A MIDWINTER’S TAIL by Sofie Kelly

Publisher:    NAL

Published:   October 7, 2014

ISBN:   978-0451414717

Genre:   Cozy Mystery

Format:  Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FOUR HEARTS

Kathleen Paulson has settled into her life as head librarian at Mayville Heights.  She’s made some good friends and her relationship with her detective beau Marcus has risen to a comfortable level despite her penchant for getting involved with the crimes he’s in the midst of solving.  She’s now sworn off getting involved in another one and is focused on the library’s Reading Buddies program.  With her friends’ help she’s put together a fantastic fund raiser that is sure to set the program on a stable track.  That is, until Dayna, Burtis Chapman’s ex-wife shows up in town.  Not only has she shown up, with in minutes of her arrival she keels over dead from asphyxiation from a nut allergy.  Or was it within minutes of her arrival?  As Kathleen is drawn deeper into the mystery of Dayna’s death more questions than answers arise.  Can Kathleen find the answers and the killers before he … or she … strikes again?

I was drawn to his series because it has cats featured as some of the main characters.  They’re supposed to be magical cats but now, in book six there’s really nothing magical about the cats.  Except for Hercules walking through doors and Owen disappearing at will there’s nothing really magical about them and they don’t use their abilities to solve any crimes.  Aside from references and a few examples of them doing these things, their abilities don’t really add anything to the books.  A better title of the series would have been on that referred to the fact that they were ferals who adopted Kathleen or that they came from Wisteria Hill.  That said, they do add some good material to the stories and particularly in Sofie Kelly’s latest A MIDWINTER’S TAIL. 

I like how Kelly hasn’t rushed Kathleen and Marcos’s relationship – giving them time to hit some bumps in the road and get to know each other.  And the progression of her friends finding their own lives and relationships has been nicely done as well.

The idea of the Reading Buddies is appealing to me, especially since I live in a town where our local library is very involved in the community.  It would be a great project to bring about for real.

Of all the books in the series so far this is really the best.  Kelly seems to have hit her stride and gives her readers as complex yet not overwhelming, mystery to solve.

You do not have to have read the earlier books in the series because the author gives just enough backstory to fill in any blanks.  But, because it is a fun series, you really don’t want to miss any of them.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.