‘Talk about inconvenient. Not only did I have a dilapidated mansion and no money to repair it, two uppity cats and some cranky guests waiting for breakfast, there was also a dead body in the stairwell.’Josie Waters is the enthusiastic new owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse – a ramshackle Victorian mansion high on a hill above the breezy seaside town of Oyster Cove, Maine. Josie has a history in … has a history in Oyster Cove, but she’s not going to let anyone – from her crazy friend Millie to her old flame Mike – stand in the way of making this venture a success.
But then Josie’s first guest – a stuffy food critic – is murdered before breakfast, and the town sheriff suspects Josie could be to blame. Thank goodness Nero and Marlowe – the guesthouse’s resident cats – are also on the case. Little does Josie know, this isn’t their first investigation… but can they find the clues to the real killer before another guest is targeted?
Following her cats’ noses, it isn’t long before Josie discovers that the critic ruffled more than a few feathers in his day. In fact, from the rule-obsessed local Building Inspector to the guesthouse’s pernickety maid, there’s not a person in Oyster Cove who doesn’t have a secret to hide… could one of the locals be a cold-blooded killer in disguise? And with her beloved guesthouse’s very future on the line, can Josie solve the case in time?
A joy to read, with a twist you’ll never guess! From the award-winning author of the USA TODAY bestselling Mystic Notch series. Purrfect for murder mystery fans, cat lovers and everyone in between.
Readers can’t get enough of A Twist in the Tail!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This was soooooo good! …No doubt about it: this was one of THE best cozies out there. Such fun, full of (cat) humor. I can honestly say I was totally stunned at whodunit… I loved everything about this book, but I especially loved the cats. Nero and Marlowe have captured my heart!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This book is fantastic… The characters that the author has created are realistic, fun and relatable… This is a page turner that I could not put down. If you love a well written mystery with a small town and cats, this one is for you! I cannot wait for the next book to come out.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I loved the cats in this book. It was a fun new perspective in solving the mystery. With all the fun twists this mystery has, it was a very satisfying read. Mrs. Dobbs new series is sure to please fans of cozy mysteries, I would highly recommend this book!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘If you like mysteries, detective work, and cats this book is for you!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This is another fun addition to the repertoire to Leighann Dobbs vast collection of stories’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This was an absolute joy to read! It’s the perfect blend of mystery and fun with crime solving cats thrown into the mix… humour that will have you laughing your socks off! …I for one cannot wait for the next one! A Twist in the Tail is a must for animal lovers and cosy mystery fans!’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Just brilliant! Funny and wonderful, a fast paced, delightful read. I really enjoyed this book. Five well deserved stars. Highly recommended to everyone.’ Renita D’Silva
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Ms Dobbs wields a magic touch when it comes to storytelling. A Twist in the Tail is an enchanting read for cozy fans who enjoy feline fun.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐‘As cozy mysteries go, this is a wonderful tail (!) …very cleverly done, can’t wait for the next book in this series.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐‘This book is a lot of fun… I had a smile on my face the whole time.’ Goodreads reviewermore
The new Oyster Cove Guesthouse series is sure to be a hit. This first book in the series is wonderful. The book has cats, cats and more cats. The main “character” cats — Nero and Marlowe (his understudy) live at the Guesthouse and are trying to get the new owner, Josie Waters, up to speed with them. Josie has just gone through a nasty divorce from her semi-famous chef husband, Clive Stonefield. She has purchased the Oyster Cove Guesthouse from Millie Sullivan and has moved back to her small hometown. The house was built centuries ago by Jedediah Biddeford and is currently being renovated back to its original glory.
Josie’s first guests are Charles Prescott, the “Laughing Gourmet” food critic and chef; Ava Grantham, a society columnist; Tina Reeves, and Ron and Iona Weatherby, birdwatchers.
When Prescott is discovered dead in the West wing of the house that is closed off for repairs, Josie calls in Sheriff Seth Chamberlain and his deputy, Johnnie Sanders. Because there is no apparent break-in, the sheriff considers Josie his number one suspect.
Josie along with Millie and Josie’s Mom Rose, decide to solve the murder case. Little do the humans know that the cats — Nero, Marlowe, Poe, Stubbs, Boots, Harry, Louie Two Paws and Juliette — are already on the case. They have met down on the pier to discuss the clues and race to get this solved by alerting the humans with clues along the way.
Mike Sullivan, Millie’s nephew, has been doing the renovations on the house. Mike is a retired serviceman with investigative experience.
While Josie is trying to solve the murder she must also put up with Barbara Littlefield, the building inspector. Barbara is always there ready to give Josie a fine for every little infraction.
The suspects are many. Could it be one of the guests? Or is it Stella Dumont, the owner of Smugglers Bay, who has had to contend with the nasty sea gulls pooping all over everything. It might even be Tony Murano, the owner of Marinara Mariner, who is upset over a bad food review Charles printed about Tony’s pie.
This book has mystery, humor and lots of twists and turns. A must read for those who enjoy cozy mysteries with cats included.
This is the first book in a new series, The Oyster Cove Guesthouse. After a disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce, Josie has moved back home and, after sinking her money into the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, is determined to turn her life around. But not only is she plagued with a host of desperately needed repairs and a nit-picking building inspector, but now a dead body is found in the closed-off section. In typical cozy mystery fashion, this story has the usual cavalcade of characters: the busybody elderly friend/family members intent on helping with the investigation; the pesky but hunky ex-romantic interest; the ancient, inept sheriff; and Josie herself, sucked into the investigation if only to prove herself innocent of the crime.But the real stars of this story are the anthropomorphic cats, Nero and Marlowe. As in Ms. Dobbs’ other series, Mystic Notch, these cats are intelligent and take their duties as caretakers of the guesthouse (and Josie) very seriously. As they communicate with each other and various other cats throughout the town to track down clues, they become intent on not only protecting Josie, but mastering communication with her to point her in the right direction. With several prospective suspects in mind, this will prove to be more difficult than Josie had originally thought, and she will need all the help she can get to resolve this and stay safe. I enjoyed this first book. The main characters can use some more fleshing out, but it was a good start with an interesting locale, several twists and turns, and of course, the cats…proud, acting as typical standoffish cats at times, and displaying an intelligence that far outweighs that of a dog (in the cat’s mind at least). Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book from NetGalley and all opinions are strictly my own.
This was a quick, easy read that was a lot of fun with quirky characters. Josie flees Ohio and her ex-husband to return to Oyster Cover, Maine to purchase a bed and breakfast. The lodge came with two resident cats, Nero and Marlow who seem to be able to help solve a murder. I really enjoyed this fun read.
Leighann Dobbs has another great series to follow in this one. There are a pair of crime solving cats who also have a “gang” of fellow feline investigators that help Josie (the new owner of the B&B) in solving a murder committed on the premises.
Throw in a grandma and her friend, the previous owner of the B&B, as a couple of “detectives” and getting the crime solved goes in a few different directions. A great and enjoyable read!
This was soooooo good!
The tone is set immediately, with the first sentence: “I should have known by the unsettling tone of the cats’ meows that disaster was looming.” My first thought was: this is going to be good! And yes, it was soooooo good!
Josie has bought a guesthouse and with that come two cats. And oh, the cats! The book is partly from Josie’s POV AND partly from Nero-the-cat’s POV! That was such fun!
I loved that part of this story is told from Nero’s POV. LOVED! Josie doesn’t treat him and his younger protégé as the superior beings they are. He doesn’t have much faith in Josie’s ability to keep the guesthouse running smoothly and her ability to solve the murder. So he and his student Marlowe investigate the murder and actually solve the crime! With the help of their cat friends. Nero is the mentor, Marlowe is the student. He’s teaching her how to look for clues. Marlowe catches on quick, but to make the humans understand? That’s quite the task!!! Those silly humans need all the help they can get. Too bad the humans think THEY solved it. Pssssh.
No doubt about it: this was one of THE best cozies out there. Such fun, full of (cat) humor. I can honestly say I was totally stunned at whodunit. I had my cards on the wrong suspect and I love being wrong in a murder mystery! I loved everything about this book, but I especially loved the cats. Nero and Marlowe have captured my heart!
Quote from Nero’s POV: “At least Marlowe was trainable. Josie on the other hand… well, Nero was a little worried about whether or not she would ever come up to speed.” LOL!