"One Cat for the Road" By Gin Jones: Review/Giveaway

Review by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

First written in late 2019, before the pandemic took hold of our lives, One Cat for the Road was just a clever and exciting cozy mystery with a touch of dystopian drama. However, when the world shutdown and the response pit neighbor against neighbor, Gin Jones made the decision to postpone its release. And now, with a vaccine and life slowly opening up, she has three books in her Crazy Cat Lady Chronicles ready to release now and in November. Don’t miss out!


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Introducing the Crazy Cat Lady!

Blodwyn Miller, Wyn for short, came in possession of a large, orange Maine Coon cat not entirely by ethical means. As a nurse practitioner specializing in geriatrics, she’d been taking care of Tox patients who had little hope of survival, and her newest patient was just another among hundreds she did her best to keep calm and minimize their discomfort. This old man, however, had somehow obtained a cat, such a rare commodity since animals had, too, been effected by the “Disaster,” and if one thing was for sure, when the old man passed, she “was claiming the cat.” When it finally happened, she was disturbed by how unfeeling she’d become, so she decided to leave the hospital, if not the city, and find patients she could once again care about. She cleared out her locker, grabbed her new cat “Sal,” and left her hospital administrator a note: “I quit.”

 One Cat for the Road Earns 5/5 Meows…Intriguing & Clever!

Wyn decides to leave the city and book passage with a relocation tour whose mission it was to help people move out of the cities to where many once devastated areas are being resettled. The train departed with an eclectic group of hopeful travelers, Wyn included with Sal crammed into a “too small” carrier. She discovered a very protective nature for Sal keeping him close due to everyone’s interest in the novelty, especially from one traveler who whined about allergies.

None of the communities they saw on the excursion piqued Wyn’s interest; the tour leader seemed to have oversold his abilities and connections to provide a reasonable place for any of them to relocate. After reaching the hub station, Wyn wasn’t confident she’d find a new home, and not without complaint, the group was forced into a three-day layover due to the untrustworthy schedule for their connecting train. Cabins and food had been provided by the railroad, bunking women in one and men in the other, and it seemed just another part of the adventure. However, when one of the group makes a bold attempt to steal Sal, Wyn’s threats to ‘kill you” will be hard to explain when his body is found…murdered. Wyn tries to clear her name by involving herself in the investigation by the senior officer Rick Somers discovering more about her travel mates than she bargained for.

 Meow-velous! Gin Jones has penned a delightful cozy far enough removed from our reality to be engaging. The “Tox” disaster occurred years before the story’s drama leaving only the remnants of its impact and, although it is the reason our lead character has a cat and the desire to move out of the city, it plays a peripheral role. The murder mystery is clever with a victim that acts suspiciously and several suspects reveal disgruntled feelings toward him making it a challenge to pin point one, but it’s Wyn’s cleverness and Sal’s special nature that helps reveal the killer. It was a fascinating element that, along with being a nurse practitioner, Wyn has the ability to see people’s auras; the colors enveloping each person is more in tune with the person’s health than their personality, but she can use the subtle differences to her advantage. Gin Jones’s writing style, using a first-person narrative from Wyn’s perspective, is very entertaining. She does well to illustrate the post-apocalyptic world, the station’s environment, and the appearance of the characters along with dialogue to illustrate the emotions and various, intriguing personalities making this first in a series a rewarding page-turner, and a contender for my “Tops” in 2021.

Crazy Cat Lady Chronicles

One Cat for the Road (2021)

Two Cats are Better Than One (2021)

Three’s a Clowder (2021)

Preorder Alert!

Book Two, Two Cats Are Better Than One, is on Amazon Preorder HERE. Wyn Miller has added cat therapy to her private nursing which seems to have some success with Peter, her latest patient. But when his neighbor is murdered implicating the girlfriend, Peter pleads for Wyn’s help, with Sal’s input, to clear the victim’s girlfriend. Add murder investigation to her list of medical treatments.

Book Three, Three’s a Clowder, is on Amazon Preorder HERE. It’s not easy for Wyn to travel from patient to patient with a clowder of cats in tow. This challenge is exacerbated by Lizzie, her new patient, who wants to employ Wyn’s other skill: amateur detective. The murder of the town's schoolteacher puts Lizzie’s legacy of establishing the town of Harrisfield in jeopardy. With Sal at her side, Wyn races to find the killer and save the town.

Be a Big Gin Jones Fan!

USA Today bestselling author Gin Jones writes several cozy mystery series. She penned my favorite Garlic Farm Mysteries which follows Mabel Skinner who inherited her aunt’s garlic farm. She also wrote the Helen Binney Mysteries about the former governor’s wife whose physical challenges do not prevent her investigating trouble. She is part of two multi-author series: the Danger Cove Farmer’s Market Mystery series following manager of the Lighthouse Farmers’ Market Maria Dolores and Danger Cove Quilting Mysteries featuring quilt-appraiser-turned-amateur sleuth Keely Fairchild along with a crossover partnering Maria and Keely together. All are well worth one’s time! 

 Website – Gin Jones

Twitter@giniajo

To enter to win a copy of One Cat for the Road, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "cat,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 25, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you.  You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Comments

  1. Sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the chance.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an amazing plot to base a book on. My interest is perked and it would
    be great to claim this book as mine.

    ReplyDelete

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