peggyemi's review against another edition
5.0
This was a terrific book. I read the entire thing in one day. This book has wonderful characters. I felt that the characters were well written and very dimensional. They jumped out from the page and I instantly liked the main character. Cat Latimer is a strong, independent woman. Although she is returning to the home she shared with her now deceased ex-husband, she is determined to make a go of her new writers retreat venture with her best friend Shauna. I liked Shauna as well. She is a terrific friend in all the ways that count to Cat. The writers attending the retreat and Cat's Uncle Pete round out the cast and prove to be very interesting in their own right.
I thought the mystery was well done. The author provided the reader with many good suspects, a lot of clues, twists and turns and a couple of minor mysteries, one of which is connected to the murder of the famous writer attending the retreat. I thought the author did a fantastic job of weaving all of the clues throughout the story along with some red herrings to throw the reader off the trail. While the culprit is not a surprise, I thought Ms. Cahoon did a great job of tying up the loose ends as to motive for this suspect. There was one minor mystery that was not tied up at the end of this book, but I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger. I can see this mystery unfolding over the course of the next few books as it weavers it way into Cat's next adventures.
There is a bit of romance thrown in as well, as Cat reconnects with her high school boyfriend and the sparks are still there. I don't think the romance in any way overpowered the mystery and was well written into the plot.
I was provided an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion as the thoughts expressed are my own.
I thought the mystery was well done. The author provided the reader with many good suspects, a lot of clues, twists and turns and a couple of minor mysteries, one of which is connected to the murder of the famous writer attending the retreat. I thought the author did a fantastic job of weaving all of the clues throughout the story along with some red herrings to throw the reader off the trail. While the culprit is not a surprise, I thought Ms. Cahoon did a great job of tying up the loose ends as to motive for this suspect. There was one minor mystery that was not tied up at the end of this book, but I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger. I can see this mystery unfolding over the course of the next few books as it weavers it way into Cat's next adventures.
There is a bit of romance thrown in as well, as Cat reconnects with her high school boyfriend and the sparks are still there. I don't think the romance in any way overpowered the mystery and was well written into the plot.
I was provided an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion as the thoughts expressed are my own.
darbyart's review against another edition
4.0
It hits all the marks, for me, for this genre. Good characters, plot, and intrigue.
booklover1974's review against another edition
DNF at 24 %%.... not. my cup of tea.
caitkom's review
4.0
Cat Latimer, a wrter and ex-professor has inherited her ex-husband's house after his death. She and her best friend have decided to open a writers retreat one week per month to make ends meet until the royalties from her novels kick in. This is a great way for her to help other aspiring authors to work on their books and with Covington College in town they will have access to the library and speakers at the college. When one of the attendees, a best selling author, Tom Cook is murder in her house she seems her retreat slipping away from her. She, her best friend, her Uncle and police Chief and her ex-boyfriend/handyman work together to solve the mystery. This was a great read. I enjoyed the characters and the character development. I am looking forward to reading the next one!
meezcarrie's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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...
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. Though things might not have worked out exactly the way Cat Latimer wanted, 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.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
We don’t always get what we want.
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...
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. Though things might not have worked out exactly the way Cat Latimer wanted, 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.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
wildflowerz76's review
4.0
I had read this author's other series and liked it well enough. So when a customer brought this series in the other day, I decided I'd read it too. This one focuses on an author in a small cottage town who has inherited a house from her dead ex husband. She decides to open it for one week a month for writer's retreats.
This wasn't bad. I don't really care much for the love interest, but he's not TOO terrible. I'll keep reading.
This wasn't bad. I don't really care much for the love interest, but he's not TOO terrible. I'll keep reading.
xkay_readsx's review
2.0
Couldn't get into this one. Love the [b:Guidebook to Murder|21869865|Guidebook to Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery, #1)|Lynn Cahoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397395095s/21869865.jpg|40162983] series though. Could be the audio that made a difference for me.
girlonthecsaw's review
4.0
Loved this! I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book and now I don't know how I'm going to wait until the next title in the series is published.