“Death of a Dapper Snowman” A Stormy Day Mystery series By Angela Pepper

by Kathleen Costa

Details on how to get a free copy of this book at the end of the review & a link to purchase it.

Stormy Day has returned home to Misty Falls, Oregon, excited about her new house and a new business, Glorious Gifts, but leery about town gossip and seeing old friends. She is also keeping an eye on her dad, Finnegan Day, retired police officer, who after an injury, now has a live-in girlfriend/caregiver, Pam Bochenek. She is not one of Stormy’s favorite people, as she barges into the shop shouting complaints about dusty shelves and demands that Stormy drop everything to find her cat. Stormy grits her teeth and sets off in the wintery snow to finding the cat sitting on the porch of her dad’s house. Almost succeeding to capture the Russian Blue ball of mischief, she ends up chasing it into the neighbor’s yard. Sitting on top of a somewhat disheveled snowman, bribes of tasty treats serve to coerce the cat into the pet carrier, and dislodge the snowman’s head. In an attempt to straighten the lopsided head, it falls, and uncovers the body of grumpy Murray Michaels. This isn’t good…

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Stormy has more than once helped her father with some ‘snooping,’ so she does have the skill set, and she’s not shy about asking questions. She starts as a witness telling all she remembers to Officer Tony ‘Baloney’ Milano, childhood friend, but decides when her father is thought to be a ‘person of interest,’ she needs to actively pursue her own investigation. Her covert interrogations start with many of the local businesses discovering shoplifters and snoops, then old friends with gossip, and finally there is the wayward mail, possible distant relatives, and so many town secrets. Although the investigation puts Stormy on everyone’s radar, she does find her new tenant, the hunky lawyer, a very interesting sight. But could the killer have her in their sights, too?

Image source: Angela Pepper

This is the first book of the Stormy Day Mystery series and a great way to introduce some delightful characters and an entertaining mystery. Stormy, not thrilled with her parents’ humor in naming her and her sister (Sunny), is an independent and strong character whose reputation of exacting justice against school bullies has everyone whispering about her return home. Her sidekick Jeffery Blue, a Russian Blue cat, is fun offering that helpful ear and encouraging ‘meow’ for her to sort through her feelings about being back home and whether romance is a possibility, along with going over all of the various suspects and scenarios. It is an easy read with some twists that make you question whether you figured out the motive and the killer. The writing is entertaining, but I thought the final solution was a bit too simplistic. However, I am interested in continuing to read the series currently with four books.

Death of a Dapper Snowman earns 4/5 Sinister Snowmen!

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Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.