Review: The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues
By Cindy Vincent
A Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper, #3
Whodunit Press, 2014


Summary

Buckley and Bogey, Cat Detectives, find their next big case with the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Agency to be their most complicated ever! It all starts when someone hides a mysterious package in their Mom's antique store --- in the middle of the night! Of course, the boys find it, and put it in a nice, safe place, until they can open it . . . and, find the rightful owner. But that's when a whole bunch of suspicious people show up in St. Gertrude, and every single one of them seems to be after that package! Holy Catnip! Plus, everything happens just when a priceless, jeweled statue collection goes on display at the St. Gertrude Museum. Missing from that collection are two jewel covered cat statues that disappeared almost a hundred and fifty years ago.

But soon Buckley and Bogey wonder how long those statues will stay missing. Because this is one case that really keeps them on their paws! From a trip to the Museum, and to an old church for the Blessing of the Animals; and from dinosaurs to diamonds, they end up dodging shady suspects the whole time. It sure helps to have their friends with them, especially when the bad guys make a beeline for boys. That's because it becomes very clear, very quick --- the priceless cat statues aren't the only cats those crooks are after! Holy Mackerel!


My thoughts

While The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues by Cindy Vincent is written for young readers, somewhere in the 8- to 12-year range, I enjoyed every minute spent with these delightful felines and their humans. Obviously, I'm an easy audience for this story because I'm a cat lover, but no amount of loving cats can make a bad book enjoyable. Cindy's story has so much going for it because it's very well written, funny, imaginative, heartwarming, and important life lessons are cleverly woven throughout.

Best friends and cat detectives, Bogey and Buckley, are quite a pair. Lead detective Bogey is thin and kind of wiry, able to "run so fast that some say he can even fly." His crime-solving partner and narrator of the story, Buckley, is a two-year-old Maine Coon. Buckley and Bogey love their humans, run surveillance at night to protect them, and prove to be quite adept at solving mysteries. Other household cats and their friends populate these pages, including Princess, Lil Bit, and Miss Mokie, "The Wise One" who rules the house with an iron paw. The cats talk among themselves, even use the Internet, and have distinct personalities and strengths which they use to help.

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"It was funny how humans never understood what good crime solvers cats could be."

- Buckley

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In some ways, The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues makes me think of a fable - for a fable is a tale that teaches a moral lesson, often with animals as characters - and that is exactly what Cindy's stories do. In addition to the well-plotted mystery and tons of humor, Christian values are gently and quietly woven throughout, in a way that offers a springboard for discussion with young ones - values like teamwork, mentoring, growing pains, love of family, hard work, persistence, the wisdom that comes from a long life, learning to look beneath the surface, and reaching out to people with disabilities.

I found several parts of this story especially touching. First, that the senior Miss Mokie was loved, respected, and sought after for both her company and the wisdom she offered. Secondly, the way other cats reached out to two special-needs cats, Annie (blind) and Henry (deaf), and worked to find them loving homes.  What a difference it would make if these essential lessons could be learned in childhood! Another part was how Buckley and Bogey interacted with 12-year-old Gracie as she struggled with her piano recital piece, something to which I can totally relate!

I believe one reason I enjoyed this book so much is that I could connect with the cats through their feelings, fears, desires, etc. - and even those who aren't cat lovers can do that. I loved how Buckley, with the help of his brother and other loving cats, grew throughout this story and made a most important discovery . . .

"Friendship was the real treasure. . . . Without friends, we'd never really be happy."

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues is a book that will entertain young readers, easily opening up teaching moments if adults read it also. And in thinking back to how much I enjoyed my mom reading to me, I believe this book could work very well as a family read-aloud book. I fell in love with all these cats and will be reading more from this series. Highly recommended. 5-star rating for young readers and cat lovers of all ages.

This review is approved by my Ebony.

Last year I reviewed a sweet devotional by Cindy, drawn from her experiences with the cats in her life. You can see this review by clicking on the title, Cats Are Part of His Kingdom, Too.

Now you can get to know the real Buckley & Bogey, cat detectives . . .

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues can be purchased online at Amazon, B&N, Books a Million

Cindy Vincent was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has lived all around the US and Canada. She holds an M.A.Ed, and is the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls. She is also the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper books, the Daisy Diamond Detective book series, and the Cats are Part of His Kingdom, Too: 33 Daily Devotions to Understanding God's Love. She lives with her husband and the real, live Buckley and Bogey, who run surveillance on her house each and every night.

Meet Cindy, Buckley, and Bogey online at buckleyandbogey.com, Facebook, and Pinterest

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Be sure to visit Cindy's Litfuse tour page to learn more. And join Cindy, Buckley, and Bogey in celebrating with a “jewel” of a giveaway by clicking on this link to Cindy's website to enter.