A Night’s Tail
Magical Cats Mystery #11
By Sofie Kelly
ISBN#9780440001133
Author’s website: sofiekelly.com
Brought to you b OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Spring is coming to Mayville Heights, and Kathleen’s
brother, Ethan, has arrived in town with his band, The Flaming Gerbils. But not
everything goes as scheduled when one of Ethan’s bandmates gets into a fight
with a man interested in investing in the town. When the businessman’s body is
later found, Ethan’s friend is implicated in the crime.
Kathleen wants to help her brother by solving the case, but she has no shortage
of suspects from which to choose. Prior to his death, the investor was fighting
like cats and dogs with lots of people. If this librarian wants more than a
whisker’s chance of solving the case, she will need to rely on her trusty
feline sidekicks, Owen and Hercules.
Review:
A Night’s Tail, the eleventh entry in the long running Magical Cats Mystery Series, ticks all of the boxes of a great cozy mystery. Well developed characters, wonderful feline sidekicks, and a puzzling mystery make for cozy reading at its best.
Kathleen is excited to have her brother Ethan and his band The Flaming Gerbils in town for a visit, but things get complicated when businessman and all around jerk Lewis Wallace dies in the hotel conference room where the band’s songwriting workshop is set to occur. When accidental death is ruled out, Kathleen does all she can to ferret out the killer amidst suspects who all have a motive.
I really enjoy this series. Book eleven is just as fresh as the series debut. Owen and Hercules have some amazing abilities, but I do not consider this to be a particularly paranormal series. Author Sofie Kelly does an admirable job of making Owen and Hercules’s actions and talents seem perfectly probable. The characters, including those new to this book, are fleshed out and engaging. At this point, the recurring characters continue to grow and feel like good friends. In this tale, I particularly enjoyed getting to know Kathleen’s brother Ethan, and how his visit helps her realize that, though she misses her family, Mayville Heights has become home.
Lewis Wallace is despicable, and readers cannot help but think he deserved his untimely end. The mystery of his murder is executed well, and I appreciate that Kathleen does not rehash the clues over and over avoiding repetition. Each detail she discovers kept me on my toes trying to figure out whodunit. The book moves along at a steady pace, and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to get to the end.
A Night’s Tail is delightful, and I recommend it to any cozy mystery reader, especially those who enjoy the inclusion of exceptional cats.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
