Fatality by Firelight (Cat Latimer Mystery #2) by Lynn Cahoon

Cat Latimer’s Colorado bed-and-breakfast plays host to writers from all over. But murder is distinctly unwelcome . . .

To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, hoping some fresh cold air will wake up their creative muses. But instead of hitting the slopes, they hit the bar—and before long, a tipsy romance novelist named Christina is keeping herself warm with a local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding.

Next thing Cat knows, her uncle, the town sheriff, informs her that the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill . . .   (Summary via Goodreads)



Fatality by Firelight is the second book in the Cat Latimer Mystery book series by Lynn Cahoon and it is the second writer's retreat for Cat, Shauna and Seth.  Catherine Latimer was willed the big house in 
Colorado by her ex-husband Michael and with the help of her friend Shauna and her high school, current boyfriend, Seth she has turned it into a writer's retreat bed and breakfast.  For one week a month the house is opened up to authors who spend the week writing, visiting the college library, participating in seminars and receiving insights from Cat who is a published author.

On the first day of this retreat Cat and Seth take the guests on a skiing trip to the nearby resort.  While Cat and Seth are enjoying the day racing each other down the mountain, the guests have taken to the bar instead.  Christina, a romance author,  has caught the eye of local boy Tommy and the two have no problem showing some PDA at the resort.   Unfortunately Tommy is engaged to Brit, a bartender in town.  When Tommy is found stabbed to death in a hot tub at the resort and Christina was the last to see him alive and has Tommy's blood on her clothes, things at the retreat heat up !!

Luckily for Christina Cat's uncle Pete is the police chief and on top of everything and if he isn't Cat is....

Valuable Hemingway books are stolen from the library, mobster children are students at the college, Cat is trying to go through Michael's study for clues to his death and closure, they are trying to run a successful writer's retreat, and Cat wants to find out who killed Tommy and keep Christina safe.....All in a day's work for Cat and company.

You will instantly love Cat, Shauna and Seth !!  You will want to spend lots of time in the kitchen with the girls and sit on the couch in Cat's office on the third floor.  The relationships in the story between Cat and Shauna, Cat and Seth, the writing guests for the week are uniquely written and you will long for relationships like these.  

And I must mention the special hot chocolate and the food that Shauna prepares throughout the story....yummy !!  You will be so engrossed in reading this book, that you might find yourself smelling the chocolate.....

I am a HUGE fan of Lynn Cahoon and the Cat Latimer Mystery series and cannot wait to get lost in another of the writer's retreats........I know it's going to be a treat !!!!

Review by Missi S.