Wednesday, March 1, 2017

THE CAT, THE COLLECTOR AND THE KILLER by Leann Sweeney


Publisher:    NAL
Published:   August 2, 2016
ISBN:        978-0451477408
Genre:       Cozy Mystery
Format:     Print
Obtained via:  Publisher  
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com
 

FOUR HEARTS

 

 

Several months into her marriage to her long time beau, “acting” police chief Tom Stewart, Jillian Hart couldn’t be happier. Their four kitties are happy and healthy, her step-daughter, Kara, from her first marriage, is living with her beau and her quilt business is doing quite well. What more could a woman ask?

When her good friend, Shawn, who runs the local animal rescue, calls for help she’s never said no. But this time when he calls for help things are a bit unsettling. This time one of his clients has been found wandering around downtown in her nightie, carrying a kitty in a tote bag. Minnie Schultz loves her kitties and while some might consider her a kitty hoarder, she’s really more of a collector. Her home has always been neat and clean and her cats well cared for. What greets Jillian when she enters Minnie’s home is far from neat and clean—with floor to ceiling boxes Minnie has clearly turned the corner to hoarding.  Or has she? Worse, when Shawn finds his personal nemesis’s body in Minnie’s bedroom it looks like a killer is on the loose.

Despite her not wanting to get involved in yet another murder investigation, Jillian cannot help herself, especially after she meets Minnie and certain facts come to light. In When an attempt is made on Minnie’s doctor, however, Jillian soon finds herself in the killer’s crosshairs.

THE CAT, THE COLLECTOR AND THE KILLER is another fun addition to Leann Sweeney’s Cats in Trouble series. Despite the fact that the stories are starting to follow a repetitive pattern, Sweeny still tells an entertaining story with some wonderful twists and turns. Her characters don’t stagnate but grow in and among themselves. There is steady movement in their lives that is realistic and leaves you feeling that you too are part of the action. 

In this one I pretty much figured out who the killer was when that character appeared, but I still enjoying reading how Jillian figured it out and ultimately brought that person down. Well, Jillian and her cats—who are really the stars of the book! 

This is one series where you will want to read the books in order. While Sweeney does provide a solid backstory to some of the characters, there are nuances and threads in the story that you will know you missed out on something if you haven’t read the earlier books. That’s not a bad thing because the stories are so fun to read and the author gives enough clues that the reader can solve the crimes along with Jillian.

 

 

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

 


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