‘A Murder on the Mountain’ by Ellie Alexander

Published by Storm Publishing,
10 July 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-83700146-0 (PB)
Previously released as
Scene of the Climb.

In this new series we meet Mary Margaret Reed, (Meg) who lives in
Portland, Oregon. Currently crashing on her best friend Jill Pettygrove’s sofa, after graduating from college. Now not only jobless, but grieving following the death of her father (Pops), who had been an investigative reporter.  

Five gloomy months on after plastering her résumé at coffee shops and bars, she is still unemployed, owing to The Oregon Newspaper having laid off forty reporters. At a coffee bar one morning she gets talking to an attractive man called Greg who knew her father and he offers her a job. She naturally jumps at it. 

It all sounds good except that the job is as a reporter for an extreme sports magazine. Meg had lied to get the job, which involves taking part in the activities alongside the participants in order to write her article’s. Meg is short and non-athletic. Oops. 

So, to report on her first assignment Meg doesn’t wish to reveal her fear of heights. So armed with new pink hiking boots and a very heavy backpack, she cautiously climbs towards Portland's Angel's Rest summit with the final three competitors.  But with her short legs and totally out of condition body she finds herself lagging well behind. But takes lots of photos for her article. Then suddenly as she takes a break in her climb, she sees Lenny, one of the competitors hurl over her head down the mountain to certain death. 

Following in her father’s footsteps, Meg begins her own investigation to find the killer which puts her in danger. And   in trouble with Sheriff Daniels who doesn’t want her interference. Can Meg solve the crime? 

There are some great characters in the story, the rather lovely Jill Pettygrove, and Matt, who are both her best friends. Also, her grandmother known as Gam, who is in touch with the spirit world. I am not into the supernatural, but I liked her a lot. Matt is clearly in love with Meg, but she sees him as her friend, not a lover, On the other hand she has a crush on her boss Greg, who is clearly a hunk! 

There is also a degree of humour as Meg tries valiantly to hide all her fears of, heights, climbing, her claustrophobia, in fact all and anything that is adventurous and outdoors. 

An intriguing and satisfying read, with a cliff- hanger that had me eager to read the next in the series. Recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Ellie Alexander is the bestselling author of more than forty cozy mystery novels. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, reaching readers worldwide. She is the founder of the annual Ashland Mystery Festival and a frequent guest at library programs and author events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the popular Northwest Authors series and independent bookshops across the region. In addition to her fiction, her essays and articles have appeared in publications such as Mystery Scene Magazine, The Oregonian, and Portland Family Magazine. As a writing teacher and coach, she helps aspiring authors shape their stories and navigate the path to publication with clarity and confidence. A proud Pacific Northwest native, Alexander often sets her mystery series against real backdrops from Portland's hipster neighbourhoods to the charming Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland. She now lives in Sunnyvale, California.