Friday, December 23, 2016

THE CAT, THE VAGABOND AND THE VICTIM by Leann Sweeney

 

Publisher:    NAL
Published:   August 5, 2014
ISBN:        978-0451415424
Genre:       Cozy Mystery  
Format:     Print
Obtained via:  Publisher  
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

THREE-1/2 HEARTS

 

We’ve all heard the stories about cats and dogs who travelled miles and miles to find their way to their home. In what seems an utterly amazing feat is just part of being a cat for a cat, as Jillian Hart well knows. That’s why when Clyde, the beloved kitty of a recently deceased member of her little down shows up, she isn’t that surprised.  Clyde, who has travelled some 200 miles to return home becomes an instant celebrity.  To buy some peace for the shelter and not-so-little Clyde, Jillian agrees to foster him. Clyde quickly bonds with Jillian’s three kitties – Chablis, Merlot and Syrah – but all is not well.  Not only was Clyde’s human murdered, but now someone is after Clyde. Despite Jillian’s best efforts to protect the celebrity cat, another body turns up along with an array of contentious family members of the deceased.  Can Jillian find the would-be catnapper before he or she kills again?

Another super read from Leann Sweeney.  This one, THE CAT, THE VAGABOND AND THE VICTIM had a little less punch the a few of the previous books but it’s still a fun read.  You can’t help but fall in love with Clyde.  Even a non-cat person will find themselves wanting to at least hold the little guy.  The theme of the story is one we’ve seen in different guises, but in her inimitable style, Sweeney introduces not one, but several well turned twists.  I certainly didn’t see the killer coming.

Sweeney introduces a new character, Emily Nguyen, a wanna be girl reporter who is so annoying she becomes one of those characters you love to hate.  You don’t want her to die, you don’t want her to go away, but at the same time you just want her to stop. If she’s going to be around I can see that Sweeney will have a lot of opportunity to develop her character and add some fun dimension to the books.

Each book is a stand alone and you do not have to read the stories in order if all you want is the mystery.  If you want to see some wonderful character development and growth, you’ll want to read the series in order.




This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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