Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

Welcome to this week's edition of Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday!

We hope you enjoy our choices.

The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery by Sarah Fox

From the publisher: When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it—and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff. 

After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble.

Tortie Shorties Review: Marley McKinney has cherished memories of the childhood summers she spent in Wildwood Cove. Even though her life now is in Seattle she returns to the cozy coastal community to run her cousin Jimmy's pancake house while he recovers from double pneumonia. Then the day he calls her to say he's coming home he's found murdered. A rash of burglaries over the previous weeks has everybody in town talking, so when Marley founds some of the stolen goods in Jimmy's workshop she fears what it means. When a cherished employee of Flip Side Pancake House is named a suspect, Marley has no choice but to stay in Wildwood Cove and uncover the secrets behind her family tragedy. The only question is...when it's all over is she ever going to want to leave?

When I saw the cover of this book my first thought was how much I would love to live in that charming Victorian. And how adorable is little Flapjack the orange tabby??? All of the characters, even those that might be the killer, were extremely well-written and multi-dimensional, and I was kept guessing until the action-packed revelation.

I enjoyed every moment of this mystery from start to finish, and immediately found myself engrossed in Wildwood Cove living. It's one of those cozy locales that's a character itself; a place I would love going to on summer vacation and be tempted to never leave. The next book in the series can't come fast enough!

The Crepes of Wrath has a scheduled release date of August 16 but you can pre-order today!

Lawyer for the Cat: A Sally Baynard Novel by Lee Robinson

From the publisher: Sally Baynard is one of the best lawyers around. In the years since her divorce from Family Court Judge Joe Baynard, she dedicated herself to representing the worst and craziest Charleston, S.C. had to offer. But none of the murderers, burglars, or angry divorcing clients compared to Sherman, the dog her ex-husband appointed her to represent. Although the miniature Schnauzer found his way into her heart (and brought his handsome vet Tony along too), his case was a thorny one. With that business out of the way, Sally is happy to move back to non-canine clients... until a probate judge asks her about a cat.

Agreeing to represent Beatrice, a black cat who's the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar trust and a plantation, Sally must put her wit, charm, and brains to the test, choosing among three colorful potential caregivers while dodging the former owner's angry son. Meanwhile, Sally must juggle the demands of the court with those of her aging mother and make a decision about Tony, who wants to get more serious. Lee Robinson's Lawyer for the Cat is Southern women's fiction at its most delightful, featuring strong, smart characters, a charming setting, and plenty of adorable critters.

Tortie Shorties Review: I'm always on the lookout for novels set in the charming city of Charleston. Add in an intriguing legal case, a protagonist with a very full plate, and a special black cat, and you have the ingredients for an immensely enjoyable story. Sally is character that all women can identify with as she juggles work, relationship issues, and an aging mother with Alzheimer's. There's a bit of suspense included too as we wonder who is going to end up with sweet little Beatrice and what each candidate might be hiding.

This is a novel sure to be in the beach bags of cat lovers everywhere this summer!