Tortie Shorties on Tuesday

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

We hope you enjoy our choices.

The Persian Always Meows Twice (A Cat Groomer Mystery) by Eileen Watkins

From the publisher: Professional cat grooming isn’t all fluff—when the fur starts flying, Cassie McGlone, owner of Cassie’s Comfy Cats, handles her feistiest four-legged clients with a caring touch and nerves of steel. While these qualities certainly help keep her business purring, they also come in handy when she makes a house call to her best client, millionaire George DeLeuw, and discovers his murdered body next to his newly orphaned Persian, Harpo. 

To help the local police find the actual killer, Cassie begins her own investigation. But no one, from George’s housekeeper to his vindictive ex-wife, is giving up clues. Not until Cassie is given permission to temporarily board Harpo does anyone show interest in the Persian’s wellbeing. Someone is desperate to get their paws on Harpo before the feline helps untangle a felony. Are there deadly truths that a cat whisperer like Cassie can coax out? She needs to tread lightly and remember she gets one life, not nine. 

Tortie Shorties Review: This is the debut of a new series that cat lovers will be unable to resist. Protagonist Cassie McGlone is a professional cat groomer and cattery owner who is passionate about her new business, opened in the wake of her breakup with an abusive boyfriend. She rarely goes on house calls but makes an exception for millionaire George DeLeuw who pays her well to groom his beloved Persian Harpo on a regular basis, so his murder is a blow to her both personally and professionally. Cassie gets involved in the investigation because she's worried about what's going to become of Harpo, with no idea at the time how central a part of the murder the purebred is. Agreeing to care for Harpo until the deceased's estate is settled puts her in grave danger, and Cassie has her hands full keeping both herself and her feline charges safe.

I loved everything about The Persian Always Meows Twice. The descriptions of Cassie's cozy boutique had me daydreaming about opening a cattery of my own; I liked that the detective was more accepting of Cassie's involvement; and the budding romance between Cassie and the local vet is a pleasant departure from the typical "falling for the detective" story line. Her BFF Dawn's adoption of a sweet little kitten was a fun secondary story too. In just the very first book these characters feel like good friends and that's not an easy accomplishment for an author. Four paws up!

Body on Baker Street: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany

From the publisher: Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are busy managing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on Baker Street and adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room in anticipation of the store’s upcoming book signing with the illustrious Renalta Van Markoff, author of the controversial Hudson and Holmes mystery series. But during the author Q&A session, dedicated Sherlockian Donald Morris verbally attacks Renalta and her series for disgracing Sherlock’s legacy, only to be publicly humiliated when the author triumphantly lashes back and gains the upper hand. That is until Renalta collapses on the table—dead.

Donald insists he didn’t do it and pleads to his friends to clear his name. Fortunately, Gemma and Jayne have no shortage of suspects between author’s bullied personal assistant, her frustrated publicist, the hapless publisher, a handsome rare book dealer, an obsessively rabid fan, and a world of other Sherlock enthusiasts with strong objections to Renalta’s depiction of the Great Detective. It’s up to the shrewd sleuthing duo to eliminate the impossible and deduce the truth before the West London police arrest an innocent man in Body on Baker Street, the second Sherlock Homes Bookshop mystery perfect for fans of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle.

Tortie Shorties Review: If you love Sherlock Holmes this is a series that will leave you purring with delight. In Body on Baker Street readers meet Renalta Van Markoff, the mysterious author of a popular but controversial line of Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The author arrives with her entourage at Gemma and Jayne's Bookshop and Emporium for a quickly planned book signing, but things don't exactly run smoothly and right in the middle of the event Renalta drops dead after taking a drink of water. Sherlock aficionado and bookshop regular Donald Morris leads the suspect list as he had been challenging Renalta about her books, but Gemma soon finds out the author managed to stir up trouble everywhere she went, and she wasn't exactly who she appeared to be.

I enjoyed the mystery and how Gemma deduced who the killer was. Her keen mind and powers of observation are very Sherlockian, and I found myself liking her more in this book than I did in the first in the series. The bookshop is a character all it's own; the author's descriptions of it make you wish such a store existed. I only hope at some point we get to meet Gemma's great uncle Arthur in person...I think he'll be a really fun character. Of course every bookshop needs a resident feline, and in this case it's handsome house panther Moriarty. He and Gemma have sort of a love/hate relationship, although he knows how to turn on the charm when it's warranted.

Did you miss Mudpie's interview with Moriarty? Check it out here!

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