The Foothills Mystery: The Investigation into The Death of the Solo Rock Climber by Stanley Yokell is the 4th Marie Quinzo mystery. Tom Campbell awoke and decided that today was the day he would solo climb the Risky Route. On the trail he meets up with someone he knows, another hiker. Smelling coffee, he asks the person for a sip and, instead, the hiker stamps on his fingers, causing him to lose his grip and plummet to his death. Marie Quinzo is the Chief of Detectives in Big Rock, Colorado. She is with two other officers, climbing another route nearby, when she finds Tom’s body. Pursuing an investigation, she finds fingers pointing in all different directions and it is up to her to determine who stamped on Tom’s hand and whether it was murder, premeditated or otherwise.

The Foothills Mystery: The Investigation into The Death of the Solo Rock Climber by Stanley Yokell was a decent murder mystery, not too long and involved and not so short that it didn’t make sense. I found the occasional footnote at the bottom helpful, to explain terms that I wasn’t familiar with. The plot itself was well thought out, again not too involved, but with just the right amount of detail, and the characters were clearly well defined. Not having read any of the previous books in the series, I was concerned that I would struggle with the main character, but there was enough detail for that not to be a problem. All in all, this is a good story, ideal for an afternoon curled in an armchair.

In an interesting new murder mystery, The Foothills Mystery by author Stanley Yokell, readers will find themselves engrossed in a murder investigation in a somewhat unlikely spot, a rock climber's haven. Tom Campbell, a doctoral candidate in mathematics at a nearby university, is close to finishing his first solo climb when he encounters someone that he knows. He asks for a sip of coffee, but what he gets instead is stamped on the hand, which causes him to fall to his death. Officer Marie Quizno happens to be climbing nearby with two fellow officers, and finds Tom's body. Now it's up to her to figure out who he encountered, and if he was, in fact, murdered.

I very much enjoyed The Foothills Mystery. I am a voracious reader and especially enjoy mysteries. I was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turns that this story took. Author Stanley Yokell has done a good job in providing a plot that will keep his readers on their toes as well as turning the pages. His recurring character, Marie Quizno, is both interesting and intriguing, and is portrayed in a highly realistic manner. Any reader who enjoys mysteries, police procedurals, or just a great, suspenseful story line in general should definitely give this book a read. I am pleased to recommend this book, and look forward to reading more from author Stanley Yokell in the future!