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Cait Morgan #12
The Corpse with the Turquoise Toes
Guests of honor at the opening of a swish new restaurant in Arizona, Welsh Canadian criminal psychologist sleuth Cait Morgan, and her retired-cop husband Bud Anderson, are looking forward to living in the lap of luxury for a week.
But an unexpected death at the desert retreat puts more than a wrinkle in their plans. Is the Faceting for Life movement, of which their host is a devotee, just a harmless framework for life-affirming activities, or a façade for a cult where no one is quite who they appear to be?
In the twelfth Cait Morgan Mystery, Cait and Bud arrive at their remote destination keen to relax and indulge, only to discover that Cait might have – for the first time in her life – truly met her match. And her adversary’s agenda? Well, it’s anything but restful…indeed, it’s both wicked, and deadly.
But an unexpected death at the desert retreat puts more than a wrinkle in their plans. Is the Faceting for Life movement, of which their host is a devotee, just a harmless framework for life-affirming activities, or a façade for a cult where no one is quite who they appear to be?
In the twelfth Cait Morgan Mystery, Cait and Bud arrive at their remote destination keen to relax and indulge, only to discover that Cait might have – for the first time in her life – truly met her match. And her adversary’s agenda? Well, it’s anything but restful…indeed, it’s both wicked, and deadly.
- GenresMystery
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2022
15 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Ace
43 books387 followersCathy Ace migrated from her native Wales to Canada at the age of 40. She is the award-winning author of the traditional Cait Morgan Mysteries featuring her Welsh Canadian criminology professor sleuth who travels the world tripping over corpses, which have now been optioned for TV. She also writes the cozier WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries featuring a quartet of female PIs who run their business out of a Welsh stately home. Both series have been well-reviewed. Her award-winning standalone, THE WRONG BOY, is a gripping novel of psychological suspense, set in Wales, and has also been optioned for TV.
"Ace is, well, an ace when it comes to plot and description.” The Globe and Mail
Cathy's work has won the prestigious Bony Blithe Award for best Canadian light mystery, an IPPY and an IBA Award, and has been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story.
Her short story "Dear George" appeared on the UK's O Level English Language syllabus and, together with another story, "Domestic Violence", has been produced for BBC Radio 4. You can find out more about Cathy, her books, and events she'll be attending, at www.cathyace.com
"Ace is, well, an ace when it comes to plot and description.” The Globe and Mail
Cathy's work has won the prestigious Bony Blithe Award for best Canadian light mystery, an IPPY and an IBA Award, and has been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story.
Her short story "Dear George" appeared on the UK's O Level English Language syllabus and, together with another story, "Domestic Violence", has been produced for BBC Radio 4. You can find out more about Cathy, her books, and events she'll be attending, at www.cathyace.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 28, 2022
Criminal psychologist Cait Morgan and her retired homicide detective husband Bud Anderson are off to the Arizona desert in the 12th Cait Morgan book, The Corpse with the Turquoise Toes by Cathy Ace. After a rocky ride in the private plane provided by aging rock star Sammy Soul to bring them there, they arrive in Arizona with high anticipation of having a week’s vacation to relax. The trip is being paid for by Sammy Soul and his wife Suzie as an act of gratitude for Cait and Bud saving their daughter’s life some years before. Now that daughter, Serendipity, is a chef at the new restaurant at the equally new Desert Gem resort. The resort is the home base for the Faceting for Life movement, and Cait and Bud are the first and only guests before its opening to the public. Serendipity is hosting them and is eager to show off her restaurant.
Before our ever-hopeful-for-a-quiet-vacation couple even set foot on the Desert Gem complex, they receive a message from Serendipity that Linda Karaplis, the founding member, along with her recently deceased husband Demetrius, of the Faceting for Life movement has been found dead. Elizabeth and Norman, the Facetors driving Kait and Bud to Desert Gem receive a call to make haste in returning, as Linda’s son Oscar is missing after hearing that his mother was gone. Cait and Bud fear that once again their vacation is going to have high drama involved. Elizabeth and Norman have already raised some red flags at their strange reaction to finding out Bud was an ex-lawman.
Shortly after arriving at the Desert Gem and after meeting up with Serendipity, also a devotee of the Faceting movement, at her restaurant, word comes in from the search for Oscar that he has been found dead in the desert surrounding the complex. His neck is broken, and it’s assumed by the group that he fell. Well, there are two people at the Desert Gem who think that the two deaths, mother and son, so close together is suspicious. When Bud asks if the police have been called, he gets stonewalled and assured the community is handling the deaths. They have a doctor, who is also a Faceting for Life disciple, coming to pronounce cause of death. Kait and Bud become more and more concerned that the Faceting for Life movement is more of a cult than a chance for personal growth.
The surviving member of the Karaplis family is Zara Karaplis, the daughter of Linda and Demetrius, and she is the revered leader of the movement now. Zara claims her father has “pierced the vale” and she is now channeling him with messages from the beyond and advice for the living. Kait and Bud think Zara’s claims are pure hogwash, but it’s uncanny the way she knows things about people, their past and their loved ones, that she presents as knowledge from her dead father. When our doubting duo learn that Linda’s death was a suicide brought on by Zara’s communication from Demitrius that it was his wife’s time to die and join him, Kait and Bud are suspicious that there’s something very wrong at Desert Gem. Upon further learning that other recent deaths were suicides brought on by the same directive from Demitrius through Zara, Kait and Bud see red flags popping up all over the place. They know they must do something, but in a setting where they are the only two skeptics, investigating the Facet and Face It movement now controlled by Zara seems an impossible task. Secluded in the Faceting Movement’s compound, with no transportation of their own and too far to walk for help, Kait and Bud are once again truly on their own.
Cathy Ace gives readers some great characters in this new book. Cait and Bud are always a delight, with their support and understanding of one another. I enjoy how their communications with one another are always thoughtful. The characters added for this story are so intriguing, with their secrets and loyalty to a mythical based belief system. Serendipity Soul is the host for the Morgans visit, wanting them to share in the opening of her restaurant associated with Desert Gem, but she seems skittish and somewhat on edge from the very beginning of their visit. KSue, best friend of the recently departed Linda, is the typical adult follower of such a movement, where she has spent much of her money to have a place at Desert Gem, if only for a number of months (It’s an expensive place to live or stay.) KSue adds lots of drama to the story, and gains both the interest and the concern of Kait and Bud. The almighty leader Zara is a fascinating study in leadership by manipulation. Ambroise was a friend of Oscar, Serendipity, and Zara before the Desert Gem undertaking and is protective of friends. There’s an interesting dynamic between Ambroise and Serendipity, and it’s hard to pinpoint just what their relationship is. It’s a well-developed cast of players, and trying to figure out who is trustworthy will bring some exciting twists to the story.
Mind manipulation a gripping subject matter, a scary one, too. Cathy Ace gives readers a story that cleverly addresses current conversations about how people can so blindly “follow the leader.” It’s a tale as old as time, but Ace gives it a fresh spin that will have readers on pins and needles worrying about the outcome. Fans of the series will love following Kait’s and Bud’s dogged determination, their always witty conversations, and their ability to face even the most daunting of circumstances. And, with Ace's skillful description of the blazing heat of the day and the complete darkness of the night, readers will feel the discomforting temp and the fright of things that go bump in the night.
Before our ever-hopeful-for-a-quiet-vacation couple even set foot on the Desert Gem complex, they receive a message from Serendipity that Linda Karaplis, the founding member, along with her recently deceased husband Demetrius, of the Faceting for Life movement has been found dead. Elizabeth and Norman, the Facetors driving Kait and Bud to Desert Gem receive a call to make haste in returning, as Linda’s son Oscar is missing after hearing that his mother was gone. Cait and Bud fear that once again their vacation is going to have high drama involved. Elizabeth and Norman have already raised some red flags at their strange reaction to finding out Bud was an ex-lawman.
Shortly after arriving at the Desert Gem and after meeting up with Serendipity, also a devotee of the Faceting movement, at her restaurant, word comes in from the search for Oscar that he has been found dead in the desert surrounding the complex. His neck is broken, and it’s assumed by the group that he fell. Well, there are two people at the Desert Gem who think that the two deaths, mother and son, so close together is suspicious. When Bud asks if the police have been called, he gets stonewalled and assured the community is handling the deaths. They have a doctor, who is also a Faceting for Life disciple, coming to pronounce cause of death. Kait and Bud become more and more concerned that the Faceting for Life movement is more of a cult than a chance for personal growth.
The surviving member of the Karaplis family is Zara Karaplis, the daughter of Linda and Demetrius, and she is the revered leader of the movement now. Zara claims her father has “pierced the vale” and she is now channeling him with messages from the beyond and advice for the living. Kait and Bud think Zara’s claims are pure hogwash, but it’s uncanny the way she knows things about people, their past and their loved ones, that she presents as knowledge from her dead father. When our doubting duo learn that Linda’s death was a suicide brought on by Zara’s communication from Demitrius that it was his wife’s time to die and join him, Kait and Bud are suspicious that there’s something very wrong at Desert Gem. Upon further learning that other recent deaths were suicides brought on by the same directive from Demitrius through Zara, Kait and Bud see red flags popping up all over the place. They know they must do something, but in a setting where they are the only two skeptics, investigating the Facet and Face It movement now controlled by Zara seems an impossible task. Secluded in the Faceting Movement’s compound, with no transportation of their own and too far to walk for help, Kait and Bud are once again truly on their own.
Cathy Ace gives readers some great characters in this new book. Cait and Bud are always a delight, with their support and understanding of one another. I enjoy how their communications with one another are always thoughtful. The characters added for this story are so intriguing, with their secrets and loyalty to a mythical based belief system. Serendipity Soul is the host for the Morgans visit, wanting them to share in the opening of her restaurant associated with Desert Gem, but she seems skittish and somewhat on edge from the very beginning of their visit. KSue, best friend of the recently departed Linda, is the typical adult follower of such a movement, where she has spent much of her money to have a place at Desert Gem, if only for a number of months (It’s an expensive place to live or stay.) KSue adds lots of drama to the story, and gains both the interest and the concern of Kait and Bud. The almighty leader Zara is a fascinating study in leadership by manipulation. Ambroise was a friend of Oscar, Serendipity, and Zara before the Desert Gem undertaking and is protective of friends. There’s an interesting dynamic between Ambroise and Serendipity, and it’s hard to pinpoint just what their relationship is. It’s a well-developed cast of players, and trying to figure out who is trustworthy will bring some exciting twists to the story.
Mind manipulation a gripping subject matter, a scary one, too. Cathy Ace gives readers a story that cleverly addresses current conversations about how people can so blindly “follow the leader.” It’s a tale as old as time, but Ace gives it a fresh spin that will have readers on pins and needles worrying about the outcome. Fans of the series will love following Kait’s and Bud’s dogged determination, their always witty conversations, and their ability to face even the most daunting of circumstances. And, with Ace's skillful description of the blazing heat of the day and the complete darkness of the night, readers will feel the discomforting temp and the fright of things that go bump in the night.
August 23, 2022
Cait Morgan and her husband Bud Anderson are invited by their friend, Serendipity Soul, to travel by private jet to Arizona for the opening of Serendipity’s new restaurant. It is associated with a luxury boutique resort, Desert Gem, that turns out to have little in the way of mobile phone or Wi-Fi connectivity. Even before they arrive, they hear that one of the founders – Linda, the Turquoise Woman - has died unexpectedly. Both Cait and Bud are uneasy when they hear that no one considers it necessary to involve the police. The author has clearly given a lot of thought to the Desert Gem community and the details of all the components that would make such a resort sustainable in the desert make for fascinating reading.
May 28, 2023
Another excellent mystery in this very enjoyable series. Cait and Bud are on vacation in Arizona, where their younger friend, Serendipity, is about to open a destination restaurant at a desert retreat. But when on arrival at the retreat, they are surprised to that not only did the founder die six months earlier, his widow just died, after supposedly receiving a message from her deceased husband that it is her time to join him. Of course Bud and Cait are suspicious, especially when the couple's son also dies, apparently from a fall in the desert. But the retreat is isolated, with little outside contact, so they need to tread carefully as they investigate. A very imaginative, unusual plot combined with interesting and believable characters makes this book hard to put down. Recommended.
May 5, 2022
A Cait Morgan mystery. Cait and husband Bud are invited to a soon-to-be-opened secluded hotel location in Arizona where daughter of friends is the chef of the restaurant. The location is controlled by a cult and of course there are strange happenings. Lots of deaths but there is no way to contact the authorities. The cult was ridiculous to me. I live in Arizona but the location made no sense to me. The author describes it as desert but that's not what is actually in the Sedona/Flagstaff area where the story supposedly takes place. I read the ebook. Copyright 2022.
September 1, 2022
Psychologist Cait Morgan and retired Homicide Detective Bud Anderson are excited to be hosted by a former client whose daughter has opened a restaurant in the high desert of Arizona.
The welcome they receive is not quite what Cait and Bud expects, especially when the community discovers Bud’s a former RCMP.
Immediately the couple sense trouble as bodies pop up even before they arrive!
This is an excellent read. The entire series is worth the reader’s time! Enjoy!
The welcome they receive is not quite what Cait and Bud expects, especially when the community discovers Bud’s a former RCMP.
Immediately the couple sense trouble as bodies pop up even before they arrive!
This is an excellent read. The entire series is worth the reader’s time! Enjoy!
April 27, 2024
I can't get enough of this author. I hate that I am coming to the end of the current series. I hope she writes more, because i am on #13 which is never a good number to end on . So i hope there is a #14. This was a great book, you will really enjoy it.
April 11, 2022
another amazing Cait Morgan mystery
I’ve read every Cait Morgan mystery. It’s impossible to rate one title over another. Just read them all and enjoy!
I’ve read every Cait Morgan mystery. It’s impossible to rate one title over another. Just read them all and enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews