Smoke Under Snow

Snow covers the lodge. It cant cover a killers tracks. A wintry cozy mystery in the Oregon Cascades.

Fresh powder, a roaring hearth, and a snowshoe fundraiser promise Pineglass Lodge a cheerful winter gathering. Then smoke sends the guests outside, and retired county clerk Elin Quade is found dead in the map room. Soon everyone has a theory about the chimney.

Wildfire investigator Mara Calder checked that chimney before the trouble began. Now the buildings story and the marks in the snow refuse to agree. To understand what happened during the evacuation, she must follow a trail of ash, footprints, and documents that mattered far more to Elin than anyone admitted.

Behind the lodges welcoming rooms lies a countys worth of carefully kept history—and grievances that have had years to harden. As Mara sorts out who handled the records and who moved through the smoke, an old map draws her attention toward the 2003 Foxglove Fire. Even Midge Holloway, usually ready with an answer and a radio, has a place she would rather not revisit.

Ember stays close. Sheriff Eli Mercer needs facts. And Mara must work out which tracks belong to frightened guests, and which were left by someone who knew exactly what needed to disappear.

Smoke Under Snow is Book 5 of The Cascadia Fireline Mysteries, a wintry lodge whodunit with a physical-clue puzzle, mountain-town warmth, and old secrets pressing through the surface.

For readers who love:

• Winter lodges, snowy trails, and fireside atmosphere

• Reconstructing events from footprints and small details

• Old maps with consequences in the present

• A capable investigator with trusted friends nearby

• An intricate whodunit without graphic violence