Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder…
The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.
Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?
SERIES: Cat Latimer Mysteries #1
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Kensington
RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2016
PAGES: 320
“You’re not having a very good week, are you?”
All Cat Latimer wants is for her first Writer’s Retreat at her still-a-work-in-progress Bed and Breakfast (the one she mysteriously inherited from her philandering ex-husband) to go off with a hitch.
We don’t always get what we want.
When her Writer’s Retreat is disrupted by a murder … for starters … Cat’s dream of starting over in her hometown isn’t the only thing threatened. Her best friend and her high school sweetheart, not to mention her police chief uncle, are on hand to make sure she holds up under pressure, but it’s safe to say that while the retreat may not have been as relaxing as she’d hoped it will certainly be memorable!
The sisters who have booked a stay at the B&B are hilarious! I envisioned them perfectly in my head while I was reading their antics and arguments, and I do hope they make an appearance in future books in the series. Seth – Cat’s high school sweetheart – is uber swoony, though he was ready to resume their relationship a bit faster than I was expecting. A bit faster than Cat was expecting too I think lol. I enjoyed the best-friendship between Cat & Shauna too, and I look forward to seeing where both Cath’s romance with Seth and her friendship with Shauna go in the rest of the series.
As far as the mystery goes, there is much to love here as well! Not only do we have to solve a murder mystery – one with lots of twists and turns and suspects – but there’s also another mystery brewing just beneath the surface that I expect will play a larger role as the series progresses. I am anxiously waiting for the next book, Fatality by Firelight, which releases early next year to see if I’m right 😀
Bottom Line: Things might not have worked out exactly the way Cat Latimer wanted in A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon. All I wanted was a great cozy mystery, with a dash of romance & characters I could hang out with & a setting I would want to visit. Fortunately for me, sometimes we do get exactly what we want. 🙂 Lynn Cahoon is one of my go-to authors in the cozy mystery genre – her Tourist Trap series is one of my faves – and this new series does not disappoint! She has a knack for creating settings that appeal directly to my book nerd heart so it’s easy to immerse myself in the story, while fighting pangs of regret because physically traveling into the pages/setting of a book has not yet been mastered. Her mysteries are well-plotted, and her characters are people I’d want as friends. A Story to Kill is no exception.
Reviewer’s Note: While this is definitely what I would classify as “clean” fiction, it does contain a few profanities scattered throughout. It’s a little spicy in places but – again -still well within the bounds of “clean fiction”.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
My Rating: 4 stars / Love it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and two fur babies.
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What about you? What bookish setting would you love to jump into?
Sounds like an interesting book. The library doesn’t have them in print, only in e-books, so I haven’t been able to read any.
oh bummer! This series is with a different publisher, Michelle, so maybe it will be in print!
This looks like an exciting book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Marilyn
This sounds like an exciting book to add to my TBR stack. Thanks for the review and giveaway.