Frozen in Motion * Lori Roberts Herbst * Callie Cassidy #3

When an unwanted ex-husband literally drops dead from a hockey arena catwalk and lands directly on top of her, a sharp-eyed Colorado photojournalist must navigate her own physical injuries and rocky personal romances to catch a cold-blooded killer.

The Story: Written by prominent, award-winning cozy mystery author Lori Roberts Herbst, this high-energy third installment in the celebrated Callie Cassidy Mystery series turns a local mountain sports arena into an exceptionally sharp, fast-paced puzzle box. Herbst  masterfully balances realistic relationship drama with a bizarre, high-stakes sports arena investigation.

The plot follows the intuitive Callie Cassidy, who has put down roots by running a boutique photography studio in the snowy mountain enclave of Rock Creek, Colorado. With Valentine's Day around the corner, Callie is in no mood to celebrate; her own second-chance romance is on shaky ground, and her best friend has just gotten engaged to a man Callie deeply distrusts. Looking for a distraction, she hesitates but agrees when local hockey coach Renata Sanchez begs for help getting her toxic ex-husband to leave town. The favor is highly delicate, given that Renata’s brother, the local police detective, notoriously bristles whenever Callie interferes with official law enforcement tracking lines.

Before Callie can even begin her research, a public confrontation erupts outside her studio. The situation turns severe later that day at the local ice rink when the ex-husband plummets from the overhead catwalk, breaking Callie's fall and leaving her nursing plenty of painful injuries. With Renata and her new boyfriend immediately pinned at the absolute top of the sheriff's suspect list, Callie faces a strict countdown to prove their innocence. Backed by her inquisitive cat, Carl, and her loyal golden retriever, Woody, she must use her sharp visual eye to piece together the evidence before the real killer permanently thaws out their next target. This award-winning whodunit provides an exceptional, winter-themed showpiece for amateur detective shelves.

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, fast-reading amateur sleuth mysteries and sports-themed whodunits with an independent female lead like the works of Donna Andrews, Laura Childs, or Lynn Cahoon; readers keeping pace with Callie Cassidy's ongoing Colorado mountain adventures; and fiction lovers who appreciate Valentine's Day backdrops, animal sidekicks, and tight-knit community dynamics.

First Place in the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Murder & Mayhem category.

Published 2022 by Lori Roberts Herbst.

Cozy Mysteries / Photojournalist Sleuth Whodunits / Winter Sports Mysteries / Small-Town Colorado Crime Fiction / Series Continuations