Hey everyone!

My name is Ellie Warren and my life revolves around cats. Literally. I run the Kitty Beret Café, in Crooked Creek, Indiana. While selling lattes and specialty pastries to our customers pays the bills, my real goal is to find forever homes for the stray cats who live at the café. We take exceptional care of them and they get tons of love from us and from the customers, but every kitty needs a home of his or her own.

Along with taking care of the café cats, I also have my own furry little guy, Templeton. Believe me, he keeps me on my toes. I’m pretty sure he teaches the café cats his conniving ways when he goes to the café with me every day. He also likes to play a little game with me and hide at the end of the workday so I have to hunt for him before we can go home. But Templeton also has a talent that comes in handy. He helps me find clues when there’s been a murder. Smart kitty!

The most recent killing will, unfortunately, make the fourth time a person has been murdered in our sleepy little town. However, I guess it’s not as sleepy as it seems, if those crimes keep happening. Along with Templeton, I have to give credit to my boyfriend, Simon Dare. He’s a detective who is amazing at his job, and wishes, as he puts it, that I wouldn’t put myself in danger trying to find murderers. I always reassure him that I’m fine, and that Templeton and I seem to have a handle on searching for clues. Haven’t we helped figure out three murders before this one?

My best friend, Kendal, is also amazing at finding things out and helps us solve crimes. She’s a super smart lawyer. If anyone knows how to dig up information, it’s her!

This particular murder happened at our local Pickle Festival. My employee, Shirl Lee, had submitted her pickles for judging, in memory of her grandmother. We were all so shocked when the pickle judge, who keeled over dead after eating them, turned out to be someone Shirl knew!

I told Shirl not to worry. Templeton and I are on the case! Before long, he’ll start bringing me clues to investigate. They don’t always turn out to lead right to the killer, but somehow, the clues he finds lead me in the right direction. His assistance costs me extra kitty treats and catnip, but it’s totally worth it!

Oh, I better go now. Templeton found something and is giving me the stink-eye. A sure sign he wants me to go check out whatever it is he found!

Claws and Conflict: A Kitty Beret Café Mystery, Book 4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

When Ellie Warren’s café employee, Shirl Lee, enters some pickles into the Crooked Creek, Indiana, Pickle Festival, neither one knows the brine is poisoned.

A pickle judge, Brody Jones, keels over dead right in front of Shirl, most of the town, as well as local detectives. It looks pretty bad for Shirl, who has a negative history with the victim, but Ellie knows Shirl would never hurt anyone. The girl’s love for every living thing is apparent every day when she works her shifts at the Kitty Beret Café. And the café kitties love her right back. Ellie and her cat, Templeton, paw through sour, briny clues to help Shirl out of her current pickle.

About the author
Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. Her husband reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and adores her even though all her books must have at least one cat in them. Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who find trouble without even trying. Follow updates about her mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.