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Buy a Whisker
A Second Chance Cat Mystery #2
Sofie Ryan

Obsidian
April 7, 2015 / ISBN 978-0-451-41995-8
Mystery/Cozy/Amateur Sleuth

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

 

Set in North Harbor, Maine, Sarah Grayson runs her shop “Second Chance,” selling refurbished and repurposed items. She's happy with her friends, her work, and potential boyfriend, Nick Elliot. She also dearly loves her cat, Elvis, who has a personality nearly as big as the King of Rock and Roll himself. Elvis is one clever cat, and he helped Sarah to solve a murder not too long ago. Will he help out again when murder strikes this small coastal town in Maine for the second time in recent memory?

Lily Carter runs a bakery in town, and she is the lone holdout against a big new development. Shortly after a series of pranks are perpetrated against the bakery, Lily is killed. Sarah vows to stay out of it and let the police investigate. However, “Charlotte's Angels,” the elderly team of her friends Rose, Liz, Charlotte and Alfred Peterson (a top-notch computer hacker), plan to solve the case as they once again bring out their sleuthing skills. After all, Liz is a suspect and they know she's innocent.

I'm so happy that the second book in this series is as delightful as the first The Whole Cat and Caboodle, was. I have a close friend who runs a shop similar in nature to “Second Chance,” and I have a very smart and opinionated cat, too, so it feels as though I fit right in with Sarah's world. Without the murders, of course.

As the story unravels clues begin to emerge, but I didn't figure out who the killer was until I was nearly at the end of the book. The characters I grew so fond of in the previous book, were developed more and this was done in a very smooth manner, so I got to know them little by little, just like you get to know people in real life.

This is a well-paced story, and I didn't read it in one or two sittings. I took my time and savoured each chapter. Everything from the cover art, to the mystery, to the small town characters and the beloved cat are sure to please even the most finicky of mystery readers. How do I know this? I read the book with my own cat close-by and he purred through the whole thing. Enjoy!! I sure did!

Reviews of other titles in this series

The Whole Cat and Caboodle #1
Buy a Whisker #2
A Whisker of Trouble #3
Telling Tails #4



Reviewer's Note: Sofie Ryan also writes the Magical Cats Mysteries as Sofie Kelly

Reviewed 2015
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