A new book is out in the Cait Morgan Mysteries series by Cathy Ace. I've read 3 out of 8 books in the series, so this is the fourth for me and the ninth in the series.
Book: The Corpse with the Crystal Skull
(Book 9 in the Cait Morgan series)
Author: Cathy Ace
Publication date: 29 June 2020
Publisher: Four Tails Publishing Ltd
Number of pages: 340 pages
ISBN-13: 9781999223069
Synopsis:
But when the body of the
luxury estate’s owner is discovered locked inside an inaccessible tower, Cait
and her fellow guests must work out who might have killed him – even if his
murder seems impossible.
Could the death of the man who hosted parties in the 1960s attended by Ian Fleming and Noël Coward be somehow linked to treasure the legendary Captain Henry Morgan might have buried at the estate?
Or to the mission Bud and his secret service colleagues have been sent to the island to undertake?
Book Review by Nadaness In Motion
I'm super excited to
read another of Cathy Ace's books in the Cait Morgan Mystery series.
This time Ace brings The
Corpse with the Crystal Skull, where Cait Morgan and her husband Bud Anderson
travel to Jamaica along with 4 of their friends.
It's been a while
since I'd read for Ace and this book references some of the events that
happened in the previous one, namely The
Corpse with the Ruby Lips (which I read in 2016!). I don't remember the
events of the last book so I felt a bit disconnected at the beginning.
However, once the
mystery began, I was immersed in the book.
The Corpse with
the Crystal Skull opens with the three couples in a luxury estate in Jamaica. Cait knows
everyone except Charlotte Fortescue "Lottie", who accompanies Bud's
friend John.
The trip to Jamaica
was meant to be getaway for Cait and Bud for a month. "Then
Bud somehow managed to invite Jack and Sheila to join us for a fortnight then
he'd also gone and asked John and his 'plus one' to come along for the final
week."
During their stay, their
host, and estate owner, Freddie Burkinshaw seemingly dies. However, the
circumstances surrounding his death seem off to Cait who begins to investigate.
Sounds like a
suicide, right?
That's what the
police think. But Cait and Bud aren't buying it.
"The
crystal skull. That was [Freddie's] most prized possession."
Unbeknownst to Cait,
Bud and the other two men are on a secret mission to uncover a historical
artefact and destroy it. Cait finally weeds out this information from Bud and
joins him in his quest.
As The Corpse with
the Crystal Skull progresses, Cait discovers that there were many issues
between their friendly host Freddie and other business owners on the island. Chief
among them is their nearest neighbor Nina Mazzo.
"Knowing what I do now about the men's mission, their expressions
make sense. Sheila's doesn't. I recall that when Amelia broke the news of
Freddie's death, Sheila seemed annoyed, not shocked. "Damn it!" she
had said. That doesn't seem right."
Also, their friend
Sheila seems to be acting strangely in some situations.
There are lots of
deceptions in The Corpse with the Crystal Skull from many parties, the
good and the bad. This offered tons of suspense and intrigue but also some
confusion. Especially when characters like Bud have to talk in code or in
indirect messages.
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| Image via Trip Advisor |
As Cait and the group delve deeper into Freddie's life and into the secret operation undertaken by Bud, John, and Jack, secrets emerge about Freddie, who it seems had made many enemies over the years.
"Freddie
had a reputation for being able to get things for people. Unusual things. Probably
some illegal things. Freddie built a network of contacts and used that to build
a network of 'customers.'"
It seemed that many
people wanted Freddie dead for different reasons.
One of the things I liked
about The Corpse with the Crystal Skull is the references to books and
movies, especially Ian Fleming and James Bond. While I watched some of the
movies, I've never read any of the books. Maybe I should reconsider?
I enjoy the way Cait
and Bud interact with each other, calling each other husband and wife, respectively.
I also loved the
conclusion, which sees Cait Morgan ala Agatha Christie, bringing everyone
together and slowly making the killer emerge.
Overall rating for The
Corpse with the Crystal Skull: 4.5 stars
"Freddie
was shot, that's for sure. Straight through the heart. But that's not what's
really interesting. What's really interesting is that he'd also been
poisoned."
Note: I
received a free copy of The Corpse with the Crystal Skull by Cathy Ace
from Lori Caswell of Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an
honest review. This did not affect my review in anyway.
Check out Nadaness In Motion's book reviews of other books in the Cait
Morgan mystery series:
The
Corpse with the Diamond Hand
The
Corpse with the Garnet Face
Add The
Corpse with the Crystal Skull on Goodreads.
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