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Miss Riddell #8

The Dead of Winter

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She’s used to solving crimes, not becoming the prime suspect. Can this amateur sleuth clear her name when a work retreat turns deadly?

Canada, 1986. Miss Riddell is ready for a break. Grateful to be invited to her boss’s lodge for a ski getaway, her chance to bond with colleagues takes a hit when an ice storm severs the remote town’s power. And after one of the guests is found dead in the snow, Miss Riddell rolls up her sleeves to find the cold-blooded killer… until she’s accused of being the murderer.

Confined to her quarters as suspicion runs high, the sharp investigator gets creative to prove her innocence before police arrive. But with no obvious culprits to interrogate and all fingers pointing at Miss Riddell, she fears she’ll end up locked inside four walls forever.

Can this shrewd detective put the right wrists in handcuffs before she’s the one slammed behind bars?

The Dead of Winter is the eighth book in the nail-biting Miss Riddell Cozy Mystery series. If you like determined protagonists, stealthy felons, and twisty trails of clues, then you’ll love P.C. James’s chilling investigation.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2022

78 people are currently reading
119 people want to read

About the author

P.C. James

32 books63 followers

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5 stars
63 (49%)
4 stars
38 (29%)
3 stars
21 (16%)
2 stars
3 (2%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Angela.
8,582 reviews123 followers
July 21, 2024
3 Stars

The Dead of Winter is the eighth book in the Miss Riddell’s Cozy Mystery Adventures series by P.C. James.
Miss Riddell’s Cozy Mystery Adventures is a ten-book boxset that follows amateur sleuth, Pauline Riddell on many adventures. The series spans about 35 years, and several countries, making for an interesting read.
With plenty of (historical) cozy mysteries, crime & investigation, intrigue, interesting characters, and dramatic developments- Miss Riddell is kept very busy, and takes us along for the ride.
The Series Contains:
-In the Beginning, There Was a Murder (Book #1)
-Then There Were… Two Murders? (Book #2)
-The Past Never Dies (Book #3)
-A Murder For Christmas (Book #4)
-Miss Riddell and the Heiress (Book #5)
-Miss Riddell and the Pet Thefts (Book #5.5)
-Miss Riddell’s Paranormal Mystery (Book #6)
-The Girl in the Gazebo (Book #7)
-The Dead of Winter (Book #8)
-It’s Murder, On a Galapagos Cruise (Book #9)

Happy Reading…

Thank you, P.C. James!
Profile Image for Adrian Murphy.
Author 14 books18 followers
April 11, 2022
I enjoyed this latest outing in the Pauline Riddell series. This time there's a twist. Instead of just investigating a murder, Pauline is the prime suspect.

P. C. James sets the action at a remote lodge in the Canadian wilderness. As we know from previous books, the main character isn't very adept at the outdoors. The storm which strands a group of people is nicely brought to life, as is her discomfort with the conditions.

The action develops into a tense cat and mouse plot, as Pauline strives to unmask the killer, knowing that she could be the next victim. I thought this was another well-written, enjoyable read in the author's growing series. Highly recommended for all fans of cozy mystery.
Profile Image for Dorenda Doyle.
Author 16 books13 followers
April 10, 2022
My Favorite Female Crime-Buster!

Any book that mentions Dire Straits HAS to be good, and this latest cozy mystery with the indubitable Ms. Riddell does not disappoint. What a concept—Ms. Riddell herself being fingered as the murderer! With a whole slew of questionable characters, the author had me guessing until the very end. I loved getting to know the personality of the elderly female sleuth a little better. Another Winner, Mr. James!
Profile Image for Miriam Verbeek.
Author 18 books243 followers
April 15, 2022
a great cosy read

Some themes are great to play with and tweak. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with little access to help, Pauline Riddle must find the killer before the killer takes another victim or even her. She’s got her suspicions but she can’t figure out why. Almost everyone has a motive. There are those who are driven to succeed in their careerS (at all costs?), those who have access to the means for murder, those whose overheard whispers might add up to something that needs looking into. And what about those who seem totally innocuous? Suspicion runs deep in everyone. It all adds up to a great read - nothing harrowing but a great light cosy mystery to entertain and keep you guessing.
Profile Image for Diane Wachter.
2,395 reviews10 followers
January 11, 2023
Miss Riddell, Bk 8, EBK-M, Kindle, @ 2022, Read 1/6/23, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Canada, 1986. Miss Riddell is happy to be included in a work retreat, but when it becomes deadly, she finds herself the prime suspect. I gave it 3☆'s = Good. However I had a really difficult time, as it was so very similar to a previous read (title and author escape me!) that I struggled to separate the two. Same setting, same situation, different methods. But, a cozy read.
642 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2022
Ice Storms and Death

Who killed Arnie and why!! Death stalks members of a book keeping firm and mystery solver, Pauline ,is implicated. How to solve the crime while being snowed in at this long weekend retreat and prove her innocence becomes complicated amid downed power lines and snowed in roads.
829 reviews3 followers
December 2, 2022
Intriguing

Miss Riddell was good at auditing and investigating. Her new job offered an opportunity to do both. Enjoyed seeing how her mind worked. Had figured out who but had no idea why so it was sufficiently suspenseful to keep my interest. Almost like seeing Miss Marple in current times.
79 reviews
April 9, 2022
another great mystery solved

Each novel gives Miss Riddell more depth. She’s an interesting character and a brilliant sleuth. I look forward to going back in time in her next book.
Profile Image for Ginny.
20 reviews
April 23, 2022
I haven't read any other books in this series so I didn't get some of the allusions to the past. This isn't usually a problem for me but I found the characters unpleasant enough not to want to read prior ones.
Profile Image for Mark Wylie.
Author 2 books2 followers
May 17, 2022
This is a first foray into the world of cosy mysteries for me, and I have to say I wish I'd made the journey before. James has a way of immersing you in the story from the start with enticing characters, exciting settings and an engrossing plot. I can't wait to pick up his back catalogue!
1,308 reviews16 followers
December 5, 2022
A tricky story that will have you guessing - who is the murderer? Great characters in a well developed mystery. Recommended.
Profile Image for The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V..
1,088 reviews28 followers
August 13, 2022
Another fun cozy mystery for Pauline Riddell to unravel! I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns in this one. P.C. James is getting really good at planting false leads. I thought I had the story pegged and then it totally took me by surprise with a completely different outcome. I also like how James allows things from the character's past to influence the current story in a way that you don't have to read all the books in the series. I've read several, but still this book could be read as a standalone and enjoyed as such. It's something I see rarely these days and I appreciate the Agatha Christie style of making each book it's own thing where a reader can choose to go in and read the whole series in order, or pick out the ones that they are more intrigued about and read those, like I have, or even just read one book and enjoy it on its own. It's a good strategy and I like how it's pulled off.

If you enjoy a good mystery that keeps you guessing, this is a great one to take a look at.
Profile Image for Jan.
Author 14 books29 followers
December 1, 2022
another fine romp

Oh that Miss Riddell - another fun addition to this series. Love the characters and interactions. Well done PC James
Profile Image for Maria do Socorro Baptista.
Author 1 book27 followers
December 10, 2023
Neste volume da série a protagonista se viu em sério risco: ou seria acusada de assassinato e presa, ou seria ela própria uma vítima do assassino. Mais uma vez, ela demonstrou que sabia o que fazer em situações tão complexas. Muito bom.
Profile Image for Robin.
1,386 reviews8 followers
January 6, 2023
Unpleasant, excessively chatty characters

This book has a whole lotta ugly people in it. Their conversations were challenging to read with attention. But the protagonist is pleasant enough, and she doesn't really think about romance at all, which makes her an anomaly among cozy protagonists.
4,417 reviews43 followers
May 4, 2022
Who killed Arnie and why??? AND tried to pin it on Pauline??? Revenge??? AND I really like the last couple sentences of the book. I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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