Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): A Tale of Two Kitties

A Tale of Two Kitties
By Sofie Kelly
Magical Cats #9
Berkley Prime Crime, 2017


Summary

In this charming mystery from the bestselling author of Paws and Effect, two magical cats have powers of detection that prove indispensable to librarian Kathleen Paulson…

With a well-placed paw on a keyboard or a pointed stare, Kathleen’s two cats, Hercules and Owen, have helped her to solve cases in the past—so she has learned to trust their instincts. But she will need to rely on them more than ever when a twenty-year-old scandal leads to murder…

The arrival of the Janes brothers has the little town of Mayville Heights buzzing. Everyone of a certain age remembers when Victor had an affair with Leo’s wife, who then died in a car accident.

Now it seems the brothers are trying to reconcile, until Kathleen finds Leo dead. The police set their sights on Leo’s son and Kathleen’s good friend Simon, who doesn’t have much of an alibi. To prove her friend innocent, Kathleen will have to dig deep into the town’s history—and into her sardine cracker supply, because Owen and Hercules don’t work for free…


My thoughts

A Tale of Two Kitties … enchanting, impressive, entertaining, humorous, enjoyable in every way. I am so thankful for the opportunity to review this book because I’ve discovered a new favorite author in the process. Sofie Kelly is an excellent storyteller and has crafted a charming cozy mystery series. Cat lovers like me will absolutely fall in love with Owen and Hercules – and that the protagonist is a librarian is an added bonus for avid readers.

A Tale of Two Kitties moves at a steady pace, involving the reader in the detecting process, as well as the daily life of Kathleen and the people of Mayville Heights, Minnesota. This is not a criticism, but because I haven’t read the previous eight books in this series, it was a little difficult to connect with all the secondary characters. While I greatly enjoyed this story as a standalone, it left me eager to start at the beginning and work my way through. This story is that good!

Unlike some cozy mystery cats, Owen and Hercules are not just there for show, but are an integral part of the story. They’re intuitive, strong willed, and just a wee bit magical. I was a little hesitant about the fantasy element at first, but it’s just plain cute and not over the top at all. Anyone who loves cats will quickly see that the author has captured the essence of cat. I loved the amount of time spent on interaction between Kathleen, Owen and Hercules.

The mystery hits close to home when someone dear to one of Kathleen’s library workers is murdered, and the involvement of 20-year-old letters and photos is a great creative touch. I loved that this story is more character driven than action packed. The only negative is some mild profanity that I wish had been omitted.

A Tale of Two Kitties is all that a cozy mystery should be, and I hope for many more stories in this series.

I was provided a free copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Sofie Kelly is a New York Times bestselling author and mixed-media artist who lives on the East Coast with her husband and daughter. She writes the New York Times bestselling Magical Cats Mysteries (Paws and Effect , Faux Paw , A Midwinter’s Tail ) and, as Sofie Ryan, writes the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries (Telling Tails , A Whisker of Trouble , Buy a Whisker ).

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