by: Sheila Webster Boneham
Series: An Animal in Focus Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Source: Publisher ~ Midnight Ink via NetGalley
Agility can be murder for cats, dogs, and people!
Animal photographer Janet MacPhail is training for her cat Leo’s first feline agility trial when she gets a frantic call about a “kidnapping.” When Janet and her Australian Shepherd Jay set out to track down the missing party, they quickly find themselves drawn into the volatile politics of feral cat colonies and endangered wetlands.
Janet is crazy busy trying to keep up with her mom’s nursing-home romance, her own relationship with Tom, and upcoming agility trials with Jay and Leo. But the discovery of a body on the canine competition course stops the participants dead in their tracks—and sets Janet on the trail of a killer.
Praise:
“Janet MacPhail’s latest adventure will delight dog lovers, cat lovers, and mystery lovers. . . . Five stars for Catwalk!”—SUSAN CONANT, AUTHOR OF THE DOG LOVER’S MYSTERY SERIES
REVIEW
Told in first person from the point of view of Janet MacPhail, I found Catwalk to be an enjoyable read. I’m an animal lover and I LOVE that Janet, her boyfriend Tom, and her friends are all animal lovers as well. This installment of the series is all about feral cats. You know, the kind of cats that should be domesticated, but aren’t, be it their choice or the choice of humans. Catwalk finds Janet not really doing any investigation and pretty much minding her own business. But of course, trouble follows her around.
What starts out as her friend/acquaintance Alberta Shofelter asking Janet and her dog Jay to help her find her missing cat turns into so much more. The three end up being threatened with lawsuits and possibly bodily harm. Ultimately, the accuser who is hated by almost everyone ends up being found dead. And you guessed it, Janet is the one to find the body.
Not only does Janet have to deal with yet another murder investigation, she is having issues with Tom. Janet is trying to figure out her relationship with Tom, as far as what she wants, and has to deal with the possible breakup of that relationship. Her mother resides at Shadetree Retirement Home, is battling Dementia, as well as other health problems. But, Mrs. Bruce is also falling in love.
While I did enjoy the book, there’s a lot of repetition. Information that has already been stated is stated several times throughout. At times, the author provides way too much descriptive detail. I found myself getting bogged down by it all. I’m seriously in love with the secondary character of Homer Hutchinson, the detective. Catwalk shows a new side of him. It should be pointed out that while Catwalk is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
I really loved the way the story got wrapped up. However, I’m a bit disappointed in the way the issue between Janet and Tom was resolved. There are two scenarios and I literally have no idea which one is happening.
**Received a copy from Midnight Ink Books in exchange for an honest unbiased review.**
Rating: 4
Purchase Catwalk from:
An Animals in Focus Mystery Series:
Drop Dead on Recall, the first in the series, won the Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Award for Best Fiction Book. She is also the author of 17 nonfiction books, six of which have won major awards from the Dog Writers Association of America and the Cat Writers Association. For the past two decades Boneham has been showing her Australian Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers in various canine sports. She has also bred top-winning Aussies, and founded rescue groups for Aussies and Labs. Boneham holds a doctorate in folklore from Indiana University and resides in Wilmington, N.C.
Places to find Sheila Webster Boneham:
Sounds like a fun book. Of course the cover got my attention right off.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janine - I had fun writing it, and the cover is a whole story in itself! I've actually blogged about that, if you're interested - http://writersandotheranimals.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-making-of-book-cover.html
DeleteThanks for dropping by!
I LOVE covers. I know it's sad. I look at the cover first, before I decide if I want to read a book. I love Jay the dog. And the cat!!!! I didn't know you could train a cat.
DeleteThank you for your thoughtful review, and for being part of my Escape with Dollycas tour. Just so you know, I intentionally left Janet & Tom's relationship ambiguous, partly because Janet has struggled with what she wants to do, and partly because the romantic thread is "to be continued" in the next book (coming fall 2015). But I know that doesn't work for everyone, and I appreciate your feedback!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure their relationship is okay. I just have no idea what happened. Either way I think it could be good.
DeleteBut I have to say again.... I'm in love with Homer.
I like cozies with animals and will give it a try
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good animal story. I had no idea whodunit, but sadly was very happy when I found out.
DeleteI'm just trying to imagine my cats and agility --- much laughing.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue.
DeleteSeriously, cats are very good at balancing. I have a 12 pound cat, that I like to call Fat Cat. The vet says she's big boned. Whatever. But I'm amazed at how fast she can run. And we went to some theme park and actually saw a cat walking on a really thin line above our heads.
Some people would say that cats are smarter than dogs. I can totally see Leo from Catwalk competing in an agility comp and winning.
looks great thank you for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa.
DeleteThanks for stopping by. Be sure to check out the book.
a new-to-me author/series!!
ReplyDeletecannot wait to start this!!
This sounds like the perfect book for all animal lovers, and I am glad to see you enjoyed this book so much! Thanks for the giveaway <3
ReplyDeletehttp://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/10/perspective-dead-poets-society-35.html