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 Deadly Art of Deception (Caribou King Mysteries #1) by Linda Crowder, Narrated by Michelle Babb.
Caribou King, owner of The Broken Antler Gallery in Coho Bay Alaska, has her hands full with tourist as it nears the end of the tourist season. Out of the blue her college friend Taylor shows up with no place to go. Taylor is the widow of Caribou’s childhood friend and local artist Jonathan Snow. Jonathan was killed just one year before in a bear attack. Taylor’s father-in-law shows up accusing Taylor of murdering Jonathan. But how could Taylor be responsible for a bear attack? Caribou knows Taylor is hiding something but what could it be? Other residents have started acting strange since Taylor’s arrival in town. Suddenly one morning a body is pulled from the water, is this Taylor’s father-in-law who was supposed gone fishing, Frank a man that has recently moved to Coho Bay, or the mystery man Taylor was spotted talking to behind Caribou’s gallery? What is going on with everyone, who is telling the truth? Who can Caribou trust?
This is a great start to a series. I was immediately drawn in by the storyline. As all of the people in the town that are involved in the mystery seem keep changing their story or keeping information secret the story keeps twisting and turning. I stayed glued to the story never knowing (like Caribou) who to trust and who to suspect as being involved with the new murder and everything else that has been happening around Coho Bay since Taylor’s arrival.
The descriptive words painted a picture of the scenery of the small Alaskan town so I was able to picture in my mind just how the village looked. The main protagonist Caribou is a smart, funny, strong, independent female. Having such an unusual name she shortened her name and goes by Cara. She was born in Coho Bay and is surrounded by her family, and since there is such a small population of single men her age she is still single. She grew up with most of the men her age and they see her a the tomboy she once was, a lot the residents still today view her as one of the guys.
I listened to the audio version of this book which was narrated by Michelle Babb. I have listened to other books narrated by Mrs. Babb and this one was one of her best. She has great timing and pace. She is great with the voices you can always tell which character is speaking and understand everything being said. I believe Mrs. Babb is a natural when it comes to storytelling, she just brings you into the story, she makes you feeling like you are in story yourself.