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    A Story to Kill
    A Story to Kill
    A Story to Kill
    Audiobook7 hours

    A Story to Kill

    Written by Lynn Cahoon

    Narrated by C. S. E. Cooney

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    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?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 30, 2016
    ISBN9781515973379

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    Reviews for A Story to Kill

    3.5/5

    49 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Cat's ex-husband leaves her their wonderful old house in his will, so Cat returns to her hometown to open a writer's retreat with her friend. Their first group arrives and all does not go as planned. When a guest is murdered right in her inn, Cat is drawn into the mystery. She is also facing her past...the old boyfriend, the memories of her husband, settling into her small college town life once again. I enjoyed this cozy mystery. The setting was appealing, the characters well done, and the mystery intriguing. The story was a mixture of mystery, humor, and romance...perfect for a cozy read. I will be looking for the next in this new series by Lynn Cahoon.
    • 4/5
      This was an entertaining start to a new to me, author and cozy series. The main cast of characters are engaging starting with the heroine Cat, her best friend and partner Shauna, former lover Seth and her uncle the chief of police Pete Edmond. Even her divorced diseased cheating husband has a large presence in this book and with the facts revealed at the ending of the book, it looks like he’ll play a part in coming books in the series. As we’re lead to believe he may not be the cheating asshole that Cat was tricked into believing he was.
      I’m really looking forward to getting the second book in the series to see where it goes from here. I enjoy reading books about books and this series with a houseful of authors looks to be just the new series I was searching for.
    • 4/5
      In this debut novel of the series, Cat is back home in the same house where she began her married life. First divorcing her husband for cheating on her, she now inherits the home when he dies. She, along with a friend, open a writers’ retreat for aspiring authors. But things don’t go quite as Cat planned, when a famous author attends, and then is murdered. Cat wants nothing more than to find the killer, clear one of her guests as a potential murderer, and go back to just being an author and hosting her retreats. But she can’t quite wait for her uncle, the police chief, to solve the case, and so, she puts herself and others in jeopardy. Along with this main storyline is another that runs through the series. Cat’s husband seems to have had some secrets of his own that may have contributed to his demise. This mystery continues on in future books. Well written with engaging characters, this cozy is quite entertaining.
    • 4/5
      Cat Latimer is an author who moves back to her hometown in Colorado after inheriting a Victorian mansion from her ex-husband. She is surprised that he never changed his will when they divorced. They were both professors at the local college, he in Economics, she in English. She renovates the house into a bed and breakfast where she will hold monthly writing retreats. When Cat finds out that Shauna, her partner, has hired her high school sweetheart, Seth, as their handyman, old emotions rise to the surface. As the first group of writers arrives for a week-long retreat, Cat is not sure whether this was a good idea or not. World-famous author Tom Cook is attending the first retreat, giving Cat high hopes her new business venture will be successful. When Cat finds Tom, dead in his room, she calls her uncle, the local police chief. What is this going to do to her new business? To save her business and its reputation, Cat finds herself investigating and following clues to find the killer.

      I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down! I read it in a couple of days due to interruptions. The characters and plot are believable, and the story is well-written. The mystery was well-developed and engaging, with plenty of suspects along with twists and turns. A missing person, a fake wall, and some very odd characters all add to the story. The book was well paced and spiced up with just a hint of romance. The ending was unexpected yet, fit with the story. There is an intriguing cliff-hanger that makes me happy I have the second book ready to go. If you enjoy a good mystery that is not gory, pick this one up, even if you don't normally read cozy mysteries. You won't be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      Sets up the series of Cat opening a bed and breakfast and hosting a writer's conference monthly. At her first one, one of the guests is killed. Now, to save her business, she needs to find out why and whodunit. I enjoyed the story. I also liked how some of the characters' backstory was slowly given. I did not figure it out until the end nor the why. It was interesting. I was also intrigued to discover that there may be an overarching story lines between books. I want to see how that plays out. Can't wait to read the next book, which I have.
    • 3/5
      Lynn Cahoon has written a very good mystery with an appealing main character. The setting is a winner, too, and I loved the house Cat inherited as well as learning how she and her business partner/friend Shauna had set up the retreat. This isn't the first cozy with a retreat-type setting that I've read, so I found it interesting that Cat hadn't thought to run background checks on her attendees either. That should probably be the very first tip in "Craft & Writers' Retreats for Dummies." (Don't google it; I made that title up.) I also wondered about having Seth do all that remodeling work on the house while the retreat was being held. There were supplies and tools out in the yard, a lot of hammering going on, and traffic with the aforementioned Seth and supplies on the same stairs the guests were using. As clumsy (and oblivious) as I know people can be, I would think Cat would finish the remodeling before she ran her first retreat to avoid possible injuries and law suits. I know, I know... she didn't have enough money to do it that way-- and Seth needed to be around a lot of the time.With the exception of Shauna, Seth, and Cat's uncle, the secondary cast doesn't stand out much, and since I'm the type of mystery reader who doesn't like much romance in her whodunits, there was way too much tingling going on between Cat and Seth. Enough that I really don't care to read further in the series. But that's just me-- the love-is-in-the-air element may tickle you pink, and I hope it does. A Story to Kill ends on a bit of a cliffhanger concerning Cat's ex-husband, and it should draw you right into the next book in the series, Fatality by Firelight. Cat Latimer is a stellar main character and so is the writers' retreat setting. If romance is your thing, add that to what you will hopefully find to be a very enjoyable mystery.
    • 4/5
      A Story to KillSounded like a good mystery story. Starts out with Cat, a professor who now wants to write books acquires her ex husbands house. She moves into it, in the town where she grew up, fixes it up to be a writers retreat. Her ex boyfriend is the handyman and others think he's hot.She has many resources at the nearby college and the writers are able to use them. One important writer attends but after one day he's found dead. Her uncle the police chief helps to find out what happened.Few characters and it's easy to keep them straight with one another. Strange noises from the attic and nobody is there and her ex's journal shows up on the porch...So many secrets, so many mysteries that all combine to make a good read. Amazing how it all comes to an end with answers. Excerpt from the next book is included at the end.I received this book from The Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review
    • 5/5
      Aspen Hills, Colorado sounds like a perfect place for Cat Latimer to open up a writer’s retreat. Although she was surprised her ex never changed his will, she and her best friend Shauna Mary Clodagh ready the house (with the help of Cat’s former high school boyfriend, Seth Howard), for the first group of writers. Nearby Covington College is a great resource for any of Cat’s attendees and the small town has its’ share of quirky folks. The murder quickly becomes very layered and wasn’t too easy to figure out. Cat's past with the college and her ex is what's very intriguing here. Cat’s Uncle Pete heads up the local police, but he is reticent about his job and doesn’t reveal much. It was a fantastic read and a great way to learn all about the characters in Aspen Hills that will hopefully return soon in another story.
    • 4/5
      I love the books by this author and when a new series appeared on the horizon via NetGalley, I had to grab it! The central character Cat Latimer received an old house as an inheritance from her ex-husband and she's decided to turn it into a B&B, hosting writers' retreat one week a month while she writes the rest of the time. The first guests start things off with the top writer in attendance failing to appear because he's murdered. Cat feels that to make sure that her new venture doesn't die also, she needs to find the murderer before the rest of the attendees leave town. I like the premise and look forward to getting to know these characters better.
    • 3/5
      This first book in Lynn Cahoon's new Cat Latimer cozy mystery series, is charming for the most part. Catherine Latimer (Cat) inherits ex-husband's sprawling home and turns it into a writers' retreat - mostly her own. To pay for the home's upkeep, she offers a retreat week to writers, once per month, providing them an oasis where they may focus on their writing. Cat herself, writes about a teenage witch dealing with the usual angst of high school. It would appear that she too is still caught up in the heated throes of high school angst as her relationship with her high school boyfriend is rekindled. Personally, I prefer a more subtle cat and mouse game (pardon the pun) between the sexes. However, if you enjoy the occasional outbursts of anatomical admiration, then here's a book for you. The murder of this mystery happens early in the story and the murderer is almost too obvious. The greater mystery is the back story of Cat's ex-husband and what drove them apart. Perhaps Ms. Cahoon will further develop this angle of Cat's story and thus draw out the relational tension between Cat and high school boyfriend, Seth. Fear not; the wait is not long as, "Fatality By Firelight," the second book of this series, is due out in March 2017. I am grateful to Kensington Books and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free copy of the book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.Synopsis (from book's back cover):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?
    • 3/5
      A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon is the first book in A Cat Latimer Mystery series. Cat Latimer is a former English Professor at Covington College. She has decided to start the Warm Springs Writer’s Retreat in Aspen Hills, Colorado (near the college). Writers can get away from the normal environment, meet fellow writers, and have some quiet time to write. It is all thanks to her ex-husband (Michael) who recently passed away and left her this house. This is Cat’s first retreat and one of the guests is Tom Cook, a bestselling writer (something Cat was not expecting). Things are going well until Cat notices that she has not seen Tom in a while. Cat finds Tom dead in his room. Cat immediately calls Chief Pete Edmond, her uncle. Who wanted Tom dead? Cat needs to get to the bottom of this mystery (it did happen in her house).Seth Howard, her boyfriend from high school, has been fixing up the house for her and will be doing a remodel to add additional space to the house. Seth discovers a secret room in the attic but is unable to open it. When Cat finds Michael’s journal, it references the room, and he even left her a key. Did any of this have something to do with his death? Then someone leaves a white carnation outside her study. Only Michael knew she loved them. This is only the beginning. Cat is in for a busy time with her writing (she writes paranormal novels), her writing retreat business, a possible romance, solving Tom’s murder, and now this! Join Cat on her adventures in A Story to Kill.I thought that there was too much romance in A Story to Kill. I do not feel that romance should not be the dominate part of a cozy mystery. The book had Cat admiring Seth’s rear end in his jeans and watching “his muscles ripple”. It was too much (these were just two examples). I enjoy a little romance in a cozy mystery (it needs to be subtle and play out slowly), but the lust fest was over the top (and I am not exaggerating). The mystery (main one) was so very simple and easy to solve (I knew who the murderer was when they found the body). The secondary one leaves us with a cliffhanger (it will probably take place over a series of novels). I thought the secondary mystery (about Michael) was more captivating (it definitely captured my interest). A Story to Kill as a satisfactory first novel. I think it needs some work (like less romance and lusting). I felt bad for the retreaters. Cat spent more time writing (working on her second novel) and with Seth, than with the people who paid for the retreat. I give A Story to Kill 3 out of stars. I will read the next book in the series to see if there is improvement.I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest and forthright review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.