The Whole Cat and Caboodle Starring Elvis... by Sofie Ryan

He had been roaming around town for quite some time until they met. Sarah saw him first; but he knew immediately, even though she wasn't keen on the idea. Sarah had just been adopted. And he began to follow her, knowing, just knowing, that she would soon love him and take care of him and they would make a happy home together... His name, Elvis...

Elvis Preferred Cats...and Sarah...You Know...

The Whole Cat and Caboodle:

First in A Second Chance Mystery Series

By Sofie Ryan

I'd had Elvis for about four months. As far as I could find out, the cat had spent several weeks on his own, scrounging around downtown North Harbor. The town sits on the midcoast of Maine. "Where the past 250 years North Harbor stretches from the Swift Hills in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south. It was settled by Alexander Swift in the late 1760s. It's full of beautiful, historic buildings, award-winning restaurants and quirky little shops. Where else could you buy a blueberry muffin, a rare book and fishing gear all on the same street?

The town's population is about thirteen thousand, but that more than triples in the summer with tourists and summer residents. It grew by one black cat one evening in late May.

Elvis just appeared at the Black Bear.  Sam, who owns the pub, and his pickup band, the Hairy Bananas--long story on the name--were doing their Elvis Presley medley when Sam noticed a black cat sitting just inside the front door. He swore the cat stayed put through the entire set and left only when they launched into their version of the Stones' Satisfaction.

The cat was back the next morning, in the narrow alley beside the shop, watching Sam as he took a pile of cardboard boxes to the recycling bin. "Hey, Elvis. Want some breakfast?" Sam had asked after tossing the last flattened box in the bin. To his surprise, the cat walked up to his and meowed a long yes. He showed up at the pub about every third day for the next couple of weeks. The cat clearly wasn't wild-he didn't run from people--but no one seemed to know who Elvis (the name had stuck) belonged to. The scar on his nose wasn't new; neither were a couple of others on his black, hidden by his fur. Then someone remembered a guy in a van who had stayed two nights at the campgrounds up on Mount Batten. He'd had a cat with him. It was black. Or black and white. Or possibly gray. But it definitely had a scar on its nose. Or it was missing an ear. Or maybe part of a tail...

Elvis was sitting in the middle of my desk when I opened the door to my office. The cat, not the King of Rock and Roll, although the cat had an air of entitlement about him sometimes, as though he thought he was royalty...

"How did you get in here?" I asked.

His ears twitched but he didn't look at me. His eyes were fixed on the vintage Wonder Woman lunch box in my hand. I was having an early lunch, and Elvis seemed to want one as well...

~~~

If you don't know by now, my personal slogan is "Books--Cats--Life is Sweet." So add one more thing--a mystery--and I'm in Heaven!

It's been awhile since I read one, but I'm gearing up to be reading some non-fiction, so I figured you and me both needed a little fix to keep us going. It was sooooo fun to meet Elvis...I've read the author under a different name, but this new series and its star is extraordinary...

I don't think I've ever read a more "in tune" cat-owner relationship. Ryan writes and talks as if Elvis can understand every word, so that when Elvis responds in sound or action...it's directly in response. Ok, cats can't understand human language. But it sure is fun imagining it! My cats sometimes know key words and make nonverbal communication hoping I'll understand, which a lot of times I do... That's why I just love Elvis... He even appreciates his music! LOL

A little about the mystery... and the characters. Elvis' Mom is the owner of a second-chance store and she meets the victim when he brings a silver tea set in to her shop one day...but then, comes back and buys it right back. Obviously Sarah is curious about him...

Sarah's grandmother is on her honeymoon in this first book, but her three best friends, who love Sarah like their own, sometime help in the shop or meet with her in other ways...One of those friends is presently involved with the man who brought in the silver tea set... And, one day when he is invited to lunch at Maddie's home, she finds him outside, sitting at the table, dead... 

Of course, Maddie is accused of the murder--he was poisoned! And since everybody except the police believe she is innocent, they start their own investigation, soon deciding they are just like Charlie's Angels...except in their 70s...

Sarah tries hard to prevent their getting involved, but fails. She, at least, decides she'll try to keep them out of trouble...but gets pulled in just as much!

An interesting little twist is that Sarah's one time best friend, is now the lead investigator, which makes for limited conversation to say the least... On the other hand, Sarah's "first kiss" participant is in town and Nick is quite pleased that she's back.

The mystery is a good one, not easily solved so will keep you interested. I, for one, enjoyed the cat-human dialogue and the new older investigators' activities as the primary enjoyment of the book... Let's just say there's a lot going on and much to help turn the pages quickly and with enthusiasm.  And, really, with Elvis as the primary focus, you'll have no choice but love it as I did! Highly recommended!

I hope Elvis finds a cute little cat who also loves Elvis! What do you say?!!! Besides, our Elvis is thinking about getting up his own show...

GABixlerReviews

Are you a "cat person"?

Very much so. I love cats. I like their independent spirit. I don't have one because my husband is extremely allergic to them. (If he dies first I'm getting a cat. People laugh when I say that because they think I'm kidding.) Even though I don't have a cat myself, I do have "cat friends"--cats in my neighborhood that I spend time with so I can get my kitty fix. 

Guest Blogger Janet Morris Grimes Gives 5-star Rating...

The King and Dr. Nick: What Really Happened to Elvis and Me
by George Nichopoulos, M.D. with Rose Clayton Phillips.



This book highlights the story behind the death of Elvis Presley, some twenty plus years ago. Though many books came before it, none offer the viewpoint from the Doctor himself who was faced with the task of keeping one of his best friends, also the biggest megastar at that time, healthy enough to meet the demands of his adoring public. One might ask why it has taken so long to write such a book, and the answer is simple. It has taken over twenty years for Dr. George Nichopoulos to fight the legal battles, medical investigations and media attacks that followed the death of Elvis.

Though he was not present at Graceland in Memphis on August 16, 1977, he answered an emergency call for help from Joe Esposito, Elvis’s Road Manager, that simply said, “Something’s happened to Elvis.”

Dr. Nick, as he was affectionately known, responded to the scene in time to crawl in the back of the ambulance and ride with Elvis to the hospital, performing CPR the entire time. With another team of doctors that met them in a trauma room at Baptist Hospital, Dr. Nick was the one who would pronounce him dead after their fervent attempts to revive him failed. Dr. Nick signed the Death Certificate. Dr. Nick broke the news to his friends in the nearby waiting room, who knew the truth as soon as they saw the tears rolling down his own face. It was Dr. Nick who then rode back on the ambulance to Graceland so he could tell Vernon Presley, Elvis’s father, who waited there for the news with his nine-year-old daughter, Lisa Marie.

This story is as much about the inner workings of the circle that surrounded Elvis as it is about the Doctor who attempted to keep him healthy enough to meet the demands of his adoring public. The media did not care about the role Dr. Nick played in Elvis’s life until after his death. And as news spread of the loss of Elvis, Dr. Nick was as hurt as much by the way they tarnished the image of his friend, Elvis, as he was about his own image.

Filling in the ten years they spent together, this story highlights the impossible demands of performing two shows a day that Elvis was required to do for many of his tours. To be so young, Elvis had many health issues, some brought on genetically and others caused by his extreme lifestyle. Dr. Nick and Elvis found a good balance of treatment while he was home at Graceland, but much was out of his control when Elvis was on the road. Still, even years after his death, Dr. Nick was shocked to discover that when the media needed someone to blame for his death, the search would stop with him.

After facing criminal charges, the eventual loss of his medical license, and numerous inquiries that prevented him from treating patients adequately over the past twenty years, Dr. Nick still searches for answers in his own quest to understand what happened to Elvis. He may never be able to set the record straight for the public, but feels that he owes it to his friend, even after all of this time.

~~~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”









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Janet Morris Grimes

www.janetmorrisgrimes.com



Any day spent writing is the best day of my life...