Book Review: A Tale of Two Kitties

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you our review of the latest in Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats series, A Tale of Two Kitties. This series features two of our very favorite mystery-solving cats: Owen and Hercules.

The cats

Yes, we usually begin with the plot, but this week we just cannot wait to tell you about these cats. Owen is a gray tabby who has a thing for a catnip toy called Fred the Funky Chicken. He can also disappear at will, and not the way most cats do, by hiding under furniture or in the deep, dark corner of a closet. No, Owen literally disappears into thin air. Then there’s Hercules, a handsome black and white fellow who has an excellent name from Greek mythology—although the name took a sort of zig-zaggy route from Greek myth to this cat, via Kevin Sorbo. Hercules can walk through walls, which is pretty handy (paw-y?) for a cat, because you know how humans are always trying to keep us out of places. These boys are pretty smart (almost as smart as I am, I daresay), and they have a talent for helping their person, Kathleen, solve crimes in the town of Mayville Heights, where she works at the local library.

The plot

And that brings me to the plot.

We love stories that are rooted in the past somehow, and that is exactly what is going on in A Tale of Two Kitties. First, a collection of old photos and undelivered mail is discovered during renovations to the post office. Then a fellow named Victor Janes shows up in town. This is significant because of an affair from years ago, in which Victor ran off with his twin brother’s wife. The wife was killed in a car accident shortly afterward, and now Victor is deathly ill. Could he be in town to make amends with his brother before he succumbs to his illness? Unfortunately, Victor misses his chance, because his twin, Leo, is found dead. Murdered, naturally. And it’s Owen the vanishing cat who lets Kathleen know something is wrong and leads her straight to where the body is.

Turns out, there is no shortage of people who could have wanted Leo Janes dead, and one of those people is a friend of Kathleen’s. She and the cats have to help prove his innocence. Both boys help her find clues, and Owen … well, you’re going to have to read the book to find out what Owen does.

Our verdict

Magical Cats is one of our favorite series. We so enjoy Owen and Hercules—because they are not just generic cats added to the story as part of the scenery. No, these cats have little personality quirks that make them just as real and well-rounded as any of the human characters. The superpowers? We accept without question that a cat could vanish before our eyes or walk through a wall. Why not? A Tale of Two Kitties also presents a perplexing mystery, with a pleasing number of twists, turns, and promising leads that turn into dead ends. As mentioned above, we like a story that is somehow rooted in the past, and this one surely is, what with the treasure trove of old photos and letters that were hidden away for some reason, as well as the years-old infidelity whose repercussions are still being felt.

Recommended!

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We wouldn’t tell you it was good unless we really liked it!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!