One of my favorites in this series. Wintry descriptions -- this would make a great read over December or February break, or an ideal book to pack and bring along on a ski trip! ( )

Susan Henshaw, her husband Jed, and their two children, Chrissy and Chad, are on a skiing vacation at Yellowstone National Park when they meet the Ericksen clan who are there for a family reunion. While the younger Henshaws quickly become friends with the youngest members of the Ericksen clan, Susan and Jed discover that the older Ericksen's are a dysfunctional family, especially patriarch George who dominates the entire family while his wife Phyllis tries to keep calm. Son Carlton is an alcoholic who had to leave the country to escape his father and stop drinking; and youngest son Darcy's homosexuality is not accepted by his father. The family seems to be constantly fighting and it's not long before someone murders both George and Darcy's lover. Most of the family thinks Darcy is the killer, but his mother isn't convinced and asks Susan, who has solved some murders in the past, to investigate.

"An Old Faithful Murder" is a good cozy mystery. I liked the skiing aspects, I've only been skiing once and I could fully emphasize with Susan as she learned how to ski. The mystery itself was well plotted with the identity of the murderer being a surprise as well as the motive. Wolzien's decision to have a housewife as the detective is an interesting one, especially since Susan's closest friend, Kathleen, is an ex-police woman who agrees to help with the case, but does little actual detecting. Wolzien's writing style can be shaky at times; the viewpoint sometimes switches from Susan's to Jed's and Jed disappears for long stretches in the book. Unfortunately, the ending of the book is the old cliched one with Susan gathering the family together to reveal the identity of the murderer. But what makes this book worth reading is Wolzien's gift for creating real characters; you can picture each member of the Ericksen family as you're reading the book.

"An Old Faithful Murder" is a pleasant if unremarkable cozy mystery. ( )