The Cat, The Collector and the Killer by Leann Sweeney is the 8th book in the “Cats In Trouble” mystery series. Publisher: Penguin Random House, August 2016

the-cat-the-collector-and-the-killer2In the latest mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret, a cat collector is suspected of murder.

Jillian Hart and police chief Tom Stewart are enjoying peaceful, newly wedded bliss in Mercy, South Carolina, until a woman is found wandering the streets one night. She’s in her night clothes, disoriented, and carrying a kitten in a tote bag. A search of the woman’s house reveals many more cats, a maze of cardboard boxes—and a dead man.

Although the evidence suggests the frail woman is the killer, Jillian doesn’t believe she’s capable of such a crime. The dead man had many enemies in town, which means finding the real murderer may prove to be its own cat and mouse game. . .

A bewildered woman. A dead man. Missing cats. Another tragedy. This is what met me when I started reading this book and couldn’t put down because I had to know what connections they all had. This was a story that appeared to be one way but it was so much more and the author did a brilliant job in bringing this story to life. Setting the pace, this tale flowed easily and evenly from chapter to chapter as I watched the drama unfold with tenderness and emotions as everyone involved wanted to know the truth about the murder and its collateral damage.

The narrative puts me right in the middle of all the action and I’m felt the pain of both Mrs. Shultz and Brenda’s surgery and the comfort of Jillian’s belief that something more is involved than what is seen. The author does a great job in pulling this all together and had my adrenaline running during that pivotal scene with Jillian in the house. Well done. Excellent and well-written plot, engaging dialogue and a feel-good atmosphere is what I found in this endearing story. This is one of the best book in this delightfully charming series and I look forward to the next adventures with Jillian, her cats and her friends.