Thursday, January 30, 2020

Book Review and Giveaway - A Field Guide to Homicide (Cat Latimer Mystery) by Lynn Cahoon

My Review
A Field Guide to Homicide is set at a Colorado B&B. Cat Latimer is a writer who hosts regular writing retreats.  When she is hiking with a group of writers, they discover a body just off the trail. The deceased turns out to be an old military buddy of Cat's boyfriend, Seth.  Concerned about her boyfriend's safety, she works to help solve the crime.

I wanted to read this book because of the writer's retreat setting. I have been to a couple of writing conferences but never a retreat, so I was very curious.

This is my first read in the Cat Latimer Mystery series.  The main characters (Cat, her business partner Shauna, her boyfriend Seth, her Uncle Pete and his girlfriend Shirley) were introduced early on in the book and I had no trouble following along and reading this mystery as a standalone.

I liked Cat as a protagonist. She's very smart (former professor turned writer and retreat host) and this translates to being a good detective. She worked deductively, at one point mapping the victim and possible reasons he was killed, and never put herself in dangerous situations the way so many amateur sleuths do.

The mystery was laser focused. The murder took place early in the book, the possible suspects and reasons for the murder were clear, and it progressed at a steady pace.  I figured the mystery out early on but enjoyed reading about Cat's sleuthing.

I enjoyed A Field Guide to Homicide and would like to go back and read the earlier books in this series.  I recommend this novel for fans of cozy mysteries and especially for anyone who is interested in creative writing as well.

Book Synopsis

Cat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . .

Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead. The body belongs to a man with a gold claim a few miles away. Instead of striking it rich, he’s been struck down.

To his surprise, Seth recognizes the victim from his military days—and up to now believed he’d already died during his last tour of duty. Now Cat has to solve this mystery before the killer takes a hike . . .” 

Author Bio
Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series.

Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six-holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com.

She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies.

Author Links

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play

Giveaway
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Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Statue of Limitations (A Goddess of Greene St. Mystery) by Kate Collins

Book Synopsis
In this delightful new series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Athena Spencer comes back home to work with her crazy big Greek family at their garden center. But she never expected a return to her roots would mean protecting her family from murder . . .

After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.

But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .

Author Bio
Kate Collins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. After publishing numerous historical romances, Kate penned the long-running mystery series, three books of which were made into Hallmark movies starring Brooke Shields. An Indiana native, Kate graduated from Purdue University with a master’s degree in education. When not growing roots at her computer, Kate loves to garden. Other passions include yoga, reading, spending time with family and friends, sampling great wines and fine dark chocolate, and enjoying every moment of life. Kate lives in Northwest Indiana and Key West, Florida. Visit her online at KateCollinsBooks.com

Author Links
Website http://www.katecollinsbooks.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Collins/49648459004

Purchase Links  – KensingtonAmazonB&N   – Kobo

Giveaway

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