Book Review/Giveaway: The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret by Leann Sweeney

Hey everybody, it's Angel Truffles! I have a very special interview for you today. Last year when Mommy and I finished reading the last Cats in Trouble mystery by Leann Sweeney, we were SO excited to see that the star of this year's book was going to be a tortie named Magpie. I immediately jotted down in my calendar that I wanted to interview her for the book's release, but then as you know, I had to run off to the Bridge.

Thankfully, Mommy found my notes of what I wanted to ask Magpie, so together we are still able to bring you the interview. I hope you enjoy it.



Welcome, Magpie! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came into contact with Jillian?

Magpie: I got myself stuck in a tough situation and Jillian can’t stand it if there’s a cat in trouble. She helped me out—literally.

You got the cute little name Magpie because you're such a little thief...what makes you hoard knick knacks?

Magpie: It started when I was bored. Living in a shelter is boring. No room to play, stuff like that. When I figured out how to undo latches—some of the latches and doorknobs I mastered were pretty shiny—I decided I would never be without something to play with again. I just wanted to see how many things I could gather.

Isn't being a tortie the greatest??? How do you proudly rock your tortitude?

Magpie: I rock my tortitude by being smart at all kinds of things—escaping, gathering and making friends with other felines as well as people. If you’re charming and cute you can really get away with anything.

What kinds of trouble do you help Jillian get into in The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret...and do you use any special powers to help her solve the mystery?

Magpie: She’s so nice she likes to help people, but I once heard a human say “no good deed goes unpunished.” She told me to keep the story a secret and I guess I have to do what she asks because she has been good to me. As for special powers? I’m just a cat who does brilliant cat things. We are smart. Well, most of us are, anyway.

What's it like living with the menagerie at Jillian's house? Is romance in the air between you and Merlot? (Magpie and Merlot sittin' in a tree...)

Magpie: Jillian’s clowder (that’s what a group of us cats are called—a clowder) is pretty cool. I liked them all, but Merlot is such a big, strong guy. Real protective. I like to hang out with him. He’s a good friend—just like Jillian and Finn. Finn is her boyfriend’s stepson and he’s my new forever servant.

Will we continue to see you in future Cats in Trouble books?

Magpie: Where Finn goes, I go—and I can’t see Jillian or her boyfriend cutting Finn out of their lives. I mean, they all love each other a lot. I guess I loving them a lot myself.

Do you have any message you'd like to pass along to the millions of readers about to fall in love with you just like my Mommy did?

Magpie: If you like to read mysteries and you love animals, hanging out with Jillian, her boyfriend, Finn and her great cats Merlot, Chablis and Syrah is a lot of fun. Did I tell you there’s a dog? Yup. I have to get used to a dog. Can you believe that??

From the publisher: In the latest from the author of The Cat, the Vagabond and the Victim, a feline with a penchant for pilfering ends up unearthing a deadly mystery.…

Jillian Hart and Tom are finally tying the knot, but first they need to make sure Tom’s stepson, Finn, is as comfortable as possible in the lake house they will all call home. So when it becomes clear that Finn has fallen for a pretty cat from the Mercy Animal Sanctuary, Jillian and Tom readily agree to make room for one more—even though the tortoiseshell kitty is a notorious kleptomaniac.

So far, the cat has sneaked out of the adoption center time after time, bringing back trinkets, shoelaces, and socks. But when she brings back an antique locket, Finn enlists Tom’s and Jillian’s sleuthing skills. They hope to return the treasured item to its owner, but their search for answers is sidetracked when a body is found. Still, their sneaky cat’s find may just lead them to a killer.…

I've been looking forward to the latest installment in the Cats in Trouble mystery series even more so this time for the mere fact that it stars a tortie. Just from reading the preview at the end of the last book I knew that I would be falling hopelessly in love with precious little Magpie.

Finn has decided to adopt Magpie from the Mercy Animal Sanctuary, but on the day he plans to pick her up, she has once again escaped. She turns up at Ed's Swap Shop stuck in a sofa he picked up by a donation bin, a locket with blood on it around her leg. A trip back to the donation bin reveals more blood, but no body. Then a body does turn up at a construction site, and Lindsey, the daughter of the victim and a thrift shop volunteer, reveals that Magpie's locket is hers. The little tortie ends up uncovering still more clues and ultimately becomes quite a heroine, but before it's all over another unspeakable tragedy strikes Mercy with the murder of a beloved resident.

The characters in this series have come to feel like family and each book just gets better and better. Jillian and Tom's marriage opens up a whole new world of adventures, and now their home will be filled with 5 cats with the addition of Tom's diabetic kitty Dashiell and Magpie while Finn continues to live with them.

If you're a cozy loving feline fanatic, life just doesn't get any better than cracking open a new Cats in Trouble mystery.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Wednesday, August 12th for your chance to win a paperback copy of The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret. (US entries only, please.)