It has been a question posed by many readers year after year as an author releases a book, “Can a next in series be better than the previous books?” Yes, heavens yes! And, the first two books in the Cat Latimer Mystery series were amazing in their own right. Of Murder and Men went to a different level however. If you have been following Cat, Shauna, Seth, Uncle Pete and the crew then you are going to love this next serving at the Warm Springs Writers Retreat.
Where do I even begin with this one; wow. Shauna has begun dating this gentleman, Kevin, who we know Cat does NOT approve of because he’s rather…well, rude. They are now engaged and surprise, he ends up dead. Shauna becomes the main suspect because, well, read the book. She looks pretty guilty if you ask me. This entire plot weaves through the book but it’s not the only one. No, Lynn didn’t make it that simple.
The death of Cat’s ex-husband, Michael finally makes its huge debut and things get ugly and strange. Was Michael part of the Aspen Hills mob? Was he Dante’s enemy? What does the college have to do with this and why do they want his papers so bad? Why does Cat have a secret compartment in her desk she can’t get in to? Who is sending these Carnations?
We finally get all the answers we have been so desperately looking for; the answers that Lynn has been making us salivate for in the past two books. All of the clues dropped finally make sense, so much so that you might want to go back and reread the first two books again. Oh Lynn, you sneaky lady! No wonder I love reading her books. She’s brilliant.
So, we not only have the mystery of Shauna’s fiancé’s death, Michael’s unsolved death, but we also have all these new retreat guests. Let’s not forget that this book revolves around a writer’s retreat with authors who, in their quirkiness, bring their own mystique to the story. Once again, Cat hasn’t done background checks on these folks and we really don’t know what these people are up to. Oh Cat, why? Are they innocent writers or are they hiding secrets? Honestly, you’ll have to read the book to find out, but it’s so well woven in the story that it will hit you out of the blue and make you wonder why you didn’t see that coming.
Both Cat and Shauna are not who they once were in the first book and I love the direction Lynn is taking them. I love Uncle Pete too! He pops in at just the right occasion to enhance what needs to be added as far as drawing out the emotions and personality from both Cat and Shauna. I also adored the retreat members in the book, especially Shirley. She is a hoot!
Of Murder and Men is so well written with characters that have developed at a great rate in an atmosphere that is so believable that it is for sure my favorite in the series. Get it for yourself as a gift for Christmas and for your friends who love cozy mysteries. No…even better, get they whole series. It needs to be read together in my opinion to get the full effect. Don’t cheat yourself readers. Amazing Lynn. Your best yet.
Buy: Of Murder And Men
Buy: The Cat Latimer Series
