A Story to Kill - Cozy Mystery Review

A Story to Kill (Cat Latimer #1) by Lynn Cahoon
Rating: Good 
Source: NetGalley

Description:  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 bead and breakfast is open for business and bestselling author Tom Cook is among the 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, who 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?  (from Goodreads)
Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been reading Cahoon's Tourist Trap series since the beginning and always enjoy it.  I was excited to see what she did with a mystery set around a writing retreat.

My Impression:  We briefly met Cat Latimer in the last Tourist Trap mystery but I didn't really remember much about her so I was excited to get to know her better in this first book in the new series.  As I have come to expect from a mystery from Cahoon A Story to Kill provided a fascinating mystery, likable characters, and a setting I instantly feel at home in.

While I have no interest in actually writing a book myself I'm fascinated by the behind the scenes of the writing process.  With all that was going on in this mystery - Cat and her right hand woman, Shauna, getting their writing retreat business off the ground, home renovations featuring Cat's "the one who got away", making peace with her ex-husband's rather nefarious past, murder, and the usual mayhem that accompanies an investigation - I was worried that the writing retreat aspect would end up being talked about but rarely shown.  Thankfully we get just the perfect amount to really see them writing but not so much that it feels like a how to book on how to write a book!  I also really enjoyed Cat and Shauna's interactions as they're figuring their way through the first week of business.   I also really enjoyed seeing how Cat and Seth interacted as they became reacquainted after years apart.

The mystery itself kept me reading.  While I did guess the bad guy pretty early there were a few misdirections along the way that had me guessing and I didn't know the whys and hows of the situation until the end. Plus there's the a few hints throughout the book and a tease at the end about the next mystery and I can't wait!  Is it 2017 yet?

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I can't wait for the next one in this series and the next Tourist Trap book.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you enjoy cozy mysteries Lynn Cahoon is an author you shouldn't miss.