"Purrfectly Framed" By Ruth J. 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.

I found the second book of the Mobile Cat Groomer mystery series to be purrfectly enjoyable. The main character and caretaker for kitties Jasper and Percival is Molly Stewart, who is about as cozy a character as you can get. Molly runs the Fabulous Felines cat grooming salon in the cozy town of Whitewater Valley complete with house call service via a salon van. While the town may be cozy, quite a few of the citizens are quirky. Some, including the victim, high school art teacher Agnes Temple, are downright cantankerous to the point of needing some anger-management classes. It seems that Agnes, whose body was found in the photography studio darkroom of former student Evan Lake, was short on friends and long on enemies. Even Evan was a likely suspect according to Sheriff King. Interesting fact about Sheriff King: he suffers from ailurophobia, aka fear of cats, and he is not a fan of Molly and her meddling ways. As would most law enforcement types, he warns her to stay out of police business (like that ever works). Not even a threatening phone call from an unidentifiable voice will keep Molly from searching for the killer and clearing her friend Evan.

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Evan says that Agnes ruined his life and kept him from being with Penelope, his high school wanna-be-artist girlfriend. She dropped him and moved to Europe with her parents after Agnes derailed his chance to attend a prestigious art school. Penelope is suddenly back in town literally screaming to the rafters that Evan is so much better than being just a photographer and that Agnes can’t hold him back now.

The town is full of likely suspects such as Ricky, the mailman, who delivers a monologue better than he delivers the mail. Both mechanic Ollie Smith and high school Principal Dodge Zaminiski felt they were being maligned by Agnes. Even Betty Jones, the sheriff’s assistant, makes it onto the suspect list because Molly thinks that Betty might be harboring guilty feelings that led her to foster Agnes’s cat Lulu. Betty is allergic to cats and is not a warm and fuzzy cat person. Such a long suspect list lends itself to plenty of red herrings to create misdirection and keep you turning pages.

To balance out this negativity, we are introduced to unique aspects of the story such as Molly’s tendency to daydream while people are talking, giving her the most unusual ideas. And while the Sheriff might have an issue with cats, Molly has an aversion to wearing rented bowling shoes. I wonder if she feels the same way about rented skates. Luckily for her, Hank the hunky vet finds those traits endearing, and Molly’s BFF, local librarian Jillian Wells, has had years to get used to Molly’s quirks. The one thing that isn’t quirky about Molly is her taste in pastries as we are introduced to blueberry croissants.

I am currently in search of a blueberry croissant recipe so that I too can enjoy one as much as I enjoyed this mystery. Lastly, this works well as a stand alone and nothing much is given away about the previous book in case you are starting with book two like me.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Purrfectly Framed, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "framed,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 22, 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! 

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.