Selected as a Modern Cat Connie’s Book Club pickHere, killer, killer, killer . . . For the first time in sixteen years, Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. She wants to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Fran, who’s having some difficulty looking after herself—and her eleven cats. Taking care of a clowder of kitties is easy, but keeping Fran from being … kitties is easy, but keeping Fran from being harassed by local bully Theo Barnes is hard. The wealthy builder has his sights set on Fran’s property, and is determined to make her an offer she doesn’t dare refuse.
Then Lara spots a blue-eyed ragdoll cat that she swears is the reincarnation of her beloved Blue, her childhood pet. Pursuing the feline to the edge of Fran’s yard, she stumbles upon the body of Theo Barnes, clearly a victim of foul play. To get her and Fran off the suspect list, Lara finds herself following the cat’s clues in search of a killer. Is Blue’s ghost really trying to help her solve a murder, or has Lara inhaled too much catnip?
Praise for Linda Reilly’s Deep Fried Mysteries
“I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzler of a mystery. Reilly cooks up a perfect recipe of murder and mayhem in this charming cozy.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Hat Shop Mysteries
“Smart, sassy, and a little bit scary. Everything a good cozy should be!” —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries
“Everything I want in a cozy mystery: endearing characters, an enchanting setting, tantalizing food descriptions and a top-notch mystery plot!” —Susan Furlong, author of the Georgia Peach Mysteries
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Escape Claws is the first book in Linda Reilly’s Cat Lady Mystery series. This is a light cozy with a well-plotted storyline and a great cast of well-developed characters, both human and feline. The story flows at a steady pace, with several subplots, an intriguing murder mystery, and a hint of the paranormal. There are lots of twists and turns and plenty of viable suspects to keep the reader engaged. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Lara Caphart, a talented watercolor artist, lives in Boston, Massachusetts, selling her art, doing online art projects, and working part-time at the bakery she lives above. She and her parents moved from their hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire sixteen years ago. When Lara learns that her that her estranged aunt, Fran Clarkson, is in need of help, she doesn’t hesitate to rent a car and travel from Boston, to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. She only plans to spend a day or two, but things happen and she ends up staying longer. Aunt Fran has become known as the Crazy Cat Lady and needs help with the eleven cats she’s taking care of that are mostly rescues and needs two knee replacements. Lara also learns that a wealthy builder, Theo Barnes, has his sights set on Aunt Fran’s property and has been harassing her. Early one morning Lara stumbles over Theo’s body and the murder weapon turns out to be one of Fran’s garden tools. Even though the victim wasn’t well liked and there are multiple people who had motive and opportunity, Police Chief Jerry Whitley naturally focuses his investigation on Fran causing Lara to extend her visit until the killer is found. Lara is enjoying spending time with her best childhood friend, Sherry Bowker, who owns and operates Bowker’s Coffee Shop with her mom, Daisy. There is also an ongoing mystery regarding a Ragdoll cat who Lara believes is the reincarnation of her childhood cat, Blue, but Aunt Fran claims she never had a Ragdoll cat.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Fran, who’s having some difficulty looking after herself and her eleven cats. Theo Barnes is the local bully and a wealthy builder and is harassing Lara’s Aunt Fran to get Fran’s property, and is determined to make her an offer she doesn’t dare refuse.
Lara spots a blue-eyed ragdoll cat that she swears is the reincarnation of her beloved Blue, her childhood pet. Pursuing the feline to the edge of Fran’s yard, she stumbles upon the body of Theo Barnes, clearly a victim of foul play. To get her and Fran off the suspect list, Lara finds herself following the cat’s clues in search of a killer. Is Blue’s ghost really trying to help her solve a murder, or has Lara inhaled too much catnip? This was a very interesting cozy mystery and I enjoyed the whole story to the end.
Linda Reilly is a new author to me and truly enjoyed her writing style. This is the first book in a new series, so this is a great way to get to know the characters and town setting.
Linda sets up a typical mystery and story setting which any cozy mystery reader should be able to enjoy. I found a few surprises before the end of the book and I had no clue who the murder was so, Linda set up a great mystery that keep me guessing the whole time a least. I enjoyed the additional mystery of the ghost cat and hope to find out more in future books as to where the ragdoll came from and why is she there.
Linda and her aunt are great likable characters and the town setting and its characters are very simple to get to know and enjoy reading.
I am looking forwarded to reading more about Lara, her aunt and the others in future books.
I listened to this book while doing my errands and doing routine tasks at home. The narrator did a wonderful job.
Lara Caphart returns to Whisker Jog, NH to assist her aunt. They haven’t communicated to each other in 16 years. As with most cozy mysteries, something will cause Lara to stay so there will be a book 2 in the series.
Aunt Fran is being harassed by Theo Barnes, the town bully. He winds up dead. There are a slew of suspects to include Aunt Fran. Throw in health issues and a clowder of cats and this becomes interesting.
What I liked:
The author took the time to develop the characters to include the clowder of cats. Each one had his/her personality- just like all the cats I know. There is also a list of characters in the beginning- I hope the author continues this in future installments. I’m sure this will be helpful while reading the book. I like a good reference page or two, instead of flipping through the book to remind myself who the person is.
This story of mystery and inner angst of the main character Lara is infused with humor, twists and insights.
Looking forward to the next installment.
I wasn’t able to get this book in any other format other than audio. The story, characters, and setting were great. What a great mystery. Lots of suspects and I was surprised by the killer but it all made sense. Even though there were a lot of cats, it was overdone so that was nice. The mystery of Blue the cat was a nice touch too. And while I give this book 5 stars for the story, sadly the narration was less than good for me. It was hard to distinguish who was speaking half the time and everyone sounded moaning and whiny. I felt not one bit of happiness from the narration. I often found myself falling asleep listening to the narrator where the book I would have zipped right through. The narration dragged the book down for me. This is not the fault of the author. I just don’t think this narrator was right for this book. I know others will disagree but that’s my opinion.
I loved this book. It made me flashback to taking care of my grandparents and how frail they’d become and how I’d do anything to protect them. I loved all the characters and was actually surprised by who the killer turned out to be.
fun series! Lara Caphart returns to New Hampshire to help her aunt deal with a man who is trying to buy her property. The man then turns up dead and Lara and her aunt are suspects. With the help of a mysterious cat, Lara sets out to find the truth. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more in this series!
This was a great start to a new series. It was unique and original. I loved Blue the mystery cat. Can’t wait to read the second in the series.
I love it!! Escape Claws is the first in Linda Reilly’s new Cat Lady Mysteries series, and I can’t wait for the next one to come out! This mystery pulled me in from the very beginning and kept my attention throughout. It was definitely hard to put down, and equally hard to have a favorite feline.
After receiving a call from her best friend, Sherri, that Aunt Fran was having trouble with a town bully and also was caring for too many cats, Lara took a few days off from her part time job in Boston, along with her artistic paintings, and headed for Whisker Jog, NH. It will be her first visit there in 16 years, since her parents moved from there to Sudbury, Massachusetts. Lara didn’t hear anything from Fran after writing to her several times, and while she didn’t forget her beloved aunt, her life finally took different directions.
Lara’s heart aches when she sees the state of disrepair of Aunt Fran’s home and how much older than her 50+ years Fran looks. Hesitant to listen to Lara, Fran does let he into her home. One of the first tasks she takes on for Fran is cleaning the dozen litter boxes for the eleven cats she cares for, strays or abandoned and left on her doorstep. She learns that Fran has a rapidly-degenerative arthritis, for which her doctor recommends knee replacements. She simply can’t see her way to have surgery and find someone to care for her cats while she has the replacements. And the cats are her closest family members now.
A local businessman, Theo, is trying to bully Fran into selling a strip of land she owns so he can add it to one he already owns, build, and sell condos. She doesn’t want to sell, but he is not leaving her many options, and on what she collects on disability barely covers her needs. The sale would certainly help her financially. Lara wants to help, provide all the solutions, and get back to Boston as her funds are very limited.
The following morning, Lara is outdoors and sees what looks like the cat she loved as a child, a Ragdoll cat named Blue. Deciding it could be a descendent of Blue, she follows it – and finds the body of Theo, murdered during the night hours – possibly when Lara heard raised voices during the night? Fran is a person of interest in the murder, especially with the history she had with the bully.
Lara and Fran, Sherri and Daisy, and children that Fran looks after are such wonderful, caring characters! Lara’s best friend Sherri owned a cafe near Fran’s, and Daisy, her mother, helps her with anything needed in the cafe. They are all very well defined, especially as Lara begins to learn a secret or two about Fran. These are the characters who really make the novel work beautifully! Well, them and the cats…
There is a rich assortment of folks in Whisker Jog, and Lara begins to feel her attachment to the town grow again. She decides that she is staying as long as the killer is on the loose, but the murder doesn’t seem to be solving itself. Figuring out who the bad guy/ gal might be seemed easy, at first, as most of the folks in town are simply good people. I had one who I thought was the killer, but I was so wrong. The real murderer was a complete surprise to me, one that I had never considered! The novel ends with great satisfaction, and I hope the next one is out soon! I highly recommend Escape Claws to every cat lady and cozy mystery lover who enjoys well-executed stories full of strong, friendly people and adorable cats – even the one named Blue that Aunt Fran says she never had. Hmm. Maybe next time we’ll find out where Blue … or her descendents … might have come from.
What a fabulous start to a new series, if you love cats and cozies this is a book for you!!! The characters were well developed and fun to become acquainted with, not to mention the small town feel the book gives you. The death and mystery unfolded seamlessly and makes it easy for you to devour the book. Lara was a great main character and I appreciated how she changed as a person throughout the read, you get to see her make true realizations about herself and I loved that. The cats were a terrific fit, each with their own personality and I look forward to what the future holds for them. I can’t wait for the next book, and you won’t want to either!!!
I loved this book. What’s not to love, a bunch of kittens, a cozy, and nice characters. Lara comes back to help her Aunt after sixteen years. But is she helping or did she bring bad luck with her. She and her Aunt are tied up in a murder. Lara found the victim at the edge of Aunt Fran’s property. He had been harassing her Aunt to sell her land to him. Next, the murder weapon is found and it just gets worse from there.
I liked Lara and all the cats. Blue is a special cat from Lara’s childhood. Blue keeps appearing, but Lara wonders if she is imagining Blue. I was so engrossed in the story and just enjoying it that the murderer took me by surprise. I would read another book by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.
Escape Claws by Linda Reilly is the first in a new cozy mystery series and I’m already anticipating the next one in this series.
Lara returns home to Whisker Jog, New Hampshire after having been gone for sixteen years to visit her Aunt Fran who needs help. Although she hasn’t kept in touch with Aunt Fran, Lara has kept in touch with a friend who alerted her to the fact that Aunt Fran needs. Lara started to slowly fall in love again with Whisker Jog as she tries to reconnect with her Aunt and make amends for not keeping in touch with her over the years. I really liked Lara and felt that she was sincere in her feelings for her aunt. I also liked that she is an artist which is quite different from many of the other cozy mysteries out currently. I was on pins and needles to see what decision Lara would make about staying or leaving Whisker Jog again.
Ms. Reilly’s descriptive writing made me feel very comfortable in Whisker Jog and the many characters that were introduced were extremely likable. The plot moved swiftly and there were plenty of suspects after the town bully, Theo Barnes, was murdered. The twists kept me guessing along with the clues provided by Blue, the rag doll cat/ghost.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.