Hi, folks. I’m Misty Murphy, the innkeeper of the Mountaintop Lodge in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I bought the lodge just recently, on the same day I turned fifty and sent the youngest of my two children off to college at the University of North Carolina. Go Tar Heels! Some say I’m crazy to try to run a mountain lodge. After all, I have no experience in managing a hotel. I’ve been primarily a stay-home mom for the last two decades. But I’ve discovered that running a lodge isn’t much different than running a household. It’s just on a larger scale. I’m still picking up wet towels from the floor, making beds, and cleaning up after folks, only now I make money doing it.

A typical day for me starts bright and early, around 6:30, when my new best friend Patty brings over breakfast items from her Greasy Griddle diner across the parking lot. Together, we set up a buffet for my guests and engage in idle gossip. Normally there’s not much to gossip about up here. Beech Mountain has only a little over three-hundred year-round residents. But the guests who come up to the mountain for vacation often provide us some fodder for conversation. We get all types up here. Couples of all ages come up for a romantic getaway, to simply relax and enjoy the views and each other’s company. Sight-seers come up to take a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at each overlook to ooh and ahh at the beautiful scenery. Athletic types come to ski, snowboard, or ride mountain bikes down the slopes. Rugged, scruffy mountaineers come up to hike the trails or ride the rapids on the nearby rivers.

Once my guests are fed, my assistant Brynn and I start housekeeping rounds. Hiring Brynn was a smart decision on my part. She ran her own cleaning business for years before coming to work for me, and she’s responsible and hardworking. She’s a Wiccan—a practitioner of a type of nature worship with a goddess as its deity. I’m not sure it truly cleanses the lodge of evil when she smudges the place by burning sage, but the process leaves the lodge smelling nice. The smudging certainly can’t hurt, especially when one or another of my guests always seems to meet their demise during their stay.

Housekeeping is an interesting task. Venturing into the guests’ rooms gives us a peek into their private lives. The things they leave lying about tell us a great deal about them. Books. Medications. Wine, beer, or energy drink bottles. Well-worn hiking boots with many miles on them, or brand-new ones for those who are just playing at being outdoorsy. Sleepwear of various styles—or sometimes no sleepwear at all for those who go au naturel. Some guests are fastidious, lining up their shoes in neat rows in the closet and their toiletries standing at attention in tight formation on the bathroom countertop. Other guests are downright slobs, leaving their clothing and items strewn haphazardly around the space. Either way, I’m happy to do what I can to ensure their visit to the mountains gives them what they came for, be it a physical challenge, a refuge from the world, or just a little peace and quiet.

Once the rooms are clean, I return to the front desk and work on filling the lodge for the forseeable future, targeting small groups who might like to come up and have the place to themselves. Ski clubs. Birdwatching groups. Yoga students on a retreat. Between rustling up business, I play concierge for my current guests, recommending restaurants, hiking trails, and sights to see.

If you’re looking for a fun mountain getaway, come on up to the Mountaintop Lodge. You’ll have the time of your life . . . if you don’t end up dead.

Getaway With Murder, A Mountain Lodge Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: October 2021
Purchase Link

Getaway With Murder is the first in a brand new cozy series from Diane Kelly set in a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where secrets hide behind every hill.

As if hitting the half-century mark wasn’t enough, Misty Murphy celebrated her landmark birthday by amicably ending her marriage and investing her settlement in a dilapidated mountain lodge at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the old inn teetering on both a bluff and bankruptcy, she must have lost her ever-loving mind.

Luckily, handyman Rocky Crowder has a knack for rehabbing virtual ruins and for doing it on a dime, and to Misty’s delight, the lodge is fully booked on opening night, every room filled with flexible folks who’d slipped into spandex and ascended the peak for a yoga retreat with plans to namastay for a full week. Misty and her guests are feeling zen—at least until the yoga instructor is found dead.

With a killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance, Misty must put her detective-skills to the test. Only one thing is as clear as a sunny mountain morning—she must solve the crime before the lodge ends up, once again, on the brink.

About the author
Diane Kelly writes funny mysteries that feature feisty female leads and furry, four-footed sidekicks. Diane is the author of over 30 books, including the Death & Taxes, Paw Enforcement, House Flipper, and Southern Homebrew mystery series. In October, she’ll launch another new series, the Mountain Lodge Mysteries, with the debut book Getaway with Murder. Find Diane online at dianekelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @DianeKellyBooks, and on Facebook at her Author Diane Kelly page.

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