Tortie Shorties: Christmas Edition

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! Did you know that one of Mommy's favorite things to do during the holiday season is curl up in bed with a Christmas mystery or romance, mug of peppermint hot chocolate, and me? We've been doing a lot of that lately and wanted to tell you about 5 of our favorites!

Blurb: Zak and Zoe fly to Alaska after Zoe is asked by her dog trainer friend Peter to fly to Moosehead Alaska to deliver a search and rescue dog to a team who is desperate for some canine help after their own dog is injured during a rescue. Within twelve hours of arriving in the isolated little town, Zoe stumbles onto a murder scene where everything must be questioned because nothing is exactly as it seems. When a second body is found and a five year old cold case is reexamined, things go from complicated to bizarre. Meanwhile Levi and Ellie are home in Ashton Falls dealing with complex emotions as they solve their own thorny mystery.

Tortie Shorties: This book takes place in the week between Christmas and New Year's as Zoe and Zack travel to Alaska to deliver Sitka, a newly trained search and rescue dog. Their very first night there Zoe finds a body in the library, and with a blizzard raging outside it soon becomes apparent that they are trapped at the inn with a killer. Then another body turns up in a snow bank which ties into a mysterious disappearance in town 5 years ago. Back home in Ashton Falls, Zoe's friends Ellie and Levi are dealing with broken bones after being run off the road by a big black truck. (Zoe assists in that investigation by phone.)

The descriptions of Moosehead, Alaska made me want to book my own trip to The Last Frontier, and I especially loved Whiskey, the Maine Coon bar cat. This was another enjoyable adventure with Zoe and her crew.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, December 22nd for your chance to win a copy of Alaskan Alliance. (Paperback for US winners or Kindle copy for non-US winners.)

Blurb: From the day James rescued a street cat abandoned in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, they began a friendship which has transformed both their lives and, through the bestselling books A STREET CAT NAMED BOB and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BOB, touched millions around the world. In this new story of their journey together, James looks back at the last Christmas they spent scraping a living on the streets and how Bob helped him through one of his toughest times - providing strength, friendship and inspiration but also teaching him important lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way.

Tortie Shorties: I think all cat lovers are familiar with the story of James Bowen and Street Cat Bob, but this is actually the first book of theirs that I've read. Right now only an e-book version is available here in the US, so in order to have a hardcover copy for my cat book collection I ordered a copy right from the UK. It's a fantastic story chronicling Christmas 2010 for the duo as James looks back on harder times and reflects on how life has changed since Bob came into his life. The graphics of Bob are just adorable. I'm definitely going to be reading their other books in 2015.

Blurb: After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, Garrison goes to her house to sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother's instructions don't allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends--plus a sizeable monetary gift for the new owners. Garrison's job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay.

Tortie Shorties: This would be such a wonderful gift for the cat lover in your life who enjoys contemporary fiction. It's the story of Garrison Brown, a Ugandan missionary who loses his beloved grandmother and is asked to find homes for her 6 beloved cats. He's not particularly fond of cats, and is highly allergic, but even when faced with specific requirements about their care he makes every attempt to follow through. Along the way he befriends a very special cat and a very special lady. I loved how each of these cats changed the lives that they touched, as all cats do, and how Garrison's grandmother continued to make a difference in his life even after she was gone.

Blurb: Move over, Rudolph – let Pepe lead the way!

Who would steal a little girl’s dog, right before Christmas? After seeing young Sophie’s heartbreaking story on the news, P.I. Geri Sullivan and Pepe—her talking Chihuahua—vow to rescue this bonita canine named Chiquita. But tracking the pooch’s scent through a Pacific Northwest winter wonderland isn’t easy, especially when the trail leads to an elf who’s been mortally mauled! Geri and Pepe must save little Sophie’s Christmas and find this muy naughty dognapper . . . and stir up a little Christmas magic along the way!

Tortie Shorties: All you'll need is a free hour during the holiday season to enjoy Pepe's Christmas adventure, and it's not even necessary to have read each book in the series. I especially loved how some Christmas Eve folklore played a central role in the conclusion of the mystery.

Blurb: During the dress rehearsal for small-town Serenity’s festive Christmas play, star Madeline de Morlaye topples over—on stage!—after a bite of prop pastry. Since the frosty actress had earned plenty of enemies through her offstage dramatics, the cast of suspects is longer than Santa’s “Naughty or Nice” list. Prop mistress Brandy Borne and her diva-turned-director mother, Vivian—assisted by their savvy shih tzu, Sushi—must solve this fruitcake fatality before it's curtains for anyone else.

Tortie Shorties: This is the second year in a row the popular Trash 'n' Treasures mystery series by Barbara Allan has featured the added bonus of a short Christmas story. Antiquers Brandy and Vivian are a mother/daughter team like no other, on meds for their various "issues" and constantly sniping back and forth at each other as they each give their recollection of events. Now I have to confess that I enjoy a good fruitcake, but I always find "death by fruitcake" mysteries to be quite funny, and this is no exception. An enjoyable way to spend an hour.