A Tale of Two Kitties: A Magical Cats Mystery

Welcome!  An Amish Christmas Love by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid and Kelly Irvin will be published on September 12.  It contains four Amish short stories that are set during the holiday season.  Sofie Kelly is pseudonym for Darlene Ryan, a young adult fiction author.  She also writes A Second Chance Cat Mystery series under the non de plume Sofie Ryan.

A Tale of Two Kitties by SofieKelly is the ninth mystery in A Magical Cats Mystery series.  Kathleen Paulson is a librarian in Mayville Heights, Minnesota and owns (well, as much as you can own a cat) two special cats named Owen and Hercules.  When remodeling a local post office, undelivered mail and photos were discovered.  The library has agreed to take possession of the photos.  Kathleen wants to find a way to identify the people in the photos and get them in the hands of family.  Twin brothers, Victor and Leo Janes have returned to town for Thanksgiving and the gossip mill is buzzing.  People remember that Victor had an affair with Leo’s wife.  Unfortunately, Meredith died in a car accident shortly afterward.  This is a chance for a reconciliation between the two men.  Mia Janes, a library student intern, is tickled to have her grandfather in town.  Kathleen drives Mia to visit Leo one day after work and Kathleen notices the apartment door ajar.  She goes inside to find Leo dead from obvious blunt force trauma.  The police soon narrow their sights on Simon Janes, Leo’s son and Kathleen’s friend, when they discover he an argument with Leo and lacks an alibi.  Kathleen with the aid of her two magical sidekicks, Owen and Hercules, delves into the case intent on tracking down Leo’s killer.  Come visit Mayville Heights and help Kathleen solve her latest case in A Tale of Two Kitties.

A Tale of Two Kitties has good writing, but the pace is a little slow.  There are nice, relatable characters and a charming small-town setting.  Kathleen is a great character who has a wonderful job—a librarian!  I enjoy her interactions with her fur babies.  A Tale of Two Kitties contains an extra amount of cozy.  There is socializing, meals, work at the library, romance, the cat’s antics, the found photographs and mail, plus much more.  I wish the author had not devoted so much time to the lost (and now found) photographs and mail.  It seemed to dominate the story. The mystery was interesting and I liked how it was structured (containing several different components that all fit together).  The author included some good clues which will aid readers in solving the crime (plus the suspect list is very small).  My rating for A Tale of Two Kitties is 4 out of 5 stars.  A Tale of Two Kitties is a cute story and I delighted in the paranormal element.  The magical cats are adorable and entertaining (especially Owen with his funky chickens).  If you have not read any of the previous A Magical Cat Mystery novels, you will be a little lost (since there are so many secondary characters) in the beginning and it might hinder readers in solving the crime.  A Tale of Two Kitties is a charming cozy mystery that will delight readers. 

I sincerely hope that each of you have a happy Saturday.  Those in the path of Hurricane Irma, please stay safe.  We are in for a long, wet weekend.  I am currently reading Doom with a View by Kate Kingsbury (still trying to catch up on my reading from when I was sick).  I will be reviewing Murder Wears Mittens by Sally Goldenbaum next.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader