Eloy Romero, a ski instructor who has been helping Drake with the charters has just been arrested for the murder of his brother, Father Ramon Romero. Even though Drake and Charlie don't know Eloy well, they believe in his innocence and agree to look into the murder to help him clear his name. During the investigation, Charlie uncovers some stolen Vatican artifacts that can be linked to Father Romero. This opens up a whole new avenue of the investigation, one full of suspects, one of whom may be closer to Charlie than she realizes, putting a lot more than her romantic honeymoon in jeopardy.

Honeymoons Can Be Murder is a well-paced mystery with the added excitement of helicopter flights into the upper elevations of the Rocky Mountains. Connie Shelton has created a wonderful atmosphere with the ski valley and the cozy honeymoon cottage.

Eloy had no real motive for killing his brother, and while the gun used is his, the case against him is highly circumstantial. The things Charlie uncovers are not terribly secret, leaving the question why was the crime not solved five years ago. Since parts of the crime are very personal, the field of suspects is quickly narrowed and the murderer quickly rises to the top.

The stolen artifacts and the involvement of the Catholic Church in the investigation add an additional layer of interest to the story. Charlie and Drake are enjoyable characters, but not fully developed. Honeymoons Can Be Murder is an enjoyable sixth entry in the series full of winter romance and a chilling atmosphere.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry