Saturday, August 29, 2020

Review: To Coach A Killer by Victoria Laurie




Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Kensington

Release Date:
August 15, 2020








Synopsis from Goodreads:

Soaking up a luxurious new chapter alongside her saucy bestie, Cat Cooper plans on emerging as the premier life coach in East Hampton by summertime. All she has to do is survive an offseason replete with desolate beaches, slow business, and murder . . .

As the Hamptons drags through early spring, Cat's shot at becoming the toast of the town in time for Memorial Day is dwindling--and fast. The only client she can find has been housebound for decades and claims to be the victim of a devasting curse. Then there's the matter of Detective Shepherd's intense jealousy over Maks Grinkov, the handsome bad boy who approaches Cat with an unusual offer she can't stop thinking about. Havoc finally breaks loose when a string of murders rocks the coastal community, landing Maks on the hook as the culprit . . .

While the body count rises, Cat goes from life coaching to sleuthing for the truth about Maks's less-than-wholesome background. But after digging deeper, she questions if Detective Shepherd had an unwitting hand in a related homicide case after tangling with the wrong people. With a storm approaching shore and no one to trust, Cat and her sharp-tongued best friend, Gilley, must solve a client's curse and a series of violent deaths before a killer sends them all sailing to their doom . . .

My Review

Cat Cooper is trying to make her new business as a life coach in East Hampton a success. Her trusty best friend and assistant Gilley Gillespie is by her side to help her every step of the way.  

Cat is excited to learn she has a new client, but it’s not going to be an easy case.  The client has been locked in his home for years believing he has been cursed and anyone he goes near is in danger.  It’s up to Cat to convince him there is no curse.  She quickly learns that is not going to be so easy when her own life is threatened.

To add to Cat’s problems, she’s juggling two potential romances - a detective, Steve Shepherd, and the town bad boy, Maks Grinkov.  When Maks drags her into a dangerous case, Cat’s life is on the line.  She doesn’t know who to trust, but the dead bodies keep turning up and she has to do something to help crack this case.  

This is the second book in the Life Coach mystery series.  I didn’t read the first one, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of this one.  The author included background information throughout the book.  However, I do want to go back and read book #1.  I think it would have been even better had I read them in order.

I loved the camaraderie between Cat and Gilley.  Two people who really know and love each other as only best friends can.  You can feel their closeness through their dialogue and actions.  Their relationship is very well written.

The author gives us an exciting, fast-paced mystery to keep us guessing until the end.  She threw in quite a few twists and turns along the way.  Like Cat, I didn’t know who to believe or who to trust.  The climax of the mystery was explosive and had me at the edge of my seat. This looks to be an intriguing series and I look forward to reading more of it.


For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2020

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


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