Aloha to Kate Dyer-Seely and IN CAVE DANGER (Pacific Northwest Mystery) - Book Review

On an expedition into Oregon's Lava River Cave, outdoor journalist Meg Reed stumbles across a body buried way more than six feet under . . .

A debate is raging over the use of public lands, and to cover the story for Northwest Extreme magazine, Meg joins a congressman and several others on a subterranean adventure--despite her intense claustrophobia. The thoughts of cave-ins and cougars are unnerving, but at least it's a distraction from her other anxieties, like her best friend's departure for Italy, her boss's plan to sell the company, and the ongoing questions about her father's suspicious death. But in the chilly darkness of the volcanic rock, she discovers a Forest Service employee, stabbed with a trowel. Now Meg will need to do some in-depth investigating or the truth may never come to the surface . . . 

Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing, featuring a young journalist, Meg Reed, who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme. Only Meg’s idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling her latte.

Kate lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—all three.

Learn more about Kate and her books at katedyerseeley.com.

Thurston Lava Tube near Kilauea, Hawaii

What fresh Hell awaits! 

- Frasier 

When Meg Reed graduated with a journalism degree, job prospects were slim pickings.  She convinced the owner of Northwest Exposure, a high adventure magazine, that she could tackle each assignment with gusto.  Yet each gig required her to face a personal fear.  IN CAVE DANGER, Book 5 in the Pacific Northwest Mystery series, Meg signs up for a tour of a lava cave despite her fear of small spaces.  Just as the tour descends into the tunnels, she stumbles across the dead body of a forest ranger.   

IN CAVE DANGER tackles the timely debate of public lands - should the land be preserved for posterity or opened for recreation?  The murdered ranger was an outspoken advocate for preservation thus Meg suspects a local rancher of foul play. As she launches her own investigation of the ranger's death, she finds herself embroiled in a larger mystery that involves her father, a legendary journalist who was run down while investigating the meth trade.  This larger mystery has been the overarching story line since SCENE OF THE CRIME, Book 1 in the series.  I felt the meth trade overshadowed the "mystery of the week" thus shortchanging Meg's sleuthing around the lava cave and high desert.  Yet Dyer Seeley was able to wrap up both mysteries in this series finale while staying true to Meg's character.

IN CAVE DANGER followed previous books in detailing the great outdoors in the Pacific Northwest which fuels the high adventure industry.  I enjoyed learning about the Lava River Cave and the Oregon High Desert - who knew Mother Nature was so creative?  I also appreciated Seely Dyer including the emerging culture of Bend, Oregon, along the Deschutes River - what's not to love about fresh air, majestic scenery, and indie pubs?

I purchased IN CAVE DANGER since I enjoyed previous books in the series.

My family found a lava tube under tree roots along 

the Road to Hana on Maui 

I am giving away "high adventure" swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about the Pacific Northwest - have you explored its natural resources?  Or enjoyed it unique culture?

During my first assignment in the Air Force, I often traveled from home outside Boston to Seattle to meet with the Boeing Company.  I often stayed the weekend to soak up the local sights, including the Seattle Underground Tour (link).

2. Comments are open through Sunday, December 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Monday, January 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Kate Dyer-Seeley and SILENCED IN THE SURF (Pacific Northwest Mystery Book 3) - Book Review

Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she’s headed for rough waters…

Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland’s Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It’s soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she’ll need to keep her balance—or she too may get blown away.

Image by Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives (link)

Out of water, I am nothing. - Duke Kahanamoku

Meg Reed is a budding reporter putting her journalism skills to work at Northwest Exposure, an extreme sports magazine. Her latest assignment takes her to the Columbia River Gorge for the "King of the Hook" windsurfing tournament. She invites her closet friends, fellow journalist Matt and law student Jill, to share her rental house for the weekend. Meg ventures out with the "top tiered" journalists for an early morning windsurfing demonstration, only to find that she drifted away from the crowd. As she scrambles to steer her windsurfer down river, she spots the reigning champion, Justin Cruise, floating upside down. Clearly, he was murdered.

Although she is warned to leave the investigation to the sheriff, Meg can't help but snoop around the tournament to find likely suspects. Along the way, she questions her career choice, her father's fatal accident, and her feelings for Matt - issues addressed in previous novels that seem to have no resolution in the near future. Meg's focus on these issues detract from the murder mystery which fails to reach its potential in carrying the plot. Dyer-Seeley offers some comic relief with Meg's challenge to overcome her klutzy tendencies while participating in extreme sports. The author also gives a nod to the "nerd herd" popularized by Comic Con and The Big Bang Theory. 

Dyer-Seeley excels with her vivid descriptions of the Pacific Northwest - its natural beauty, quirky culture, and outdoor activities. I was ready to book my flight to Portland and sample the microbrews, artsy vibe, and, of course, the gorgeous landscape. I learned more about windsurfing - I assumed competitions took place on an ocean beach, not a river gorge. Still, the windsurfing tournament (and the associated hoopla) reminded me of how the Hawaiians celebrate the kai (sea). I also enjoyed the references to holistic healing as practiced by Meg's grandmother.

In the end, I was satisfied with SILENCED IN THE SURF if only for the chance to visit the Pacific Northwest again with the millennials who I now consider book friends. I am hooked on the series and ready for the next adventure with Meg, Jill, and Matt.

I recommend reading this series in order.

I purchased a copy of SILENCED IN THE SURF since I enjoyed Books 1 and 2 in the series. 

Oneonta Creek

Image by Rocketstove (link)

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about extreme sports - have you sampled any?  I was required to participate the "slide for life" at AFROTC camp.  I held on for life to an overhead bar as I slid down a rope from a tower to a lake.  Yes, I jumped into the water!

2. Comments are open through Saturday, April 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Kate and her books at katedyerseeley.com.

Book 1 and 2 of the Pacific Northwest Mystery series

Aloha to Kate Dyer-Seeley and SLAYED ON THE SLOPES - Book Review

After talking her way into a job writing for Portland's Northwest Extreme magazine, Meg Reed may now really be in over her head. Actually, about 8,000 feet over her head. . .

She's at Mount Hood's remote Silcox Hut, covering the the seriously hardcore Ridge Rangers-- Oregon's elite high-altitude rescue team--during their four-day winter training. Sure, Meg beefed up her outdoor skills over the summer . . . but she's still hoping to cover the event with some hot chocolate by the cheery fireplace. Then, during a sudden blizzard, she swears she hears gunshots. No one stranded in the hut believes her . . . until self-absorbed Ridge Ranger Ben Rogers is found outside in a pool of frozen blood. Meg's now got to find this killer quickly . . . before cabin fever does them all in!

Vintage image Silcox Hut
Public Domain (link)

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. - Mae West

Meg Reed, like Mae West, has bravado.   She talked her way into a writer's job with an extreme sports magazine despite the fact that she is not an athlete, let alone extreme athlete.  Still, Meg takes each assignment with gusto ... only to find herself embroiled in a murder mystery.

SLAYED ON THE SLOPES is Meg's second adventure in this cozy mystery set in Oregon.   I enjoyed the first book, SCENE OF THE CLIMB, and purchased the second book with high expectations.  Dyer-Seeley takes Meg (and readers) to a new level of research (and height) when she joins the newly formed Ridge Rangers for their initial training as an elite ski rescue team atop of Mount Hood.  During a snow storm, the financial sponsor is murdered, distracting the team from their training and Meg from her writing.   As Meg discovers clues to the murder, she comes to realize who are her friends ... and who is the enemy ... in more than just the mystery. 

SLAYED ON THE SLOPES follows a predictable path of a cozy mystery - the heroine finds false leads; law enforcement warns her to stop snooping; and she consults with friends who appear on the scene.   Yet Dyer-Seeley sets this series apart with a 23 year old heroine who will resonate with readers of all ages - she has talent but questions herself.  Meg wants to be brave, on and off the slopes, but acknowledges her limitations.  She is loyal, committed, and ethical, making her very entertaining to follow along in this series.   The added bonus is Dyer-Seeley's detailed narrative of winter sports on Mount Hood, including the Timberline Lodge and Silcox Hut, that seemed more like a travel experience rather than a history lesson.    I read for escapism and  Dyer-Seeley transported me to the winter wonderland along the Magic Mile.

SLAYED ON THE SLOPES continues the overarching story of what happened to Meg's father, a newspaper reporter "killed" in a biking accident.   The last page left me speechless and satisfied.

SLAYED ON THE SLOPES can be read as a stand alone book as Dyer-Seeley provides Meg's back story and reintroduces other characters in her life - Gam (her healing grandmother), Jill (her almost perfect best friend), Matt (her reliable shoulder to cry on), and Greg (her too good to be true boss).  However, I recommend reading SCENE OF THE CLIMB first to enjoy Meg in all her glory.

I purchased a print copy of SLAYED ON THE SLOPES.

Mount Hood reflects in Mirror Lake.

Public Domain (link)

I am giving away a book choice from my covnention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about winter sports - do you have a favorite?  Like Meg, I am hopeless on skis!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 13, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 14.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Kate and her books at katedyerseeley.com. 

Check out my review of SCENE OF THE CLIMB at this link.

Aloha to Kate Dyer-Seeley and SCENE OF THE CLIMB - Book review

Available today from Kensington ...

Portland, Oregon, is the perfect fit for someone like Meg Reed. It's a city with a small town feel, where she can crash on the couch of her best friend Jill, now that she's graduated from journalism school. . .

But a girl needs a job, so Meg bluffs her way into writing for Northwest Extreme magazine, passing herself off to editor-in-chief Greg Dixon as an outdoor adventure enthusiast. Never mind that Meg's idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling her latte. So when she finds herself clawing to the top of Angel's Rest--a two-thousand-foot peak--to cover the latest challenge in a reality TV adventure show, she can't imagine feeling more terrified. Until she witnesses a body plummet off the side of the cliff. Now Meg has a murder to investigate. And if the climbing doesn't kill her, a murderer just might. . .

Ko'olau Mountains from Kailua Beach

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.  - Edmund Hillary

My favorite reality show, HOUSE HUNTERS, introduced me to the Pacific Northwest by way of its housing market.  The couples interested in the Pacific Northwest desire a green home, fresh air, and granola bars.   I have a few military friends who loved living in the Pacific Northwest ... so it was their enthusiasm which prompted me to review Kate Dyer-Seeley's debut cozy mystery, SCENE OF THE CLIMB.

I read fiction for entertainment, education, and escapism; Dyer-Seeley delivers all three with the lovable journalist Meg, her sensible friend Jill, and her gorgeous boss Greg.   Meg engages in "I Love Lucy" antics to bluff her way through her first assignment.   Dyer-Seeley captures the "green" essence that attracts so many to the Pacific Northwest.   And it is pure fun joining Meg on her quest to find a killer while breaking in her hiking books.  

Dyer-Seeley ends the book with a larger story that will obviously carry over to the next installment of Graduate Meets World.  I am looking forward to many more adventures with Meg!  Recommended read for fans of cozy mysteries, the great outdoors, and underdogs overcoming challenges.  

I received an ARC from Kensington for an honest review.   

Old Pali Highway Overlook

I am giving away a "green" swag prize package to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your experience with the great outdoors ... love it or loathe it?   When my youngest son was a Webelos II, already ready to bridge over to Boy Scouts, he attened a weekend campout at Bellows Beach with his older brother's troop.  Since he was still a Cub Scout, a parent had to accompany him.  Hubby was not available ... so I rented a cabin while the troop (and parents) slept in tents. I shared my story and pictures on my travel blog at this link.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City   

Learn more about Kate and her books at katedyerseeley.com.

Note that I did not have pictures of the Pacific Northwest, so inserted my belowed Hawaii. 

Atop the Lanikai Overlook