Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is the 5th book in the Cat Latimer Mystery series, and another fun addition. Let me start by saying I am a big fan of the authors Tourist Trap Mysteries, and I love this series too. It also helps I was born and still live in beautiful Colorado. Cat Latimer is a successful author of a teen witch series who inherited a large Victorian home from her ex husband. Cat has opened a writers retreat in the Colorado home. Cat and her best friend/partner, Shauna, the retreat cook and baker, are being inspected from the health department after complaints are made. On top of that Greyson Finn, a famous Denver Chef, is found dead in the local bakery. Cat is determined to get to the truth. There are twists and turns around every corner. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I recommend this book/series, and the authors other series, to any one who enjoys a well written cozy mystery. 

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Love this story. What fun would it be to be able to host a writer’s retreat! Cat, Seth and Shauna have it going on. I would love to be eating some of those delicious foods that Shauna is making. It was great following the group of writers attending the retreat. I felt like I was in the room listening to them. Aspen Hills sounds like a great small town. Would you like to be able to walk just about anywhere you wanted to go? I love small towns. I can’t wait to go visit again with Cat, Seth, Shauna, Uncle Pete and the next group of writers. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Another great instalment of the writer's retreat mysteries with Cat Latimer! This one centers around the death of a famous chef and takes us into Cat's past, when she was working at the university in town. We also get a great insight on what it takes to be a cozy mystery author as the writer's participating at this book's retreat all write cozies! Such a great added layer to the story and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story, how to pick the crime, write the twists/reveals etc... This novel was actually one of the least predictable in my opinion, perhaps because it wasn't soley murder centered and there was more going on. I was still trying to figure out the who, what, why, when the killer and his/her motives were revealed!

I always love visiting the Warm Springs Writers' Retreat in this series! Cat always gets involved somehow in a murder, but this time she was lucky enough not to have found the body. However, her natural curiosity and wanting to help people took over and she did end up stopping a killer in their tracks.

I liked that this group of writers were cozy mystery authors. It was fun to hear them toss around their ideas and enjoy being at the retreat. The side story about Shauna planning to go visit her estranged brother in NYC was good. I wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull it off, since she does enjoy cooking for Cat even when there's not a retreat. It was cute to see her being a mother hen and wanting to make sure that both Cat and Seth had enough food in their houses and food made ahead for the week after the retreat. I wasn't totally sure about who the killer was, and I didn't have the reason down, but the showdown was pretty good. Cat seems to be getting a little cleverer and more careful with each case. It was pretty awesome when she took down the killer. I saw that the next book is scheduled for February and I'm happy that at least this is one series that I'm caught up in.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Cat Latimer runs a writers retreat in her home in a college town in Colorado. When a celery chef is killed in a local bakery, Cat begins her own investigation. The suspects and their alibis seem to circle back to Cat, her business, and her fellow townspeople. This is part of a series but you don’t need to read them in order. It is what I consider a quick, easy read. It keeps you engaged without taxing your memory to keep everything straight. I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a nice cozy mystery but for me the strength was in the interesting side stories. I enjoyed the characters in the Warm Springs Writers' Retreat and am curious to see what happens next between Cat and her former friend now perhaps frienemy Jessica.

I had no trouble following the story even though I have not read the other books in the series but I look forward to catching up. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

is holding another retreat with Shauna and Seth’s help. A local bakery owner, Dee Dee tried to stir up trouble by sending anonymous complaints to the health department. A few days later a celebrity chef is found dead in Dee Dee’s kitchen. Cat can’t help but get involved because she is curious as to why the Denver chef was in Aspen Hills.
I really like the Cat Latimer mysteries. The authors who come to the retreats are always interesting and fun. The chemistry between Cat, Shauna and Seth is great. They work well together. The mystery contained a number of interconnecting details, which come together in a satisfying conclusion.
This is the fifth book in the series. While it could be read alone the characters and relationships develop over the course of the series.

Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is the fifth book in the Cat Larimer Series. This is one of my favorite series and am ready to go to Aspen Hills on a retreat! Even though it is the fifth book, it can be read as a stand alone.
Another retreat and another murder and Cat is investigating much to the dismay of her Uncle Pete, the police chief.
As always, Cahoon gives you plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. You also have a great setting and a cast of realistic, likeable characters. You have romance and true friendships. You will not want to put it down.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

A smidgen of romance combined with an intriguing mystery make Sconed to Death a fun read.
Cahoon provides enough background information that new readers should be able to connect with the series. Shauna is writing a cook book, and has been challenged to do something with 4 bushels of apples. A more perplexing challenge is Dee Dee, the local baker, who has allowed jealousy to cloud her thinking. Dee Dee soon has other problems as a body is found in her bakery. Will she try to implicate Cat, or Shauna?

For Cat things are going well. Her Writer's Retreats are becoming well known. Her romance with Seth is running smoothly. The residents for this week's retreat all appear to be nice people. The only possible dark note is with Jessica. She is a friend from the days before Cat's divorce. Five years later, the person Cat knew has morphed into an unhappy person who has bad mouthed Cat. What caused this change?

Revealing the nuts and bolts of novel writing has been one of the special parts of the Cat Latimer series. Book 5 also focuses on the kitchen, giving Shauna a chance to shine. Cahoon is a master at ending one novel with enough threads available to spin a new plot. I am looking forward to book 6.

Recommended

A famous chef is found dead in a bakery...who could have done it? Was it the girlfriend who may have been on her way out? Or the sister-in-law everyone was sure was having an affair with the deceased? What about the bakery ownerwho found the body in her bakery? And don't forget the folks in town that owed money to the chef.

Chief Edmond has his work cut out for him. He has lots of suspects but not nearly enough clues to go on. Cat, his niece, a writer and amateur sleuth, promises to stay out of his investigation....but she just can't help herself. Will she be able to get to the bottom of things before someone else is hurt, or worse?

This was an interesting and enjoyable book with fun characters and a mystery that kept me guessing to the end. It may have been my first Cat Latimer cozy mystery but it won't be my last.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Kensington, via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.

This book is around 90% dialogue, and this is mostly trivial and boring dialogue. Not captivating and not interesting, unless you are into murder as a small addition to everyday life.

Cat is getting ready for her next group of writers and is hoping that everything will go well. She truly wants this new venture to work out and looks forward to working with a new group of writers. Cat and Shauna seem to have worked out most of the kinks from previous groups and can't wait to meet everyone. Things are going well until a local baker sicks the health department on the ladies. Dee Dee is jealous of Shauna and her cooking abilities and has even gone as far to say that she stole some of her recipes. Cat decides to confront Dee Dee to nip this situation in the bud but ends up in a surprising moment. She finds a dead man in Dee Dee's bakery, he ends up being none other than Greyson Finn, a celebrity chef who everyone knows about. What was Greyson doing in their town much less Dee Dee's bakery. Even though Cat's Uncle tells her to stay out of this investigation she can't help but start looking into things. She is afraid with the animosity between Shauna and Dee Dee that Shauna might get pulled into the investigation. As she starts talking to people and following clues Cat ends up with more questions than answers. She starts to feel stalled in her investigation and has theories coming from several directions. Will she be able to keep her new business out of it all or will it get pulled into the mix too. This was my first foray into this series and I was pulled in from the beginning. I've already gone back to the beginning and started reading the first book and can't wait to catch up. I thought it was well put together, with a great plot and some fun characters. I'm anxious to get to know them better and look forward to the next book.

Murder at the Bakery
This fun cozy mystery occurs in a small Colorado town. This is part of the Cat Latimer series. Our heroine holds week-long writer retreats that seem to keep having murders occur during that week. This story has a good plot and lots of suspects with decent motives. The characters are all very realistic with real problems and emotions. This series is great because the clues and criminals seem less contrived and real thought is put into the plot. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Book 5 featured a strong and engrossing mystery. Who killed Greyson Finn? Perhaps the answer is to be found in just who the real Grayson is. Each suspect introduces a different take on who was the real man behind the celebrity persona. Was he a philanderer, a loyal brother, a guy looking for true love, a shrewd and vicious businessman? Each suspect comes with separate motives and we are left to decipher if their opportunities were really there. I do wish we could have gotten a little more background on one or two to really bring them more to life.

The main characters continue to grow and entertain. Cat worries that Uncle Pete may want to pack it all up and move waaaaay up north to be with the girlfriend, Shirley. Perhaps she could also pay more attention to what her uncle needs as opposed to what she wants… just saying.

Seth is the ever sweet and dependable boyfriend, helping to solve mysteries and hoping to provide protection if the need arises.

Shauna is still working her way through her grief over Kevin but is ready to get working on her new goals.

Only niggle: I do wish there was more clarity about which rumours surrounding the victim were actually true. So many contradictory reports about his personality were given, perhaps in the resolution we could have gotten some better closure on that as well.

The interaction between the main characters and the visiting writers continues to be a great source of enjoyment. This book’s group at the writer’s retreat are cozy mystery authors who have a macabre yet hilarious fascination with how to kill people and try to cover it up! I do enjoy the writing aspect of this series as it provides an interesting glimpse of the behind the scenes life of a writer.

Overall this was another fun and entertaining instalment in the Cat Latimer series.

This is the 5th book in the Cat Latimer/Writers' Retreat series.

A group of cozy mystery writers arrive at Cat and Shauna's monthly writers' retreat for a week of work. They are friends from Chicago looking for a little peace and quiet to work on their books. Meanwhile, a celebrity chef is killed in the bakery of Dee Dee, an obnoxious local woman who has accused Shauna of stealing her recipes. Turns out chef, Greyson Finn, is also the brother-in-law of an old friend of Cat's that she hasn't spoken to since she was married to her ex-husband.

I was a little preplexed as to why the celebrity chef was made the victim. He seemed like an odd choice for me - someone who is related to someone in town and visits maybe once a week to play poker. The story was good though and the retreat group was highly entertaining. This might be my favorite retreat group yet with their unique issues. Still a fun read and I'll be looking for the next.

I loved this series and I think this is the best I read.
It's an engaging, entertaining and fun to read, full of twists and turn.
It was great to meet again the cast of characters and the lovely setting.
I loved the mystery and the subplot about the group of writers.
I'm happy the series was back after the last book that seemed a bit disjointed to me.
Ms Cahoon is a talented storytelling and this stories keeps you hooked till the last page.
I look forward to reading the next installment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was my first Cat Latimer mystery , and I found I could read as a stand-alone no problem. I'm a fan of Lynn Cahoon books and this series is no exception. As soon as I finished I purchased the rest of the series.

It's filled with wonderful characters, I especially enjoyed the friendship between Cat and Shauna as well as with her uncle Pete. The characters were well developed and I liked the pretext/setting of a writers retreat.

The plot was well developed full of twists and turns, few red herrings couldn't put it down. I did think I knew whodunit but then second guessed myself but I kept returning to my original suspect. This in no way took away from the mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend go all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received a Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was once again a delight to spend time with Cat during a retreat week. A convoluted mystery kept me guessing. The friendships and enemies or frenemies add interest or angst. A litter of kittens for some fun relaxation time. I look forward to reading the next one in this charming series.

Love the setting of the book and the characters. This is the first book I have read in the series and was easy to follow along didn't have to many things referring to other books.

Cat and friend Shauna with the help of Cat's boyfriend run a writers retreat out of her home and when a celebrity chef is killed in town Cat who needs to stay out of things gets wrapped up in the investigation her uncle is running.

This book kept me guessing til the end. Lynn Calhoon writes really well and you feel like you are in the book with the characters.

I loved being back in Aspen Hills and with this wonderful cast of characters. The college town is filled with believable people and events. A murder takes place in town and old secrets and rivalries are ratcheted up as Cat gets involved contrary to her Uncle Pete's instructions. The mystery was sharp with plenty of twists and turns, the romance is delightful and the sense of family and loyalty is heartwarming. I look forward to another and highly recommend the entire series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.