Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon

It's time for another writer's retreat at Cat Latimer's bed and breakfast. Too bad her business partner Shauna is so involved with her new fiance. Cat's worried about whether she's going to be there to help. She's also worried because Shauna's fiance is a bit of a jerk. But it's still a surprise when he ends up dead. Even more surprising when Shauna becomes the prime suspect. But Cat knows Shauna would never hurt a fly and, more logically, why would she kill the man before they were married?  Even if she was seen with rat poison before the man was killed by that same method.
There is a lot going on in this book including some movement in the storyline of Annie's now-deceased ex-husband. The ending wasn't particularly fairly clued though there were some hints here and there, especially right before the denouement.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out November 28
Follows Fatality by Firelight

Fatality by Firelight by Lynn Cahoon

I wish I had read the first book in this series because there were a lot of call backs to the other story in this series. Otherwise, this was a perfectly fine book, though a bit convoluted in areas. A LOT of red herrings in this book.
This is the second writer's retreat that Cat Latimer is hosting in the house she lived in with her ex-husband, the house he surprisingly willed to her. During the last retreat, one of the writers (I'm guessing from the references) ended up dead. This retreat has its own share of problems, a famous Hemingway book being stolen from the library, one participant who has a stalker and is almost kidnapped, participants who don't seem fully invested in their writing, Cat finding out that her home town is a supposed "safe zone" for mob families to send their college-aged kids, a big mob guy hitting on her... There's a lot going on.
I would probably read the next book in this series if some of the "over-arching" stories start moving a little faster.

Three stars
This book comes out February 28
Followed by Of Murder and Men