Soooo, anybody who has been interacting with me for any length of time, knows that my most favorite relaxing novels are Cat Cozy Mysteries! And boy, did I find a new one! Even better, it's already up into the 30s of books available! As always, when I know there is a series, I immediately go for the first couple of books... I was hooked on the first!
What's really nice, that, for now, there is lots of early publicity so that I don't need to do much more to talk about the story... First, below, is a book trailer--I love them all. But, I recognize that many writers can't afford to create one for each book... So, I hope you enjoy the synopsis, right within the trailer! Then next, the publisher provided a free video of somebody reading the first chapter from Audible Books! So, you'll learn enough to think about whether you, too, might enjoy this and the series...
Got to say, I love both main characters...The Cat and the human who happens to become his caretaker... Angie Russo is smart--she has a number of degrees to prove it...The thing is she just didn't know what she wanted to do with her life...so even though she hated lawyers, she took a job as a paralegal, which turned out to be a glorified secretary...you know, like, being sent out to get coffee! (This was a past-memory experience, so watch for more of Hashtag: Open Memoir...)
Back to Angie and acting as the chief coffee provider... a reading of a will was scheduled and she was asked to make lots of coffee since all that were affected by the will was to attend... Trouble began when she had to use an old coffee maker... and was electrocuted!
It was a Zap that resulted in her being rushed to the hospital...but, one that had done little physical damage and they released her--besides she was curious about whose will was to be read and how the firm was involved...
“Oh, honey,” that voice drawled again. “If you expect to keep walking, then you probably should have landed on your feet.”
I let out a loud groan. I could feel the activity humming all around me, but the only thing I saw was the danged cat who was definitely intruding in my personal space right about then. “What happened?” I asked before coughing again. “I think the coffeemaker electrocuted you when you tried to plug it in,” Diane revealed. Her shaky voice made it obvious she’d been crying. I felt so bad that my clumsiness put her through that.
“Oh, jeez. This one’s even stupider than the first. I’m really looking forward to living with her while the rest of the family figures out where to dump me. Such a pity. They don’t know greatness when it’s staring them in the face.”
I moaned and attempted to lift my head to get a better look around the room. “Who is that?” I demanded.
“It’s me, Angie,” Mrs. Fulton said, squeezing one of my hands in earnest. “You asked what happened, and I told you about the coffeemaker.”
 | |||
| Yes, as much as I usually prefer books to boys, I often find myself a bit twitterpated whenever Charles is near. That’s probably how I made such a colossal mistake in the first place… Now I’m being blackmailed about my biggest secret, the fact that I can talk to animals.--2nd book | . |
“No, the guy who just called both of us stupid.” I wished I could sit up to see past this annoying cat, but he was the only thing that filled my vision in that moment. Of course, I had lots of questions about the coffeemaker and how such a tiny old appliance had managed to zap me unconscious, but the need to identify the unknown speaker weighed on me much more heavily.
A cruel snicker sounded nearby. “I called you stupid, because you are stupid. Honesty is the best policy, the truth will set you free, yada yada, and all that other nonsense you humans like to say.”
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have sworn that strange, lilting voice was coming from the cat. Man, how hard had I hit my head when I fell? The cat leaned in so close that his whiskers tickled my face. His unnervingly large eyes moved frantically from side to side as if stalking some kind of prey. Oh, how I hoped I wasn’t that prey. I’d barely escaped the coffeemaker. If something sentient set out to hurt me today, I wouldn’t even stand a chance.
“Did you… Did you really hear what I said?” the voice asked again, and again it really sounded like it was coming from the cat. Did he eat a tiny human or something? None of this made any sense.
“Yes, I hear you, and I think you’re rather mean,” I answered with a huff, giving the best attitude I could, considering my prone position...
“Wow, you really can hear me,” the voice said again. “By the way, hi, I’m Octavius Maxwell Ricardo Edmund Frederick Fulton, and I have some demands.”
I was having a difficult time keeping track of all the threads of conversation. I knew the partners were worried about me and about themselves, but I still couldn’t identify the mystery speaker or figure out what he wanted.
“Octavius Maxwell… who?”
“Honey, are you talking about the cat?” Mrs. Fulton asked, picking the tabby off from my chest. My straining lungs thanked her, and immediately I felt stronger.
~~~
Needless to say, Angie and...the cat...didn't have a good beginning to their, soon, new relationship! First, she refused to call him by his full name--after all, he was practically royalty, or it felt so, given the way he had been treated by his beloved friend...and now continued to demand...
And Angie, forget about anything or anybody demanding any more of being a slave to others than she was already doing...
So what in the world was she thinking when she asked--yes--asked to take the cat home with her?!!
Indeed, she was shocked when the cat told her that his owner was murdered...and that he wanted her to find out whodunit! Considering that the deceased was a relative of her favorite boss, she thought she should help...but, never, never, did she planned on becoming a prisoner of the murderer!
And guess what, I was just as shocked as Angie--and you know I love when I don't guess the villain! Kudos to the author... And that meant, I'm moving on to the next in series...
And when she realized that he knew the two were actually talking, he didn't bother to be surprised--he saw it as--salvation for this troublesome murder case!
Strange--right?! So before long, she was taken for a ride and then following Charles to his home! Why was he kidnapping her?
What she did not expect was a cute, but barking terrier jumping with joy to have company! And then to have Charles instruct Angie to talk to him!
“Sorry, can’t,” Charles answered while the Yorkie ran furious, barking circles around the apartment to convey his enthusiasm. “We need you to come with us.” I crossed my arms and eyed them both suspiciously.
“Why?”
“Because we’re going to your house to talk to your cat,” Charles explained, grabbing Yo-Yo into his arms and clipping on the leash.
To my house? Crud. Octo-Cat was definitely not going to like this.
Octo-Cat shook with fury as a bead of drool dripped down his face and onto the carpet below.
“Why would you do this to me? Haven’t I already been through enough today? First the fly and now a-a-a dog?” he spat out that last word as if it were the foulest curse word he could imagine...
Octo-Cat took a giant leap from the table to the counter, then sat with his tail flicking back and forth wildly. “Unbelievable,” he growled without so much as looking at me.
I knew I was in the wrong here, but I also had no other choice but to comply with Charles’s wishes. If anyone else found out about my special ability to talk to cats, I’d lose my job, be made a laughing stock, and possibly have to move away from the only home I’ve ever known to start life over with a clean reputation. Hopefully Octo-Cat would understand that my hands were tied once I had the chance to explain a bit more. First, though, I needed to find a way to give Charles what he wanted. Once I did, the threat hanging over my head would be eradicated, and Octo-Cat could go back to being mad at me for the usual reasons. I grabbed a fresh bottle of Evian and a clean china tea cup from the cupboard. The cup came from the set we’d inherited from his late owner Ethel and was used for the sole purpose of offering Octo-Cat his daily libations. After presenting the fresh water to him, I made quick work disposing of the dead fly. He took one quick lap from the dish, then trotted off to my bedroom without so much as a thank you. “You’re welcome!” I called after him with a scowl. Jeez, it felt like no one appreciated me today. “So what now?” Charles asked, bending down to unleash Yo-Yo. “No, wait,” I cried, but unfortunately it was too late. The Yorkie immediately darted into my bedroom, barking manically the whole way.
A dreadful hiss-growl-meow hybrid reverberated through the house, and a second later Octo-Cat appeared with his tail poofed out so large that it resembled that of a raccoon. “I hate you!” he screamed, tearing through the house as the dog gave chase.
“Grab him!” I yelled to Charles, who made a leap for the rambunctious animal and missed.
“Hey, Yo-Yo!” I called, racing back toward the kitchen. “Want a treat?” The Yorkie immediately turned in his tracks and trotted after me, releasing a joyous series of high-pitched barks. I reached into the fridge and grabbed a slice of lunch meat to offer him as a treat just as Charles managed to re-clip the leash to his collar.
“Well, that was an experience,” he said with a weary chuckle. “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” I told him. “It’s going to take forever for my cat to forgive me now.” Charles stared at me in confusion.
“If he won’t forgive me, then he also won’t help. Don’t you know anything about cats?” I grumbled, despite the fact that I hadn’t really known anything about them myself until a few months prior. He looked properly chastised as he hung his head and let out a giant sigh.
“Sorry. What should we do?”
“We aren’t going to do anything just yet. You are going to take Yo-Yo outside, and I guess I’ll go offer up my firstborn in a last-ditch attempt to get Octo-Cat to talk to me.”
Charles began to smile but quickly retracted it immediately upon seeing the stone-cold serious expression on my face. “Uh, okay. C’mon, Yo-Yo,” he said, yanking the little dog toward the door.
~~~
Sooo, who does the terrier belong to and why is Charles taking care of him? Well, it was rumored that Charles just might have been given the murder case--yes, a murder of the couple who loved and took care of the little terrier... Charles was representing a caretaker who had been accused of the murder of the pair--with a hammer!
Well, Angie had two thoughts: if she volunteered to help with the case, she might get to know her dream man much better... Plus, since he had already blackmailed her, she might as well try to help, especially since she did have a secret helper...a cat who just might be able to talk to the d-o-g! Angie was thinking she was going to pay bigtime for the favor of his help on another murder case... Especially when he made her promise that she would do anything he wanted! Yikes!
The mystery wasn't quite so difficult, except that the writer put in a twist that just couldn't have been foreseen even by a cat whisperer... But, little by little, things started happening, one of which was that Charles absolutely refused to consider a woman who Angie was sure had done the deed! Either she was irritated that he wouldn't take her thoughts as valid... or she was jealous... either may be true, of course!
Angie has one flaw as an amateur detective, however. She seems to keep putting herself into the final confrontation with the killer... This time, however, she had learned from the first almost-disaster... And she not only had backup from her family and the police, but Octo-Cat was right there in the room when she began her interrogation, which soon became more and more heated! And, fortunately, Octo-Cat knew what to do...and did it! Maybe he should be called Techno-Cat?! LOL
In any event, I've moved on to the third book, but not as binge reading like I've done in the past... I've been watching Velshi and his Banned Book show as well as announced releases from other news programs...and have a "ton" of non-fiction reading which will need escapes from time to time...Molly Fitz--my hero--who will save me from allowing the nonsense now corrupting our daily lives to take me over into depression!
Wonder what Octo-Cat would think of this...cat singer?!
I do hope you are all working to plan your vote as they advertise...apparently things have been changed so be sure to check out your local regulations... This is NOT a time to decide it's not worth it to get out and vote... especially in Pennsylvania, my friends... We have two of the worst liars running (Mastriano and Oz) who are running false campaigns against their opponents... How I wish that Freedom of Speech did not allow lying!!!!! in Political Ads, etc. Lord, help us from those who are using politics for their own power grabs!
God Bless
Gabbie
