Only two seasons matter in Coho Bay, Alaska – cruise ship and winter. Caribou King, owner of The Broken Antler Gallery, is hip-deep in tourists when her old college pal Taylor shows up asking for refuge, saying she has no place else to go. Cara is cautious; Taylor was the wife of one of Alaska’s most renowned artists––Jonathan Snow, who was mauled to death by a bear the previous year. Why would … would his widow want to return to the location of her tragic loss? Something about Taylor’s story just doesn’t ring true.
Of course, she may not be the only liar in town. Taylor’s former father-in-law accuses her of killing his son in front of a diner full of people, except he may have had a stronger motive. A handsome boat captain seems to fancy both Cara and Taylor but he can’t make up his mind between them ––or between lying and telling the truth. The local constable mistrusts everyone, but may have a reason to be mistrusted himself. Will Cara help her old friend Taylor, or will doing so get her into a heap of trouble? When a headless body is discovered in the bay, Cara wonders just who she can trust in this tiny town.
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The first book in the Caribou King Mysteries and I like it. The characters are interesting and the mystery is not easily given away. I love the way Linda Crowder describes the small town in Alaska. How the town has reinvented itself after it is placed on the cruise ship stops. I love how the whole town takes Thursdays off because no ships come on Thursday even the sheriff is off fishing or hunting on that day. I will be listening to more in this cozy series. This book was narrated by Michelle Babb and she is wonderful. The perfect fit for this story and this series.
This review is for the audio book.
This is the first book by this author I have listened to or read but it won’t be the last because I really enjoyed it. It contained so many twists at the end that it was hard to keep up and I didn’t see any of them coming. I liked the characters, especially Cara and her sister and there relationship. The mystery was good and as I said it kept you guessing not only over who the dead body belonged to but also over the earlier death, was it murder or accidental, not to mention who was responsible. I am off to start the next book.
Things are winding down now that tourist season is nearly over Which is why Cara is surprised to turn around and find her old college room mate stood before her. She hasn’t seen Taylor in nearly a year, not since the death of her husband. So why is she back now? With her return tempers start to fly as some people question whether the death of her husband and local celebrity artist was really the accident it was claimed. One of the men that steps in to defend her is a man who has been flirting with Cara all summer. This is normal behaviour for her old friend and its not like he is the first head that gets turned by Taylor but what is strange is the fact that after spending the night with her he goes missing and a headless body is found by fisherman. Cara wants to believe her friend had nothing to do with it but she catches her in one lie to many. Scared a killer is running around town Cara starts to lock her door for the first time every but by locking the door is keeping a killer out or In? Not sure who to trust Cara starts to question alibis and motives but it is when she stumbles over the blood crime scene and another missing person that she really starts to fear for herself and pregnant sister.
Michelle Babb is a great choice for this series and is the main reason I gave this series a go in the first place. As I haven’t listened to any books that she has read and not enjoyed them or came away disappointed , she gives her all to every single one
I enjoyed reading The Deadly Art of Deception by Linda Crowder very much. She did a great job of developing her characters and making them likable even while not sure which one was a killer. The mystery/plot is multi-layered and surprising. I recommend this book, and I look forward to more books from this author.
This was my first Linda Crowder’s book, and won’t be my last. This is the first book in the A Caribou King Mystery Series, a cozy mystery. Caribou (Cara) is such a wonderful character. The storyline is filled with mystery, secrets, and twists and turns. The supporting characters are intriguing. Michelle Babb did a fantastic job with the narration. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to listen to The Deadly Art of Love and Murder, the next book in the Series.
Great settling in Alaska. Good development of characters. Surprise ending
Realistic enough, flows along well, surprise ending.
This was a good read, but nothing amazing here. I like that fact it was set in Alaska in a fictional bay but the main character didn’t do that much for me.
I didn’t like this book.
I kept waiting for this to get better. The ending was ridiculous. Anticlimactic, unrealistic. All the mysteries were quickly explained in a conversation at the end of the book between two characters. A conversation that was about as toast.
A good mystery.
Full of twists and surprises. Very believable characters. Great.
A light read that is perfect for vacation, the ending is a surprise.
So-so book. I had a hard time making myself finish it, but I hate to stop reading in the middle of a book.
Great plot! Surprise at the end that was totally unexpected.
This is one of the most unusual mystery books I have read. It is based in the fictional town of Coho Bay, Alaska. Cruise ships keep the small town alive with tourists during the summer season. Caribou King owns an art gallery and her sister (Mel) and husband (Bent) own the one restaurant in town. Caribou”s (Cari) friend, Taylor comes back a year after the death of her artist husband. He was mauled by a bear. When a man is murdered there are no shortage of suspects. You won’t figure this one out.
Kept me guessing at the victims cause of death? Good read.
Fun read!
Good character developement and a surprise ending.
I liked it very much but the ending was a bit disappointing.
Was a good light read. Nothing very literary.