The Deadly Art of Love and Murder

By: Linda Crowder

Narrated by: Michelle Babb

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

Murder in Coho Bay, Alaska

Caribou King, fine arts dealer in Coho Bay, Alaska, and the town's only licensed realtor, has closed up her gallery for the winter, and stops by the Tilamu house to check on it after the departure of the summer tenant, Mrs. Nash.

Instead, she finds Mrs. Nash's dead body.

Old Doc Tilamu had been the town's only doctor until he died, and his thre e children had all left town for the lower 48 as soon as they were able. When Alex Tilamu shows up at Mrs. Nash's funeral, drunk and ranting about murder of his parents, it causes quite a stir.

Thus begins a disturbing post-season season, looking for a killer, and a possible motive for the murder.

The entire Coho Bay police force is one man, Dan Simmons, and he's very interested in Cara King. So is another neighbor, Frank.

Cara is juggling two men, a murder mystery, and competing claims of ownership to the Tilamu house.

It's an engaging town, and an engaging story. I have to confess that I don't like Frank, which is apparently not the intended effect. Cara's mother is more than a bit managing, which is all too familiar to me, but she also has many good points.

All in all, enjoyable. I look forward to getting to know this town better in future entries in the series.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the narrator, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

The Deadly Art of Love and Murder

The Deadly Art of Love & Murder
: Linda Crowder

This cozy mystery is set in Alaska. The cast of characters, all with their own quirky personalities will keep the listener wondering "What's next?" The descriptions of the Alaskan landscape draws you in. There are twists some won't see coming, while others will see it right away. I want to know what's next for Caribou King.

The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Michelle Babb is always fun to listen to perform.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Life is never boring around Cara!

The tourist season is over in Coho Bay and Caribou King...LOVE the name...and her family are getting ready for winter and the impending birth of her niece/nephew. Surely life will be boring! That is, until Cara discovers the body of a longtime seasonal renter in one of the cabins that she manages. At first, it appears to be a suicide but the more digging that Cara does, the more it doesn’t pass the sniff test. Throw in the drama of two guys vying for Cara’s attention and you’ll see that life is never boring in Coho Bay, Alaska! Another great story in the series with equally great audio performance!
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A mystery within a mystery

Wow, this book has twist and turns that I didn't see coming. This phenomenal story had murder, drama, flirtation, old grudges and betrayal with a touch of humor. I was in the edge of my seat trying to figure out who did it and when I thought I did a twist that knocked me for a loop came out of nowhere. I highly recommend this book if you are a lover of intrigue and murder. Narrator Michelle Babb does it again with her amazing voices.
I received this book at my request for free and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review here of my own volition. Do not miss this amazing book.

A very pleasing and enjoyable listening

At the end of the tourist season when the Alaskan winter gets bittier, Caribou stumbles upon the corpse of an old woman who has lived in town for many years. Having the appearance of a suicide, Cara feels there is something amiss, and will try to find out who would have wanted to have this old woman killed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, and I wanted to continue with it. We meet again the same characters in Coho Bay, an atypical scenario for a cozy mystery, but one that works really well. I agreed with Cara that something smelled fishy about Mrs. Nash’s death, so I got hooked to the story from the beginning. There are several twists to the story that kept me entertained until the end. One of the things that I like best about this series is how relatable the characters are. It is easy to imagine oneself being part of Cara’s family and friends.

I am not usually keen on romance in books, but I kind of enjoyed the competition between Dan and Frank, and laughed out hard at some of the awkward moments when Cara has to interact with both. I confess I didn’t agree with some of her reactions but I partly understand her position. I have a favorite though, and I hope Cara goes for this one (I don’t want to give anything away).

Michelle Babb is a wonderful narrator, and here she gave soul to Cara, with the right inflections at the right times. She also interpreted exceptionally well the rest of the characters, and the story flowed like water, like any audiobook narrated by Babb. She has amazing storytelling skills.

It was a very pleasing and enjoyable listening, and my intention is going for the whole series. I wish I could lose myself for hours in books like this one.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Unusual!

Romance takes first place in this cozy mystery. There is a dead body, and at first it seems to be a suicide but proves to be murder. However, the majority of the book focuses on a romantic triangle and on the behavior of the main character's mother. So if what you are looking for is a romance, you win big time, but if you are looking for a good mystery it's up for grabs.
I win either way because my copy is audio by Michelle Babb who makes all of the characters more real and interesting!

Cozy Mystery

I loved the first book in this series so I couldn't wait to listen to book two. However, I was really disappointed. I figured out who did it early on, which is not really a big deal but what I found really annoying was this love triangle. The main character acted like a teen when it came to these two guys, not someone in her twenties and one of them (in my opinion) was better then the other in how he treated her and yet she wanted a spark!! I believe if she gave him a chance there would be a spark. She really annoyed me with this, however, towards the end it ends totally different to what I expected.
I would still recommend the book and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
Michelle Babb voiced all the characters well and gave them there own personality. There was a bit of a confusion on who was saying what but I think this more to do with the way it was written then the narrator voicing the characters.

Romance and murder in Alaska

Loved my second visit to this small town in Alaska. Caribou has two men seeking her favors. She finds a dead body instead of frozen pipes. The mystery revolves around a cabin. A delightful and entertaining cozy mystery. I am eager to read (or listen to) the next one in this series.

Another fun whodunit!

The Deadly Art of Love and Murder by Linda Crowder is a fun and engaging story about a murder that begs to be solved. Cara, having found an elderly woman dead in a cabin, has her nose in the investigation, much to the chagrin of the policeman in charge, who just might be a love interest for Cara. The relationships with her family and her would be suitors, yes suitors as in plural, are interesting and sometimes humorous. The author has crafted a good mystery that keeps the reader in the dark until the end. Twists and turns to the plot, a good concoction of characters, setting, and conflict and Cara's love life are threaded nicely together and lead to a satisfying conclusion. I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator, Michelle Babb, does a nice job of giving characters their unique voice which made for an enjoyable listening experience. I enjoyed catching up with the characters from the first book in the series (The Deadly Art of Deception) and am hoping there's a third book in the works.
I received a complimentary audible copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

Even better than the first book

Any additional comments?

It’s off-season in Coho Bay, Alaska, so like most shop owners, Caribou King has closed her fine arts store for the winter. However, being the only licensed realtor Caribou still has work to do. She heads out to check on one of the rental properties she oversees to make sure it the water has been shut off for the winter. As she enters the cabin she finds something disturbing… the dead body of the renter, Mrs. Nash. Along with Coho Bay’s one-man police force, Dan Simmons, Caribou sets out to find the killer. As they investigate they find more unexpected information and people who may be suspects. Will Caribou be able to sort through all this new info and find out the real truth for not only Mrs. Nash’s murder but some past deaths as well?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know of Caribou and her family a little better. I liked the little love triangle element added to the storyline. I have to admit I am like Caribou’s mother I have my pick on who is better for Caribou but also see negatives aspects with both men. The mystery aspect, however, is suspenseful with several twists and turns along the way. This is very well written mystery and just sucked me in from the beginning. I enjoyed the first book but I think I actually enjoyed this one a little bit more. The setting of it being winter in Alaska really added to the story’s plot and made me feel (as I expect Caribou and the others of Coho Bay) the urgency in finding the killer before some of the suspects were gone back to warmer climates.

I listened to the audio version of this book. Narrator Michelle Babb is a wonderful storyteller and really brings Caribou and the other characters to life. She has wonderful pace and diction which added to the experience reading this book.

I recommend this book and series to all mystery lovers. I was provided with a copy of this book with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way influenced by anyone.

Love, art and murder

I enjoyed this book. This is the second book in the series and each book is a stand alone, although this one does continue where the first one left off, at the start of winter. Sometimes the story felt like more of a romance story than a mystery, as the main character get pressured to choose between two men. However the mystery was good and did have me guessing as to the killer was. I liked the way you weren't sure if it was only one death that needed to be investigated or two. The small town atmosphere was well written about and really gave you a sense of community and the fact that everybody knew everybody and there business, loved Earl's shout out comments and everybody's reaction to them, some funny moments. Also mumma bear protecting her cub. I hope there are more audible books in this series to come if only to find out how life changes once the baby arrives.
With everything winding down for winter, Cara is behind schedule shutting up the rental homes after catching pneumonia. She when she does finally make it to the run down cabin to shut off the water before it freezes she wasn't expecting to find any one still there. Especially not the nice old lady who has been renting the cabin for years and certainly not dead. She was the last person Cara would have expected to have taken her own life. She kept to her self despite the fact she came every year, so nobody in town knows a thing about her or her family. When a grand daughter turns up for a funeral everybody is surprised but it is the accusation that are hurled about at the funeral that gets the biggest reaction. Had the old lady really killed a woman for her husband? The owner of the cabins children think so. There was more to the little old lady than met the eye and with her reputation on the line and her grand daughter happiness in the balance, not to mention the hope of a doctor moving to the island Cara sets about finding the truth. Anything to keep her from having to choose between two men.
Michelle Babb as the narrator is a good choice and I think she helps to recreate the story with just words and the tome of her voice.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Love doesn't have to make sense.

As the tourist season ends and Alaska edges towards winter, Cars finds the body of Angela Nash in one of the houses overlooking the sea. An elderly, sweet old lady whose husband died years before, Mrs.Nash was a popular visitor to small town Coho Bay who rented the dilapidated Tilamu house for several months every year. It looked like suicide. But her will held a big surprise: unknown to anyone, she'd actually owned the house she rented from the Tilamu famiy. As funeral arrangements are made and Mrs.Nash's heir, a young medical doctor, is made welcome by the King family, Caribou decides to look into the estate records, all the while still unsure which of her two suitors she should choose.

This crazy cozy plot becomes increasingly hysterical and chaotic, but the real saving grace is the fine honing of the characters and, in particular, the way the entire town pushes in to watch developments, interrupting police procedure and offering advice - brilliantly done and very amusing (got to love that Earl!), and worth reading the book for that alone. The liltingly accented reading by Michelle Babb is, as always, excellent, conveying warmth and humour as well as helping to bring it all to life with her separate character voices.

The second in the Caribou King series, The Deadly Art of Love and Murder is lightweight but fun and easily read as a stand alone story. My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy..