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Nancy Mehl

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In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1 Mass Market Paperback – December 7, 2007

by Nancy Mehl (Author)

3.8 16 ratings

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Samantha "Ivy" Towers returns to Winter Break, Kansas, where she spent her summers as a child, to make funeral arrangements for her Aunt Bitty. While there, she begins to suspect her aunt's death, which resulted from a fall in her bookshop, wasn't an accident after all. Childhood friend Amos Parker, now sheriff of Winter Break, seems anxious to get Ivy out of town. A missing book, a message scrawled by an unknown person, and an extra coffee cup leave Ivy with more questions than answers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewing a cozy mystery is a new experience for me, but I became an immediate fan of the genre. Nancy Mehl weaves her cozy spell so skillfully that I was enthralled from page one. Ivy Towers is an appealing heroine, Winter Break, Kansas the ideal location, and supporting characters lend depth to the delicious plot.

Ivy Towers holds fond childhood memories of Winter Break and her Great Aunt Bitty. Ivy's parents are missionaries to China. Bitty nurtured the girl in her parents' absence. Many happy, comfortable times were spent in Miss Bitty's Bygone Bookstore. Now Bitty has died, leaving everything she owns to Ivy, including the book store. Winter Break is a tiny Kansas town where winter comes early and leaves late. The book store never changes. Outside a wintry wind blows sleet and snow against the windows, but inside Bitty's store Ivy finds a familiar sanctuary: the scent of lemon oil and smell of old books, a warming fire crackling in the fireplace, the old grandfather clock, and a purring cat. Cozy. Safe. Comforting. Ivy knows Aunt Bitty considered death to be a "home-going" and not a loss, but the truth is immediately apparent and troubling. Bitty's death was not the accident it seemed at first, and someone helped Ivy's aunt get to heaven prematurely. The small town book store owner and doting aunt was an expert in rare books and had clients all around the world. Did someone kill Bitty to possess a rare book? Or is the cause of death more sinister than that?

Mehl scatters tantalizing hints and red herrings throughout the story for readers to unravel. Did one of the colorful locals murder Bitty? Maybe the kindly owner of the Food-a-Rama didn't love Bitty as much as he pretends. Did her hired assistant weary of his labors and do Bitty in out of spite? And why is Amos Parker, Ivy's childhood friend turned deputy sheriff, so insistent that she leave town immediately? I can almost guarantee readers won't solve the mystery before Ivy does. If you love mysteries -- cozy, Christian, or otherwise -- you won't want to miss even one of the Ivy Towers books. Nancy Mehl's writing style is exceptional and her books highly recommended.

Review by Laurel Johnson for Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Norman, and her son, Danny. She’s authored nine books and is currently at work on her newest series. All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Heartsong Presents (December 7, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1597895229
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1597895224
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 1 x 7 inches

Customer Reviews:
3.8 16 ratings

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Nancy Mehl

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Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her puggle, Watson. She's authored over fifty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy's novels have an added touch - something for your spirit as well as your soul. "I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing," Nancy says. "It's a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn't be writing at all if I didn't believe that this is what He's called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can't overcome with His help."

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: www.nancymehl.com. She also is active on the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com and on FaceBook!

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avid reader

A Cozy Cozy

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2009

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I don't often pick up inspirational fiction, but while Nancy Mehl's In the Dead of Winter falls into this category, it is no less conventional mystery for that. In fact, the theme of goodness, embodied by Aunt Bitty, lends an added dimension, all the more suited to a novel that takes place in the holiday season.
Ivy Towers, college undergraduate-turned-sleuth, inherits her great aunt's Bygone Bookstore in the remote Kansas town of Winter Break. Hats off to Ms. Mehl for creating great atmosphere, and this isn't confined to the bookstore. The whole town comes to life. In fact, I felt compelled to Google the town of Winter Break, just to see if it existed. The characters, while eccentric and larger-than-life (think Dickens), are wholly believable too.
Back to the mystery... Ivy (who hates her name and changes it to escape her gauche past) must discover who caused Aunt Bitty's fall from her ladder before she can return to her new life. In this pursuit, she is aided and abetted by a childhood friend, now the town sheriff. He refuses to call her by her new name of Sam. He likes her just the way she is and was. Well, everybody likes Ivy and everybody thinks she should stay.
Will she, won't she: solve the murder, determine her destiny, and find true love?

3 people found this helpful

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B. Tucker

Ivy Towers mystery: Book One

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2010

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This is a typical "cozy" that is well-written.It draws you into the story in just a few paragraphs. The characters are easy to like, the Christian point-of-view is inspirational. The setting is a small town in Kansas. Ivy, who wants to call herself Sam, has been called there to deal with her Great-Aunt Bitty's bookstore and the rest of things Aunt Bitty left for Ivy. Everyone assumes Ivy will stay and take over the bookstore, everyone except Ivy. And did Aunt Bitty fall? Or was there someone else involved in her death? Ivy vows not to leave until she knows the truth. Who could have hurt Bitty, a woman who did her best to be a good Christian and would go out of her way to help a soul in need? There's a "love" interest in the Sheriff who was Ivy's friend when they were children and another fellow who wants to buy some of Bitty's books, or does he? What about Bitty's weird little assistant?

The book is a quick fun read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

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M. C. Crammer

I didn't realize there was a genre called Christian mysteries until I read this book.

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2009

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Although the evangelical emphasis was at times irksome (and I speak as a regular church-goer), that's not the reason I'm only giving the book 3 stars.

First, I thought the mystery was way too easy to solve. I had the killer pegged by the time I was half-way through the book, and the clues were so big you could trip over them. Second, I thought the writing was not more than adequate.

Obviously, all the other reviewers liked this book better than I do, but I suspect that these reviewers did not have a problem with all the preaching. I could have accepted that as part of the genre, but a ridiculously easy mystery to solve cannot get more than 3 stars from me.

8 people found this helpful

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Nancy R. Williams

Faith based theme overwhelming

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2010

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It would have been nice to know that "faith based" / "religion" / "Christianity" was a major theme of this series before I purchased 4 of them. If that's your preference, great..my objection is that it wasn't apparent in the title, editorial review or product description. Most cozies proclaim their themes in these places. Constant religious messages on every page are not my reading preference - had it been referenced in the title / editorial review / product description I would not have purchased them. Intentional or not...the lack of mention of a major component of the theme feels a bit underhanded. It has taught me to always read all of the reviews before purchasing....

4 people found this helpful

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Bo

Very Good Read

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2010

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Highly recommend this series for readers who appreciate characters with a Christian value system. Entertaining plot and believable characters.

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2015

Great Book

FAITH BASED MYSTERY #1 IN SERIES

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2010

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Ivy Samantha Towers returns to Winter Break KS to attend to her great-aunt Bitty Flanagan's funeral arrangements. Someone leaves her a message saying that Bitty was murdered. Of course, this sets off bells and whistles for Ivy to find the killer before she returns to Wichita to college. The deputy Amos is very interested in Ivy as an old friend and strikes up a new relationship with her. Also some of the characters in town are introduced in this book to be followed by three more mysteries.

One person found this helpful

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Melisa Michaels

Christian Fiction

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2010

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This is an enjoyable mystery in its way, but it really should be noted that it's CHRISTIAN fiction. If you're not Christian, and not familiar with their practices and their bible, you may find yourself astonished, even disturbed, in places where the author clearly believes she's saying nothing at all out of the ordinary.

If you are Christian, by all means buy the book: it's quite competently written, the style is pleasant and breezy, the resolution carefully foreshadowed and nicely handled. You are the intended audience, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

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