Book Review: Claws of Death (A Cat Lady Mystery) by Linda Reilly

Whisker Jog, New Hampshire, is a long way from Hollywood, but it’s the place legendary actress Deanna Daltry wants to call home. Taking up residence in a stone mansion off Cemetery Hill, the retired, yet still glamorous, septuagenarian has adopted two kittens from Lara Caphart’s High Cliff Shelter for Cats. With help from her Aunt Fran, Lara makes sure the kitties settle in safely with their new celebrity mom.

But not everyone in town is a fan of the fading star. Deanna was in Whisker Jog when she was younger, earning a reputation for pussyfooting around, and someone is using that knowledge against her. After being frightened by some nasty pranks, Deanna finds herself the prime murder suspect when the body of a local teacher is found on her property. Now, it’s up to Lara, Aunt Fran, and the blue-eyed Ragdoll mystery cat Lara recently encountered to collar a killer before another victim is pounced upon . . .

You have to love it when the character list in the beginning of a book is all the feline characters, not the human ones! In Claws of Death Lara and her Aunt Fran have officially opened the High Cliff Shelter for Cats out of their cozy home in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. It's pretty exciting when legendary actress Deanna Daltry moves to town and adopts a pair of Lara and Fran's kittens. The only concern is Deanna's housekeeper Nancy's apparent dislike for the precious babies, and when Lara visits one day to check on the kittens she's horrified to find a dead body in the private cemetery behind Deanna's home. The victim is Donald Waitt, a face from Deanna's past who she recently had a very public altercation with. Lara likes Deanna very much and can't help but get involved to prove her innocence. 

In between investigating, Lara keeps busy breaking in a new shelter employee who seems too good to be true, and matchmaking cats and humans leading to very sweet scenes, especially when kids are involved. Just as in the first book, the star of the show is Blue, a ghostly Ragdoll cat only Lara can see who protects her and gives a paws up or down to potential forever homes for the shelter's charges. This series is a dream come true for cat-loving mystery readers, and I hope it enjoys a long and happy nine lives!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book 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!