Shock and Paw
Cat Café Mystery #8
By Cate Conte
ISBN 9781250883971
Author’s website: cateconte.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
The eighth installment in a charming cozy mystery series set on an island off the New England coast and featuring the cat café owner Maddie and her cat JJ:
Beware the cats of Christmas past…
It’s the holiday season on Daybreak Island, and Maddie James is looking forward to stepping out of the limelight, watching the island’s Christmas decoration competition from afar, spending time with her boyfriend and family, running tours for visitors as part of the festivities and spreading holiday cheer through cute cats in jingle bell collars. But trouble hits close to home when word gets out that Donna Carey, the publisher of the island’s only daily newspaper where Maddie’s best friend Becky is editor, may be selling the business. Becky is a diehard journalist and to her, selling the only newspaper on the island is a fate worse than death. She publicly opposes the potential sale, wreaking havoc on her relationship with her big boss. Maddie is sympathetic, but she has her own problems – like getting pulled into a role on the Christmas event committee despite her best efforts to stay far removed, and solving the case of a mysterious cat breeder trying to sell expensive designer cats as holiday gifts on the island. But then Donna winds up dead—electrocuted by her own Christmas decorations—and it appears to be more than an accident. To make matters worse, Becky becomes suspect number one. Maddie is thrown into another murder investigation in order to save her best friend from a Christmas behind bars. (From Goodreads)
Review:
Shock and Paw invites us back to JJ’s House of Purrs cat café on Daybreak Island. Christmas is less than two weeks away. Maddie and Grandpa Leo are partners in the café, along with Ethan, her long-time business partner. The mascot is JJ, the one-of-a-kind orange tabby who adopted Maddie shortly after she moved back from the west coast.
The cat café continues to grow, due in part to news articles that lead people from the mainland to adopt or visit its residents. Most of the cats are from Katrina, Maddie’s friend and the local Animal Control Officer.
Daybreak Harbor, their community on the island, begins its annual Christmas festivities this weekend that will bring many tourists. Grandpa Leo is participating in the Christmas light decoration contest, as he does every year. He has won numerous times, and has a more complex plan this year. There is a substantial cash prize this year, so there are many more contestants.
Maddie’s plans for Christmas are simple. Most holidays, she helps her mom’s committees so this one is only for time with her family, her boyfriend, Lucas, and friends. Caring for and adopting out cats and kittens is always a certainty.
Katrina brought Maddie a cat that had been in the shelter and was terrified, especially of barking dogs. She also brought in a flyer that was hanging outside, advertising unique cats that combine at least two breeds for an ultra-fancy cat appearance. Breeders of these kinds of cast often charge tens of thousands of dollars, many of which have been abused. Maddie named the cat Frederick and put him inside the house. Sam, one of Maddie’s sisters, and Katrina made a plan to meet the fancy cat/ kitten seller.
Grandpa Leo was injured from falling off his ladder after being shocked by a string of lights. Frederick was stolen, the thief leaving a threatening note for them to stop looking into the special cats.
A beloved community member was then murdered. Maddie’s best friend, Becky, works at the family-owned island newspaper. Donna was the big boss and the owner of the paper, carrying on the work begun by her ancestors. Becky, as the managing editor, has her dream job. Becky and Maddie accidentally overheard that Donna received an offer for the paper. Devastated, Becky tried to change her mind but Donna has plans for a new, special venture, Cat’s Meow, a media company about cats. Donna had been investigating a critical situation related to cats, but couldn’t yet reveal it. She wanted Becky’s skills in her new company, but Becky, not realizing the depth or importance of the work, didn’t want to stop being a serious journalist.
Donna was lying dead in her yard when Becky stopped by her house. The police saw Becky as the prime suspect because of her “strong motive”. In the handful of days before the Christmas festival opening night, Maddie’s simple holiday included solving Donna’s murder, helping with unassigned festival needs, and finding the stolen cat.
The author has crafted a great set of townspeople, many of whom are delightful. I appreciate and enjoy Maddie’s family, friends, and her volunteers at the café. One of my favorite descriptions is “…pretty much everyone on the island was quirky in their own way. It was part of the charm.” We get to see some of the quirks and accept them as part of each person’s makeup.
The author has outdone herself with this novel! No matter how I put the clues together, all I found were red herrings. I didn’t realize that people in the business of the news often get threats from those who disagree with them on an issue or an article! I was completely surprised at the bad guy, as it was someone I had not even considered. Regarding the rest of the challenges, such as finding Frederick and infiltrating the sale of special cat breeds, each was resolved in a satisfactory manner. I highly recommend this newest novel in the series!
