The Alpine Betrayal

Emma Lord #2

by Mary Daheim

When a local girl, Dani Marsh, returns to Alpine a star to shoot a Hollywood film, the tension in the air is so thick it crackles. Then at the annual Loggerama, Dani's former husband, Cody Graff goes berserk with an axe and is later found dead. Reporting on on all the goings-on as the editor of the ADVOCATE, Emma Lord begins to suspect that neither she nor the sheriff, laconic Milo Dodge, is getting the real story. Why are there such strong feelings among those who knew Dani back when? Why so few tears for Cody Graff? Whence the impenetrable mystery that enfolds Alpine like a shroud? Emma's nose for a story leads her straight into trouble....


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Crime

233 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Mary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.

Reviews

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first Alpine novel (Alpine Advocate), I almost didn't finish it because I thought it was a little slow, but a good mystery so hoped the second would be better. Three stars for the mystery only, because you really don't figure it out right away. However, for the first 80 pages (!!) there is nothing but descriptions (again) of everyone in the town, and everything going on during the Loggerama festival. In the first book, she described everybody/everything for so long that it got boring fast, with the murder coming late into the book. She does it again in this one, and I can only wonder if this will continue throughout the series. I'm not sure if I will continue reading these, since it really runs slow until the murder (drags on, if you will), and only then are you given a chance to see where the book will lead you. I prefer novels that get you interested in the first couple of chapters.

[Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm slowly going through the series, trying to read in order. I enjoy the small-town, cozy feel of this series. I think the characters are still getting settled at this point, so there tends of be plenty of exposition and emphasis on character traits. I find the son, Adam, excruciating because he is so careless, but hopefully there will be some growth over the course of the series. in this particular story, there's a convoluted plot about a movie company coming into town and the lead actress's ex-husband dying mysteriously. I figured it out myself, which I rarely do with mysteries (I don't usually try to solve them). nonetheless I enjoy the characters and setting.

one interesting thing - this is from about 1993? prescribing thorazine to a child - yikes! different times

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read recommended by my library, but this series is just not for me. It reminded me of "Murder she Wrote" episodes - small town people, gossip, a whole lot of silliness, buried secrets and several amateur detectives doing their part to solve a murder.

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town Washington state mystery featuring newspaper publisher/editor Emma Lord in the second in the series. Local girl Dani Marsh returns to town with a movie crew to shoot her newest film. It's also the week of the Loggerama, the local festival celebrating the region's logging heritage. Things go from bad to worse as Dani's ex-husband is found dead and the community splits between accident/suicide/murder. Emma, her staff, and the local sheriff work to discover what really happened, both in the past and the present.

I will be reading the next in the series. The smalltown vibe is there and the mystery provided plenty of red herrings and other twists. Basically, this is just a fun, short book that reads quickly.

[Sandra Holladay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could use some actual fact finding (i.e. son is in Ketchikan, AK and says Fairbanks is 700 miles away (is actually over 1500 miles away), unless, of course, she is emphasizing sons lack of geographical detail). Otherwise, pretty fair read. I enjoyed the interactions of the people, the descriptions of small town life. I liked the ending. Some may have thought justice wasn't served, but I did.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani, a movie star, returns home with a movie crew to the town she grew up in, Alpine. Five years before, she was married and a mother. Dani’s baby, Scarlett died five years before. She left town. When her ex husband is found dead, Emma, the owner of the local paper is determined to find the killer. As Emma solves the crime, we learn about small town life.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to fill in gaps in a series I'm enjoying. At first I thought it a little slow, but the ending more than made up for it, tying up several plot threads, and filling in character development referred to later in the series.
Interestingly, set in summer in a ski resort.

[Zermeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book much more than the first in the series. I will definitely be continuing it. The characters continue to develop and the mystery was interesting. I was able to solve the mystery and all the accompanying red herrings before all was revealed at the end.

[Mary Longo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery series! This book in particular is very good, it's fun to see the relationships develop in the series and this particular book answers more questions about the characters in Alpine. I've read this one before, but forgot the particulars. Very worth reading!

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series. Great characters and plot.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never saw it coming the guilty party surprised me, great whodunit.

[Shirley Erstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2nd book in the Emma Lord series. A light, cozy mystery.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still on the fence on this series. Its nit bad, its just nit as good as the Bed and Breakfast one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE ALPINE BETRAYAL - 2nd in series
Daheim, Mary - 2nd in Emma Lord Series

When a local girl, Dani Marsh, returns to Alpine a star to shoot a Hollywood film, the tension in the air is so thick it crackles. Then at the annual Loggerama, Dani's former husband, Cody Graff goes berserk with an axe and is later found dead. Reporting on on all the goings-on as the editor of the ADVOCATE, Emma Lord begins to suspect that neither she nor the sheriff, laconic Milo Dodge, is getting the real story. Why are there such strong feelings among those who knew Dani back when? Why so few tears for Cody Graff? Whence the impenetrable mystery that enfolds Alpine like a shroud? Emma's nose for a story leads her straight into trouble....

Light but enjoyable.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the second installment of Mary Daheim's Emma Lord cozy series, Alpine Betrayal, Emma Lord returned to solve another crime in her small town of Alpine Washington. When Dani Marsh returned to Alpine to shoot a film, it stirred up a lot of trouble and controversy. When her ex-husband, Cody Graff, ended up dead, it was up to Emma to find out who did it and why, while she maintained contact with Tom Cavanaugh, her son's biological father, to be in touch with her son Adam over in Alaska. The closer to the truth she ended up, the more she uncovered the truth of her father and other secrets came up to light, before this case could be considered closed.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars when I read it years ago. Now I have reread it, and I have two comments along with my 5-star rating. First comment: how could I not have any recollection at all of having read it before, even if it may have been ten years ago? Second comment: few books have events in them that give me a thrill of surprise. This book did that to me. At least once.

This book was written before the formulaic cozy mysteries and is a little “meatier” than a cozy. I highly recommend it for those who want the occasional meat in their diet.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

HB-B @ 1993, 5/20/12. A Hollywood movie company comes to Alpine to shoot a film, the female star is a native Alpine girl, Dani Marsh, who had a hard life in Alpine, but has made it big in Hollywood. The movie company turns Alpine upside down, and Dani's first husband, Cody Graff turns up dead after drinking too much. It first appears that Cody was hit by a car, but the autopsy determines he was poisoned, and died before the car hit him. Emma Lord, Vida Runkel and Milo Davis work to solve the mystery. Okay.

[Candy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An improvement over the first, but I just don't find myself falling in love with any of the characters. Decent, but un-exciting. I do wish the author would learn not to use obvious foreshadowing to end some sections. It not quite endemic, but they are distracting and condecending.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #35 read in 2006

Daheim's writing is always a bit laborious to read. Everything seems so slow going at times. However, despite this, I did not hate this book. I do like many of the characters, and I enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit.

[VJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many similarities between the Judith Flynn novels and the Emma Lord novels. This series is far less humorous but just as interesting.

I had no clue who was responsible for the murder, although I did guess a few other plot points ahead of the reveal.

[KDawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story this one...I was iffy on the first of this series, but Daheim settled into a good rhythm and I like this one a lot. Despite a few stereotypical characters that you almost have to have in a cozy mystery, I like her style. Onward to the next!

[Elsbeth Magilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

For quick easy mystery fixes, these are fabulous. Thoughtful plots: not too confusing but complex enough to be engaging. Falling in love with the townspeople too. Looking forward to going back into small town 90's for the rest of the series.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I guessed both the identity of the murder and two basic plot twists (I won't tell you which ones so I don't spoil it for you) before I was even halfway through with the book...

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a rollercoaster and the ending is quite a show stopper. Just hang on to the edge of your seat, it's going to be an exciting read.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: Emma Lord; small town newspaper owner has much to report with a movie crew in town, but murder turns up and may be related to long ago events.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a competent if not exciting seres, and definitely one of my favorites by the author

[Glenn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent second entry in the series--and many more to go!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this one after a long enough time that I could not remember 'who dunnit'. I enjoy this series and will likely re-read others and read the new ones as they come out.