"Murder She Meowed" By Ruth Hartman: Review/Giveaway

Review by Tracy Condie

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.

Book Two of the Bookshop Kitties Mysteries has a plot that keeps you guessing. The victim shows up uninvited to a wedding, crashes the reception, and then is found dead in the local bakery. The bakery is owned by Janie, best friend to our sleuth, Christy. The victim, Tad Miles, Janie’s ex-husband, is not someone whom anyone seemed to like, including his brother Norman who is in town to take care of the funeral arrangements. This is your classic cozy, a super sweet sleuth who is going to do everything she can to get her bestie off the detective’s suspect list. Not that the local police department isn’t capable of figuring out this one, but both Janie and her assistant Kiersten have means, motive, and opportunity.

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Image Source Gemma Halliday

Never fear, Christy isn’t your ordinary cozy sleuth; she is actually a mystery writer when she isn’t working in her Aunt Betty‘s store. Christy’s main characters are based on her fur babies, Pearl and Milton, a set of sibling felines who like to be the center of attention and can be seen strolling around town, or rather being strolled around town. Don’t be fooled by their sweet furry faces; these cats know where it’s at and where the clues can be found.

Christy does some brainstorming with her romantic interest, the very kind and respectable Dr. Micah who seems to be subtly flirting with her (Christy can’t quite tell for sure). There are also helpful friends, family, and locals as with any good cozy. This story works as a stand-alone with a few tidbits about the cats’ previous escapades from the series starter and the mention of possible hidden Dillinger bank loot. The thing that stood out to me the most was the amount of misdirection that keeps you turning pages. Between the various subplots and the number of suspects I wasn’t sure who did it until the big reveal. If you like to be surprised, then this is the book for you. I know that I enjoyed it.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Murder She Meowed, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "meowed,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 23, 2024. 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 goes up next week.

You can click here to purchase this book.

Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

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.