The Deadly Art of Love and Murder

A Caribou King Mystery, Book 2

By: Linda Crowder

Narrated by: Michelle Babb

Alaskan fine arts dealer Caribou King has closed up shop for the season and is looking forward to a peaceful winter, capped off by the birth of her sister's first child. When she discovers the body of Angela Nash, an elderly woman, in the old Tilamu house, Cara can't help poking her nose into the investigation.

Doc Tilamu served the people of Coho Bay all his life, building the house for his bride and their three children, but as soon as they became adults, each one of them left town and never looked back. When Alex Tilamu shows up at Mrs. Nash's funeral, drunk and ranting about murder, Cara is convinced there is more at stake than a dilapidated house on the edge of the bay.

Unraveling the mystery of the old woman's death takes Cara and the town's one-man police force, Dan Simmons, on a perilous journey through decades-old hatreds, bitterness, and greed. With the Alaskan winter closing in, Cara finds herself caught between two men who say they love her and one who wants her dead.

This is the second book in the Caribou King Mystery series, combining murder, light suspense, comedy, and romance.

©2017 Linda Crowder (P)2018 Linda Crowder

Good follow-up to book 1

I love the setting for these books! A tourist island in Alaska with a close knit community sounds wonderful to me. Of course, a murder on the island would spoil it but some of the residents band together to help find the guilty party. It had been a while since I listened to book one but once I started listening it was like getting back together with old acquaintances. These are some of my favorite book characters. As always, Michelle Babb is a pleasure to listen to. She puts a lot into her narrations. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Loving this series

This story was sad it really spoke to my heart. It also brought happiness as new relationships were formed. This story had a lot of mystery shrouded in the death of Mrs Nash. Caribou is torn between 2 men vying for her attention. Her sister Mellie is struggling with morning sickness as her momma hovers trying to take care of Mellie and Caribou aka Cara. I love the closeness of this family because family is everything. As always narrator and Babb has done an excellent job bringing this story to life. She has become my favorite female narrator. Good job to the author and narrator. I want to follow this series to the end. I was given this book free of charge in exchange for a voluntary unbiased review.

Too much romance for me, but enjoyable overall

Pros: The setting and characters remain as charming and cozy as the first book, with captivating descriptions of small town life and the close-knit relationships among the community. The main mystery is exciting and interesting without feeling too fantastic or out of place for the setting.

Cons: If you are considering reading this to learn more about the story from the first book, don’t bother. The events of the first book are barely mentioned (if they’re mentioned at all) which I found a little unrealistic since this book takes place only a couple weeks after those events.
The romantic undertones from the first book kick into overdrive here. As someone who didn’t like the romance in the first book (or romance novels in general), this felt grating and uncomfortable at times. Also, if you have had bad experiences with intimacy and consent, the relatively aggressive way one of the love interests pursues Cara may bother you, like it did me. I’m sure some people get all hot and bothered reading about men touching and kissing them out of nowhere and asserting themselves, but I hate that kind of stuff and found myself literally squirming in my seat during some scenes just waiting for it to be over.

Overall, it was worth the listen for the lovely characters and setting, but I can’t see myself continuing with this series if the flirting/romance continues like this.

Book two is as good as Book one!

This book does stand alone, However, it picks up where book one ended. I would recommend reading both. This is mystery that stumped me. I did not know who had committed the murder.
I always enjoy Michelle Babb's narrations. She has done an excellent job as usual.
You can read the synopsis in the description so I will not repeat that information.
I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to visit Alaska!

I started this series with this book - the second in the series- but it was well written enough that I was able to pick up the running backstory and enjoy the mystery out heros faced during this installment. I enjoyed the Linda Crowder’s writing style and really didn’t figure out who committed the crime until quite late in the book.

Michelle Babb is a star performer in my opinion and turned in another presentation!

I recommend both the author and the narrator!