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carolpk's review against another edition
3.0
After hearing some thumbs up comments about Delany's Smith Winters series I recommended it to a friend. Two years later the friend was back seeking the series name. By this time I didn't have a clue. With the help of the readers' advisory skills of fiction_l members I was able to put this series back into the hands of my friend. Thought it was time for me to actually read one.
I decided to listen to the first in the series In the Shadow of the Glacier. Somewhere, somehow I got the impression that it was if not a cozy, not terribly graphic either. It started out that way but somewhere the tone was amped up. There is something about this and also the development of the main character, Molly (Moonlight) Smith that seems uneven to me. Initially I get the picture of an innocent, sweet-talking rookie cop, love child of hippie parents and before you know it she's dropping the f bomb ll over the place. This seemed out of character to me. It didn't help that I listened to this, finding the narration annoying too. I say this reluctantly as I realize it is not easy to narrate an audio book and I don't mean to insult this person's life work (Carrington McDuffie). In my opinion, the narrator's normal reading voice was excellent. It was when she got into character narration that I had the problem. Perhaps the change of voice or role play is needed to distinguish the characters but for me it did not work.
Back to the story. What would make me read another in this series. Delany sets the series in the fictional town of Trafalgar, British Columbia, a small town with some major political and ecological issues. Trafalgar's just above Vancouver and is holding out to keep it's wilderness character. At the get-go, Molly on her rounds as cop trips over the body of Reginald Montgomery. Many suspects emerge as Montgomery has many enemies. Not only is he opposed to the building of a Commemorative Peace Garden to honor Vietnam War draft dodgers but he is also financing Grizzly Resort, that if allowed to be built will ensure no grizzlies roam here any longer. . These two charged topics are dividing the townspeople. This would be enough to keep the police busy but add a whole bunch of other seemingly unrelated crimes and Trafalgar could use more than Smith and her Sergeant, John Winters, a tough veteran cop relocated from Toronto to keep the peace. I loved all the other stuff going on in small town Canada. reminding me much of my own small town living. Everyone knows everything about everyone and it's hard to stay out of everyone's business or get away with anything. Delany does a good job of giving us background on her key characters even if I thought their development uneven. I liked Molly's mother, Lucky, a throw-back to her hippie days and Molly's dad, Andy, who is trying to live in the present as a respectable businessman, forgoing his hippie past and clashing with his wife but also fiercely protective of both Lucky and Molly. Did I mention there's a dog; Sylvester? Molly is struggling with many things, the death of her young husband, living at home where she is still treated as a child named Moonlight, not driving, being a female on the force and trying to be taken seriously by townspeople who have known her since she was a babe and of course, her new superior John Winters (he's married so for now no love interest there), who she wants to impress. Getting back to location. Though the town is fictional the area, the Kootenay Mountains and river is make a great backdrop for the story. Many draft dodgers and resisters flocked here during the Vietnam War and this part of the story rings true.
In the end the book made me smile, kept my interest so I'll be back for more.
I decided to listen to the first in the series In the Shadow of the Glacier. Somewhere, somehow I got the impression that it was if not a cozy, not terribly graphic either. It started out that way but somewhere the tone was amped up. There is something about this and also the development of the main character, Molly (Moonlight) Smith that seems uneven to me. Initially I get the picture of an innocent, sweet-talking rookie cop, love child of hippie parents and before you know it she's dropping the f bomb ll over the place. This seemed out of character to me. It didn't help that I listened to this, finding the narration annoying too. I say this reluctantly as I realize it is not easy to narrate an audio book and I don't mean to insult this person's life work (Carrington McDuffie). In my opinion, the narrator's normal reading voice was excellent. It was when she got into character narration that I had the problem. Perhaps the change of voice or role play is needed to distinguish the characters but for me it did not work.
Back to the story. What would make me read another in this series. Delany sets the series in the fictional town of Trafalgar, British Columbia, a small town with some major political and ecological issues. Trafalgar's just above Vancouver and is holding out to keep it's wilderness character. At the get-go, Molly on her rounds as cop trips over the body of Reginald Montgomery. Many suspects emerge as Montgomery has many enemies. Not only is he opposed to the building of a Commemorative Peace Garden to honor Vietnam War draft dodgers but he is also financing Grizzly Resort, that if allowed to be built will ensure no grizzlies roam here any longer. . These two charged topics are dividing the townspeople. This would be enough to keep the police busy but add a whole bunch of other seemingly unrelated crimes and Trafalgar could use more than Smith and her Sergeant, John Winters, a tough veteran cop relocated from Toronto to keep the peace. I loved all the other stuff going on in small town Canada. reminding me much of my own small town living. Everyone knows everything about everyone and it's hard to stay out of everyone's business or get away with anything. Delany does a good job of giving us background on her key characters even if I thought their development uneven. I liked Molly's mother, Lucky, a throw-back to her hippie days and Molly's dad, Andy, who is trying to live in the present as a respectable businessman, forgoing his hippie past and clashing with his wife but also fiercely protective of both Lucky and Molly. Did I mention there's a dog; Sylvester? Molly is struggling with many things, the death of her young husband, living at home where she is still treated as a child named Moonlight, not driving, being a female on the force and trying to be taken seriously by townspeople who have known her since she was a babe and of course, her new superior John Winters (he's married so for now no love interest there), who she wants to impress. Getting back to location. Though the town is fictional the area, the Kootenay Mountains and river is make a great backdrop for the story. Many draft dodgers and resisters flocked here during the Vietnam War and this part of the story rings true.
In the end the book made me smile, kept my interest so I'll be back for more.
emjay2021's review against another edition
3.0
Borrowed this audiobook from my library's Overdrive service. I thought it was enjoyable, if unchallenging, and not a very mysterious mystery. I think what I liked best about it was the setting in the British Columbia interior--in the Kootenays. It was decently written and interesting enough to keep my attention--a good simple read, suitable for recuperating in bed.
One annoyance I had, however, was the narrator: she had the strangest way of pronouncing the diphthong "ou" (as in "about"). Unfailingly, she'd pronounce it "oh." So, "about" became "aboat," "town council" became "tone cone-sill," "how" became "hoe." Very irritating. Apparently she's an American--was she told that's a small-town Canadian accent?? I also found it jarring that she didn't know "Kootenays" is pronounced "Koot-knees," not "Koo-ten-aze." I did appreciate that she tried to do different voices for each of the characters--that worked to an extent.
One annoyance I had, however, was the narrator: she had the strangest way of pronouncing the diphthong "ou" (as in "about"). Unfailingly, she'd pronounce it "oh." So, "about" became "aboat," "town council" became "tone cone-sill," "how" became "hoe." Very irritating. Apparently she's an American--was she told that's a small-town Canadian accent?? I also found it jarring that she didn't know "Kootenays" is pronounced "Koot-knees," not "Koo-ten-aze." I did appreciate that she tried to do different voices for each of the characters--that worked to an extent.
cfulton20's review against another edition
4.0
Really good story and it is the start of a new series for me. looking forward to more!
kgraham10's review against another edition
1.0
Terrible character development. Every man in the book was a sexist jerk (or murderer or arsonist or bike thief or stalker). Mystery was obvious. I wanted to like the main character but there was nothing to hang on to. I won't be reading any more of this series.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting police procedural with an experienced veteran detective partnered with a rookie beat officer. I like their interactions although the sergeant is sometimes a little too harsh on the new officer, Molly Smith. The British Columbia setting makes this series unique.
This is the first book I've read by author Vicki Delany, but I am already looking for more books in this series to read.
This is the first book I've read by author Vicki Delany, but I am already looking for more books in this series to read.
rants_n_reads's review against another edition
3.0
A good start. I’m eager to see where Smith and Winters’ mentor relationship goes. Thematically different than some of the author’s other series, but still good! I have a feeling I’ll enjoy the later books more.
meliaraastair's review against another edition
5.0
Molly Smith - real name, Moonlight - was raised in the small town of Trafalgar, British Columbia by her hippie parents who moved to Canada as draft dodgers after her dad was drafted for the army. After the death of her husband, Molly is now a police officer, and her hippie mother doesn't quite approve. Her mom is fighting for a commemorative peace garden in town to recognize all the draft dodgers that moved to Trafalgar, but then the main opponent to the garden shows up dead. Rookie Molly is paired with the hotshot big city detective who has newly moved to town to investigate the murder. Then a prime time, biased, American reporter comes to town to report on the "truth"...and things get messy quickly.
I really enjoyed this book! This wasn't just a goofy cozy mystery - there was so much more going on. Molly is a great character, Winters was a great character, there were many subplots going on, and while I didn't totally expect the ending, I see where it was set up in the book, too. I really hope there are more in this series because I definitely want to read more!
If you enjoy mysteries that are fairly light but also actually have a plot, I recommend this book! I'd put them in the same category of good stories like both of Julie Hyzy's series and Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse mysteries. Check those out if you haven't! I'll go 8.5 of 10 for enjoyment, and 4 of 5 for readability. It did actually take a bit of focus, but it was a great book!
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordperss.com!
I really enjoyed this book! This wasn't just a goofy cozy mystery - there was so much more going on. Molly is a great character, Winters was a great character, there were many subplots going on, and while I didn't totally expect the ending, I see where it was set up in the book, too. I really hope there are more in this series because I definitely want to read more!
If you enjoy mysteries that are fairly light but also actually have a plot, I recommend this book! I'd put them in the same category of good stories like both of Julie Hyzy's series and Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse mysteries. Check those out if you haven't! I'll go 8.5 of 10 for enjoyment, and 4 of 5 for readability. It did actually take a bit of focus, but it was a great book!
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordperss.com!
tracyme's review against another edition
4.0
This got me hooked on Molly Smith mysteries. Our friendly neighbors to the north make good characters for a cozy-ish mystery.
redjoy's review against another edition
4.0
(audio book) This is set in BC which makes it really cool for me in a real town 'Trafalgar'. I like the characters and the story line. It is really good. The only reason I give it 4 start instead of 5 is because of the pronunciation by the reader. She says KootenAY instead of KOOTney and KoKANee beer instead KOkanee. They say Grey Point instead of Point Grey area in Vancouver. There are several more mispronunciations.
cmcgowan76's review against another edition
1.0
Didn’t need to finish this book. First five chapters were soooooo questionable. Couldn’t stand the main character. Far too many people introduced to keep up and in the midst of this disaster, they have group of characters seeking to build a memorial for draft dodgers of the Vietnam war. Please do some research-Canada was not a safe haven for draft dodgers. Do not bother with this series if book one is any indication.