A Mew Beginning (A Whales and Tails Mystery Book 20)

A Mew Beginning
A Whales and Tails Mystery, Book # 20
Kathi Daley
5 Stars

Synopsis:

With all the changes in her life, Cait is left with a feeling of dread she can’t quite define. On one hand she has reason to be feeling a level of stress. The effort to reopen the bookstore has been stalled, she is still trying to adjust to her move from her cabin into Mr. Parsons home, and Finn is having little luck investigating a series of disappearances that appear to be ongoing. Still, even with all of that, Cait feels certain that none of these situations is actually at the root of the tension building in the pit of her stomach. Her feelings of dread, she feels certain, are more of a warning, that something bad is about to happen, and no matter how hard she tries, she’s not going to be able to prevent this terrible thing from happening. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Cait and Cody are doing good with married life, Tara and Danny are back on and Siobhan and Finn have a surprise for everyone. But Cait is feeling a sense of dread and she does not know why. Is it because her and Tara have to figure out what to do about their store, since it was blown up? Or is it because the gang needs to figure out who is behind the disappearance of some women, both now and in the past? Or is it something else altogether? She will have Mystique, the magical cat, to help her figure it out.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The two mysteries were well plotted and were not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cosy mystery. Any book written by this author is good, and this one is no exception.

A Mew Beginning earns 5/5 Old Newspapers…Engaging Fun!

Twentieth!—Kathi Daley’s Whales and Tails Mystery series, starts with a “bonk” and introduces the newest of Tansy’s cats…I like that! After interrupting a break-in at the newspaper office, Cait is conked on the head, loses conscientiousness, and when she awakes, finds herself tied to a chair. As is typical, however, her rescue is comes from…a cat; this time named Mystique, it’s white with a dark tail, ears, and mask. The incident might have been avoided if Cody, Cait’s husband and owner of the newspaper, had been at the office, but he was on official police business. Finn and the Seattle PD are working together on three missing person cases with similarities hard to dismiss as coincidental. It is also theorized that a key person of interest may have been on Madrona Island. Unfortunately, it becomes necessary to closer scrutinize Madrona Island News archives, and curiously they uncover a few cold cases that had sparked the interest of the previous owner of the newspaper. I think Cait’s going to need TWO cats!

Kathi Daley’s well-developed story focuses on cold cases that seem connected (according to Mystique’s meows), with fascinating details, insights, and a few twists to challenge any Miss Marple—I love it! Although I had an niggling feeling about how the story would end, it didn’t affect by enjoyment. The use of Tansy’s cats is not magical in a hocus-pocus sense; the cat’s persistent “meows” help to focus Cait on certain details, files, and places. Along with the investigation that takes the group to other islands and ending with a bit of nail-biting, life continues weaving in efforts to rebuild Cait’s business, worries about of Cait’s mother-in-law’s future visit, discussions about building an intimate cottage, and anticipation of an Easter celebration. These parts add to the realism, provide more well-rounded characters, build connections, and make visiting Madrona Island entertaining. No bonus in this cozy…just saying. There are several café, bars, and restaurants to highlight. What about Cait’s favorite fish sandwich? Breaded catch-of-the-day filet with a homemade tarter sauce?

A Mew Beginning is the 20th episode in the Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery series. Kathi Daley writes yet another magnificent installment in this mystery series, filled with all the elements of a cozy mystery including suspense, romance, humor, love, friends and family, and a sense of community.

This story takes place on Madrona Island, an island near Washington state, a week or so before Easter. Caitlin Hart, despite her busy life and recent changes, finds herself in the middle of an old cold case involving missing women and a possible serial killer, a case that has a lot in common with a current case being investigated by local law enforcement. Cait works with her friends and family, and the magical cat, Mystique, to help investigate and uncover the murderer(s).

As always, Ms. Daley’s writing flows smoothly, and her setting and relatable characters make for an extremely enjoyable read.

So much has changed in Caits life recently; she’s a married woman now, she has moved into a new home, and her bidding business was was burnt down. With all these changes she fills a bit we adrift not quite felling like herself. The reopening of the bookstore doesn’t look like it is happening anytime soon, the insurance company keeps putting them off when it comes to their claim. She has been working at the paper with her husband but he is having trouble getting information about some recent missing women. When the paper is broken into not once but twice Cait is ready to figure out why. At first it appears that nothing has been taken but they soon learn that information into past papers was gone through. It looks like the information that was gone through has some sort of connection to the case the paper was looking into about missing women. Follow along as Cait and the gang put the pieces together along with the help from Mystique a very special cat.