Kristina A. reviewed on 8/18/2016 + 1528 more book reviews

The Cat, the Collector, and the Killer by Leann Sweeney is the eighth book in the Cats in Trouble Mystery series. Jillian Hart is enjoying being married to Tom Stewart. Tom has accepted the position of acting Chief of Police in Mercy. He is not sure if he wants the job permanently or not. Jillian gets call from Shawn who runs a local animal shelter. He has been trying to reach Chester Winston, County Animal Control Officer about Minnie Schultz and her cats (complaints from neighbors). Shawn is only allowed to talk to Chester via the phone because of the restraining order (a little incident over an animal that resulted in some physical violence). Jillian heads over to Minnie's house with Shawn to check out the animal situation. They find cats all over outside (more than the seven cats she had last time Shawn checked on her). When they investigate inside the house, they find Chester. Chester is dead in the guest room (good reason for not answering his phone). Then Jillian receives a call from Tom. Minnie was found wandering down Main Street in a nightgown with a tote bag (want to guess what they found in the tote bag). Minnie has been having a few memory issues and is taken to the hospital. What was Chester doing in Minnie's house? The house is full of boxes (you can hardly move). Did Minnie go on a shopping spree? Join Tom and Jillian as set out to unravel the clues to get to the bottom of the situation.

The Cat, the Collector, and the Killer is an engaging cozy mystery. The characters are entertaining and there is just the right amount of humor. I found the mystery to be intricate with some good twists. The mystery can be solved if you pay careful attention. There are not a lot of clues, but the ones provided are key. The book is nicely written and easy to read. The setting is a small town (Mercy) with the usual gossip (everyone knows your business even if you do not want them to) and quirky characters. I give The Cat, the Collector, and the Killer 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I thought Shawn was a little over-the-top especially with his anger management problems. He does love animals, but he needs to control his actions (you will understand when you read the book). While this is the eighth book in the series, you can enjoy it alone (though all the books are enjoyable to read). I thought Jillian's cat cam was interesting. I would love to see what my children (dogs and cats) are doing when I am not at home. While I like the animals in the book, we could do with less time playing with the cats (Jillian sits on the floor and play with her babies). I would rather there have been more time devoted to her looking into the crime. I will be reading the next book in A Cats in Trouble Mystery series.

I received a complimentary copy of novel in exchange for an honest review. The opinions and comments expressed are strictly my own.

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