Claws of Death

Claws of Death by Linda Reilly is the second A Cat Lady Mystery. Deanna Daltry, the actress, is coming to Whisker Jog, New Hampshire and she wishes to adopt a cat to keep her company in her newly renovated mansion. When Deanna shows up for her appointment at Lara Caphart’s High Cliff Shelter for Cats she falls in love with two adorable kittens. The next day at the Ladies Association Welcome Tea and Reception for Deanna, someone puts worms in Deanna’s purse and then leaves a threatening message on her car. It seems Deanna’s antics from her youth are coming back to haunt her. When Lara and Aunt Fran drop off the kittens at Deanna’s home, Lara, thanks to Blue, spots a person slumped against a tombstone in the graveyard. They rush to the graveyard, but it is too late to save Donald Waitt. Deanna dated Don in high school and had not spoken to him until the day before at the tea. Deanna requests that Lara use her sleuthing skills to find Don’s murderer. With the help of Aunt Fran and the mysterious Blue, Lara sets out to trap a killer. Claws of Death is a cute cozy mystery. I found the book to be nicely written, have a good flow, just the right length and had steady pacing. Claws of Death is set in animal friendly small town with caring residents (for the most part). While Claws of Death is the second book in A Cat Lady Mystery series, it can be read alone. I liked Blue, the Ragdoll ghost cat. It added a mystical element that enhanced the story. There are many delightful moments with cats. As Lana and her newest employee take care of the animals at the shelter, adoption days, and the sweet little girl that comes to read to them. There are lovely, relatable characters in A Cat Lady Mystery series. Lara and Aunt Fran who have turned their home into an animal shelter, Gideon who is Lara’s boyfriend and lawyer, Kayla Ramirez who is the newest employee of the shelter, and Chief Jerry Whitley who enforces the law for the town and is dating Fran. Claws of Death is predominantly more cozy than mystery. The murder is investigated but the animals and the personal relationships take precedence. I thought the whodunit was simple, and I accurately identified the guilty party before Don was found in the graveyard. The why and how are discovered later in the book. I am giving Claws of Death 3 out of 5 stars. Travel to Whisker Jog in Claws of Death to meet the friendly townspeople, the adorable felines, find out who is playing pranks on Deanna and discover who did away with Don.

What a fun, fascinating cozy mystery, a solid 2nd offering in the Cat Lady Mystery series! This author brings to life a delightful cat shelter owned and operated by Fran and her niece, Lara, and a collection of gorgeous cats ready for adoption. It is a complex mystery that I couldn’t solve. The first mystery in the series wow-d me, and this is another wow! Welcome back to High Cliff Shelter for Cats in beautiful Whisker Jog, New Hampshire! Fran is a school teacher who has taken a year off for knee replacement surgery, and her niece, Lara, a watercolor artist, returned to help and decided to stay. So many people have dropped off cats to Fran to take care of that, when Lara returned, they began the High Cliff Shelter for Cats. They chose some to keep, and some to find fur-ever homes for, and review applications from anyone wanting to adopt. That includes Deanna Daltry, a famous actress, returning to Whisker Jog and wanting to adopt a cat. She decides on a pair of kittens, Noodle and Doodle, pending the application process. She invites Fran and Lara to a reception being held for her by the Ladies’ Association. During the reception, a man came in to see her who she asked to leave. A threat is found on Deanna’s car that brings an abrupt end to the reception. When Lara goes to Deanna’s home with the kittens, she looks out the window to see someone lying down in the graveyard of the long-ago owners of the mansion. They find the man from the reception, Don Waitt, murdered. Being on her property, Deanna is the primary suspect. I really like Lara and Fran, they are the perfect ladies to care for a cat shelter. Theirs is the kind of home I’d love to have! They are well-defined through actions and dialog, as are other characters throughout. Lara has a secret helper at the shelter. Blue, a gorgeous, fluffy Ragdoll, can only be seen or heard by Lara. Blue looks exactly like a cat her aunt had owned many years ago when Lara was a regular visitor. The mystery is written very well, introducing great ideas such as children volunteering to read to cats at shelters – a win-win for both the children and the cats. Friendship is a major theme, including Lara and best friend Sherry, and a lonely Deanna. The plot twists brought surprises at every turn, a new suspect who might have wanted to hurt a kind older man…or frame Deanna for it. I enjoyed learning a little about the wildflower and herb in the story, and various things about cats imparted as part of the story of pets and pet adoption. I was not prepared for who the real bad guy was; the killer was a complete surprise. I was very pleased with the novel overall. It flowed well, grabbed my attention at the beginning, and held it throughout. There were no loose ends, and I am completely looking forward to the next one. I love cat-themed cozy mysteries, and this series is a delight. I highly recommend Claws of Death to those who enjoy cozy mysteries with likable characters, a mystery that stumps the reader, and of course, cats. From a grateful heart: I received an e-Arc of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.