The mystery is well written, with a good pace and a few twists and turns to make it more interestig. I also liked several of the characters and the dynamics between them.

Cat Latimer is hosting the next writers' retreat this time there is a group of cozy mystery writers in attendance. This time the writers are not involved in the trouble. The owner of a local eatery, Dee Dee, has been a pain the Cat and Shauna’s side. Shortly after Cat's visits Dee Dee asking for a truce, a body is found in Dee Dee’s eatery. Even though the murder is not connected to Cat or her retreat she can’t help but get involved in the investigation.

This book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone mystery but the back story of characters can be better understood when reading the series in order. The characters are great and have grown so much over the series. My favorite would have to be Cat, she is an interesting and complexed character. I love the fact that this retreat the writers are from the cozy genre, my favorite genre. I really love the idea of the setting of the writers' retreat, while reading this series I wish I was a writer and could attend the retreat. The mystery has a great pace and several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the big reveal.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

Book 5 in the series.

I am absolutely loving this series. Of course, I might be a wee bit biased, since it takes place in my home state, Colorado!

This book kept me hooked from the beginning, and was a fun, fast read. I loved the retreat characters this time around, and of course the recurring characters, Cat, Shauna, Seth and Uncle Pete, are always good to see again.

My only complaint is that the whodunit was relatively easy to figure out, since the author set her up as the villain immediately.

Can't wait for the next book!

A really pleasant reading, how can you not love a book set in a retreat for writers run by a writer ...
Cat runs a writers' retreat in Aspen Hills, Colorado: for a week they have so many activities at their disposal but especially a lot of time to write. Shauna helps her with the kitchen and her boyfriend Seth is the handyman. When the bakery owner accuses Shauna of stealing her recipes and a corpse is found right in the bakery, Cat can't help but investigate.
It was nice to visit this lovely little university town. The characters are lovable and warm. Cat is a curious woman, very open to others and enterprising. I also loved Shauna very generously. Her recipes are really tasty, definitely worth trying.
Even if it is the fifth book in this series you can read it as standalone, the author is good at providing the information necessary to understand the story and the various characters.
A fun, well-written reading, with a good pace, brilliant dialogues, a well-developed storyline with lots of tracks and clues and a few twists and turns.
Highly recommended for those who love cozy mysteries

This book is an excellent read. The mystery is well written and the cast of characters are certainly enjoyable. This book is definitely my favorite so far in the series. I think I'd love to attend a writer's retreat and eat the delicious food they have.

I've read all the novels in the Cat Latimer Writers Retreat series and they're are light, airy enjoyable books. Cat, a writer herself leads periodic writer's retreats in her inherited Victorian home in Aspen Hills, Colorado, a beautiful, serene western mountain village that just has a propensity for murder and dead bodies that unexpectedly turn up. Cat manages her growing business and side interest as a snooper with her boyfriend Seth, and all around nice guy and handyman, cook and housekeeper Shana and finally Uncle Pete, the local Sheriff who tries to keep her out of the way and safe. In this novel Can and Shana are running up against some querulous towns people and then the body of a famous chef turns up dead in the kitchen of the local bakery. Cat has her hands full what with her writer's group inquisitive nature, Shanna writing a cook book, an old friend turning up and acting like a different person and Uncle Peter discouraging her nosying around.

The author writes a delightful yarn developing the cast of primary characters, brining in new personalities in the form of the writiers group and using the location to mix up and open plot line options. This novel is suitable for all ages from tween to adult.

Sconed to Death is the fifth novel in A Cat Latimer Mystery series, but it can be read alone. The information a readers’ needs to know is incorporated into the story. Cat Latimer is a former English professor who inherited her ex-husband’s Victorian and turned it into a writer’s retreat. She offers retreats one week a month and spends the rest of the time writing her young adult series. Cat is fortunate to have Shauna and Seth working with her to make the retreats run smoothly for their literary guests. Cozy mystery writers from Chicago descend upon the Victorian for a week of writing, research, critiquing and workshops. When popular Denver chef, Greyson Finn turns up dead at the local bakery, Cat cannot help but look into the crime (despite being told by Uncle Pete and others to not investigate) especially when she learns Jessica Blair, an old friend, is a suspect. I liked that the writers in the retreat were cozy mystery writers. I enjoyed their plotting sessions, discussing reviewers and ratings (three stars is not bad rating), and their inventive book titles. The title session was particularly humorous. It is nice that there is a new batch of writer’s in each book with a variety of personalities and situations. The kittens were adorable and with the writers’ words, I could picture them scampering about getting into mischief. Shauna receives a large batch of apples and she comes up with some creative as well as delicious recipes for them. There were several viable suspects in Chef Finn’s death, red herring and good clues. Those of us who read a copious amount of cozy mysteries will not find this puzzle perplexing. I wish there had been some action in the book which would have helped the pacing. I also tired of Cat frequently being told to stay out of the investigation. My favorite phrase came from Miss Applebome who said to Cat, “Try not to get yourself killed. I’d hate to be the one to tell your uncle what you were doing.” Sconed to Death is a cozy readers delight with a dead chef, an inquisitive writer, appetizing apple creations, and impish tabbies.

Wow! Lynn Cahoon has pulled all the stops out to give us a story that keeps you glued to the action from pretty much the first page until the last!

The latest monthly Writer's Retreat is about to start when a local baker, Dee Dee, comes storming into the kitchen accusing Shauna of stealing her recipes, as if that isn't bad enough on the first full morning the health inspector shows up as there has been a complaint! It appears that Dee Dee is determined to ruin Shauna and she left the "anonymous" tip, unsurprisingly there are no problems in the kitchen, the same cannot be said about the retreat, one of the writer's seems to have brought a raft of problems with her, mainly to do with her boyfriend (who seems to be a control freak of the first order), then there is a murder, a chef is found in the bakery with his head bashed in and Cat's Uncle Pete has his hands full trying to solve that.

Although Cat tries to stay out of it with Shauna and Seth being interviewed and then the victim's sister in law claiming SHE wrote Cat's first successful novel, Cat ends up looking into things (and building bridges with the Librarian at the same time), shall we just say it is lucky for one person that she does keep digging - read the book and find out who .... and why!

Why would anyone want to kill the chef?
Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is a fun whodunit set in the small town Colorado. The characters are so well developed and formed a wonderful little family.

Cat Latimer
Cat is a former college professor, turned full-time writer with a side hustle that hosts writing retreats in her large Victorian home.

I like that Cat tries to keep her nose out of the investigation into the popular chef’s death. However, come on she is the sleuth here, so sticking her nose in other people’s business is what she does. I also liked that she is herself and she is comfortable in her own skin. Here is the kicker, my favorite thing is that she listens but doesn’t give unsolicited advice (except to Shauna).

Cat is a great character and sleuth. I couldn’t find anything that I disliked about her.

Mystery
The mystery was extremely well plotted and the clues were there but you really didn’t know if Cat was on the right track until the climax of course. I suspected the culprit but for some reason wouldn’t commit. I guess I should have gone with my own gut.

Things I Like
The members of the writers’ group were fabulous with the constant game of how to kill people.
The group were great friends and were able to complete lots of work during their retreat.
Cat’s relationship with her Uncle Pete is honest and loving.
Seth and Cat are a cute couple.
The college librarian gave Cat passwords and then told her that her Uncle was going to be disappointed.
Snow and the dwarfs.

4 Stars for Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon
My rating for Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is four stars. The mystery and the story were entreating and the characters are funny and believable. There is more going on that just a murder and that is honestly what keeps me coming back.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

The setting for this series is a writer’s retreat in Colorado. The central characters are engaging, the guests in this book connect well to the story, and the murder is puzzling. A great mixture for a cozy mystery.

This is the first book in this series that I have read. Although I feel that I missed some background stories, nothing kept me confused or made me feel that I needed more information to enjoy this story. I will be looking for more in this series.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

A group of cozy mystery writers from Chicago arrives for the latest retreat at the Aspen Hills Warm Springs Resort and they are excited about everything Cat and Shauna have planned. A cooking demonstration, a trip to the college library, a couple of lectures, some speed writing games, and plenty of time to write.

Cat and Shauna get a little sidetracked when the health inspector shows up at the door in answer to a complaint. A complaint by Dee Dee Meyer, owner of the local bakery, all because she thinks Shauna is stealing her recipes. Really the woman is just out for attention. And attention is just what she gets when a body is found in her bakery. Why would celebrity chef Greyson Finn even be there? He has restaurants in Denver and is one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. He and Dee Dee? . . . No way! She wouldn’t kill him in HER bakery, would she?

Cat’s uncle/the chief of police tells her to take care of her retreat and he will take care of HIS investigation. She just can’t do it though, especially when he shows up for dinner every night and the retreat authors are even throwing around their own theories about the crime. But can she catch the scone-cold killer or will she be the next one on their list?

__________

This is my new favorite book in this series. I loved this group of cozy mystery writers! They were fun to read about because they had fun with each other and they care about each other. One author is dealing with a situation at home that has followed them to the retreat. The others try to be understanding and give the author some space but step in with advice when the time is right. They also welcome the retreater from the college with open arms. Mollie is a huge fan of Cat’s books so she was thrilled to be chosen to participate in this retreat. She was equally as thrilled about all the new author friends she quickly makes. The best thing was them hashing out puny titles for books and discussing fresh new ways to kill their victims. Fiction imitating real life, I am sure.

The core characters Cat, Shauna, Seth, and Uncle Pete have all continued to grow. The subplots dealing with real-life issues mix in nicely with the main murder plot. Cat, Shauna, and Seth love hosting the retreats but are starting to feel the need for some time away from Aspen Hills. Shauna connects with her brother in New York and makes plans for a trip when this retreat ends. Cat and Seth are planning for a getaway when she returns. Uncle Pete’s is missing his Alaska girlfriend and he may be spending more time there in the future. I think Shauna had the most growth as she is getting so much better at handling the grief after the recent death of her boyfriend. Some furry felines make great listeners and cuddlers.

That main mystery is very well-plotted. Cat tempers her curiosity better this time, making smarter decisions, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t put herself in harm’s way. There were several red herrings to twist things up. I had a great time following along with Cat as she did her sleuthing. With plenty of rumors about the chef, I understood both Uncle Pete’s and Cat’s difficulty pinning down the killer. I changed my mind a few times myself.

Great characters and realistic dialogue made this book a joy to read. I was captivated from beginning to end.

There is a Cranberry Scone recipe at the back of the book, but Shauna deals with several bushels of apples throughout the entire book. By the time I turned the last page I was craving apple pie and apple butter. So much so they were added to our grocery list until we can get fresh apples this fall.

I recommend reading this series in order for maximum enjoyment.

I love visiting the Warm Springs Writers' Retreat hosted by Cat Latimer. For a small town, it seems there are a lot of murders that she gets involved with. This time around, she didn't know the victim, but she used to be best friends with his sister-in-law. One of the things I like about this series is the actual retreats and meeting new characters in each story. This time around, the guests were a group of cozy mystery writers. I found that fun, and listening to them talking about the writing process and trying to come up with titles for one of the members of the group was a hoot. When Cat is asked to head to the local bakery to talk to Dee Dee, the owner about harassing Shauna it ended up backfiring. The next day, she is being questioned about the murder of a man in the bakery. Fortunately, this time she did not find the victim, nor know him. What she does do is start investigating and find out that there were many people that might have wanted him dead.

This was a fun story. Cat is a great protagonist. She is a caring person who often goes the extra mile to help people. This and her natural curiosity has her sneaking around behind her Uncle Pete's back while he, being the Chief of Police, is trying to investigate properly. I was pretty sure who the killer was and as it turned out, I was right, but that did not stop me from enjoying the story and loving the final takedown. Shauna and Seth, Cat's partners and team in running the retreat, are great characters as well. Shauna has her own storyline writing a cookbook, offering cooking classes and heading off to New York to meet up with her estranged brother. I hope we learn more about that in the next book. Seth is a great love interest for Cat. They work together, do some investigating together and are really good for one another.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories about the characters as well as the mystery. This is another great addition to the Cat Latimer Mystery series.

Welcome to Aspen Hills, Colorado where Cat Latimer, owner of the Warm Springs Writer's Retreat, along with her partner and cook, Shauna. Each month Cat opens her home for a writer's retreat and, in this, the fifth mystery, all of the group are friends from Chicago. They write cozies, they like each other so what could possibly go wrong? Answer - plenty. Tensions build between Dee Dee Meyer and Shauna when Dee Dee accuses Shauna of stealing recipes. When the local health inspector shows up to investigate some reported violations, it's hard not to turn their attention to Dee Dee as the one who called the health department. Cat needs to figure out how to calm things down between the women. Soon Cat's uncle, the local chief of police, tells her that Dee Dee has found the corpse of a well known Denver Chef in her kitchen. Dee Dee tries to convince the police that Cat did the deed, claiming Cat was the last person to see him alive. With both her own reputation and that of the retreat at stake, Cat ignores her Uncle's advice to stay out of the investigation and searches for answers.
This mystery can be read as a stand alone but be ready to line up the rest for binge reading if this is your first Cat Latimer mystery. The small town setting, the well developed characters and the satisfying mystery are everything a cozy mystery reader wants to read. I have already circled January 28, 2020 on my calendar for mystery #6, A Field Guide to Homicide.

Aspen Hills Warm Springs retreat is open again and before they can even open the doors Dee Dee Meyer has come to level accusations at Shauna for some of Shauna's recipes she is working on for a cookbook. Threatening Shauna with trouble if she uses Dee Dee's recipes. Cat tries to defuse the situation which only makes it worse.

Not long after Cat talks to Dee Dee to find some sort of resolution a dead body is found in the bakery owned by Dee Dee. Who killed Greyson Finn who was a famous chef and looking into opening a restaurant in Aspen Hills? Could it be Dee Dee hating competition? Or a family member he was rumored to be tumbling in the sheets with? Or a girlfriend who was getting fed up with the fellow?

This retreat group was great they are cozy mystery authors which was such a kick to see how they come up with story ideas and how they are all from Chicago and got along great with each other even including the local college kid with them.

This book doesn't disappoint in the least. We see the relationship between Shauna, Cat and Seth. Along with guests staying for the retreat. They also get to help a guest whose having relationship issues which was great to read about. Can't wait to see what is next for the writing retreat!

Even though this is the 5th novel in a series, it's the first one I've read. It's also the first Lynn Cahoon novel I've read. I didn't feel like I was missing much by not having read the other four books first.

That said, I didn't love it. None of the characters particularly spoke to me, and I didn't find the main protagonist Cat especially likeable. (My favorite character was the retreat's baker, Shauna.) I like the concept of an author who uses her large house to run retreats for writers more than I liked the execution. The actual retreat portions of the book had no impact on the mystery. It was very much a secondary plotline, and I would have preferred if the murder was somehow related to the guests or the house.

A series that gets better and better with each book. I adore the characters and their relationships with each other. Cat and Shauna make the best team. Each group of writers who attend their once monthly retreat and writing business sessions is different and brings something special to the series.
This time the group is an actual writing group from Chicago. People who know each other well, or so it seems, and are there to support each other as they work on individual projects.

Relationships, real and imaginary, or fictional, play major roles in this plotline.
Food is another major theme, as Shauna has also caught a bit of publishing fever. She is working on a cookbook. A local baker is unhappy with her, convinced Shauna is poaching her recipes. This brings on the topic of how authors are inspired and from where their content comes.

Cat's uncle is the local police chief. He is a regular figure at her house, including during retreat weeks. This is a good thing, as otherwise people may wonder why he is spending so much time there when a murder is the main topic of gossip and conversation around town.

Cat truly tries to restrain her curiosity and not get caught in the crossfire, even when her boyfriend's name appears on the suspect list. This is asking more than she can promise.
Trouble continues to come directly to The Warm Springs Writer's Retreat.

Delicious food and cute kittens round out this great book.

Sconed to Death is the fifth installment in the Cat Latimer mystery series set in the small town of Aspen Hills, CO and featuring Warm Springs Writer's Retreat owner Cat Latimer and her partner/cook Shauna Clodagh. The women along with Shauna's boyfriend/handyman Seth Howard are preparing for the latest group of guests, this retreat focusing on cozy mystery writers.

The week doesn't start out well when local baker Dee Dee Meyer arrives at the door and accuses Shauna of stealing her recipes and then her visit is followed up by a visit from Nate Hearst, the health inspector who claims he's had a report of multiple health code violations at the retreat. The trio are quick to suspect Dee Dee of making the false complaints and Cat sets out to try to smooth things over with the woman.

Later that evening Cat's Uncle Pete Edmond, Chief of Police arrives to say that Dee Dee has found a dead body in her kitchen and the victim is famed Denver Chef, Greyson Finn. Of course Dee Dee is pointing the finger at Cat, claiming she was the last person to visit the bakery that day. Despite the warnings from her Uncle not to get involved, Cat sets out to solve the mystery and once again save the reputation of the retreat.

A fast paced plot with well developed characters and plenty of suspects results in a delightful afternoon read.

I received an advanced copy of Sconed to Death from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

A fantastic addition to the Cat Latimer Writer's Retreat series! If you haven't read this series you should absolutely get started. You could read this book as a stand alone story and not be completely lost, but you would miss out on tons of enjoyment and entertainment by skipping the rest of the series. This installment blends wonderful and unique personalities of the writer's at the retreat, townspeople and friends with a well plotted murder mystery that will keep you on your toes trying to figure out who the guilty party is. You definitely don't want to miss this book if you like a good cozy mystery.

SCONED TO DEATH by Lynn Cahoon
The Fifth Cat Latimer Mystery

Local baker Dee Dee Meyer decides to make life difficult for the writer's retreat calling in supposed health violations after threatening Shauna and accusing her of stealing her scone recipe. But Dee Dee has troubles of her own when a famous chef from Denver is found murdered in her bakery. While Cat hosts a group of cozy mystery writers from Chicago she quietly starts to look into the life of the recently killed chef. What was he doing in Aspen Hills? Who wanted him dead? The girlfriend he recently left? His sister-in-law, a former friend of Cat's who rumor has it was sleeping with him? Cat quietly tries to put the puzzle together as she runs her latest retreat, helping her guests with more than just writers' tips.

Jealousy plays a major role in the fifth Cat Latimer Mystery. Jealousy finds its way out of hurt, control, revenge, and low self esteem by various characters, some not even seen on the page. While jealousy may be the motivating emotion here, it's be no means the only one. It's the realistic depiction of emotions that makes SCONED TO DEATH so moving. I love the fact that Cat gets angry and that she broadcasts it, even when trying, at times, to be discreet! We get to see Shauna slowly coming to terms with her grief. Life is good, but certainly not perfect for these women and the book is not afraid to show it.

I was absolutely loving this book, until I came across a major pet peeve. In an exciting penultimate scene the killer's eyes are described as being "bright with madness". I wish that authors would remember that killing people does not make a person insane. There may have been some delusional behavior with this particular killer, but there's enough of a stigma with mental illness without adding to it by having madness in the murderer's eyes.

SCONED TO DEATH is a well plotted character driven mystery. Interesting subplots enhance the story along with a subtle message about domestic violence. You are not alone and there is help.

This is the 5th in this popular series and one of my overall favorites of the series. I have read and enjoyed the entire series and highly recommend all of the series. You can easily understand the charcters and back ground if this is your first in series. This was a generous ARC from the publisher and Net Galley, Thank you for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication. My opinions are my own..

In this next in series a new Cozy mystery writer's retreat is fraught with problems and accusations. As Cat navigates her retreat guests a argument breaks out between Cat's best friend Shauna and the woman who runs the local bakery. The woman accuses Shauna of stealing her recipes and as retaliation files a false complaint against the retreat with the health inspector . When a chef is found dead Cat and her friends start investigating. The plot thickens as we mystery lovers like to say and clues abound as well as suspects. Soon Cat is on the verge of solving the crime and saving her retreat.
This is a fun read and a great addition to this series. The author weaves a great mystery and I was pleasingly surprised at the ending. I look forward to the next in series and further writer retreat mysteries with Cat and her friends.