Book Review: The Bengal Identity

On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our short review of The Bengal Identity, book 2 in Eileen Watkins’s Cat Groomer mystery series. This book features plenty of mystery, most of it centered around one spectacular cat whose identity is unknown.

The plot

Cassie McGlone is the owner of Cassie’s Comfy Cats, a grooming and boarding facility in Chadwick, New Jersey. One day a young man comes in asking if he can board his big brown cat there. His house has just burned down, and he is desperate to find a place for the vocal, high-energy cat, whose name is Ayesha. Cassie agrees, but things take a strange turn when she gives Ayesha a bath and discovers that the brown fur color washes out to reveal distinctive spots. It seems that this cat may in fact be a very valuable kitty—a Bengal—in disguise. Things get even more strange when the man who’d brought Ayesha in turns up dead, possibly a murder victim. Could he have been killed by someone who was after Ayesha? And was the mysterious young man protecting the cat or stealing her? And could Cassie, her shop, and her one employee be in danger from whoever might be after this rare cat?

Our verdict

We loved this book from start to finish. This is the first book we have read in the Cat Groomer series, but it was very easy to get into even without knowing all the detail from the first book. The main story is engrossing, and the side plots (the main ones involve a mysterious wild cat; a missing auto mechanic; and Cassie’s veterinarian boyfriend, who’s having problems with his staff) add depth without distracting from Ayesha’s story. The final attempt to take Ayesha was not terribly surprising, but we didn’t mind because the reason behind this whole situation was so … let’s call it infuriating. It was something we could not have imagined. It was disturbing to us and may be extremely disturbing to people who are extra sensitive to mistreatment of animals. Things turn out okay, though, so if you can get through the disturbing part, we think you’ll enjoy how the story ends.

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!