The Trouble with Murder (A Gourmet Cat Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – California
Lyrical Underground (December 12, 2017)
Paperback: 174 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1516103010
Kindle ASIN: B06XR2CHHD
Single mom and gourmet cat food entrepreneur Colbie Summers thought she’d escaped her tiny California hometown forever. But when her father needs her, she packs up her adolescent son, their finicky feline, Trouble, and her budding business. She knows change is tough—but she doesn’t expect it to be murder . . .
Between dealing with her new rural life, her grumpy, sports-obsessed father, and preparing to showcase her products in the local Sunnyside Power Mom’s trade show, Colbie has more on her plate than she bargained for. Luckily, she has her official taste-tester, Trouble, by her side to vet her Meow-io Batali Gourmet Cat Food line. Things look promising—until one of the Power Moms is found dead—with an engraved Meow-io specialty knife buried in her chest.
As the prime suspect, Colbie needs paws on the ground to smoke out who had means, motive, and opportunity among the networking mothers—including a husband-stealing Sofia Vergara lookalike. And the cat’s still not out of the bag when a second violent death rocks the bucolic community. Trouble may have nine lives, but Colbie’s only got one to clear her name and stop a killer from pulling off the purr-fect crime . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Colbie Summers has come home with her son and their cat Trouble to take care of her ailing father. Her gourmet cat food business can be handled from there but she still needs to commute back to the kitchen she uses to produce her products. Her customers can order the food online and find her selling it at local farmer’s markets, but she is hoping to land a major store to carry them too. She is also spreading the word locally at the Sunnyside Power Mom’s trade show.
The trade show crowd was larger than she expected. Then she is called away and leaves her friend and fellow supermom to close down her booth. When she returns she makes a terrible discovery. Her friend, Twila, is dead with one of Colbie’s signature knives in her chest. Of course, she is the prime suspect, so she has to investigate. New to the group she doesn’t know these supermoms very well. She quickly finds out most of them are hiding something. She just needs to uncover the right secret to Cat-ch the killer.
This series is off to a fine start.
The author introduces a great group of characters. Colbie and her dad had a falling out years ago but she uproots her life to come home to take care of him. It is a complicated relationship that evolves quite a bit already in this first story. Her son Elliott, is twelve and a theater buff and loves to perform. His dad has never been in the picture and Colbie has this single mother act nailed down. It was nice to see his relationship with his grandpa materialize. We also meet the diverse group of “supermoms” and other friends and neighbors too, including a very handsome next door neighbor.
The theme of Colbie’s owning an organic cat food company was pretty unique. Her cat Trouble is her taste-tester. If he doesn’t like it she throws the recipe out. I am worried about the name of her company in light of the news out this week about Mario Batali. Meow-io Batali Gourmet Cat Food may need to go through a name change for book #2.
The story has a nice pace and blends the mystery with real family life. There is plenty of humor and just the beginning spark of romance. The ending was action packed and had me on the edge of my seat. The situation had my heart racing.
I am excited about this series and am anxiously awaiting the next installment.
You can find out more about Kathy Krevat and her books on her webpage here.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. 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.”
Love cat cozies!
Love the cover. Sounds like a good book.
Sue B