Early Snow

A Guy Hogan Mystery, Book 2

EARLY SNOW
Odyssey Pruit paints pictures of the ghosts and spirits she saw in the halls of an old hotel where she worked ten years before. GUY HOGAN doesn’t believe in ghosts. Hogan is hired to guard Odyssey’s pictures for her first art show in the same old hotel. When an early blizzard closes the roads, knocks out the power and telephone, Hogan is trapped in the hotel with Odyssey’s quirky fans. When imps and ghouls make their presence known, Hogan questions his doubts, and the answer could be murder.

©2025 kevin wolf (P)2026 kevin wolf

Wonderful narration added to the story.

I really enjoyed this story a lot. The ghostly aspect was one of the key reasons. I had my suspicions as we experienced all the things that went wrong even before the murder. The spooky atmosphere was well done as far as I was concerned and definitely added to the story. Secrets, misdirections, and flirtations were also reasons that I kept turning the pages. Guy Hogan was a reluctant sleuth and a reluctant hero. I loved that he was just as afraid as the others, made him human.

I had a chance to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Greg O'Donahue. He brought a different dimension to the story. My opinion on this book has not changed, enjoying it all over again.

I received a copy through RABT Book Tours, and this is my unsolicited review.

Intriguingly original, paranormal mystery!

EARLY SNOW is the second book in author Kevin Wolf’s refreshingly original "Guy Hogan Mystery" series, where 1980s-set mysteries and suspense rub elbows with the paranormal. In this sophomore outing, Guy goes to work with his old friend, Dalton Cummings, now retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service, who has started his own security business. Their task is to keep watch over a weekend art auction being held in an historic hotel in Estes Park. But as the art prepares to move in, a massive snowstorm hits, and Guy, Dalton, hotel staff, and guests must hunker down, snowed in and without power. But as ghost stories about the hotel are passed around, those stranded there, including Guy himself, start seeing things that hint they are not alone.

Guy Hogan is such a relatable character, a widower still adjusting to life without his Jenny, he’s kind and considerate, and trying to help Dalton with his new, post-retirement gig. While Dalton is definitely in charge of the job, he has his limitations when it comes to dealing with the public, especially the ladies, and those tasks fall to Guy. As the guests were still in the process of arriving for the weekend when the storm hit, the big-name celebrities expected to bid at the auction had gradually all canceled, so at least they weren’t having to deal with that extra bit of distraction. However, I loved reading the “Who’s Who” of early 80s celebs mentioned in the story.

The mood is deliciously creepy and was kicked off by early arrivals taking a ghost tour of the hotel, heightened by loss of power, and galvanized by the ghost stories shared around the lobby fireplace the first night by the in-house tour guide and professional storyteller. The ghost stories, the heavy, falling snow, the extreme cold, the dark, and the sudden isolation due to the storm all contribute to a brooding, expectant atmosphere and build suspense.

The story moves steadily onward with the frightening sightings of child ghosts from days gone by; the hotel had been a happy, memorable setting for these children when they were living. But as Guy, the story’s narrator, doesn’t believe in ghosts, he is thoroughly thrown off, wondering if what he’s seeing is real. The murder is sudden and surprising, with much mystery surrounding it from the very beginning. The reader is kept in suspense for quite a bit before the identity of the deceased is revealed, while we hear accusations immediately regarding who the murderer is. The resolution, while probably closer to what happens in real life than most mystery novels, leaves everyone with questions. However, Guy may have finally found someone he can start spending some time with, other than Zac, his beagle, and that’s a good thing.

The audiobook is narrated by Greg O’Donahue, who does a great job crafting Guy’s persona and a variety of supporting characters, both male and female. After listening to both this book and the debut novel in the series with O’Donahue performing, his voice has become Guy Hogan’s for me. Somehow, he makes Guy sound old enough to have been around the block a time or two, while still retaining a touching vulnerability. The narration and production are clear and clean, so I never had to re-listen to any passages to figure out what was being said.

I recommend EARLY SNOW to fans of mystery and suspense stories with a ghostly touch.