About the Book: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.
Praise For Scene Of The Climb
"A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie." --Library Journal
"A fun, terrific adventure." --Suspense Magazine
Includes Adventure Guides!
About the Author:
Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing. The first book in the series, Scene of the Climb, features the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme.
Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and international publications including: The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, Seattle Backpacker, Portland Family Magazine, and Climbing Magazine.
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—at all three.
Includes Adventure Guides!
My Review
This is my third visit with the not so outdoorsy outdoor sports reporter, Meg Reed, and it may just be my favorite one yet. We go from the snowy ski slopes in Slayed on the Slopes to a seriously hot summer day and windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge. Meg's immediate worries are not melting in the heat and then not drowning in the river but that all changes when she spots a dead body during a wind surfing lesson gone wrong.
Meg Reed is a fun character. She's smart and has good reporter instincts but also has a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment that has you cringing right along with her. She knows she shouldn't be involved in a murder investigation (and she gets told that a time or three by her friends) but she just can't resist asking questions. I really like Meg. She's a hard worker and ambitious and sometimes a little immature but still likable. I liked her relationship with her grandmother and with her friend Jill as well as with her maybe boyfriend Matt. I also really enjoy the fact that Meg is not super athletic or naturally gifted at sports. I can identify way more with her struggles to learn how to ski or windsurf than if she was great at everything she tried. I also find the extreme sports angle really unique and have enjoyed learning about different activities with her.
The mystery itself was well paced and didn't waste time getting started. While the sport of windsurfing is talked about a lot in the book it doesn't distract from the mystery and in fact helps flesh it out. There is also the subplot involving what really happened to Meg's beloved father. While this subplot has been a thread woven through the previous 2 books of the series, I don't think you'll have any problem catching up if you start with this book.
Overall, this is a fun entry into a solid mystery series. We've mostly seen Meg in freezing temperatures so seeing her suffer through an unseasonably warm summer was a change of pace and made me very glad I live in the South. We may have a super hot summer but air conditioning is the norm! I'm very much looking forward to seeing what trouble Meg gets into next! If you're looking for an entertaining cozy mystery that's a little different be sure to pick up a copy of Silenced in the Surf!
Don't miss out on the first two books, Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes!
About the Author:
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GIVEAWAY:
Signed copies of Scene of the Climb, Slayed on the Slopes and Silenced in the Surf, pink water bottle, Organic Clif bars, Sunscreen, Chapstick, Pink sunglasses & Gourmet lemonade.
Open to US addresses only.
Ends April 20, 2016
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
I love it when book grabs you straight away and the pace is good. Sounds like a good series and you certainly give it a nice review. Looking forward to more. Great giveaway too!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun series!
ReplyDeleteYou've sold me on this series, Katherine! It sounds like fun, and something a bit different from the usual cozy, with the outdoor/sportwriter thing. I've put them on my to-read list, and I'm checking the library to see if they have book one.
ReplyDeleteMeg seems like my kind of character. So glad you loved this.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop and sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun book and windsurfing! That's a new one for a cozy I think? Nice angle too that the sports reporter is not necessarily an athlete, and struggles with the sports she covers. Looks like a good one! And the covers for all three books in the series are nice!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of fun and I have the first one to read!
ReplyDeleteWonderful review Katherine and I really like the sound of Meg and that she struggles with sporting skills. Also sounds like she puts her foot in it at times. Likeable!
ReplyDeleteMeg sounds great Katherine and I love that this was your favorite. I like seeing that kind of progression in a series.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of Meg too. This really does sound like a solid series from what I've been hearing about it. I don't think I would ever learn how to windsurf (or any extreme sports for that matter), but I wouldn't mind reading about others who like to do it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in this series and author. Thanks for the opportunity.
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