Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

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

We hope you enjoy our choices.

Familiar Trouble (Familiar Legacy Book 1) by Carolyn Haines

From the publisher: BLOOD IS THICKER... Sometimes a unique talent is inherited—and such is the case for Trouble, son of Familiar the black cat detective. Trouble’s rather indolent life in the sleepy town of Wetumpka, Alabama is upended when a serial killer arrives on the scene. Trouble begins to apply the skills he learned from his dad and his hero, Sherlock Holmes. 

When local bookseller Tammy Lynn is attacked at the site of an impact crater, Trouble realizes he must protect his human and solve the mystery of the Silk Stocking Killer.

Aiden Waters, a local deputy, has tracked the SSK to Wetumpka. Since his wife’s murder, Aiden won’t risk romance, but when Tammy is endangered, everything changes. Especially their hearts.

Tortie Shorties Review: I've been collecting cat mysteries for about 15 years now, and when I started one of the very first series I was introduced to was the Familiar, Black Cat Detective series of romantic mysteries written by Carolyn Haines. Seventeen books were released by Harlequin Intrigue starting in 1990, and I have every one in it's original paperback format. I was so excited to learn that 6 of the original titles are being re-released in ebook (the first, Fear Familiar, is available on Kindle for only 99 cents!), and now we're seeing the debut of a brand new line of romantic mysteries starring Familiar's son Trouble, who is following in his dad's paw prints as a black cat detective!

In this first book in the Familiar Legacy series we're introduced to Tammy, a bookseller in Wetumpka, Alabama. It's a rural little town in big trouble when it appears that a serial killer has made it his new hunting ground. It's personal for local deputy Aiden Waters when bodies start piling up because his own wife was murdered by the Silk Stocking Killer, and when he starts having feelings for Tammy he's forced to put them on the back-burner while making sure she stays safe. Thankfully her newly adopted cat Trouble, who learned some crime-solving techniques from his famous father Familiar and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, is also on the case! The sections narrated by Trouble break the tension a bit with his completely feline way of viewing the action around him. This book is cozy but it's also purrfect for fans of romantic suspense. Four paws up!

A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) by Ellery Adams

From the publisher: Molly Appleby has promised her new husband that their honeymoon will be trouble-free—specifically, no sleuthing. Unfortunately, trouble seems to follow Molly wherever she goes, even to England.

After a glorious week in London, the newlyweds have escaped the city to visit Molly’s great-aunt in the quaint English village of Marlow Crossing. The setting is idyllic, as beautiful and serene as Molly could hope for, but as the talented reporter and senior staff writer for Collector’s Weekly knows, appearances can be deceiving. And when a local woman turns up poisoned to death, Molly’s convinced there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Putting her honeymoon on hold, Molly agrees to help local inspector Devon Boyle with the case, especially since the sleepy village presents such a small number of suspects. But when two of them go missing and the tragic death of another woman comes to light, Molly realizes she’s up against a much more sinister criminal than she thought. Untangling a web of lies and deceit as she searches for a motive and a murderer won’t be easy, but Molly’s determined to put all of her detective skills to use to catch a killer before her trip, and her life, are brought to a sudden end.

Tortie Shorties Review: In the first chapter of A Devious Lot we meet Gingersnap, a sweet kitty who belongs to Molly's Aunt Tessa's neighbor Tiffany and visits everyday. Poor Molly just can't escape murder and mayhem, even on her honeymoon in a quaint English village, because it's Gingersnap who leads her to his owner's dead body early one morning. The local inspector knows of Molly's crime-solving success back home and asks for her help chatting up suspects. A key piece of evidence is a piece of "lover's eye" jewelry whose history we learn through the story of Lillian Gilbert back in the 1850's who falls in love with a wonderful man while intended to marry a repulsive, secretive old widower. The book weaves back and forth between modern-day and the past, adding an extra layer of intrigue. 

This is a series I've enjoyed from the very beginning and I love that they're continuing into Molly's married life. I'm a collector at heart so it's always interesting to learn more about the various pieces Molly encounters and how they fit into the puzzle she's trying to solve.

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