Fatality by Firelight

The second book in the Cat Latimer mysteries centers around the second group of authors who come to the writer's retreat. This time one of the authors takes up with a local who winds up dead with her as a suspect.

Cat knows this writer of sweet romances couldn't also be a killer. So, she's on the case. Of course, she's also still trying to solve the mystery of what her late husband Michael was doing that caused him to blow up their marriage.

And just to add interest, the library has suffered the theft of a rare, signed Hemingway novel which her authors discover when they go out for pizza. Cat also learns that the college where she and her husband taught is the preferred college for children from mafia families which comes as news to her. show more

Besides a mysterious hired assassin, Cat also draws the attention of Dante who is the uncle of a current student and connected to the mafia in some way. He encourages her to stop investigating what her ex was involved in which Cat ignores.

This story solves the current murder but only provides clues on the whole Michael problem. I'll have to keep reading this eight-book series. show less

The second book in the series centers around Cat Latimer's second writer filled retreat at her home in Aspen Hills, Colorado. I liked the book overall, but hope there won't be too much of a love triangle messing up Cat's life for long. The body that wound up dead seemed a bit odd at first, but it leads the police to one of Cat's new retreat attendees, therefore enabling Cat to nosy around. The history of Aspen Hills and the college is fleshed out a bit more, entwining the present day mystery with some mystery from Cat's ex-husband's past. Quite a bit more of Michael's life is being slowly revealed via the stories, and I hope that Cat will be able to wrap up her conflicted feelings and continue with her life. The descriptions of the town show more are wonderfully vivid, and it's almost hard to believe these writers are going to accomplish much with all the skiing, dining and investigating that occurs. Framing the book with a retreat works really well, plus Cahoon will always have quirky new characters or suspects to write about. show less

Colorado bed-and-breakfast owner, Cat Latimer, is settling in to her new life in her old hometown. With a winter writing retreat just starting and repairs still being made, Cat has her hands full. So when the new group of writers quickly get into trouble, Cat's town sheriff uncle shows up. It seems that instead of experiencing the snowy slopes of Colorado, the writers checked out the ski lodge bar instead, while romance novelist, Christina, quickly became entangled with a hunky (and engaged) local ski bum. When he meets his demise, Christina naturally becomes the prime suspect.

Keeping tabs on Christina and the other guests is just the beginning of the challenges Cat and her friends meet as a rare book gets stolen and a mysterious show more stranger shows up. And if that is not enough, Cat still has unanswered questions about her ex-husband's untimely death. With lots of twists and turns, this mystery is sure to keep you turning the pages.

The Bottom Line: This delightful cozy mystery is perfect prescription for a dreary weekend. This is the second book in a new series by the author of The Tourist Trap Mysteries. True to form, I somehow managed to not read the books in order (I just received Book 1, which I'll be reading soon.) Highly recommended for fans of cozies.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. show less

Fatality by Firelight by Lynn Cahoon is the second book in A Cat Latimer Mystery series. Cat Latimer is welcoming a new group of writers to her second writer’s retreat in Aspen Hills, Colorado. After inheriting the beautiful Victorian from her ex-husband, Michael, Cat turned the home into the Warm Springs Writers Retreat. On the first full day of the retreat Cat and her boyfriend, Seth (he is also the handyman) take the writers up the mountain for a day of skiing. After enjoying the slopes, Cat and Seth enter the lodge to find the writers enjoying the bar. Christine, one of her guests, is in a clench on the sofa with local, Tommy Neil. It will not go well for Tommy when his fiancé, Brit finds out. Upon arriving back home, Cat tries show more to warn Christine, but she does not wish to listen (feels he is the one). The next day the group tours the local library. When they are finished, Christine takes off with Tommy. Cat is awoken in the middle of night by the arrival of her Uncle Pete, Chief of Police. Tommy was found murdered and the last person seen with him was Christine. Christine is not in her room, but she soon stumbles in cold, crying and with blood on her top. Christine insists that Tommy was alive when she left. Cat does not see Christine as a killer and starts asking questions around town. In addition to the murder, Uncle Pete is investigating the theft of a signed Hemingway book stolen from the library (and the librarian is pushing him to find the book). Cat thought that writer’s retreats would be quiet and leave her plenty of time to write! Cat is in for a surprising week in Fatality by Firelight.

I thought that Fatality by Firelight was better than A Story to Kill (the first book in the series). I found the story easy to read and it has a beautiful setting. The book has far more going on in it than I summarized above. I do, though, believe Fatality by Firelight could do with a little rewriting and editing. The romance between Seth and Cat is do prominent for my tastes. Especially when Cat has yet to resolve her feelings regarding her ex-husband and his secrets. It started in the first book and continued in Fatality by Firelight. The murder and Michael’s mystery shared the spotlight in this book. I hope Ms. Cahoon does not continue to drag it this particular storyline out for many more books. I am curious, though, to see how the mob ties in with Michael’s demise (you have to read the book to find out what I mean). I give Fatality by Firelight 3.5 out of 5 stars. I wish the murder mystery has been a little more challenging. I could identify the culprit early in the book (there might as well have been a neon sign over the killer’s head). I am having some trouble liking Cat. She is not happy with how much time she must spend interacting with her retreat guests. Cat did not realize how much time she would spend socializing and helping her guests. Cat seems to have formed the idea that writers would come and spend all their time hiding in their rooms writing. It just seemed a little odd to me. Cat also conscribes to what I call the “Scarlett O’Hara” theology. Tomorrow is another day. If you do not get it done today, there is always tomorrow. In Cat’s case, she hopes Shauna will do it for her. I am a fan of the housekeeper, Shauna (I wish she was the main character). Fatality by Firelight is best read after A Story to Kill (first book in series). I will be reading the next book in A Cat Latimer Mystery series. I am curious to see what happened with Michael and what role Dante Cornelio (a handsome mob guy) will play in the next book. show less

The Cat Latimer Mystery series continues with book #2, Fatality by Firelight. Cat is still renovating the large Victorian house she inherited from her ex-husband into a writers' retreat bed and breakfast. Her first retreat was a success, even though one of the guests was murdered. Hopeful that this next retreat will be less murderous, Cat starts the event with a ski trip to a local resort. The day ends with a dead man in a ski resort hotel room and one of her retreat guests a suspect in his murder. It seems Cat's second writers' retreat also has murder on the agenda. Not only is her Uncle, the local police chief, investigating the murder at the ski resort, but Cat discovers more information about the death of her ex-husband, Michael.

I show more enjoy the Cat Latimer series because it is a bit more realistic than most cozy series. It touches on sex, murder and other topics with more realism but without becoming graphic. Cat is an excellent main character. She is torn between wanting to start her life over again and not being ready to close the part of her life she shared with her ex-husband, Michael. The Victorian house is comforting and distressing for her at the same time. She has a hard time living in the house she shared with her first husband, but at the same time loves the writers' retreats and the business she is building in it. The mystery portion of the plot was well-paced and more complex than in the first book. Cat also discovers some new information about her ex-husband's death. I'm anxious for book 3 to find out what direction her investigation into Michael's death will go.

Fatality by Firelight is an intriguing mystery with several suspects, interesting subplots and characters. It isn't necessary to read the books in order. A reader could jump in at book 2 and fully understand the story and characters. I definitely recommend this book and series to mystery lovers! It was a fun, quick read!

Lynn Cahoon also writes the Tourist Trap Mystery series. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website at http://www.lynncahoon.com/ show less

In this second book in the Cat Latimer series, Cat and her friends Shauna and Seth are gearing up for another successful writer's retreat. After her last session, all Cat wants is a good week with no murder or crazy excitement. Unfortunately that doesn't work out. After spending a day at the local ski resort, one of the retreat guests is caught up in an illicit relationship with the local playboy. When he turns up dead after having a quiet night with Christina, she is the first suspect. Uncle Pete, Cat's uncle who is the police chief, questions her, but believes that she is not the guilty party. There are also story lines regarding a stolen Hemmingway book from the university and a couple of mysterious men wandering around the small show more town. One is connected to the mafia and seems to have a rather unusual interest in Cat. Could he have something to do with Michael's death?

I love the idea of Cat trying to move past Michael's death by using his study and reading his papers. She and Seth seem to be in a good spot with their relationship as well. Shauna was her usual fun self but seems to be getting more involved with Kevin, the owner of the ski resort who also wants her to come and work as a chef for him. And then there is Uncle Pete, a bit of a curmudgeon who wants to take care of Cat. The guests were definitely a group of diverse and interesting characters. They will have you wondering whether one of them is actually a killer. Or could it be someone from the outside? There are a lot of suspects and I did not figure it out until the reveal at the end. There are still some things unanswered from the first book and I hope we continue to get glimpses into the situation until everything is revealed. Another great book in the Cat Latimer series. show less

I really like the series so far and the characters are the main reason. But I do have a concern about the series I don’t really care for the mob influence on the small town, maybe I’m naive but I don’t believe that that could be a thing in real life, where rival crime syndicates would have a safe ground where their younger members could attend college together. Aside from that issue solid story, interesting guest characters, 3 ½ stars. Looking forward to reading book 3 in the series.