Hudson Valley Town Stars in Author's Latest Murder Mystery

Summer is right around the corner and for a lot of us that will mean we will finally be taking that long-awaited vacation with our summer reading list. Whether you plan to read in the Mountains or at the beach it looks like there are a lot of great books to choose from this summer.

Just in time for your summer reading list, a brand new murder mystery, set in the Village of New Paltz has hit your favorite book stand. Hudson Valley Cozy Mystery author Carol Freeman has set her latest murder in the "artsy college town of New Paltz". Add to your summer book list "The New Paltz Town Crier".

So What's a Cozy Mystery?

It was explained to me as a mystery without the blood and gore. But the actual definition is a bit more involved. In an article from Publishers Weekly, a Cozy Mystery is described as a story whose main ingredients are usually "an amateur sleuth, an unsuspecting victim, a quirky supporting cast, and trail of clues and red herrings". They also explain that the main character solves the mystery with the help of friends and family, this interaction also has the reader feeling they are involved in the solution as well.

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Why did the Author pick New Paltz?

Carol Freeman has a close connection to the town so it was fun for her to imagine her main characters solving a crime in a place she enjoys spending time. Carol's characters from her previous books, Ellen and Charlie Green find themselves caught up in a hate crime and then a murder in the pages of this latest adventure. The mystery is set in the fall in the Hudson Valley which can be a very eerie time of year but this zany cast of characters will have you turning each page without fear.

photo credit: Carol Freeman

Carol's books offer a local bonus to her readers.

Carol always includes a "Notes" section in the back of her books which lists places of interest and restaurants that appear in the story. These notes also make a great guide to the town the story is set in if the reader finds themselves venturing to the actual town themselves. Carol's book is available for purchase on Amazon and also at Water Street Market, one of the focal points for the plot in this story as it unravels.

Looking for other books about Hudson Valley towns?

Depending on how long your vacation is going to be you may want to consider multiple books for your trip. Check out a list of Books set in Kingston or even Books set in Dutchess County. If you are looking for the best-suggested reads of 2021 Cosmopolitan Best Summer Reads for 2021 20 Books you will want to read is worth a look. So is the list put together by She Reads - Best Beach Reads of 2021 and Oprah's Best Beach Reads.

Pick a beach to read at this summer

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.