Today's Read & Giveaway: The Cats Came Back by Sofie Kelly

What would you do if you stumbled across the body of someone you knew? I'd probably scream and call 911 and be traumatized for life. For Kathleen, however, murder is no surprise. Not only has she done civilian sleuthing but her boyfriend is a police detective.

Here's how the story begins:

The body was on the front seat of my truck, about halfway between the passenger door and the cloth grocery bag I'd left in the middle of the seat.

"Not again," I muttered, setting the box of glasses I was holding in the bed of the truck. I glanced at my watch. I couldn't exactly leave the body where it was, but I didn't want to be late, either.

—The Cats Came Back by Sofie Kelly (Berkley Prime Crime, Sept. 4)

Quick Facts

• Setting: modern times in the fictitious Maryville Heights, Minnesota
• Circumstances: Kathleen, the local librarian, is helping the town prepare for its annual summer music festival by, among other things, helping a photographer friend with a fund-raiser calendar. While on a photo shoot, the two discover the body of a woman who's in town as the assistant for a famous singer. With the blessings of her detective boyfriend (Marcus), the encouragement of her friends, and the help of her magical cats (Owen and Hercules), Kathleen helps solve the murder.
• Genre: cozy mystery, with a little magical element
• Things I liked about this book: This is the second Magical Cats Mystery I've read (though it's 10th in the series), and I was happy to revisit Kathleen, Marcus, and their friends. As with all cozy series, the books are as much about the town and people as they are about the murder, and this book didn't disappoint. Kelly is always great on character development, so it's easy to get invested in the character's lives. Besides the murder, there's the library, Kathleen's family, a friend's wedding, and other town doings. The plot moves quickly, making the book a fun afternoon read; and there are enough twists and red herrings to keep you guessing.
• The magical element: Kathleen's cats are important to the solution of the mystery, but in the end people find the murderer. Owen's talent is the ability to vanish and reappear; Hercules's talent is the ability to walk through walls. Kathleen hasn't yet told Marcus that her cats are special, though I think they might have that conversation in the next book. If this part of the story is too much for you, rest assured that The Cats Came Back has more than just magical cats.
• Note on the opening paragraph: If you haven't guessed yet, the body in the car is a rodent victim of one of Kathleen's cats!
• Can you start reading here? I read and reviewed the first book in this series, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat, back in 2011, so I didn't feel totally lost, though I didn't remember the details of the other book. I think you could jump right in without too much problem, though after you finish reading book 10, you might be curious enough to want to start at the beginning of the series.
• Acknowledgments: thanks to Berkley Prime Crime for a finished copy of Sofie Kelly's The Cats Came Back and for taking care of the giveaway.

The Giveaway

Thanks to the nice people at Berkley Prime Crime, I'm able to offer one of my readers (USA mailing address only) a finished copy of Sofie Kelly's The Cats Came Back. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to have a USA mailing address and to fill out the following form. I will pick a winner via a random number generator on September 25. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll forward his or her mailing address to the publisher and then erase all personal information from my computer. Good luck!