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 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 and can’t make up his mind between them, or between lying and telling the truth. And 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.
Mixed Reactions Usually I would rate this book more highly: there is a lot to like. The writing is crisp; the plot is easy to follow; the solution falls within the boundary of expectation; the setting is unfamiliar enough to catch one’s attention. But–the heroine is wimp whose knees give way whenever fear or the thought of it occurs; she is so unassertive that with the exception of her sister everyone pushes her around. The one who apparently ends up as her boyfriend clearly has acted unscrupulously on the…
Great Mystery The Deadly Art of Deception (Caribou King Mysteries #1) by Linda Crowder, Narrated by Michelle Babb.Â
My, How The Title Fits! Every single character in this novel, except our main protagonist, Cara King, is lying to everybody else. And, not to be outdone, Cara King is lying to herself.Â