Cat Got Your Killer
Second Chance Cat Mystery #12
By Sofie Ryan
ISBN 9780593550267
Author’s website: sofiekelly.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
Sarah Grayson, secondhand store owner, and her clever rescue cat Elvis are right on the tail of a criminal in the charming new Second Chance Cat Mystery.
Summer is around the corner and Sarah is making sure the store is stocked and ready for tourist season. But while the weather’s heating up, Sarah gets involved in a case that is decidedly cold, when a man who was linked to a drowning death years ago is found dead himself, on the same stretch of beach. Some of Sarah’s friends from the store knew the victim—and the young woman who drowned—very well and are concerned they could be dragged into the case.
It’s beginning to look like an innocent man may be in prison and that drowning death might in fact be the work of a killer who has struck again. Between Charlotte’s Angels, the group of senior citizen private detectives who operate out of the store, and Elvis’s abilities to sniff out trouble, Sarah won’t let a second chance at catching this purr-petrator pass her by. (from Goodreads)
Review:
North Harbor, Maine, is one of my favorite places to visit. Entering the Second Chance shop, part repurposed goods and part thrift store, is the best of any store of its kind. Those involved with the shop feel more like family than many blood kin. Sarah owns the shop, and Elvis, her sleek black cat, believes he is her right paw. Mac, the second in command, is also her boyfriend. Enjoying a cup of coffee and seeing this one-of-a-kind shop is the perfect way to spend a day.
It is outrageously, over-the-top, laugh-out-loud fun when Charlotte’s Angels, a Private Investigations firm of seniors get together with Sarah, Mac, and their friends. The women are close friends of Sarah’s grandmother since they were schoolgirls together. Sarah used to spend summers there with Gram and her friends, and she feels lucky to be part of this family of knowledgeable, hard-working, wise women. Alfred Peterson, nicknamed Mr. P or Alf, is Rose’s gentleman friend and holds the PI license in the firm. Their business office is at Second Chance. Sarah is always involved with their investigations. Rose, Charlotte, and Mr. P also work in the shop, as well as Liz’s granddaughter, Avery. They are engaging and realistically portrayed, and one’s life would be enriched to have even one person in their lives like these characters. The era is established by Elvis’s affinity for Jeopardy! He still insists on watching it on TV every evening, even after the passing of Alex Trebek.
It isn’t always giggles and grins. It is sometimes dead serious, especially considering the number of murders they have helped solve in their tourist town since Sarah bought the shop. While Elvis has been known to nap on the job, he also contributes to solving the mysteries. Sometimes it seems he actually understands what they discuss! He has a superpower that they make use of on almost every case. He is a feline lie detector, better than any machine, with 100% accuracy.
Almost fifteen years ago, a young woman drowned, believed to have been pushed by someone she was in grad school with. He has been in prison since, even though he declared his innocence. One evening, Mac and Sarah were at the garage of their friend, Memphis, while his brother Cleveland was down at the nearby beach. Cleveland is one of several “pickers” who scour the area and sell their treasures to Sarah and others. She was going to ask Cleveland to add a couple items to her “wish list”, and found him looking at a tangle of branches, a tarp, and other materials in the water. In that tangled detritus was the body of Michael, who had been at that long-ago party, now at that same stretch of beach. Michael couldn’t swim well, and would never willingly go back to that area of the beach with its bad memories.
Within days, Charlotte’s Angels were on the job, on behalf of Glenn, a friend who had an argument with Michael the day of his death. Michael had a secret about that night, and told it to Glenn that morning. What they learn, among other things, is that the man who spent 15 years in prison might be as innocent as he has stated. And the real murderer might be out and about town.
This mystery with its twists and turns kept this reader engaged throughout. I couldn’t get a solid feeling for anyone to be my top suspect, especially since I really wanted everyone in North Harbor to be innocent of murder. My feelings about the resolution were mixed. The real bad guy was caught, but I was sad to learn whodunit. This novel shows us some of the very best people of North Harbor, Maine, and that is exactly who I am looking forward to seeing on the next armchair visit, including Elvis! I highly recommend this cozy mystery and series! Each can easily be read as standalones, as there is sufficient backstory of people and events.
