Snowed Under: The Leafy Hollow Mysteries, Book 5

Rickie Blair

Aug 2018 · The Leafy Hollow Mysteries Book 5 · Barkley Books

About this ebook

A crazy crossword conspiracy. A chilling murder. Will a green PI solve the clues without finding a deadly answer?

With Leafy Hollow in a deep winter freeze, landscaper Verity Hawkes is all out of funds. Setting up a private investigator business seems like the best way to indulge her fantasy and make a few bucks. But she never expected her first case would turn the whole town against her. 

As she investigates a shady, million-dollar crossword competition, even her detective boyfriend sides with her neighbors in thinking it’s legit. But when the contest seems to connect with scruffy dog walkers and a missing investment adviser, Verity hopes she can solve the clues before the whole town descends into a scammy word-smithing frenzy. Between vegan food scandals and a village hoarder biting the dust, the landscaper-turned-PI has her hands full. 

With time running out, can Verity discover the phantom killer before the culprit makes it two down?

Snowed Under is the fifth standalone installment in a series of charmingly-funny cozy mysteries. If you like quirky characters, twisty plots, and laugh-out-loud moments, then you’ll love Rickie Blair’s Leafy Hollow series. 

Buy Snowed Under to sift through a blizzard of clues today! 

Ratings and reviews

An enjoyable cozy mystery! There’s a lot going on in this book! I love Verity as a main character. I’ve read several of the books previous in this series. The books can be standalone but the author is very good about explaining things in each book so you are not lost if you have not read any previous books. I thought this book was fairly fast paced with several plots and enjoyable characters. I like that Verity is starting her own PI business during a boring winter off from her landscaping business. She definitely is not bored this winter! There’s a crossword puzzle scandal, murder, a dog, a best friend and a relationship with her boyfriend that seems to be moving to the next level. I went along for the wild ride and was a bit surprised at how things ended but immensely pleased with the story overall!

Rickie Blair has done it again! Not only is this new installment of Verity's adventures well written, fast paced and intriguing, it gives the reader a fairly realistic look at what life in a small Canadian town in the winter is like. I particularly enjoyed how this book returns to centre on the mysteries found in Leafy Hollow. Not that the previous couple of books, with the ongoing tale of her missing aunt, weren't engaging and enjoyable. It's just nice to get back to the setting and characters we fell in love with in the first book, without international complications. All in all, you cannot go wrong with this series. Fun and intriguing, it's the perfect escape from the dog days of summer. Or any other time, really.

Snowed Under (Leafy Hollow Mysteries book 5) by Rickie Blair Verity is not mowing lawns or gardening at present as it is snowing and freezing cold. There is a bit of brightness in her life though. Jeff is definitely her new boyfriend, Aunt Adeline is living in the house next door to Rose Cottage, and the work truck has had a new paint job thanks to Lorne’s business course he is doing. He thought it a good idea to advertise Coming Up Roses with the truck they used to haul around all the gardening tools and lawn mower. Lorne’s girlfriend Emy who is also Verity’s best friend, pointed out that it was Lorne’s idea when he complained that the truck was bright pink! It makes Verity smile each time she looks at it. Emy is urging Verity to begin her own detecting business while the lawns aren’t growing but Jeff isn’t keen on the idea. This series is wonderful and never dull. I thoroughly enjoy all the books and Aunt Adeline has returned and is no longer missing! But things are never dull in Leafy Hollow. I was given this book but the review is my own.

About the author

When not hunched over my computer conversing with people who exist only in my head, I spend my time trying to tame an unruly half-acre garden and an even more unruly Jack Chi. I also share my southern Ontario home with three rescue cats and an overactive Netflix account. 

I write The Ruby Danger series of financial thrillers, and a cozy mystery series, The Leafy Hollow Mysteries. The Ruby books reflect my interest in fraud and how it ruins lives, while the Leafy Hollow volumes are more light-hearted. I hope you enjoy them.

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