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In book 7 in the series, Syd is asked to play bodyguard for a popular fitness guru who is certain she's being stalked. Syd isn't sure that babysitting should be part of her job description until Colin fills her in on the deeply buried and never discussed roots to her past.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 17, 2023

365 people are currently reading
83 people want to read

About the author

Kathi Daley

328 books1,782 followers
Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn't writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she's not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home.
Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.

Join me on Facebook at Kathi Daley Books (www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks) for updates on my books, photos of life in Lake Tahoe, recipes, contests, and giveaways. For weekly updates and contests sign up for The Daley Weekly Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/NRPDf).



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5 stars
599 (64%)
4 stars
223 (24%)
3 stars
87 (9%)
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11 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Stephen Levesque.
2,808 reviews
September 28, 2025
Totally enjoyed it! This is a well written and has well developed characters. The story is catching and with the strong characters makes for a very enjoyable read. Great Reading Everyone!
Profile Image for RO G'ma.
1,061 reviews43 followers
January 17, 2023
Fit or Fatality is the seventh book in Kathi Daley’s Resort at Castaway Bay series. The intriguing mystery is well-plotted and complex, with plenty of twists and red herrings to keep readers engaged and guessing. The West Coast setting is charming, and the well-developed characters are three-dimensional, compassionate, and caring. Ms. Daley’s descriptive writing always makes me feel like I’m amid the activities and sharing the characters’ tragedies and joys. Christy Turner’s lifestyle blog entry is different and thought-provoking. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted cozies.

After suffering the consequences of an error in judgment in her job as an FBI forensic psychologist, Sydney Whitmore permanently returned to her family home on Shipwreck. Sydney works part-time for Colin Black of the FBI and Ezra Reinhold, a reclusive billionaire who has put together an elite team of experts who enjoy solving cold cases. Aunt Charlie raised Sydney and her sisters, Emily and Rory, when their parents were killed in an automobile accident. Emily, her two young daughters, and Rory live at Jack’s Hideaway with Aunt Charley and Charley’s father-in-law, Hank Hamilton. Besides helping at the resort, Emily writes a lifestyle blog and volunteers for community events. Rory’s a veterinary technician who often brings animals in need of extra attention home with her. Logan Alexander, who also grew up at the resort, returned to the island to care for his father, Liam, and has taken over Henry Collins’ medical practice. Sydney and Logan have recently taken their long-standing friendship to the next level.

In this installment, Colin Black assigns Sydney the task of watching over professional athlete, clothing designer, and internet sensation Shayla Solomon, who is being threatened by a stalker. Sydney’s convinced that there’s more to the case than Colin is sharing but decides to wait and see how things play out rather than pressing him for answers. Meanwhile, Emily and Rory individually reach out to their older sister for advice involving problems they each recently encountered.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,426 reviews12 followers
January 29, 2023
I really enjoy reading Kathi Daley Cozy Mystery Series, she's got several series on the go, each one as good as the others. This one I've read from the beginning. The main character is Syd, an FBI Agent and Forensic Psychologist who lives on Shipwreck Island at her families resort of Castaway Bay. When she's not on an FBI case, she helps reclusive billionaire Ezra, who has built a team of highly qualified people who solve cases no one else can, sometimes these roles can overlap.

Book 7 in the series sees Syd being asked to bodyguard a fitness instructor, who has built big business empire despite her Father being a convicted murderer, still behind bars. She's receiving death threats, and until the culprit is caught, her life is in danger.

It's a short story, easily read in a couple of hours. Each book is a standalone story, easily read in a couple of hours; they are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Darla Taylor.
1,861 reviews
January 19, 2023
Syd Whitmore is a forensic psychologist with the FBI. She's been asked to serve as a bodyguard for a popular fitness guru who has a stalker. At first she wonders why the FBI is involved until she learns that the woman has a secret that the stalker evidently knows and plans to use against her.

I've really enjoyed this series and this book is no exception. It's well-written with well-developed characters and a well-thought-out plot. I was drawn into this captivating story and kept hooked from beginning to end. The mystery was intriguing and fun to solve. I'm looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I believe is best read in order for most benefit and enjoyment although each mystery can be read alone.
Profile Image for Michelle Waite.
27 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2025
I discovered this book series while on vacation a few years back. They are very quick reads. I wasn’t sure if this author wrote specifically for online/Kindle books or if these were actually in print. I like them when I am in between “heavy stories” or in between long books, as the cozy mystery genre and “light reading“ gives my brain a little break. This book was not my favorite. The writing did not feel particularly skilled - between the verbiage used or the plot itself. I did read that she writes about 15 books a year… I feel like that could have something to do with how well written (or not) these come across. It wasn’t a bad book, and I will eventually read the next in the series. It was the perfect filler between my heavy Tana French story and my next read.
20 reviews13 followers
January 21, 2023
Intriguing, hard to stop reading

I really love this series because I get a glimpse of how a FBI forensic psychologist works and interacts with her family. This is an interesting storyline of a serial killer, his life and family. I find I want to see more of the romance that is blossoming between Sydney and Logan. I was happy to see Emma take chances in her life. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Lisa Millett.
298 reviews10 followers
March 9, 2023
Fast paced mystery

This book starts off quickly and builds up to an excellent ending. FUN agent Sydney, aka Syd, takes on the job of protecting a young woman who is being stalked. It turns out that the young woman's father is a serial killer who is in jail for life and someone has figured out that the young woman, despite her name change is his daughter. There is a race to find out who the stalker is before someone else dies. Another great book by Kathi Daley.
17 reviews
January 26, 2023
Syd is called away from Castaway Bay by her boss in the FBI to protect a young woman. Syd and her team work diligently to identify the threat to the woman. "Fit or Fatality" has been my favorite book of this series thus far. It kept me on the edge of my seat; a cozy mystery with a bit of a thriller vibe!
Profile Image for Marti.
933 reviews3 followers
August 20, 2024
Kathi Daley has become one of my favorite cozy mystery author. In this last of this series - for now -deals with a successful young woman who was horribly traumatized when she was only eight years old. The main character in this series is an FBI agent who is a forensic psychologist. It's a little darker than most cozies but as it is a cozy, things work out in the end - mostly.
181 reviews
January 17, 2023
A great read

Ms. Daley has written another intense book. The characters are well thought out and easy to follow. The book has enough mystery and mayhem to keep you on your toes. As always just a touch of romance to leave a warm feeling.
469 reviews5 followers
January 18, 2023
Love this series!

I really love this series by the talented Kathi Daley. Syd is such an interesting character as are all the secondary characters. I hope to see more of the romance between Sydney and Logan in the next books.
Profile Image for Debi Paglia .
620 reviews17 followers
January 18, 2023
Love this series!

This book was especially good. The details of the main storyline were described so well that you felt like you were there. There was a lot of tension that kept my interest. I read it in one day! Storytelling at its finest
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,466 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2023
Another exciting trip to San Francisco and Castaway Bay. Syd is assigned protection duty of a fitness media star who happens to be the child of a serial killer. Plenty of twists and enough red herrings that I didn't haven't a clue who was behind the threats until Syd figured out.
974 reviews3 followers
February 18, 2023
Resort at Castaway Bay: Fit or Fatality

Really good story in the series. The last two stories have really been excellent and well worth reading. The characters are strong and storytelling is well worth reading.
412 reviews1 follower
March 10, 2023
Wow

I can't believe that I figured out who was the stalker before it was revealed. That doesn't usually happen. Syd was assigned a very different assignment than normal but with Gen and Colin she figured it out and saved four lives.
Profile Image for Judith.
700 reviews
March 8, 2024
Fit and Fatality

This was a good read. A little slow at time with Syd's case building. One thing the author needs to remember, you don't need blood to get DNA. Just a mouth swab.
Profile Image for Kate.
630 reviews6 followers
August 15, 2025
short and not so sweet

Getting into the head of a serial killer and the heads of the victims and victims’ families does not always make easy reading. But we know, in the end, mostly justice will win. And there will be puppies. And some romance.
Profile Image for JANE VAN HORN.
2,118 reviews12 followers
January 18, 2023
Great book

This is another great book in the Resort at Castaway Bay series by Kathi Daley. I can't wait for the next book.
4,417 reviews43 followers
January 23, 2023
Where is Shayla??? You never know, do you??? I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.
109 reviews
January 30, 2023
Hard to follow. Characters lacked depth. Storyline not plausible.
Profile Image for VICTORIA STEWART.
152 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2023
Loved it! As always Kathi Daley has written an entertaining book that keeps me turning pages well past my bedtime.
346 reviews
February 14, 2023
Good plot but terrible writing style. So stilted, and in passive voice.
Profile Image for D.
1,298 reviews16 followers
February 22, 2023
Syd is called in on a serious stalking case. The sisters all have interesting events happen in their personal lives. Can Syd figure out who the stalker is in time?
419 reviews7 followers
April 13, 2023
Not my favorite book in this series.I'm not really into the whole celebrity stalking thing but it was well written.
41 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2023
This one was fun and engaging. These characters are wonderful. If you haven't "visited" Castaway Bay, I highly recommend doing so!
1,415 reviews9 followers
March 2, 2024
Where is Shayla and why??? Zeke took her??? Sins of the father??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
722 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2025
Fit or Fatality

Boy is fit important in this story or you won’t be able to make it through the trials. The trials are tough and need fitness
3,614 reviews16 followers
June 7, 2025
Great story!

This one kinda snuck up on me, it wasn't who I thought it was! Great writing and a super good series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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