Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
9780451234537
Berkley Obsidian
336 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
September 6, 2011
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Kathleen never wanted to be the crazy cat lady. But when Owen and Hercules followed her home from mysterious Wisteria Hill, she realized her mind wasn't playing tricks on her: Her cats have magical abilities. And when a body is found Kathleen's favorite local cafe, she knows Owen's talent for turning invisible and Hercules' ability to walk through closed doors will give the felines access to clues Kathleen couldn't get without arousing suspicion.
With her pet partners, and perhaps the assistance of a certain handsome detective, Kathleen is determined to find out who killed Agatha Shepherd, an elderly woman who seems to have helped almost everyone in town at one time or another. Someone is hiding dark secrets, and it will take a bit of fur-tive investigating to catch the coldhearted killer.
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Kathleen Paulson is head of the library in the small town of Mayville Heights, Minnesota. It's winter, and everyone is getting ready for Winterfest. One night after helping her friends Maggie and Roma, when she sees an apparent argument between her elderly friend Harrison Taylor, and retired teacher Agatha Shepard. When Agatha is found dead the next day by another friend, Ruby, Kathleen wonders if Harry's argument with the woman could be relevant.
But when she discovers that her friend Eric, who owns the diner, also had an argument and now has taken time off due to illness, her curiosity starts to get the better of her. What's worse, she discovers that Ruby's boyfriend Justin has just been left a boatload of money from Agatha, who barely knew him; and when a young friend is arrested for the murder, Kathleen just can't sit still and allow things to happen.
She's warned off the case by Marcus Gordon, the local homicide detective who's also taking a liking to her; but since he recently thought she was guilty of a murder herself, she doesn't much care what he thinks. She's wondering what Harrison and Agatha were arguing about. It has something to do with a missing report card envelope, and since she also saw Eric and Ruby apparently arguing about the same thing, she wants to know if it has anything to do with the murder. She believes if she could find the envelope, she might discover the truth.
Helping her are her two cats Owen and Hercules, whom she rescued as kittens from Wisteria Hill, an abandoned estate that is now home to a feral colony of cats cared for by the local veterinarian and volunteers (of which both Marcus and Kathleen are two). What no one except Kathleen knows, though, is that Hercules and Owen are special. Really special. Hercules can walk through solid doors and walls, and Owen can become invisible. They also have an interesting way of being able to help her, and she finally accepts the fact that they want her to investigate - with their help, of course. Kathleen just hopes it won't put her in the sights of a killer...
This is the second in the Magical Cat Mysteries and I found it to be just as delightful as the first. Kathleen's wonderful cats are at it again, determined to find out who killed an elderly woman and why, and Kathleen's just along for the ride. Of course, they need her to transport them to where they want to go, and she reluctantly does so, hoping no one will notice her talking to them and thinking she's a crazy cat lady.
Her ever-present friends Maggie and Roma, the vet, are also back although they don't play as large a part this time out. I love how Kathleen can take each piece of evidence that's dropped in her lap and (sometimes literally) and match it to what she knows to come to the correct conclusion. I like the fact that not only is she smart in business, being able to run the library smoothly with competent help, she's also able to think on her feet, and this has saved her more than once.
And I absolutely love that she knows how to cook. It gets really tiring to read of protagonists who eat fast food all the time, have no idea how to boil an egg, and their refrigerators are constantly empty. I mean, how can you solve murders if you can't even remember to buy food for your pets or a gallon of milk? How can you put together clues if you can't put together a grocery list? Kathleen, fortunately, is the type of woman I think I'd be friends with (since I also love to cook and keep food in the house for my cats).
She's also loyal to her friends and they to her. Even though she's only been in Mayville Heights a short time, having moved from Boston (another story), she's managed to forge real relationships that show she actually cares about the people around her. Now if her friends could actually get her to care about Marcus, too...
While there were a few red herrings thrown around, and we pretty much knew who the killer was from the beginning, watching her - with her cats' help, of course - is where the real fun is. Nothing is easy for her to discover, but she not only does so, (as we know she will) she also manages to help another friend along the way which only cements the fact that Kathleen will go above and beyond to help those she loves. It's a lovely addition to the tale, and I love how it all turns out.
When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it really isn't a surprise, as I mentioned above, yet I found the climax quite enthralling as once again, Kathleen depended upon her own wits and still managed to put her love for her pets first and foremost in her thoughts. It's heartfelt. It's loving. It's how people who love their pets feel.
As you can tell, I was absolutely delighted with this tale and look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Sleight-Magical-Cats-Sofie-Kelly/dp/0451234537/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2991544753
More on Sofie Kelly's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/sofie-kelly/
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