This is the first book in the Pacific Northwest series by Kate Dyer-Seeley (most will recognize her as Ellie Alexander, author of the Bakeshop series and her new Sloan Krause series). I wasn’t sure just by reading the description or seeing the cover if I’d like it since I’m not a bit athletically inclined and definitely not a sports fan of any kind. But I was pleasantly surprised and plan to keep reading the series.
For anyone actually interested in the sport of climbing or trails, there is some information after the story about the different sites in Oregon used in the book. There are also some tips for beginners (like Meg!) to get started in the sport.
My Goodreads review:
Scene of the Climb by Kate E. Dyer-Seeley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Even though I’m about as far from being the outdoors type as you can get, once I got into this book, I really enjoyed it. I liked that it wasn’t overwhelmed with outdoor facts, just enough to describe the area in Oregon where this was taking place.
Meg Reed, daughter of famed journalist Charlie Reed has finally landed a journalism job, one her dad would have been proud of at Northwest Extreme magazine. One tiny little thing though, Meg is a total novice when it comes to outdoor adventures, only having hiked with her dad when she was younger. When her handsome boss Greg assigns her a primo assignment to cover Race the States, a first time adventure race which is ending in Oregon, Meg hopes she can live up to his expectations.
When Meg is on the trail and one of the contestants’ bodies comes sailing over the cliff, she’s sure it has to be murder and despite Greg, Sheriff Davis’s and even her good friend Matt’s warnings to not investigate, she just can’t help it. She’s her father’s child after all!
Her dad had died in a bike accident which had seemed odd at the time since he was always so careful. There is reason to believe it may not have been an accident, so I an going to enjoy seeing this little mystery spread out over the books, as I read in someone’s blog recently.
The regular characters were all well-developed and likable, um maybe not so much Jill’s boyfriend but he’s tolerable just kind of snooty. I think my favorites were Matt and Gam (Meg’s grandma). Matt is loyal to a fault and clearly adores Meg but she can’t bring herself to think of him in that way. Gam practices Reiki healing and is always wanting to help Meg.
I had slightly suspected the killer but the twist and reasoning came as a total surprise to me. It was definitely an exciting journey to the finish of this book! I’m reading the next one right away since we’re discussing it in a Facebook book club later this month.
This book may not have turned me into an outdoor adventures fan any more than I already was, but it did tell a great story!
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 