Slay in Character (A Cat Latimer Mystery)

Slay In Character is the 4th book in Lynn Cahoon's Cat Latimer Mystery series. This is the first book I've read in the series and the first book by this author that I've read. Cat Latimer runs a writer's retreat workshop in small town Colorado. This workshop seems to be running smoothly when one of her guest's friends is murdered.

I liked the story line itself alright, and the characters were all likeable. However, I felt like this book picked up in the middle of the previous book. I didn't really know the cast of characters or the town. They would bring up something that happened before, but you never find out what it was. A lot of the characters names were similar, without much description of them, making it difficult to follow along at first.

I know when reading a series, you don't want a lot of recap from previous books in the series, but I think you still need some or you can really confuse readers.

Like I said, I did like the story line, and I actually didn't figure out who the killer was ahead of time (which seemed pretty obvious after the fact, but I still missed it!).

if you decide to read this series they are best read in order as huge disclosures are in each one. a woman author and her chef best friend run a bed and breakfast author's retreat in colorado. i have only read 3 or 4 of these. i think the boyfriend is too secretive and probably is a bad guy. i could be wrong. i don't like him though. the mysteries are good and the author's retreat sounds interesting and fun. the food sounds yummy.

SLAY IN CHARACTER by Lynn Cahoon
The Fourth Cat Latimer Mystery

When a group of historical romance writers come for a writer's retreat, Cat Latimer hopes for a quiet productive time with camaraderie and a few laughs. A visit to the Old West tourist town of Outlaw leads to tragedy when a young woman is found strangled in a room above the saloon. The murdered girl happened to be covering for the Jessi Ball, the Covington College student attendee of the retreat, a student with "family" connections. Could Jessi have been the actual target? The other writers take Jessi under their wing as her life gets even more out of control.Will Cat be able to keep everyone safe, even as the writers attempt to solve the murder themselves? And just what is Seth up to in the back yard?

I really love this smart writer oriented series. Cat shares the expertise and life of a writer to her retreat participants and in doing so Lynn Cahoon shares it with her readers. I particularly like the tips to encourage productivity. I'd do those writers sprints myself, except that I write long hand! Aside from a realistic look at the life of an author, readers are also provided with a well plotted mystery. Subtle clues, inferences, possibilities, and red herrings cloud the investigation making for an interesting read.

The characters are complex. Each has not only a history, but dreams and aspirations, goals and motives, some bubbling under the surface, hinted at, and some expressed. Readers are pulled in, identifying, commiserating, and intrigued with the characters and so with the story.

SLAY IN CHARACTER is a character driven mystery that takes a writer's life to the next level. Despite the murders that seem to beset Cat's writing retreats, I'd love to sign up to attend one!

FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery - the premise of the series itself is definitely unique and contains a multitude of intriguing juxtapositions: a woman who inherits a home from her dead ex-husband and turns it into a writers' retreat in a quaint college town -- but where most people have secret mob connections!!). I was so excited to read this as I definitely know that truth is stranger than fiction and was interested to read how the author makes all of these threads come together in the series! I related immediately to the protagonist, Cat, as she is likeable and I easily understood her emotions and motivations. The mysteries that arc through this series are really fantastic cliffhangers - who are the good or bad guys?? As a reader, I am definitely hooked! This being said, as a reader coming in to the series without having read all of the prior books, I was a bit lost or confused as to who all the characters were and their relationships. Several characters were introduced but not explained and there was no information to explain their relationships. I think this series is fascinating, but the books should probably be read in order to get the most out of it!

I received an ARC to read and give an unbiased review.
While I really liked this book, I felt a little lost at times because I hadn't read the some of the previous books in the series.
The characters are likeable, and interact well together. The locations are nicely described, and the plot was well thought-out.
A few twists, but no big surprise ending, at least for me. I figured out whodunnit and why, and even Seth's surprise project for Cat & Shauna.
Overall--I liked the book, it was a nice, quick cozy mystery

First, let me state that this is one of my favorite series. I love the premise. Who wouldn’t want to attend one of Cat Latimer’s writing retreats despite all the mayhem and murder? However, this entry was lacking something. I wasn’t that invested in who committed the murder or why. There were too many red herrings and a couple of twists that didn’t really add to the plot. Previous story lines have been tighter and every action was essential to the conclusion. I also think this book may not appeal to readers who are unfamiliar with the backstory. There are discussions and motivations that won't make sense if you haven't read the other titles. That said, I still love the interaction between the recurring characters. With each book the development of their relationships is believable and leaves me wanting more. Ms. Cahoon's writing style is very engaging and keeps your attention. I didn't love this book as much as the previous titles but I will continue to read the series and look forward to the next installment.

This is the 4th in the “Cat Latimer Series”. This time around a group of romance writers have come to the retreat. When one of the writers has a friend and co-worker murdered, the entire group of writers get involved in helping to try to find the killer.

This series keeps getting better and better. The characters are very well written and the story always keeps my interest from start to finish. The characters are extremely likable and have developed wonderful relationships amongst themselves. Definitely looking forward to what the future holds for Cat and the gang. Plus as an added bonus they included wonderful recipes.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the book in return for my honest opinion.

Excellent story! Exciting plot line. Fun, likable characters. A fun read!

Cat Latimer and her best friend Shauna host a writers retreat once a month.
Somehow, during retreat week crime seems to increase in this college town.
Besides a college, with its own secrets, this Colorado town is home to several well connected families (aka The Mob) and near a former ghost town, developed into a tourist attraction.

Shauna is still grieving the death of her fiance and missing the horse he had gifted her.
Cat is still figuring out her relationship with Seth, who helps with the retreat as chauffeur and providing handyman services. Seth finds himself also playing bodyguard, but Cat and her writers make that role extremely difficult. This time he is also working on a secret project and making the ladies very curious.

The guests this month are an established group of friends, historical fiction writers, more romance than mystery. Fortunately for the included graduate student, she is quickly welcomed into the group and taken under their wings. This doesn't mean she is protected from strange happenings that start soon after the retreat begins. After a while Cat begins to wonder if Jessie is a target of some sort.

When Jessie's college roommate goes missing, later to turn up dead at the ghost town while working Jessie's shift, and revealed secrets about the roommate prove she wasn't exactly who she pretended to be, the plot thickens. Each time you think you have found a motive another suspect is tossed into the mix. Each day brings a new adventure and more questions.

Cat and Shauna go from wondering if they should increase the number of retreats to wondering if they should stop them because of the murders. After reading the previous books in this series, I still believe I would love to spend a week at the Aspen Hills Warm Springs Resort Writers Retreat.

You can read each of the books in this series as a stand alone but every retreat group is different, and each deals with different kinds of crimes along with murder.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for allowing me to fall in love with this series. The rating and opinions are my own.

This was the first book I have read in the series and I found myself fully engaged in Cat as a protagonist and her adventures. She is a well rounded character with lots of depth and personality. I like the idea of a Writer’s Retreat. It has the potential for a lot of secondary characters to come and go throughout the series, which is a lot of fun.