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Book Review of Claws for Alarm (Nick and Nora, Bk 2)

Claws for Alarm (Nick and Nora, Bk 2)
dollycas avatar reviewed on + 687 more book reviews


Dollycas's Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoy this author's twist on The Thin Man as the theme for her mysteries. In this case Nora is joined by a lovable cat named Nick and I believe there is more to this cat than just being lovable, he is a very special cat. A cat very savvy in figuring out clues and presenting them in very clear ways for Nora to understand.

In this 2nd installment of the series, Nora receives a call from her aunt telling her that her sister Lacey is in big trouble. One of her professors has been killed and Lacey was seen standing over his body with the murder weapon in her hand right before she fled the scene. The man wasn't well liked and there have to be many more suspects. Nora and Nick set out to get their claws into the real killer and get her sister out of jail.

The author has given her readers another strong mystery to solve and thankfully Nick is there to move both the reader and Nora down the right path because there are twists that had us scratching our heads but later made perfect sense. She is also still trying to find out what happened to Nick the cat's former owner Nick the private investigator. There are a couple of interesting developments.

All the characters are well developed including a man from Nora's past and a very handsome FBI agent. They do their best to keep Nora at her sandwich shop and out of their investigations but she is a pretty stubborn woman when she sets her mind on something, especially when it comes to trying to save her sister.

Speaking of the sandwich shop, there are recipes at the end of the story. You may want to start there and make yourself a sandwich before you begin reading. Sandwiches are described within the pages with their clever and catchy names. They will have your stomach growling and your mouth watching so it is better too be prepared than having to put the book down for a grocery run or a trip to the kitchen.

Great characters and a great plot means this book is a perfect escape!

I need to mention that you do not need to know anything about the movies or the original story by Dashiell Hammett to enjoy this story, but if you do this story is a must read. I used to watch the movies with my mom way back when. This story and the one before always bring up those fond memories. You can probably catch them somewhere on television if you want to check them out. Also the next book in this series, Crime and Catnip hits store shelves December 6.