The Cats Came Back

July 15, 2018
With the help of her two magical cats, a small-town Minnesota librarian investigates the murder of the assistant to a singer come to town.Having grown up with a mother in the world of theater, Kathleen Paulson appreciates the talent it takes for performers to succeed on stage. The rest of Maryville Heights is also caught up in the excitement of live performance when the town hosts a music festival that attracts performers from all over the country. Her background gives Kathleen a special connection to the group, and she gets to know cabaret singer and rising star Emme Finley and Miranda Moore, Emme's look-alike, assistant, and close friend. While she's out one night with her friend Ruby, her companions Owen and Hercules, two typically troublemaking cats, seem to want to show Ruby and Kathleen something. Kathleen knows her feline friends well enough to know to trust their senses--each cat seems to have his own magical powers--and she and Ruby follow when the cats lead them to a body by a river. At first glance the dead person seems to be Emme, but Kathleen is certain it's Miranda. Kathleen tells her boyfriend, Detective Marcus Gordon, that she's convinced they've stumbled onto a murder. But who would have killed an out-of-towner who was by all accounts nothing but friendly? Kathleen, this time with Marcus' blessing, can't help digging a little deeper and realizes that the killer may have targeted Emme and gotten her look-alike instead. Determined to keep Emme out of future danger, Kathleen uses all the resources at her disposal, including the help of Owen and Hercules, to identify Miranda's killer.Simple to engage with, Kelly's cozy series (A Tale of Two Kitties, 2018) uses another murder of an outsider to continue its gradual development of its characters' lives. Given their powers, though, it's a shame that her heroine's magical cats don't do a little bit more to help their human.

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July 16, 2018
The annual Wild Rose Summer Music Festival provides the backdrop for bestseller Kelly’s entertaining 10th Magical Cats mystery featuring Mayville Heights, Minn., librarian Kathleen Paulson (after 2017’s A Tale of Two Kitties). Kathleen’s cats, Owen (who can vanish at will) and Hercules (who can walk through walls), help her investigate the murder of Miranda Moore, the assistant and near doppelganger of up-and-coming Emme Finley, a cabaret singer from Chicago in town for the festival. To unmask the killer, Kathleen must find the motive, which first means figuring out whether Miranda or Emme was the intended victim. Members of Miranda’s no-account family are suspect, but there’s also Emme’s old boyfriend, Derrick, a bad boy according to Nora, Emme’s sister and manager. Meanwhile, everyone’s preparing for veterinarian Roma’s wedding to Eddie out at the old Henderson estate, the birthplace of Kathleen’s unusual kitties. Kelly succeeds in making the adorable Owen and Hercules surprisingly believable, even to readers who aren’t cat people. Agent: Kim Lionetti, Bookends Literary Agency.

September 1, 2018

Librarian Kathleen Paulson's cats, Hercules and Owen, are so well known in the small town of Mayville Heights, MN, that photographer Ruby has cast them in a fundraiser calendar. It's Hercules's actions at a local marina that lead Ruby to a body. At first, Kathleen and Ruby think the dead woman is singer Emme Finley, but soon they realize it's actually her look-alike assistant, Miranda. While Kathleen's love interest, Det. Marcus Gordon, investigates for the police, a few of Kathleen's friends push her to ask questions. Even Marcus agrees that people will talk to Kathleen when they won't talk to him. Kathleen has to discover if the intended victim was Emme or Miranda. The cats' abilities to walk through walls and disappear lead Kathleen to several suspects and rescue her from danger. Kelly follows A Tale of Two Kitties with another amusing mystery featuring the duo of magical cats. VERDICT Fans of Jenn McKinlay's and Dean James's library mysteries may appreciate this series. However, with its large cast of characters, this latest entry is definitely for those who have already read the other books in this heartwarming series.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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