Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge

Kjersti Herland Johnson's gentle romantic mystery Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge is her first novel published in English and has been adroitly translated from the Norwegian by Olivia Lasky. It's been a year since Ingrid Berg nearly died in an avalanche during a climbing trip. She still has nightmares about it as she slowly recovers in her childhood home, the Glitter Peak Lodge, the hotel she runs with her doughty and somewhat secretive grandmother, Borghild, in the mountains of Norway. But Ingrid's dangerous days are not behind her: someone is threatening the lodge that is her livelihood. Necessary repairs are piling up, and guests keep canceling suddenly with little reason. Add to this the reemergence of two attractive former flames demanding her attention, along with some ancient family drama coming to the surface, and Ingrid is at the limit of her ability to cope.

But she's unlikely to give up, given her motto: "Anyone who climbs mountains needs to be able to forget the fear, forget all the falls and frozen fingers and battles and impassable obstacles--and try again."

This inclusive cozy mystery features immigrant and queer supporting characters, single mothers, and strapping local farmers, and it is longer on character development and romance than it is on actual mystery solving, but all the pieces do ultimately come together in a satisfying and emotionally resonant way. A notable aspect of the novel's charm lies in its cultural specificity, such as loving depictions of holiday meals and details of the traditional regional attire, the bunad. Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge makes for a delightful literary vacation, particularly during the holiday season. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.

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