Book Review: Claws of Death

On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our short review of Claws of Death, the second Cat Lady mystery from Linda Reilly. We missed the first book in this series, but we had no trouble at all getting right into this book, which features a small cat shelter, a retired actress, and a mysterious ghostly cat that only one person can see.

The plot

The action happens in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire, where Lara Caphart and her aunt Fran run a cat shelter, and where famous but aging Hollywood star Deanna Daltry has decided to retire. Deanna adopts two adorable kittens—Noodle and Doodle—from the shelter. That’s terrific, but Lara has misgivings about the housekeeper, Nancy, who doesn’t like cats. Her misgivings tick up several  notches when she discovers a murdered man on Deanna’s property. Could he be connected to Deanna’s past somehow, or perhaps to Nancy’s past? Has Lara unwittingly adopted two innocent kittens out to a murderer? Everyone tells her not to get involved, but she can’t help herself, knowing that the kittens could be in danger.

Fortunately, she has help (see next section).

The cats

The main cats in this story are of course Noodle and Doodle and the cats at the shelter. We won’t introduce all of them here, but there’s Frankie, who wants to be an only cat; Ballou, a feral who’s learning to be more comfortable around humans; Bootsie, who’s been waiting forever to find a home; and Munster, the shelter’s unofficial greeter.

And then there’s the real main cat, Blue. She is a ghostly Ragdoll who appears at will but only to Lara. Blue has a talent for pointing out clues by pushing important papers and such in Lara’s direction (not that Lara always pays attention at first). And though she can’t be seen by others, Blue can influence them by moving objects to get their attention. The object-moving thing works for distracting crazed killers too!

Our verdict

So basically, we want Blue to come visit us (wouldn’t that be so cool?). And we want to go to Whisker Jog and visit Lara’s cat shelter. We would try to plan our trip for when they’re not having a murder, though, because it sounds like there are some dangerous people in the area.

What I am trying to say is that we loved Claws of Death. The plot is excellent and kept us guessing right up to the end (and no, we did not figure out whodunnit before the killer was revealed), and the characters are people (and cats) you really want to spend time with. We loved seeing the cats at the shelter meet their new families, even though things don’t always turn out as planned. And of course we loved seeing how the cats touch people’s lives, even if those people don’t like cats.

Claws of Death has just the right mix of charm and mayhem, and we highly recommend it!

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!

Book Review: Seven Pets for Seven Witches

On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our review of Seven Pets for Seven Witches, a collection of—you guessed it—seven paranormal cozy short stories:

• “One Witch’s Trash Panda Is Another Witch’s Treasure,” by Annabel Chase
• “A Wedding for a Rat,” by Amy Boyles
• “Witch Mocha Morsel,” by H. Y. Hanna
• “Broom Mates,” by Morgana Best
• “Hazel Raises the Stakes,” by M. Z. Andrews
• “Harkin and the Snake’s Servant,” by Molly Milligan
• “Spellbook & Spies,” by Gina Lamanna

This being a cat blog, we’ll focus on the stories that feature cats in main roles. H. Y. Hanna’s “Witch Mocha Morsel” includes a young black cat named Nibs who gets in trouble with a troll. Caitlyn, who works in a magical chocolate shop and has only recently discovered she is a witch, has to track the cat down and save him—and herself. Viktor, Caitlyn’s vampire uncle who preys only on fruit, makes an appearance and is his usual comical self. There is also something called magical cinnamon and a Fat-Burning Mocha Fudge Brownie, which old SoLT would really like to get her hands on.

The cat in M. Z. Andrews’s “Hazel Raises the Stakes” is a big orange tabby named Ed who belongs to Loni, the woman who lives in “the scariest house in all of Aspen Falls.” Well, “belongs” is probably the wrong word, because Ed is Loni’s father’s second cousin once removed. Ed can also talk—at least to witches like Loni and Hazel, an ornery older witch whose daughter drops her off at Loni’s house while she herself heads off to Las Vegas. Well, Hazel isn’t having that, and soon enough she, Loni, and Ed are on their way to Vegas. Once there, Hazel manages to insert herself into a poker tournament. Hilarity ensues.

Harkin the cat is the familiar of a Welsh hedge witch named Bron. As the story opens, Harkin has woken Bron to alert her to a problem: a man has died, but his soul has not moved on. A second cat is involved in this story, as Bron and the local vicar soon find a black cat that seems to be stuck halfway up a yew. That brings to mind an old myth that says if a cat runs up a tree after a person dies, that person’s soul is going to heaven, but if the cat runs down the tree, the soul is going to hell. This cat is unable to move in either direction, implying that the soul is stuck. Harkin himself soon becomes similarly stuck, and Bron has to figure out how to help him, the cat in the yew, and the dead man. Other creatures in this tale include dragonflies and snakes.

V is a cat who is not the favorite animal of Ainsley in Gina Lamanna’s “Spellbook & Spies.” Ainsley prefers her friend Harry, who is a goldfish. (I know—weird, right?) Much to Ainsley’s chagrin, V stows away in her bag when she heads off for a much-needed vacation. And then Ainsley’s skills as a Guardian are called on when a spellbook is missing. This is potentially embarrassing for Midge, who owns the book and runs the B&B that is supposed to be Ainsley’s vacation spot. See, it’s a human spellbook being used by a witch who’s terrible at spells. Somehow, they have to figure out who took that book…

Our verdict

Seven Pets for Seven Witches is a fun collection, and a great way to sample the work of some authors you may not have read before. We had only read two of these authors previously (Hanna and Milligan), and we weren’t sure how much we’d enjoy the stories that don’t have cats, but we’re pleased to report that every story in this book is a winner. It seemed that as we read each, we thought, “This one’s our favorite,” so that by the time we reached the end of the book, we could not pick a favorite. The stories featuring a racoon, a rat, and a wombat are every bit as entertaining as the cat stories. Actually, we think you should read this book just for the wombat familiar (who is named Persnickle) in a town where coffee is illegal. Imagine that!

Highly 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!

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!

Mysterious Monday: Death by a Whisker

On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our review of Death by a Whisker, book 2 in the Cat Rescue Mysteries series by T. C. LoTempio. This series features a big orange-and-white tabby named Toby, and we just love him. But more on him later…

The plot

Sydney McCall and her sister Kat run an animal shelter in Deer Park, North Carolina. As the book begins, they are getting ready for a celebrity fundraiser. It seems that disaster has struck, though, when the celebrity suddenly can’t come. But then a new celebrity, a shopping channel star who is a Deer Park native and has recently written a tell-all book, steps in to save the event. Ulla Townsend’s appearance might not be a blessing, though. Sure, she’s got plenty of fans who will line up to have their books autographed, but she’s also got a past. She’s far from the nicest person you can imagine, and quite a few people have well-nursed grudges against her. So, when she suddenly drops dead during the book signing and it looks like she could have been murdered, there is no shortage of suspects.

Syd gets involved in the investigation largely because she just can’t help herself, but also because her friend Maggie is a suspect. Maggie knew Ulla back in high school, and she is so upset about Ulla’s appearance that she refuses to come to the fundraiser. Then, after Ulla dies, Maggie disappears and no one can get in touch with her. Suspicious, no?

But there are other suspects as well. One of them starts leaving threatening notes for Syd to find, warning her off the case. She’s getting too close to the truth for someone’s comfort, but will she figure out who it is before that person decides it’s time to get her out of the way for good?

The cat(s)

Toby is the main cat in the Cat Rescue Mysteries. As I already mentioned, he is a rather large tabby, and of course he is a rescue kitty. In fact, he chose Syd to be his person, so you know they’re great together, because cats are great people pickers. Toby’s hobby is destroying mouse toys (although we actually thought he’d destroyed a real mouse in the book’s opening!).  He also plays a role in solving the mystery, pointing Syd toward clues that she undoubtedly would not have found by herself. In short, Toby is a great cat!

A second cat, ragdoll Annie Reilly, also plays a role in the mystery, but not in quite the same way as Toby. You’ll just have to read the book to find out how!

Our verdict

Death by a Whisker is a fun read. We enjoyed the story, with its mix of old and new grudges against Ulla. There is also a wonderful tension between Syd’s boyfriend detective and his rival for a higher position in the department. And let’s not forget the cats. This is not the sort of mystery that adds a generic cat just for the heck of it. The cats in this book, especially Toby and Annie Reilly, are characters in their own right and are part of the plot, and you know we always appreciate that.

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!

Book Review: Small Town Trouble

On this Mysterious Monday, we review Small Town Trouble, by Laura Benedict. This title is book 5 in the Familiar Legacy series, and it is the first book of the series we have read. Based on how much fun we had reading it, we will be trying to make time to go back and read the earlier books as well!

The plot

Trouble the black cat is in Kentucky, where Erin Walsh is caring for him while his main human, Tammy, is off in Italy. This sounds like a pretty good deal, since there is a nice lake to explore and plenty of interesting people to keep an eye on, not to mention a dog named Jocko who is, well, a dog. Things take a mysterious turn when Shelby Rae, Tammy’s young stepmother, is kidnapped during a big party. A ransom note demands that Erin’s father, Bruce, pay $50,000 in cash. The police must not be involved. The ransom is paid, Shelby Rae is recovered (yay!?), but the question remains, Who took her, and might they do it again for more money? This is far from the only question, though, as soon a woman is murdered on the Walsh property. Now the police have to get involved, although the Walshes still try to hide the original abduction.

 Could the killer be the man, recently released from prison, who was responsible for the death of Erin’s mother even though he did not pull the trigger? Or perhaps his son, Noah, who seems to be attracted to Erin? Or does it all have something to do with the woman who has been embroiled in a nasty lawsuit against Bruce Walsh’s car dealership?

The cat

Obviously, it’s going to take a cat to sort all this out, and fortunately Trouble is on the job. He is an excellent cat. I mean an excellent cat. Sherlock Holmes is his role model (which would explain his very British vibe, despite his being from Wetumpka, Alabama). Portions of the book are told from his viewpoint, so we get to know exactly what he is thinking and planning—and he thinks and plans quite a lot. It is Trouble who finds major clues (indeed, it is Trouble who finds the body in the first place). It is Trouble who heroically saves Erin from the killer. It is Trouble who … oh, but I don’t want to give too much away. Let me just say that the crime in this book turned out to be way more diabolical than I suspected.

Our verdict

We loved Small Town Trouble, from the mystery itself to the tangled relationships and untidy pasts of the characters, and even the budding romance between Erin and Noah. Erin herself is pretty awesome. She is a young woman who’s not had an easy life, losing her mother at a young age, only to see the shallow Shelby Rae move in to replace her … and then she starts having feelings for Noah, whose father is such a slimeball. She is pulled in many directions in this book, but she handles it as only a true heroine can. She and Trouble make a great team. Which brings me to Trouble, who, as I said, is excellent. It seems like we’ve been reading a lot of mysteries in which the cat is a minor character, and we were so ready to read one that puts the cat right where we like him: front and center. We enjoyed getting an inside look into Trouble’s thoughts, and we just love his bit of Britishness. This is a cat we plan on reading a lot more of!

Small Town Trouble is a thoroughly enjoyable, quick-paced read, well plotted, with characters we loved getting to know.

Highly 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!

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!

Book Review: Potions and Pastries

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you our review of a bewitchingly good tale from Bailey Cates. Potions and Pastries is book 7 in the Magical Bakery mystery series, and it is the first book in this series that we have read.

The plot

Potions and Pastries  is set in Savannah, Georgia, where Katie Lightfoot is a witch, a hedgewitch, actually; she does her magic in the kitchen, using herbs and such to help and heal. She’s also a lightwitch, meaning she is a seeker of justice (this is one of our favorite things about her).  Of course, as a witch, she has a familiar—in this case, a Cairn terrier named Mungo. Yes, we were hoping for a feline familiar, but Katie is unfortunately allergic to cats (I know—I couldn’t believe it either!). Mungo is a good companion though; he takes good care of Katie. Plus, Katie’s boyfriend, Declan, is sometimes taken over by the spirit of an ancestor who might be—get this—a leprechaun. 

Much of the book centers on the Honeybee Bakery, where the pastries might have something a little extra added—because, you know, it’s basically run by witches. This is where the cat comes in, because the bakery is named after a cat, Honeybee, an orange striped beauty who is the familiar of Katie's aunt Lucy. Unfortunately, we see a very little bit of Honeybee herself because of that allergy thing.

The mystery really gets going when one day Katie is standing outside with Orla Black, a fortune teller who is part of the secretive Black clan. Katie suddenly gets a message to help Orla (she gets these messages from her departed grandmother sometimes), and in the next second, Orla, seemingly under some sort of spell, steps into the street right in front of an oncoming car. She is killed instantly, and Katie suspects she was murdered. Just try convincing the local police of that though.

So it’s going to be up to Katie to tease out the clues that will lead to who killed Orla—and how. Could it have been a disgruntled customer who didn’t like how their fortune turned out, or perhaps some member of the Black clan? Clan leader John Black was known to be upset with Orla, but how can Katie possibly get any information out of this tight-knit family that is known for not welcoming outsiders? And will the murderer stand for her meddling or try to silence her forever?

Our verdict

I will admit I was disappointed that there wasn’t more cat in this book. That said, we thought the story in Potions and Pastries was terrific. We liked Katie right away, and we even liked Mungo. He proved pretty useful to have around. You know, for a dog. Katie has just enough going on in her life to make for a really interesting read, but it isn’t so much that the mystery gets lost among the personal stuff. There are a few heart-stopping scenes that we just loved. The end wasn’t a complete surprise, but the way things were revealed and the way the story was resolved was surprising (and part of it was heart stopping too!). Call us 91% surprised and 100% pleased.

Yes, I do have to withhold a paw for the relative lack of cat (this is a cat blog, after all), but we loved this book so much, old SoLT asked the Resident Dog to step in and add a couple of woofs to make up for it.

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!

Release of The Mythmakers!

We are beyond thrilled that today is the release of book 5 in the Miss Cuddlywumps Investigates series!

In "The Mythmakers," I, Miss Cuddlywumps, am the hero, obviously, as I match wits with some people who are making myths the modern way, on YouTube. Too bad at least one of these mythmakers is apparently not above killing, for reasons that are not entirely clear until the very end of the book. Also, my Rory person spends a little time being held at the sheriff's department as a "person of interest." Sort of makes you wonder what's going to happen between her and her boyfriend, the sheriff, doesn't it?

For a limited time, "The Mythmakers" Kindle edition is available for just 99 cents from Amazon.

Also for a limited time, "The Mythmakers" print edition is available for $8.00--that's 20% off our regular price and nearly 40% off the Amazon price, and it's available only if you buy directly from Cuddlywumps Publishing. Don't forget to ask for my pawtograph!

Book Review: Familiar Motives

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you our review of book 3 of Delia James’s Witch’s Cat mystery series, Familiar Motives. As the series title indicates, this book features plenty of witches and a couple of pretty terrific cats. It is the first book we have read in this series, but we had no trouble getting right into the story.

The plot

Annabelle Amelia Blessingsound Britton is an artist and a witch—well, an apprentice witch; she’s new to the craft. She is from an old New England family and lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She also has a gift she calls her “Vibe,” with which she can sense emotional vibrations resulting from dramatic events—murder, for example. This gift comes in handy when a local veterinarian, Ramona Forsythe, meets an unfortunate end under mysterious circumstances. Ramona’s death is bad, obviously, but also bad is the disappearance of Ruby, a cat better known as Attitude Cat. Attitude Cat is the spokesfeline for a cat food line, and her disappearance has pet lovers in a tizzy as “Where is Attitude Cat?” becomes the question to be answered.

For Anna and the rest of her coven, though, there are two additional big questions: “Who killed Ramona?” and “Which witch was involved?”

See, Ramona was also a witch, and she was trusted with taking care of the “special” pets in town—such as Anna’s feline familiar (more on him later). She had “wards” on her home to protect it, and they were shattered by another witch ... a witch who might just have killed the vet and snatched the famous cat she was keeping at her home for a few days. Anna’s witchcraft mentor, Julia, is livid to know that a witch may have had something to do with Ramona’s death, and she announces to the coven that they will be searching for that witch—and doing whatever they have to do to get justice for Ramona.

There are plenty of non-witch suspects as well, as Ramona might have been disposed of simply to get her out of the way so Ruby could be stolen. Possible motives include greed and a possible conspiracy to cover up a big problem with that pet food company (in other words, greed again). Because there is a big chunk of money involved with Ruby.

The cats

The main cat in Familiar Motives is Anna’s familiar, Alistair. He’s a big gray cat who is able to disappear at will, a skill that is both useful to Anna and sometimes kind of a pain. (You know how sometimes you can’t find your cat and she’s just hiding under the bed? Well, imagine if she was able to vanish into thin air and go anywhere.)  Alistair is important to the plot and plays a major role, as Anna assigns him the task of finding Ruby. Ruby is a black-and-white cat who became sort of accidentally famous when her human took her to a photo shoot on a whim. Now she’s a Very Big Deal and is worth quite a lot of money. Obviously she is extremely important since she is the one who gets cat-napped, but we don’t actually see a lot of her since she is also, you know, missing for most of the book. We do like how she gives ladies’ man Alistair the brush-off early in the book!

Our verdict

Familiar Motives is truly a great cozy. We loved reading about how Anna’s magical abilities affect her life, and the descriptions of how she senses emotional energy were engrossing. The final confrontation had us turning pages like mad, but even before that we enjoyed the delicious tension between so many of the characters—and within characters as they deal with internal struggles. For example, should a cop who’s also a witch use magic to help solve a crime? (Answer: no.) Should Anna tell her family that she is a witch? (Answer: undetermined—or at least, I’m not going to tell you.) The mystery is well crafted, and we enjoyed meeting Alistair and seeing him play such a vital role in the plot. He is an excellent cat. He should really find himself one girlfriend and stick with her though, instead of falling for every female feline he meets!

We will have to find time to go back and read this series from the start. 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!

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!

New Trailer for Miss Cuddlywumps Investigates Mystery Series

Well, old SoLT is finally back at her desk and ready to blog again. She has wanted to have time to create a book trailer, and she has all kinds of fantastic ideas for animation and such, but I reminded her to start small and simple. Believe me, she had enough challenges putting this together. We hope you enjoy it!

And this seems like the perfect time to remind you that Book 5 in the series, The Mythmakers, will officially be released in less than 1 week! You can pre-order the Kindle version from Amazon for just 99 cents (price good through the end of November). Or you can catch the print version on sale at the Cuddlywumps Publishing site. The sale price is only available through our website, and only through November.

And if you want to treat yourself (or someone else--Christmas is coming!) to all five print books, the set is on sale too! Find it only at the Cuddlywumps Publishing site.

Just in case you do not know yet, in this series I, Miss Cuddlywumps, play a classically-educated, mystery-solving at. (In other words, I play myself.) I live with a rather inept human who is lovable despite her many faults, and together we solve all the mysteries in our very small town (but I do most of the work, naturally). Here is the description of The Mythmakers:

Lately, things have been quiet in the tiny, historic village of Brooksford, Maryland. The residents got through Halloween with no “shenanigans,” as the mayor would say, and now they’re headed into a peaceful Thanksgiving season. But Rory Roberts knows better. She knows something is off from the moment the first amateur filmmakers arrive at the edge of town, and her feelings prove true when their “documentary” leads to a violent death in Rory’s backyard, with Rory herself as an early suspect.

Now, Rory and her classically educated calico cat, Miss C, with help from their friends, must work through their limited list of suspects to determine who the real killer is. They may find clues in an online horror movie showing the moments leading up to the crime, but that video also causes more trouble for Brooksford when it quickly goes viral, drawing crowds of unwanted tourists into town, and straight to Rory’s normally quiet cottage. Will Miss C’s classical education be up to the challenge of deciphering the 21st-century clues in this crime, or will her and Rory’s meddling only push the killer to strike again?

Book Review: Frankencat

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you a brief review of Frankencat, a Whales and Tails mystery by Kathi Daley. This is book 13 in the series. We read and enjoyed the first book in this series, Romeow and Juliet, but then we sort of lost track of the books (they come out so quickly!). So we were happy to catch this one in time for Halloween.

The plot

Caitlin Hart and her friend Tara O’Brian run a coffee bar/bookstore/cat lounge called, appropriately, Coffee Cat Books. They are holding a book discussion on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein when a suddenly violent storm hits, knocking out the power and breaking up the meeting. But with the help of a mysterious cat who bolts in suddenly, Cait discovers one of the group members, Paula Wainwright, lying dead in the storeroom, a knife in her chest. The back door is locked from the inside, so no one else could have gotten in and out without someone knowing, so it seems that one of the group members has murdered Paula during a break in book group. Cait and Tara, with help from local law enforcement, set to work to find out which one it was. To do so, they must interview everyone who was there, and anyone else they can find who was connected to Paula.

The cat

The cat in this book is Frank, a brown tabby who has been sent to Cait to help her figure out who killed Paula. This is apparently a regular thing for Cait, which we thought was fun. Cait communicates with Frank by asking questions; he meows if the answer is yes. Frank doesn’t appear in many scenes in the book, but he is instrumental in pointing Cait toward some important clues (the body, for one).

Our verdict

While we love the concept behind Frankencat, and the book does have some pleasingly unexpected twists from Paula’s past, we found that there were just too many potential suspects to keep track of. Since the main method of investigation involves interviewing book group members, much of the story is told through long stretches of dialogue that were often not riveting enough to hold our interest. That said, the solution to the mystery was not what we’d expected at all, so we were pleasantly surprised by that turn. And the overall structure of the mystery—by which I mean the sequence in which Cait receives bits of relevant information—is nicely done. Plus, the book is set at Halloween time and has a pretty great cat!

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!

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!

Book Review: Witch Chocolate Bites

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you a short review of H. Y. Hanna’s Witch Chocolate Bites, the fourth book in her Bewitched by Chocolate mystery series. This is the first book we have read in the series, and we enjoyed it a lot even without knowing the background from the first three books.

The plot

Caitlyn Le Fey has only recently learned that she comes from a long line of witches, and she has powers that she doesn’t entirely understand and can’t control. But she’s learning from her grandmother, the Widow Mags, an experienced witch who owns a chocolate shop called Bewitched by Chocolate in the Cotswolds village of Tillyhenge. Oh, and I should mention that the witches in Caitlyn’s family have certain special powers when it comes to chocolate. One of Caitlyn’s powers is the ability to turn things to chocolate, which we think would be a pretty handy skill.

The book begins on the opening night of the Tillyhenge Open-Air Cinema, held at the manor home of Lord James Fitzroy. James is, as they say, the area’s most eligible bachelor—and he seems to have an eye for Caitlyn, although he does not know yet that she is a witch. Of course Caitlyn is there to see the outdoor movie, along with her cousin Pomona. Her vampire uncle, Viktor, is there as well—“protecting her.” Viktor is probably the most unique vampire we’ve ever met (in print of course; we’ve never met a vampire in the flesh, as far as we know). He is a fruitarian. This means that he feeds only on fruit and, instead of a vampire bat, he transforms into a fruit bat. When Viktor is around, you don’t need to fear for your life, but you should keep a close eye on your bananas.

Back to the opening night.… Everyone is just settling in to watch the movie when a scream is heard (not part of the show, folks!), and moments later a body is discovered. The dead man has two puncture marks in his neck, exactly as the victim of a vampire would. Conveniently, a man with fangs and with red liquid dripping from his mouth is found nearby (Viktor, who’d been feasting on raspberries). The crowd goes wild, as they say, for Viktor’s capture. Just try explaining that you’re a fruitarian in that situation.  Nobody is listening, and Viktor is hauled off by the police.

Now it’s up to Caitlyn and Pomona to prove his innocence and find the real killer. Could the murder be connected to a ring of jewel thieves, and if so, which of the newly arrived people in the village could be the thieving mastermind?

The cat

Yes, there is a cat in this story. Nibs is a cute black kitten whom Caitlyn and James discovered together. They have sort of a joint custody arrangement, whereby Nibs spends equal amounts of time at the manor and with Caitlyn. Nibs shows up in some fun scenes in the book, and we especially like the one in which he stands up to an obnoxious dog. That said, Nibs isn’t a major presence in the book and does not play a pivotal role in the plot. Normally we’d deduct a paw in our “paws up” rating for that (we are a cat blog, after all). Not this time, though, because … fruit bat! Viktor in his fruit bat form is hilarious—and valiant—and we simply loved him.

Our verdict

Witch Chocolate Bites is great fun. Start with the book’s cover, which is designed to look like a partially unwrapped chocolate bar with a small bite taken out of it (what chocolate lover wouldn’t want to open that up?). Then meet the characters, so many of whom are delightfully quirky. Dive into the plot, which is pure cozy.… Okay, yes, we figured out who the culprit was, but we did not figure out the whole story—not by a long shot—and we tend to think that this was the author’s intention. The climactic scene had us on the edge of our seat with worry for Caitlyn. Then, notice the fun touches, such as the flying eyeglasses. Put it all together, and you have a delightful read, which is exactly what we’ve come to expect of H. Y. Hanna’s work.

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!

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!

Book Review: Cat Got Your Secrets

On this Mysterious Monday, we review Cat Got Your Secrets, the third book in Julie Chase’s Kitty Couture series, set in the New Orleans Garden District. This time around, Lacy Marie Crocker is desperate to prove that her beloved father is not a murderer, while she also runs the day-to-day in her pet boutique called Furry Godmother and helps her mother with the welcoming committee for a major pet pageant. Oh, and did I mention the men, two of them, both extremely eligible and both interested in Lacy?

She’s a very busy lady.

The plot

The mystery gets rolling when Lacy arrives at an event hall with a delivery of dog biscuits for a Saint Berdoodle’s Bark Mitzvah. Sounds like fun, only the party’s been canceled, because one Wallace Becker, owner of an upscale petsitting company called the Cuddle Brigade, has been found dead in a freezer inside the hall. And as far as anyone knows, Lacy’s dad was the last person to see Becker alive—and they had an argument. Soon the New Orleans police are taking a hard look at her father, and that means Lacy has to take a hard look at anyone else who could possibly be a suspect. It also means she gets thrown again and again into the company of the very hunky (and rich) Detective Jack Oliver. Meanwhile, she also spends a fair amount of time with old friend Chase, an attorney in a prestigious law firm who wants to be much more than friends.

Lacy cooks up one scheme after another to get a chance to question anyone who was close to Becker (as in, close enough to want him dead). It seems she has touched a nerve with someone, because she begins getting threats of blackmail. Plus, her mother insists she dress in nothing but pastels to match the other members of the National Pet Pageant Welcoming Committee. And she’s also dealing with the occasional panic attack, the result of previous run-ins with murderous nutjobs.

The cat(s)

The main cat in this series is Lacy’s cat, a black and gray tabby named Penelope, or Penny. She travels from home to work with Lacy, and she enjoys riding around on the Roomba, which is named Spot (because, of course). The Crocker family also has a black cat named Voodoo who makes an appearance once in a while. And in this book, we meet a Russian blue named Dimitri Midnight Gregori. He lives with the murder victim’s wife.

None of the cats play an active role in solving the mystery, but they (especially Penny) are a frequent presence in the book. (We really don’t see why Penny couldn’t run down a bad guy with Spot. That would be such an exciting conclusion, we think. Julie Chase may consider this a free plot idea for future volumes.)

Our verdict

We love this series for its lightness and humor, its setting, its characters … and of course its mysteries. Lacy has a talent for ending up in ridiculous situations—some of them hilarious, others dangerous. She is very real and relatable. Yes, she’s one of “the” Crockers (as in, a powerful, well-to-do New Orleans family), but she hasn’t always owned that identity. In Cat Got Your Secrets, we see Lacy and her mother come to understand each other a little bit better as Lacy further accepts her place as a member of that family. We also experience another exciting climax, which I can’t tell you about without giving away the mystery. Let’s just say this: very dark, very cluttered room with Lacy and one crazy person in it. It’s all wonderful fun!

And, we can’t think of another mystery series where you’ll read a line quite like “We’re out of turtle tiaras.”

What could I say to top that, except this:

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!

Book Review: Body on Baker Street

On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our review of the second book in one of our new favorite cozy mystery series. The book is Body on Baker Street, and the series is the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries, by Vicki Delany.

The plot

Gemma Doyle is part owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, a little shop on Cape Cod where one can find just about any book or trinket that has anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. Right next door is Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, run by Gemma’s best friend, Jayne. Wouldn’t it be delightful to stock up on books at the bookshop and then pop over to the Tea Room for tea and nibbles, perhaps followed by a walk along the beach? This is why we think these should be real places.

The bookshop is hosting a talk by renowned best-selling author Renalta Van Markoff, who writes a series in which Holmes and his supposed landlady are having an affair. Her books are loved by many and hated by a few who take their devotion to the canon of Sherlock Holmes a bit too far. On the day of the big event, things are going wonderfully—well, except for the assortment of semi-crazy people who follow in Renalta’s wake. Anyway, things are going okay until Renalta suddenly drops dead in the middle of her talk. Gemma immediately suspects poisoning, and of course she is right, because she is brilliant. Unfortunately, her friend Donald, a devoted Sherlockian, becomes a prime suspect, and he asks, begs, Gemma to investigate and prove his innocence. The question now is, which of those semi-crazy people might have murdered Renalta? Could it have been the one who dresses like her, the one who claims she plagiarized her work, or perhaps the rather beige personal assistant who is constantly verbally abused by her? Or is it someone else entirely?

The cat

Of course there is a cat, and we think he is rather marvelous. He’s a black cat named Moriarty, loved by everyone except Gemma. This is because Moriarty cozies up to just about anyone—except Gemma. It is only fitting that Gemma should have a nemesis named Moriarty. We only wish that he played a more central role in resolving the mysteries, but then we suppose that might be out of character, given his, um, scratchy relationship with Gemma.

Our verdict

We loved the first book in this series (Elementary, She Read), and if anything, we enjoyed this one even more. We were just so pleased to meet Gemma and Moriarty again and catch up on the goings-on at the bookshop. Gemma is a character much like Sherlock himself: She’s usually the most brilliant person in the room, she knows it, and she’s not shy about letting others know it, often in a way that insults people or otherwise ticks them off. Let’s just say her people skills are…a work in progress. And she is working on them in Body on Baker Street (but she still ticks plenty of people off, much to our delight). We particularly enjoyed the “famous author visits and is murdered” plot, and the characters surrounding the famous author are just perfect. Plus, Gemma solves the case in a very Sherlockian fashion, which will never fail to make us happy. Moriarty has his share of fun too, and the antagonistic relationship between him and Gemma is growing on us. We very much look forward to the next book in this series to see how things develop.

Highly 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!

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!

Book Review: Cat About Town

On this Mysterious Monday, we bring you our review of a page-turning series debut by Cate Conte, whom you may also know as Liz Mugavero, author of the Pawsitively Organic mysteries. The new series, Cat Café mysteries, begins with Cat About Town, a book with an excellent cat, a solid mystery, and some pretty good laughs.

The plot

First, I have to tell you that the description of the book on Amazon is not quite accurate. Wethinks whoever wrote it was more interested in slipping in cutesies like “frisky,” “purrfect,” and “cat’s pajamas” than in finding out what is actually in the book. Second, I will tell you that what is actually in the book is a lot more interesting than the description would indicate.

And now we begin, with one Maddie James, who has come home to New England and the small, touristy Daybreak Island to mourn the death of her grandmother. Maddie has a life on the other side of the country now, in San Francisco, where she and a business partner own a successful juice bar. So she’ll be on the island for just a little while. Only, she meets this cat, and then she finds out her grandfather is in some kind of trouble, and then she and he become suspects in a murder…

But I should back up a bit.

Maddie’s grandfather was once the chief of police. Now he’s retired, and times are not so easy. The old house needs major repairs that he can’t afford. A slimeball named Frank O’Malley wants to buy the house—or rather, wants to force Grandpa to sell. Maddie, good granddaughter that she is, gets riled up about this and arranges a lunch meeting with Frank, during which she says some angry things to him. Next thing you know, her new cat runs off among the tents of the town’s annual Food Stroll while the vendors are still setting up. Maddie chases after him, and he leads her into one particular tent … and right to Frank O’Malley’s extremely dead body.

Not bad for a cat who doesn’t even have a name yet, right? (See “The Cat,” below, for more on this.)

Anyway, finding the body of a person you had sort of a little bit threatened earlier is one sure way to make yourself a murder suspect. That is what Maddie becomes, putting her in close contact with her old flame Craig, who is now on the police force. Perhaps not the best way to rekindle an old romance. Having another hot guy potentially in the picture (one who loves animals, is in a band, is hot—oh, did I mention that one already?) also complicates things. Plus the fact that Maddie doesn’t even plan on sticking around. She’ll be back to San Fran as soon as all this mess is cleared up, right? The fact that someone keeps leaving her articles about cat cafés is just some weird, random thing, right?

The Cat

The cat is an orange tabby whom Maddie first meets in the cemetery during her grandmother’s funeral. He seems to be seeking Maddie out, as though knowing she will care for him. She does not name him right away, choosing instead to call him Orange Guy. (“Orange Guy”? Really, Maddie? That’s like calling me “Splotchy Girl.” Not a good name for a cat of quality.) But she does eventually name him JJ (better—much better). JJ actually becomes something of a celebrity, as he is called a “hero cat” for finding the body, thus alerting authorities to the murder. JJ takes right away to walking on a harness and leash, and he becomes a wonderful companion for Maddie. We love how, instead of having the robust meow one might expect, JJ squeaks. How endearing! (The orange cat whom JJ is based on was interviewed by our friend Mudpie. Check it out if you haven’t already!)

Our verdict

We have tried really hard, and we cannot think of anything about Cat About Town that we did not like. Maddie is a fun character to get to know, and we fell in love with JJ right away (that squeak!). The mystery kept us guessing with plenty of potentially guilty people, and the book’s climax is appropriately thrilling. We can’t wait to see how the cat café turns out in future installments.

Two paws way up!

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!