bought and is getting ready to open. He in turn invites his cold case partner Lauren Riley to accompany him. Sadly this opens up old wounds for Shane as he is reminded of the unsolved murder of another school friend, Jessica Toakese.
Can you see where this is all going... a bunch of old school friends, a remote luxury spa, an unsolved murder whose perp could be in attendance... oh and did I mention that there is a wicked snowstorm coming...!
And so begins a Christie-esque game of cat and mouse as one of the party is murdered. Could this be connected to Jessica's death all those years ago... damned skippy is probably is !
I love this series. All cold cases but all just as interesting and intriguing as those that have just happened and, in this book, we get the best of both worlds with the old case and a fresh new murder for Lauren to get to grips with. Solo as Shane is obviously on the suspect list. Even more solo as the cavalry can't get through the snow and are busy with other issues said snow has caused.
It's a shame as Shane and Lauren make for a cracking team but this book, although splitting them up, gives us a bit more insight into Shane's past.
Plotting is tight and well executed. Admittedly a tad contrived in parts but mostly it all flowed well enough. Characters are all well crafted and played their parts ably. Pacing matched the narrative and there was no superfluous waffle or padding to distract. And an ending which left me shocked but satisfied.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well established series... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Over the years, I’ve read most of Lissa Marie Redmond’s Cold Case Investigation mysteries, set in Buffalo, Iceland, Ireland. I’ve followed Buffalo Police Detective Lauren Riley wherever she went with her intriguing cases. In Catch Your Death, she goes no further than Western New York over the Thanksgiving holidays. But, this country house murder mystery is the best in the series.

Seventeen years earlier, Jessica Toakase was murdered. There were seven primary suspects, all former classmates who just graduated. One of those classmates was Shane Reese. When no one was arrested, Shane enlisted. Now, he’s Lauren’s partner on the Cold Case unit, and her housemate in her house. He took care of her when she was injured in the line of duty. She’s taken care of him. But, he never told her about the Jessica Toakase cold case.

When Chris Sloane shows up at a restaurant where Shane and Lauren are eating, the former classmate invites both of them to his new luxury resort. It’s not yet open, and, they along with other former classmates will be the only guests Thanksgiving weekend. Afterwards, Shane is forced to confess he’s been looking into the cold case ever since he joined the team. Lauren has to remind him he was a suspect, and shouldn’t investigate. But, she can look at the case and hope to clear her partner’s name.

Lauren keeps that cold case in mind when she meets Shane’s former classmates. The bar that night is an uneasy affair, and one classmate stirs the fire saying there’s evidence to prove who Jessica’s killer was. When the accuser is found brutally slain, Lauren tries to secure the scene. It’s only when she calls the State Police that she learns Western New York is under a State of Emergency, and hundreds were caught on the New York Thruway during the weekend snowstorm. Lauren can’t even count on Shane because he knows all the suspects, and was a suspect himself in Jessica’s murder seventeen years earlier. “It’s not like I’m trapped in a half-finished resort with a dead body and seven potential suspects, with no weapon and no back up, she thought bitterly. Oh, that’s right, actually I am.”

Not that this scenario of being trapped with a cast of killers hasn’t been done before. Yes, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None immediately comes to mind. But, Redmond brings an expertise to her books, having worked as a detective on a Special Victims Unit and a Cold Case Homicide Squad. Her knowledge of investigations is evident as Lauren Riley tries to investigate a cold case and a current one under the worst possible conditions.

It’s hard to know where Redmond is going after Catch Your Death. Despite the tension and suspense in this book, I will say, though, that it was a pleasure to see Lauren solve this case without further serious injury to her or Shane. Fans of riveting police procedurals really should try Lissa Marie Redmond’s books. And, Catch Your Death is outstanding.

Redmond’s 6th installment in her Cold Case Investigation series is another winner. Lauren Riley and her partner Shane Reese are at an exclusive resort in ski country of Western New York. It’s a private social gathering for a small group of Shane’s friends from high school. Lauren learns that this group of friends were connected to the murder of one of Shane’s friends during their senior year. In fact, it’s one of the cold cases that Lauren’s department has on file and unbeknownst to her, Shane has been quietly digging into the case for a number of years.

The resort is beautiful and posh. But when another person from the group of friends is killed at the hotel, it becomes a murder scene. Lauren must investigate alone because a terrible blizzard is preventing the local authorities from coming. She also cannot rely on Shane since he is a potential suspect.

Lauren uses her investigative skills to attempt to solve not just the new murder but the original cold case. She tries to keep all the suspects in one place while also examining the physical evidence of the new crime. At the same time she’s communicating with the law enforcement officials who have jurisdiction and her Buffalo office where the original case records are housed.

The mystery is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie story with all the suspects gathered in one room with the detective trying to discern the real culprit. The pulverizing storm adds additional tension to this taut police drama. It also rings true to Western New Yorkers who have lived through their share of powerful winter storms.

Lauren’s relationship with Shane is always a subtle undercurrent in the series. They are partners, but there’s something more than just a professional relationship. This is a solid installment and those who like the interplay of Lauren and her partner will not be disappointed.

An intriguing mystery for Cold Case Detectives Lauren Riley and Shane Reese. Seventeen years ago, a high school friend of Shane’s, Jessica Toakese, was murdered. Her killer was never caught. Shane and Lauren have been invited, along with Reese’s former school friends, to view the exclusive hotel that his friend Chris is opening. They are ready for a break, but what they get is the murder of another of Shanes’ friends. Trapped during a vicious snow storm, Lauren must keep the suspects apart, but contained as she investigates the murder. Is it Shane’s former girlfriend, Amanda or her jealous husband, Owen? Is it their wealthy tech friend, Seth? Is it Chris, the owner of the hotel along with his silent partner? Is it Raphael, the husband of the victim? Or is it Tyler who has spent most of his time getting drunk? Not only must Lauren find the killer before the storm clears, but she does so with the long-distance help of a state investigator through FaceTime and phone calls. A twisted mystery as Lauren tries to solve the murder as well as justice for Jessica. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Another great mystery featuring the Cold Case team of Detective Lauren Riley and her partner, Shane Reese, This case goes back to when Reese was in high school and a close friend gets murdered. Everyone in his class is a suspect, including Reese. All the friends are invited to a weekend away at a weekend high end resort and the "knives" come out! Who will be the murderer and will Riley and Reese finally admit their feelings for each other?

Another good mystery by this author. A limited number of possible suspect, a murder in the past that could be related to one in the present.
A solid mystery that kept me guessing and turning pages.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5 Stars. Catch Your Death contains a frequently used 'locked room' theme. A group of people are gathered together and trapped in an inaccessible place during a storm, and there is murder. I cannot resist these stories. This is the 6th in the Cold Case series that is new for me, and I thought it worked well as a stand-alone. There was enough information about the two compelling detectives, Buffalo Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley and her partner, Shane Reese, to interest me in reading about some of their previous cases. They have a successful work partnership, although different in personality and approach to criminal cases, and both carry injuries from earlier police work. They live together in platonic friendship, which is developing into a deeper relationship.

Chris, Shane's friend from school, invites him to a reunion attended by a small group who graduated from a special class for bright students. Lauren is to accompany him to the pre-opening of an exclusive and luxurious spa and retreat that Chris owns. Seventeen years earlier, a friend and classmate, Jessica, was murdered in a park. All members of their group were questioned as suspects, including Shane, but the case was never solved. The friends went their separate ways and now will be together for the first time since the murder.

Lauren discovers that Shane has been working secretly on the cold case file, gathering further information about Jessica's murder, including transcripts of interviews by police. She is hurt and annoyed that he never told her. She reads all the documents and thinks the reunion may allow her to solve the long-ago crime. As Shane was a person of interest and questioned by police, he cannot be involved in any investigation.

The first night in the luxury resort is chaotic and unpleasant, hardly resembling a reunion of old friends. A raging blizzard isolates the small group, and tensions rise. Personal criticisms, accusations, and blame arise with their dead classmate and friend on their minds. Tension and discord are fueled by a woman who has become a crime blogger with a wide audience. She states she has researched and
obtained information on everyones' lives and secrets and their relationships with the murdered girl. She claims to have solved the case and plans to expose them all in an upcoming edition of her show.
During the night, there is a brutal murder. Who is to blame? Is it connected to Jessica's death? Suspicions abound and further sour the mood with disbelief, anger, and grief. It seems evident that a killer is hiding within this small group of about eight people and the resort's small staff. Lauren even begins to believe her partner Shane might be involved. I had a problem with sorting out some of the men's names, sometimes referred to by only their first or last names.

Much information is available for the reader trying to solve the crimes on both timelines. The killer's identity eventually comes as a surprise. With twists, secrets, and coincidences galore, it is evident that the author has put much effort into developing a coherent plot. The story begins to feel contrived and manipulated, and I felt did not always proceed smoothly.

Lauren informs the local police about the murder. The blizzard is still increasing in intensity, and the police are busy trying to help and rescue stranded motorists. The roads to the resort are impassable, and none of the group can go outside. Lauren is charged with securing the crime scene and gathering as much evidence as possible until the police can arrive. Another person sustains a serious injury, adding to the tension and fear. She risks her life going outside in the storm and is rescued by Shane. They now have proof of motive and the identity of the guilty person to present to the police.

I thought the characters were very relatable and believable and would like to read more of the books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this engaging, character-driven 'locked-room' mystery.

Someone murdered Shane's friend Jessica 17 years ago but who? The past comes back to haunt him and his cold case detective Lauren when a chance encounter sends the two of them to a new resort owned by another of his classmates. And then the trope- there's a blizzard and all of the suspects are locked in with one another. And of course someone else dies. Even though the plot feels familiar, Redmond does a good job with snapshot portrayals of the other suspects. And I liked that Lauren read the transcripts of the original interviews. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I've liked other installments in the series better but this advances the stories of Lauren and Shane. There's enough backstory provided so that this can be read as a standalone,

Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley and her partner Shane Reese are enjoying lunch at a restaurant after following up on a tip about an old mafia hit received by their department in the Buffalo, NY police. The tip seems to be another dead end; the woman they had gone to question would only tell them that sometimes, it’s best to let the past die.

Those words take on added meaning for the partners when Reese runs into an old high school friend, Chris Sloane, at the restaurant. Chris is opening a new luxury spa/hotel in the ski country south of the city, and wants to use that as an opportunity for a reunion of their high school friend group. He politely invites Lauren to come along for a fully comped experience.

These circumstances force Shane to reveal to his partner a dark moment from his past, painful memories of an unsolved murder that this reunion will surely drag up. Seventeen years ago their high school friend Jessica Toakese was found murdered, her body recovered from the Buffalo river within an industrial, working class neighborhood that now is the site of trendy bars and canal-side leisure. Reese, along all the other friends in the group, had been suspects in the investigation, an investigation that never led to any charges. The friends haven’t seen much of one another since. Since joining the Cold Case squad, Reese has looked into the official records himself, trying to find answers and resolution.

Upset that her trusted partner has kept this history (and a secretive personal crusade) hidden from her, Riley insists Shane takes a step away from the case, and allow her to take a fresh look into things, an exercise that could be aided by her opportunity to meet all the people involved all those years ago during the upcoming reunion at the spa.

However, once at the hotel, things quickly get out of Lauren’s control. Catch up chat among the former friends erupts into drunken chaos. One of them, a true-crime enthusiast named Erica, announces that she has figured out who actually killed Jessica, and promises to reveal all in a recording of her podcast the next day.

The next morning, Erica is found dead in her room, her throat slashed. An overnight blizzard continues to rage outside, trapping the guests inside the hotel, stranding thousands on roads and highways within the snow-belt, and preventing emergency services from getting to the murder scene.

Riley is left on her own, in unconventional circumstances, to try to take charge of the scene, separate witnesses, protect the integrity of any evidence, and stop further violence from occurring. And maybe, amid all that, she can identify and catch a killer.

Whether you have kept up with all of Redmond’s Cold Case Investigation novels, have sampled a few, or haven’t read one yet, Catch Your Death is a fine opportunity to jump into the series or enjoy a murder mystery/police procedural as a stand-alone.

I previously reviewed the second novel from the series, The Murder Book, after getting a copy at an author signing at a local book store. Though I never put up reviews, I went back to read the first novel, and then also bought and read the third. I also happened to pick up and read The Secrets They Left Behind, a fully stand-alone mystery novel outside Redmond’s Cold Case Investigation series. I actually didn’t know there had been further books in that series until happening upon Catch Your Death while browsing NetGalley. I immediately jumped on it to request. I wish someone would have told me of the last two novels in the series, now I’ll have to go back and find those.

All this is simply to say that I really enjoy Redmond’s writing. Her characters, her plot, and her prose are all superbly engaging. Even with that being said, Catch Your Death also happens to be the best I’ve read from her. Each of her novels has been entertaining and worth the read, particularly for a mystery or police procedural fan. For residents of Western New York like myself, there is added appreciation found in these by reading about local details. But, for someone outside of the area, the Cold Case Investigation novels might lack that special something to set them apart from other police procedurals.

Catch Your Death has that special something, though, a fullness and balance beyond what could be found in the earlier novels of the series. Firstly, this is not just a modern procedural, it is also a classic styled murder mystery, like an Agatha Christie set in some isolated manor house. Redmond achieves this with a modern setting by taking advantage of her Buffalo snow belt winter setting. The region has frequently been hit by surprise blizzards of snow and ice that bring life to a stand-still, cutting people off from travel, stranding people on the road, at home, at work, etc. Redmond’s use of this for the plot in Catch Your Death is not remotely a contrivance, it’s realistic and brilliant.

Pulling off a classic-feeling, cosy ‘locked room’ murder mystery in the modern age is one thing, but Redmond adds other elements to this to make it even richer. Just as the isolation of the pandemic forced us to connect experimentally in virtual ways, so too does the situation of Catch Your Death force Lauren Riley to virtually connect with other police authorities in reporting the murder and managing things ‘by the book’ in the aftermath. It’s a murder investigation done remotely, with Riley Facetiming the state police who can’t physically get on site. Redmond’s expertise and previous professional experience as a cold case detective in Buffalo comes into play here as she also demonstrates all the hoops Riley must jump through during her taking charge of the scene and subsequent investigation to ensure that everything is done legally, in ways that won’t compromise evidence or negate confessions. After all, it’s not as easy as something like Murder, She Wrote makes it seem.

Beyond the excellent mashup of procedural with classic murder mystery, Redmond also succeeds with Catch Your Death in bringing the setting fully alive with chilled weather that almost becomes a character of antagonism in and of itself, a force for Lauren to overcome. She also handles the cast of characters well, showcasing the petty bickering, jealousies, and hostilities that can be dredged up by a tragedy, and years without resolution or justice.

Finally, even with all these elements helping the novel succeed on its own terms, Redmond also uses it to nicely advance the overarching plot threads of the series, most notably the relationship between Riley and Reece. I like and prefer it being a platonic relationship rather than one of romance, but it’ll be interesting to see where things go next to take the series in new directions and new possibilities. (After going back to see what I missed in the last novels!)

Mystery fans should really enjoy the frigid temperatures and fiery emotions that Catch Your Death has to offer. It’s a well-rounded homage to the genre that still innovates, it’s a page-turner with a lot of psychological depth of character underneath. If Redmond or Severn Press reads this, please don’t let me miss out on the next.

Catch Your Death is the sixth book in Lissa Marie Redmond’s Cold Case Investigations series. I started reading this excellent series with book number four and am so glad I found it. The main character is Lauren Riley, a homicide detective in Buffalo, New York. She lives platonically with her work partner, Shane Reese, but the two seem to be denying deeper feelings they have for each other.

While following up on a tip on an old mob hit, Lauren and Shane run into one of Reese’s old friends. Christopher Sloan invites the two of them to a pre-opening of a luxury spa and boutique hotel he and his wife have started located about an hour away. Lauren had just learned that her partner has been investigating the cold case of an old friend on his own. Shane, Christopher and the other people who are going to the pre-opening event were all friends with Jessica, so Lauren decides this is a perfect chance to launch her own investigation of the case.

To get up to speed on the case, Lauren reads the old transcripts from when Shane and his friends were questioned by the police. I loved this unique format of giving the details of the old case! It was more interesting than the typical dual timeline storytelling and didn’t get in the way of the suspense of the current events. That tension really ramps up when all of the guests are snowed in at the hotel because of a blizzard and one of Shane’s old friends is murdered! This seems to be tied to Jessica’s murder, so Lauren isn’t able to include Shane in much of the investigation because he was never officially ruled out as a suspect in that case. There is a dramatic resolution to the case when Lauren and Shane gather all the suspects together for the big reveal. I was surprised to learn who the killer was, even though some clues were there. This book works well as a standalone mystery, but fans of the series will love the final scenes between Lauren and Shane. 4.5 stars

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

I haven’t read the prior entries in this series, but a high school reunion of sorts in a snowed-in luxury hotel? Sign me up!

Cold case detectives Lauren Riley and Shane Reese are invited to a pre-opening weekend at a luxury hotel bought by one of Shane’s high school friends. (A little weird that Lauren is invited along with her non-romantic partner Shane, but I’ll go with it). Seventeen years earlier one of their classmates, Jessica, was murdered shortly after graduation. Turns out the other guests at the hotel were all fellow graduates and suspects in the mudrer of Jessica. Even Shane was considered a suspect, and has been secretly working the case. Tempers flare the first night and when the group get up the next day there are snowed in and one of them has been murdered! Given his relationship with the victim, Lauren must work the case alone with help remotely from another detective.

I really enjoyed the setting of a snowed-in luxury spa, the gathering of high school classmates many years later, and the investigation and reveal of the murderer. There was a definite Agatha Christie feel to this. I now want to go back and read earlier entries in this series.