Hello,
Here we go. Receptacle was working fine. One day stopped working. Neon voltage tested that receptacle and the next two in line and same result, negative neon voltage test. Checked breaker, it is not tripped, turned it off, reset and turned it back on, still no power. The breaker line is spliced and is responsible for two sets of lines which each contain three receptacles on either side of the fireplace. One side of the receptacles runs fine and the other ones do not work anymore. I opened up the receptacles and did a visual inspection looking for broken wires, loose grounds etc. Nothing apparent. Neon voltage tested the bare wires also without the receptacle still no power. First recectacle is pig-tailed, second one is daisy chained to the last one. None have power. Cannot access the area wher the wire has been spliced because no access panel to ceiling(drywall). What is next step and what could it be. If it is a broken neutral would it occur before the first receptacle but after the splice? I replaced all plugs and switches over 4 years ago without issue and never had issues prior to that either. No gfi's on the breaker line. I have sat patiently and listened for rodents but have not heard anything to suggest a rodent that chewed the wire. No renovations or construction have been carried out recently. No microwaves or high usage items are on used here.

My first guess would be a loose connection in the junction box. That's why I prefer drop cielings over drywall ceilings (limited or no access to j- boxes and water shut off valves). If it wasn't spliced properly, even the vibration from walking could possibly loosen connection, especially if wire clamps weren't used at jbox. Though the chance of this being your problem seems slim, it would still be where I'd start.