It's beginning to look a lot like murder . . . And Cassandra is knee deep in . . . Suspects. Her boss is dead, and the police are calling it burglary gone wrong. But when the killer comes after her, it's going to take more than a pair of furry boots to keep the smart, witty Morton College administrator, Cassandra Sato, out of the deep. . . Snow. Her first Christmas in Nebraska could be her last unless her friends help unravel the mystery and housebreak her dog. Buy now for a fast-paced, holiday themed ...
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It's beginning to look a lot like murder . . . And Cassandra is knee deep in . . . Suspects. Her boss is dead, and the police are calling it burglary gone wrong. But when the killer comes after her, it's going to take more than a pair of furry boots to keep the smart, witty Morton College administrator, Cassandra Sato, out of the deep. . . Snow. Her first Christmas in Nebraska could be her last unless her friends help unravel the mystery and housebreak her dog. Buy now for a fast-paced, holiday themed whodunit. Dead of Winter Break is the third book in Kelly Brakenhoff's popular Cassandra Sato Mystery Series. Death by Dissertation was a 2020 RONE Award Finalist. Publishers Weekly called Dead Week , "a diverting whodunit."
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Cassandra Sato is experiencing her first Nebraska winter after moving from Hawaii to take the job at Morton College. She is surprised to see her former boss, Dr. Gary Nielson, in the audience at the Fall Commencement Ceremony. She tries her best to catch up with him after the event but it appears he has already left. She learns he is coming out of retirement to resume his prior position. When he shows up at her house later she is confused by what he is trying to tell her. But when Deputy Tate of the Saunders County Sheriff's Department shows up on her doorstep Monday and informs her that Dr. Nielson is dead she knows she needs to figure out what the man was trying to tell her. Especially because now it seems his killer has set their sights on her.
With the college basically shutdown for the holidays, Cassandra is the only administrator on duty so while looking into Dr. Nielson's death she has to watch over the students staying on campus and if work duties aren't enough to keep her busy a huge snowstorm has hit the area and a branch has broken off a tree and landed on her house leaving a nice hole in her roof. She also trying to adjust to having a dog in her life that really doesn't like her.
A killer on the loose, students with no direction, break-ins, threatening messages, a dog who would rather be with anyone other than her, snow, ice, and a freezing cold home. If she survives it may be time to go back to Hawaii.
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Cassandra Sato is a great protagonist. She has a lot on her shoulders in this story and she doesn't back away from any of the tasks thrown at her. I really enjoyed how she got a group of students to clean up their dorm's common areas and then spent time with them to play games and watch holiday movies. She understood how they felt being away from their families because she was in the same position.
The death of Dr. Nielson was complicated because it had something to do with a trip he took for the school with other faculty and students. There were a lot of moving parts to zero in on to get to the true people involved but Cassandra was like a dog with a bone following every clue. When she finally realized why the man was killed and why the killer was after her it was too late because now her life was in mortal danger. Such an exciting chase! Help was found in an unexpected place. Cassandra had quite an adventure.
Cassandra has grown a lot since the first book in this series. She wants to move up at the college but the powers that be haven't been very open to that possibility even when she always takes on and handles whatever they ask of her. I am hoping in the next book she gets credit for all she does.
Kelly Brakenhoff's writing style is very comfortable, it's descriptive without getting wordy. Her characters are well-defined and engaging. They have continued to develop nicely. I like that she draws on her experience as an ASL interpreter and has Cassandra learning sign language as part of her job ensuring services for deaf students at the college.
Dead of Winter Break is another strong cozy mystery from Ms. Brakenhoff. There appears to never be a dull moment at Morton College. I wonder who the next president of the college will be. I have added Death 101: Extra Credit to my wish list.
