A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last year, I won an ARC of a later book in the Cat Latimer series by Lynn Cahoon. I didn’t have the time to start the series from the beginning, so I broke my own rule and read mid-series… it worked out and now I’m giving the whole series a fresh look from the debut, A Story to Kill. I enjoyed the book more than the later one, but I suspect it’s a case of this is one of those series it’s better to read in order. While Cahoon does a good job catching up readers on the basics, we learn so much more about the characters and begin to invest in them after what happened in the year leading up to the first book and the story in it, too. I’d suggest reading them in order if you’re new to the series.

Cat Latimer married her college sweetheart after leaving her high school sweetheart, Seth, when he went into the army and they lost touch. When her husband started to cheat on her and grow distant, they divorced and she was distraught for a while. Before book one opens, he’s passed away and left his home in Colorado to her. Cat decided to open a writer’s retreat house (she had become an English professor and moved around a bit) before settling back in Colorado. Her first set of guests includes a famous author who ends up being strangled in his bedroom one night. Was it the kooky sisters who seem very at odds? A young college girl with a crush on him or someone else? A supposedly grieving widow? An angry writer who claims the guy stole his work? Or a former friend whose girlfriend went missing years ago and suspected the late author of foul play? Cat feels obliged to investigate alongside her Uncle Pete, the police chief, and best friend and chef, Shauna. She figures it out just a bit too late when the killer shows up to take care of her, too! But luckily someone steps in to save her at the last minute.

I love the concept of the writer’s retreat. Cat is a sympathetic character who learns the death of her ex-husband, and what she thought he had been doing might not actually be the truth. The book ends on a cliffhanger making readers anxious to pickup the next one to find out the truth about the past. The mystery in this book was closed up nicely, but 50% of it was too easy while the other 50% was a challenge. I enjoyed the writing style and the setting, and the potential is strong. I look forward to continuing the series this year, as there are 4 currently with one on the way in the next year. Kudos to Cahoon for making this a wonderful reading retreat, too!

View all my reviews

About Me

For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I’m Jay, an author who lives in NYC. My stand-alone novels, Watching Glass Shatter and Father Figure, can be purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. The debut book, Academic Curveball, in my new mystery series, Braxton Campus Mysteries will fit those who love cozy mysteries and crime investigations. I read, write, and blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll find the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge –and multiple Readathons. You can also find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.