Jillian Hart Meets Unexpected Ghost Cat in Latest Cats in Trouble Mystery Series by Leann Sweeney! Featuring Ghost Cats~

Dustin knelt and extended a hand. "They're not afraid of strangers?"

Syrah answered by starting toward Dustin, but all of a sudden he stopped, arched his back and hissed. Strange thing was he didn't seem to be hissing at Dustin. The cat was focused on something behind me and I wondered if a bug or a little lizard had come in the door behind us. I turned and looked at the floor. Nothing.

The Cat, The Mill and the Murder:
A Cats in Trouble Mystery

A killer's been milling about...

By Leann Sweeney

"It's nothing...Let's hurry and get iin here."
But is was something--that feeling again,
the brief touch against my leg...Maybe
this creepy place and Jeannie's belief
she had a companion cat no one else could
see had seeped into my mind, because it
definitely felt as though a cat had just
touched me...
~~~

Personal weekend time allowed me to check out the latest Cat in Trouble that was published many months ago... But that's alright, a book never gets too old, does it? And if you haven't read it yet, it brings the readers just as much fun! Check this one out!

Jillian Hart thinks she might be going crazy in the latest Cats in Trouble Mystery...She doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's been experiencing some sensations that are not easily explained. After all, she has three feline companions so she knows the moves they make and what it feels like...

So, if you felt something soft lightly rubbing against the side of your leg, Jillian did what any cat owner would, she looked down, expecting to see one of her own cats... But nothing was there! That she could see...

I held up a hand to Shawn, hoping he'd keep
quiet. "I'm Jillian. What's your name?"
"Clara Jeanne if you'd met my mama, but I
was always Jeannie to the rest of my kin...
Couse Mama's been gone so long. I can be
Jeannie, period. Just Jeannie." She looked
toward the saucer on the floor. "Aim't that
right Boots?"
"Boots?" I said.
"My kitty. She's pretty, huh?" Jeanne smiled,
revealing her rotting teeth.
An invisible cat. My heart ached with sympathy
and concern. This woman definitely needed
our help..."
~~~

It all started when a large former mill was going to be 

But when a woman's voice yelled,
"What you think you're doin' in here?"
I jumped back and got a taste of my
own heart...
The clouded eyes of a woman stared
up at us. The odor hit me then, the
unpleasant combination of spoiled food
and an unwashed body...
"This place is dangerous, lady, Plus,
I'm thinkin' you don't have a key."
Dustin cleared his throat. "This isn't
a healthy place to be...staying."
The woman drew her legss up to her
chest, wrapped them with her arms and
began to rock...
~~~

converted into some other type of building. Jillian is always on call to help Shawn who runs the local shelter. The mill had been home for many feral cats, so now he was being asked to move them. 

But when they went into the mill, they found a woman was also living there! As
Jillian talked to her, the engineer went on to investigate the building, but when they found a skeletal hand, everybody knew that was going to stop the project at least for awhile!

Penelope, head of the community council was working with the two financial groups that were looking at the Mill. One was the former family owner of the Mill who wanted to convert to condos, while another was looking toward shops and a variety of spaces. They knew Dustin, the engineer was scheduled to visit that day so Penelope on her own had scheduled  a tour! But nobody was going to tour...a new crime scene!

"She cam back. I knew she would."
"Boots is here. My sweet Boots..."
Boots? I blinked several times, Jeannie
said Boots came back....
I sat on the floor, too, but when what
had to be a hallucination curled into
the space created by my crossed legs, a
shiver ran up my spine. I peeked down
to my lap. Nothing there. Yet I felt as
if I could stroke this invisible cat--
she seemed that real...
~~~

By the next time Jillian and Dustin visited the mill, they had found Jeannie had fallen and needed to be taken to the hospital. Asked how it had happened, she said she was running from the creepers who came at night, which might or might not be true. This would be fortunate for the investigation of the skeleton--they assumed that the individual had been murdered since it was wrapped and surrounded by bricks. Everybody had a guess as to who it might be, but before that could be confirmed, Penelope had been murdered!

So now we had Jillian, who had had the smallest hand to reach in 
and find the skeleton at the mill...also was the one who found Penelope at her home, where she had been murdered...

One of the things I like about this set of characters is that Candace, the routine investigator for the local police is Jillian's best friend, so there is rarely friction during Jillian's nosing into the murder cases--most of the time. But, then, she is a smart woman who doesn't go off by herself or keeps people notified of where she's headed... Until the last time when she didn't have time to reach anybody...and was caught by the killer at the mill! 


The investigation had been going on for some time and everybody was getting anxious, especially those outside financial people who had been in town to tour the mill and discuss their plans.  Boots had decided to stay with Jillian and did make up with her two male cats who finally were playing and racing through the house. Whether the female could actually see Boots and just ignored her wasn't shared but my guess is she was fully aware that another cat had entered her domain...

But all three of Jillian's cats were grateful when Boots saves Jillian's life when she was confronted...and I'll only give you one clue... Feral cats are also afraid of ghosts!

If you haven't already read this one, Enjoy! And you might be just like Jillian and start believing, and then seeing a ghost cat who comes to the name of Boots!

I loved this one! Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

I have been writing for more than twenty years and feel very lucky to have become a career writer. Many times I worked my day job as a nurse, wife and mom and then wrote well into the night. My books are "gentle mysteries" and my towns are populated with people I'd like to meet. Not that I "like" all those characters, I'd just like to meet them. There will be justice in the end and no animal will ever be harmed, only rescued. I hope you can escape into one of my stories.

Please note that I couldn't find too many pics of Boots...after all, most of the time she's invisible, so I added some ghost friends of hers, from the feral community... LOL

Not Just Another Review...Cozy Cat Star Dame Wiggins and Kits, Appears Today!

Meeeeeeow! Dame Wiggins here!
Sooooo pleased to meet you!

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The Cat, The Professor 


and the Poison




A killer game of cat and mouse

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By Leann Sweeney

Meow! Hello! I'm quite excited to be be here at Book Readers Heaven. You see, I'm not a star of a series, so I just never thought that I would ever be asked! I did play one of the starring roles in the story though, plus I heard that the blog owner's cats Honey and Calli put in a good word for me... Thanks to both of you and I'll try to do a good job in telling everybody about what happened...

As you might know, there was a murder! What you don't know was that he was my human Dad--and that I was right there as it happened. Unfortunately, my kits had already been born, so when everybody was crazily disappearing, I couldn't leave! Well, look at those faces...would you leave those two?!? Of course, they are much bigger now!

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Ok, Ok, I'm sorry...but I love my kits! I love showing their pics! Yeah, there's a little difference between my picture at the top and the one here...This is my sister Sadie. I promised I'd add a picture of her today, but I just don't know why I did...doesn't she look mad? Of course, I told the photographer not to get too close to her, but he just wouldn't listen...anyway, I promise no more pictures! Ha!

Anyway...it all began when my Dad started stealing. You see, he's brilliant and is trying to create a new food for us cats...but his money was low and his research grant had not been continued, so he went and stole from that nice couple who keep the nearby shelter... Jillian--I think you met her through her babies--was helping at the Shelter. She was nervous because there were new babies, so she had asked her friend, Candace (the cop!) to be there with her... That was after he had already broken in and stole milk from another  neighbor...

They had learned that it was my Dad that had been doing this and why--his research cats were hungry, and that included me! But before I realized what was happening, he was dead! And there was such a "stink" in more ways than one, since they found a large amount of raw meat that had been out for awhile, if you know what that means!

Well, of course Jillian thought of the cats first, while the police was dealing with the murder. She called Shawn and he rounded up potential homes, brought cages, etc. Fortunately, Jillian chose to allow me and my kittens to come home with her temporarily. She even fixed us up with a beautiful room in her basement, gave us one of her quilts and everything... But, you know what was best of all? One of her kids came down and helped me take care of my babies!

"What are you doing in my house?" Dumb thing to say. But there are no adequate words for a situation that made fear and dread do flip-flops in my stomach.
"I focused on my cat and saw that the man was holding Merlot's scruff with a gloved hand. Merlot would have scratched his eyes out, would have been yowling, if not for that near-death grip.
"My heart pounded against my ribs. Someone was sitting in my living room dressed in a Halloween disguise. And he did not likely have my best interests in mind. But all I cared about at this moment was Merlot.
"Dried off now, Jillian?" the man said in a harsh whisper.
"Merlot squirmed, and he tightened his hold. He was now pulling so hard, my cat's eyes were drawn into near slits.
"That got my Irish up.
"Four quick strides and I reached the couch. The man started to rise, but I snatched Merlot before he could fully react, and then I gently tossed my cat in the direction of the hall. "Go, baby. Run..."
~~~

Which was just fine cause I needed help, especially since Jillian was out trying to find out who had killed my Dad...and then somebody broke into her home and had Merlot in his hands when she came home! Such excitement was a bit much for me and I admit I was scared! Not going to tell you what happened, but will let you know that her cop friend took up residence in the house for awhile too! Me and my kits were getting a lot of attention, care...and love!

Well, you can tell that this was all a dangerous time and very confusing to all the cats involved. You'll be happy to know that all of us were safe and found new wonderful homes...But if you want to know how it all ended, I've been told to let you know that this cozy mystery is BRH Highly Recommended!



GABixlerReviews

Leann Sweeney (and Indigo!) was born and raised in Niagara Falls and educated at St. Joseph's Hospital and Lemoyne College in Syracuse, NY. She also has a degree from the University of Houston in behavioral science and worked for many years in psychiatry and as a school nurse; she has retired to write full-time. 

She began writing in 1980, fulfilling her lifelong dream. After perfecting her writing skills with classes and a small fortune in writing books, she joined MWA and Sisters in Crime. Now she's in love with both her NAL/Obsidian mystery series: The Yellow Rose Mysteries and the Cats in Trouble Mysteries, and it shows--The Cat, The Quilt and The Corpse was the #1 bestseller on the Independent Mystery Bookseller's List when it debuted and made several top twenty lists for 2009 at bookstores across the country.

Leann is married with two fabulous grown children, a wonderful son-in-law and a beautiful daughter-in-law--not to mention grandaughter Maddison Grace (Maddie). She has lived in Texas since 1974 and resides in Friendswood, Texas with husband Mike, her three cats, and Rosie--the smart, retrieving, golf-ball chasing, busy-busy-busy mini-labradoodle.

~~~

Mmmmmm? That's all folks!
Nowwwww, can I have my milk?!

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Calli above and Honey (lookalikes to my babies...)

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Not Just Another Review... Meet Syrah - Guest Reviewer!

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The Cat, the Quilt
and the Corpse


By Leann Sweeney


"Yoowwww! You Know I was Catnapped, right?!"

"Yes, I do Syrah! But I know a smart, beautiful cat like you have gotten over the trauma now, haven't you, my pretty one? And you know, hearing your story is why I wanted you to visit!"

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Well, I'm so happy to have a chance to be here at 

Book Readers Heaven and tell you all about it! It 

was a bit exciting, but I'm usually quite calm. But

there I was, hanging around at home, when I saw

somebody looking in at me! Before I knew it, he'd

busted the window and grabbed me just like that!

Now I learned later that when Mom got home from

her latest trip, she knew right away that something

was wrong--you see, Chablis was sneezing--she's

allergic you see. So she started calling us and Merlot

came, but, well, I wasn't there to chat her up like I

normally would be.

You see, I had already been taken to another house, 

where other cats were being held in cages! I knew

something was really wrong, but I also knew that

Mom would not stop until she found me!

..."Meet me at Flake Wilkerson's house right now.

I'm certain he has my cat, and I need you to help

me deal with this situation. I'd already thought

about hiring you to find Syrah anyway and now

it's settled. We can talk about money later. Do you

need directions to the Pink House?"

"I don't, but--"

"This is important. Five minutes..."

I took a deep breath and smiled, certain I was about

to be reunited with Syrah. But the time it took to get

to Wilkerson's house seemed like forever. I was

hoping Tom would beat me there, but his van wasn't

in the driveway when I arrived. I parked on the 

street close to the ditch, not willing to walk up to

that front door alone. Be smart, Jillian. You can wait.

But something changed my mind.

Syrah.

My gorgeous Syrah came walking down the driveway

away from the house, his distinctive meow--the one I

hear when he gets himself stuck behind something

or locked in a closet--loud and clear. He was

calling for me.

"Worried that I might spook him, I left my van as

quietly and carefully as possible, crouched at the

end of the driveway and whispered his name. He

stopped and looked at me, all thirty-two muscles

in his ears working. He cocked his head, meowed

again. I know every one of his special sounds. He

sounded...well, demanding.

"Then he turned and scurried back toward the house."

What? No

!~~~

A Different Kind of Review - Guest Reviewer - Isis...A Cat Lover Special!

pImage by BlueRidgeKitties via FlickrThe Cat, The Lady


  and The Liar




By Leann Sweeney




Good Morning Everyone! My name is Isis... I'm the star of this book and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to tell you all about it! Thanks to Book Reader's Heaven for the invitation...I understand, so well, the phrase at the top of this blog: "Books-Cats--Life is Sweet!" and I just knew when I saw it that I would have a wonderful time visiting! And, of course, I'm so grateful to Leann Sweeney for her wonderful books!

You see, I had been catnapped! Me, the princess of my beautiful estate where my Mother, Ritaestelle Longworth was also having problems. I just knew that they wanted me out of there so they could continue to do their nasty deeds! Mother was not acting right--she acted like when I have a furball to throw up,  moving around strangely, staggering and looking quite pale. Of course you cannot see when I am pale, given my beautifully groomed and maintained black fur...


Fortunately, I had been found by a cat-lover! And ultimately I wound up the responsibility of Jillian Hart, who immediately tried to meet with my Mother. What she found when she visited our estate bothered her very much. Mother's assistant, Miss Preston was the only one she was allowed to see! But while there, a noise and voices from upstairs disrupted their discussion and Miss Preston ran to find out what was wrong. Fortunately for my Mother, Jillian followed...

Mother was on the floor, having fallen, with a number of people there trying to get her up. But Mother saw Jillian and although she didn't say it at the time, she recognized her!

Where was I? Well, I was at Mrs. Hart home, having my own crisis! Jillian had placed me in my own room in her basement, which was quite nice, but I didn't want to be alone, so I started to complain--loudly! Well, while Mrs. Hart was trying to talk to my mother, I saw my door slowly opening... I was free!

But, OMG, there were three strangers there, their eyes aglow and watching every move I made...and then they started to close in on me! Well, I had no choice--I ran! Ok, I later realized that Jillian had kids too and we finally got along, for the most part...at least, once Jillian had come home and found me in the hiding place I had used, and freed me...

Days later, my Mother came to get me! Even I was shocked to see her, because she had a robe on and a curler in her hair, like when we are ready for bed! But Jillian was very cordial and welcomed Mother into her home. Only trouble was that when she first came, I, ahhh, had got in a little trouble again and I was caught and couldn't get out!

Well, by the time that Jillian and my Mother had talked about why she was there--Ritaestelle told Jillian that she knew somebody was drugging her and she had slipped out dressed like that purely because she had seen a chance to escape! She had realized what was happening and had stopped drinking what had been given to her, so she was sounding like she used to (even if I couldn't get out and come to her!) Finally, when Mother asked to see me and Jillian came for me, she had to work about 5 minutes to cut me out of that old basket I had gotten stuck in!

In the meantime, Mother had gone outside and Jillian found all the other cats outside along with her! She quickly closed me in, got two more of her kids inside and ran down to help Ritaestelle who was calling her for help. When she arrived, she found Mother bloody and a body was in the water. Jillian quickly pulled her out, discovered it was Miss Prescott, and tried to save her--but she was already dead.

The best decision Mother made when the police came and everybody pointed to her as the killer, was to decide to stay with Jillian and not go back home! She then asked Jillian and her very handsome male friend to investigate on her behalf who was, what they called, gaslighting her, referring to some movie--people talk strangely sometimes! Of course, a lot of other things happened and lots of people were involved, but for the most part, I was happy helping Jillian's friends play tag with all the buttons that  had been delightfully overturned from Jillian's sewing room and with which we played tag with on the floor! But, after all, that activity was what solved the crime, as they say...so we were the real crime stoppers! You'll want to pay close attention to our button chases to learn more!

Who is we, well, of course, I have introduced myself, but Jillian said I didn't need to introduce her kids because Leann Sweeney had already been declared a must-read author here at BRH and her kids would be introduced at another time! So I'll just close by letting everybody know that Mother and I are once again home, where we belong! We are so happy that Jillian cared about us enough to take us into her home and help to have all the dangerous things that were happening come to light and clear my Mother's good name!

Mystery, suspense and finding out whodunit are not things I want to remember, but if you enjoy them and love characters such as me, Isis, with my diamond-studded collar, in the star role, (take a look at my other jewels below!) then surely you will agree with me that this particular book, as they say, is a must-read!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonelycoo
/4657056804/sizes/m/in/photostream/

By the way, one thing I learned about and immediately made mother buy was a cat-camera which Jillian used to keep track of all of us...how cool!

Now everybody at the estate can watch me and my star-like antics and nobody can ever catnap me again.....
while I cat...nap...ROFL!






Meow!
Princess Isis!

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