Tag: Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series

REVIEW: Claws for Suspicion by Deborah Blake

REVIEW: Claws for Suspicion by Deborah Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases next week, on May 3, 2022.]

Summary

Just as Kari is reflecting on the journey that brought her to win the lottery and buy a pet rescue, her contentment is shattered by the arrival of her ex. Charlie has heard about Kari’s winnings and brings the unwelcome news that their divorce was never finalized. He believes that means he’s entitled to half. But he’s willing to settle for taking the rescue – and the land it sits on – for one of his development schemes.

When Charlie is killed, Kari’s relief that he can’t take her dream away from her is short lived when she becomes the primary murder suspect.

Review

I loved book one in the Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series, Furbidden Fatality, and then somehow missed out on reading book 2, Doggone Deadly, before I heard about this third book. I had hoped to read 2 before 3, but my timing didn’t quite work out. But it didn’t matter. I was able to fall right back into the people and setting without issue – and I enjoyed this book in the series too!

The characters here are fun, both the humans and the animals, and the mystery was great. I puzzled out a lot of it for myself, but there was one piece that caught me so off guard I exclaimed out loud. I loved having both the satisfaction of solving the mystery AND an unexpected surprise at the same time.

Cozy fans should not miss this series! It has all the great hallmarks of the genre – a likable protagonist; a clever hook/setting; an enjoyable community around the main character; and solidly plotted, satisfying mysteries. While the plots of books 1 and 2 are mentioned, I don’t think newcomers will feel like they can’t track this story without going back to the beginning. But I do think if you start here you will enjoy it so much you will want to go back and pick up the previous two books!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

 

REVIEW: Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake

REVIEW: Furbidden Fatality by Deborah Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Kari bought the lottery ticket when she was shopping for kitty litter. It seems only fitting that she use some of her winnings to buy the run down animal rescue. It’s “kitten season,” and all of the area shelters are full to overflowing. Now, Kari can help.

And the rescue itself needs help. The local dog warden has been harassing the former owner. And he’s bringing them to court saying one of their animals got out and attacked someone. Kari gets to see for herself how hateful the man is when they have a confrontation outside the court house. But that doesn’t mean she’s not surprised when she stumbles across his dead body on her new property.

Plenty of people heard Kari shouting with the man. So of course she is now a murder suspect. So is the former rescue owner. But they aren’t the only ones with bones to pick with the deceased. Kari and her friends start sleuthing so they can point the authorities to the real culprit in order to re-open the rescue and move on with their lives.

Review

What an excellent story! This is the kickoff for the Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series, and it is a must-read series for me now. The cast is fantastic and the mystery is first rate. Cozies tend to have a theme – coffee, food, crafts, animals, etc. – and I loved this one. The animal descriptions in the book, especially for Queenie, the little black kitten, are outstanding. I can’t say enough good things about this story.

I loved Kari, the protagonist. We only get a hint at her backstory, but her passion for standing up to bullies and her awesome boundaries with her brother endeared her to me right away. I enjoyed most of the cast around her, too. (One character runs hot and cold to the extremes when it comes to Kari, and she was really starting to tick me off. The rest, though, are delightful.)

The mystery was fantastic. There are layers to it that play out for the last quarter or so of the book, so I really felt like I got my “money’s worth” out of the mystery angle. Some pieces are resolved early while others play out at the very end. I thought the pacing of the whole thing was perfect.

The hook of a lottery winner sinking her winnings into a passion project is so fun. I’d love to see that become a trope in novels – I’d read every last one of them. It’s a fun wish-fulfillment piece to this story that I really enjoyed. Cozy fans, mystery fans, and animal lovers should be sure to pick this one up!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!