Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

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

We hope you enjoy our choices.

Escape Claws (A Cat Lady Mystery) by Linda Reilly

From the publisher: For the first time in sixteen years, Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. She wants to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Fran, who's having some difficulty looking after herself-and her eleven cats. Taking care of a clowder of kitties is easy, but keeping Fran from being harassed by local bully Theo Barnes is hard. The wealthy builder has his sights set on Fran's property, and is determined to make her an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Then Lara spots a blue-eyed ragdoll cat that she swears is the reincarnation of her beloved Blue, her childhood pet. Pursuing the feline to the edge of Fran's yard, she stumbles upon the body of Theo Barnes, clearly a victim of foul play. To get her and Fran off the suspect list, Lara finds herself following the cat's clues in search of a killer. Is Blue's ghost really trying to help her solve a murder, or has Lara inhaled too much catnip?

Tortie Shorties Review: Lara's visit to her estranged Aunt Fran in New Hampshire starts out as just a short trip to check on her well-being amidst rumors she's accumulating too many cats. Little does she know how attached she's going to become to everyone involved, much less that she's going to find herself needing to catch a killer.

Fire up your Kindles right now, cat lovers! This is one you won't want to miss. So many of the cats involved in the story have unique purrsonalities of their own, especially the mysterious Blue (you have to love it when the character list in the beginning of a book is all the feline characters, not the human ones!) but I also enjoyed meeting all the residents of Whisker Jog and witnessing the cozy little world Lara and Fran inhabit. The killer ended up being one of my favorite characters (!) and I was completely shocked by how twisted this person actually was. The plans Lara and Fran have for finding their furry charges new homes is pure purrfection and I can hardly wait for subsequent books in the series!

The Trouble with Murder (A Gourmet Cat Mystery) by Kathy Krevat

From the publisher: Between dealing with her newly rural life, her grumpy, sports-obsessed father, and preparing to showcase her products in the local Sunnyside Power Mom’s trade show, Colbie has more on her plate than she bargained for. Luckily, she has her official taste-tester, Trouble, by her side to vet her Meow-io Batali Gourmet Cat Food line. Things look promising—until one of the Power Moms is found dead—with an engraved Meow-io specialty knife buried in her chest.

As the prime suspect, Colbie needs paws on the ground to smoke out who had means, motive, and opportunity among the networking mothers—including a husband-stealing Sofia Vergara lookalike. And the cat’s still not out of the bag when a second violent death rocks the bucolic community. Trouble may have nine lives, but Colbie’s only got one to clear her name and stop a killer from pulling off the purr-fect crime...

Tortie Shorties Review: Adorable Trouble the cat joins Colbie's family when he's left behind at a rental unit she managed. His tummy troubles lead to her cooking for him which resulted in her starting a gourmet cat food company. Now Colbie, her son Elliott and Trouble are staying with Colbie's dad while he recovers from a serious bout with pneumonia. Life is quite stressful for Colbie as she deals with single motherhood and an ailing parent, but it's about to get even worse when a member of the group of entrepreneurial moms she belongs to is found dead - murdered with one of Colbie's knives! Since it's obvious she's being framed she has no choice but to join in the hunt for the real killer.

I enjoyed this cast of characters and their relationships so much. Things are somewhat strained between Colbie and her father but that doesn't stop her from making his recovery a priority. The possibility of romance is in the air with the farmer next door and his wayward chicken Charlie provides lots of comic relief, and Elliott's passion for the theater is an interesting secondary story. What's next for Meow-io Batali is super exciting and I look forward to seeing it play out!

Disclaimer: I received free copies of these books from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. As members of the Amazon Associates affiliate program, if you click on our links and buy something Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank!