The Inn Game and Sins of Kot-Do-Init

by Karen Truesdell Riehl

Four hundred years ago, according to local legend, in a place now known as the State of New Hampshire, Passaconaway, chief of the Pennacook Indians banished fur trader Hiram Horne, who was caught "doing it" with the tribe's cook, Pretty Feather. Horne, with his wife and five children, traveled north to the White Mountains, where he founded the village of Kot-Do-Init. In 1970 the town had a year-round population of 2,700, rising to 4,500 during peak tourist seasons. The Inn Game is the story of Pam and Michael Tatum, owners of the Kot-Do-Init Inn ski resort. Jim White's death from a fall from a skimobile while riding it late at night with another man's wife puts a wealthy playboy in town under suspicion. It's the topic of conversation at the Happy Morning Café between gossip collector Isaac Whitney and ski instructor Sam Bennings, a part-time investigative reporter for the Kot-Do-Init Weekly News. Sam has a thing for Happy Morning waitress Macy Hicks, who's been dating the wealthy playboy, Andrew Lewis. Roger Sundbee, a freelance investigative reporter, arrives in town, recognizable to readers of Riehl's earlier books Freedom's Sins and Deception's Sins. He joins in the investigation of Jim White's fatal accident. The Tatum's attempt to entertain vacationers while small town gossip and the hunt for a madman swirl about them.

105 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2017

Reviews

[Krystallyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clever mystery about a murder in a small New Hampshire town full of 400 year old folklore and intrigue. I was drawn into the complex plot at the first page and found myself spending the entire day enjoying the story. I will be seeking the Authors other books, if this one is any indicator of her talent as a writer, they will be just as much fun to read!

[Ivan Hecimovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Inn Game and Sins of Kot-Do-Init’’ is a book written by Karen Truesdell Rhiel and it is a book about a murder case set in a snowy surrounding of a mysterious place called “Kot-Do-Init’’. Why mysterious? How else a man can describe a place with four hundred years old legend, which surrounds it? But that is only the half of it. More of the story and actually the core of the story revolves around the murder case of a person who accidentally (or not) fell from a skimobile. Well, it is not actually that mysterious, especially if we take into consideration that a dead man had some quarrels with his wife and that he was also seen with another man before his demise. That does not necessarily tells us that everything is ‘already told’ and that the conclusion of the novel is clear, but it gives us some hints about the book and it definitely tells us that not everything is what it seems. And- that is a great thing, because personally I did not read that many novels about death cases in mysterious, or I should say- ‘ancient’ villages, such as Kot-Do-Init is.
Mystery, crime, death(s) and an ancient ceremonies, which have or do not have to do anything with the book’s premises and all that ‘enveloped’ in a snowy and frostbiting surrounding of Kot-Do-Init makes “The Inn Game and Sins of Kot-Do-Init’’ definitely an intriguing read. Thumbs up!

[Sanjin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively short mystery novel that doesn't waste readers time with dragging the plot and filler characters. Everything revolves around intriguing little town, or even village, of Kot-Do-Init, which has a mysterious past. Now the accident/murder has happened in the ski resort and everything is fixated on that.
There is a lot of characters for such a short book, but it doesn't feel crowded and everyone has a purpose to the plot. It is an interesting cast of policemen, waitresses, playboys, detectives and so on, and every character is recognizable and different enough. The plot moves at a steady pace, it is not too frantic or fast and it is not dragging either, the author hit a sweet spot for a mystery story.
I like the setting and atmosphere, winter and snow are a good fit for what is going on in the novel. Also, the legend of Kot-Do-Init provides an added layer of intrigue and mystery. Good book, check it out.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the synopsis was intriguing to me, and as I reread some of the names (Horne, and Kot-Do-Init) the subtle other way of pronunciation was funny to me and the book seemed like a fun read. It was so much more, a mystery in a small town during the offseason when the tourists are away and only the regular town residents are there to obsess and puzzle over the murder that just happened in this small town. The book isn’t that long, The Kindle reader estimates a reading time of 2 hours, so you don’t have to worry that this book is going to drag on. The author jumps right in with the plot and the different twists and turns of the storyline just keep coming and coming. A great writing style and pacing helped me speed along this little gem of a book and I finished it in two days (kids and college got in the way of a binge reading session).

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the quirky characters and how they fit together to tell the sort of tragic/comic murder
mystery. It did move along quickly and was very enjoyable.