Madrona Island: Where Mystery Meets MagicThe Hollow is a magical place where the cats of Madrona Island have lived since before the island was developed. When Cait’s witch friend Tansy alerts her to the fact that the cats are leaving the hollow for no apparent reason, Cait sets out to investigate. During the course of her investigation she finds a startling irregularity that is not only causing … only causing the cats to leave but is responsible for a human death as well.
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Farewell To Felines
Whales and Tails, Book # 15
Kathi Daley
5 Stars
Synopsis:
The Hollow is a magical place where the cats of Madrona Island have lived since before the island was developed. When Cait’s witch friend Tansy alerts her to the fact that the cats are leaving the hollow for no apparent reason, Cait sets out to investigate. During the course of her investigation she finds a startling irregularity that is not only causing the cats to leave but is responsible for a human death as well. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. I was glad to get to spend time with with Cait and all her friends and family. I always feel like I am visiting with old friends and I enjoy getting to learn what is happening in all their lives. And the mystical cats add
so much to the stories. In this case it is Apollo who comes to visit Cait and help her solve the mysteries on the island.
As is usual in this author’s books, there are a couple of mysteries to solve. There are plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through and add in the mystical cat and these are hard ones to solve.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I can always imagine the setting in my mind and it feels real to me. I almost that I was right there watching the choir practice and listening in on the gang’s crime solving sessions.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. You cannot go wrong picking up any of this authors books, they are all really great.
great book held my interest
Another great story in this series, which is my favorite by this author. This one has the usual twists and turns, along with a special cat to help solve the mystery (this time it’s Apollo). The storyline keeps you intrigued from beginning to end.
Side stories this time show how the personal lives of so many of the continuing characters are changing. This is one of the many little touches which keep the characters realistic.
Looking forward to more in this series. If you haven’t read any of these books yet and are a fan of cozy mysteries and cats, then I HIGHLY recommend it.
“Farewell to Felines” earns 5/5 Friendly Felines…Murderously Fun!
They’re gone…the cats are a special part of Madrona Island. They live in the hollow and are thought to be magical, and Caitlin is thought to be their guardian. They come to her when trouble (i.e. murder) needs her attention. Hiking through hollow Tansy, thought to be a witch, and Caitlin sense the cats are leaving and neither understand why. They do sense the balance in which they live seems broken. However, a brown cat with bright eyes and pointy ears enters. Tansy says “Apollo” is here to help Caitlin with another pressing issue…someone has died. Jealousy? Anger? Payback? The motives pile up, and the cat just might hold the key…“Meow!”
Another excellent book from Kathi Daley, engaging and entertaining. Yes, the cats that pop up seem odd, but it works well and provides a clever way to explain how the characters come upon the dead body, clues, and evidence. More realistic is the way the friends and family work together with their “murder board” showing critical thinking in action. Kathi writes even the mundane use of brainstorming as an engaging way to spread out all the suspects with motive, opportunity, and means. From there the characters engage the suspects in conversation, peruse reports and documents, and collaborate with law enforcement. All this, spiced with a unique intuition and a major storm, are various developing or evolving relationships making for a very entertaining experience.
I can always count on more recipes to add to my “virtual” cookbook for holiday dinners, book club gathering, and office potlucks. These easy-to-follow recipes for tasty treats are submitted by her fans: Cranberry Salad (fruit, fruit, and Jell-o!!) Crab Nachos (crab? Yes, please), Cherry Cream O Cheese Pie (aka “Cheater Cheesecake”), and Open-faced Apple or Plum Cake (let them eat…cake!)…Yum!
Let me start with a tip. I have had terrible sinus infection for a week. The only thing that has made feel any better is reading this book, Farewell to Felines .
Farewell to Felines is the 15th book in the Whales and Tales series by Kathi Daley. Cait and her friend Tansy are walking to an area of Madrona Island that is very magical called the Hollow that serves as the home for many magical cats. Tansy who seems to have have many magical powers is feeling bad. The find that the cats are gone! All except a cat named Apollo.
Cait instantly fears when she sees Apollo is that there has been a murder on Madora Island. Follow the cat to get the murder.
Cait is also trying to find why the cats have left the Hollow. After finding a lady has been murdered, she gathers her family inventive team together. Good read. And lots of happy news about her family! Please read enjoy!
In this next book of the series Cait and her friend Tansy visit the Hollow where the feral cats of the island live. They both can tell that something is off, especially when they don’t encounter any cats along their journey. It looks like the water has become tainted, but how can that be? Was it something natural that caused the water to go bad or did someone do such a dirty deed? When leaving they meet a cat named Apollo who is there to help Cait figure out just what is going on. On the trip home Apollo leads Cait to the body of Thea a local who seems to have had quite a few enemies racked up. Things get even more complicated along the way with the edition of a missing grad student who is later found dead. Is his death related to Thea’s or the tainted water or is it a case unto itself? Follow along as Cait and the gang try to figure out who killed Thea and the grad student, along with the mystery of the tainted water. Immerse yourself in this ever changing whodunit and enjoy the changes that are happening to these much loved characters. I’m enjoying their growth and look forward to where the future takes them.
As with the other stories in this series, a stray cat, this time named Apollo, is the lead to clues for Cait in her latest quest. This time, her quest includes tainted water, a dead body, and even a missing person. Are these three things tied together? As Cait tries to follow Apollo’s lead and solve one or all of these mysteries, she is also coping with changes in her own family and friends dynamics. I enjoy this series and the main characters, as they interact with each other…sometimes friendly and sometimes argumentative, but always supportive of each other. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book.
Big changes are coming to Madronna Island and the Hart family, as it continues to expand.
A little bit paranormal, with some visions and intuition and of course a wonderful guest cat helping with the mystery. Cait is trying to figure out what is happening in the Hollow and how it is affecting her friend Tansey’s health. Her guest cat this time, Apollo, helps Cait discover the body of a fellow church member who seems to have very different personalities, between church and social.
When a different person, not a long term resident, is declared missing and whose body is later discovered, Cait and crew are trying to figure out if all these events are connected. It seems too much for coincidence.
So much going on and this book kept me turning pages trying to piece the puzzle together.
Are the deaths related to each other and to the cats disappearance from the Hollow? Will the beloved trees play a major role in what happens in the future? Can brothers get along if they do into business together? I want to keep reading!
Madrona Island’s Cats Are Disappearing
Farewell to Felines is the 15th installment in Kathi Daley’s delightful Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery series. This is an ideal cozy mystery … it’s a fun, clean read. The characters are well developed, likeable, and relatable. The storyline is captivating, well written, flows smoothly, and there’s just enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing. I highly recommend all Ms. Daley’s books to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted cozy mystery.
Cait and Tansy are visiting The Hollow, the mystical place located in the center of Madrona Island where the feral cats have lived since before the island was first developed. Tansy, who has some type of mystical power, which is tied to the magic surrounding the cats, told Cait that the cats were leaving from The Hollow, and they were trying to see if they could figure out what was happening. They discover the water supply is tainted, but don’t know the source of the contamination. As they approach Cait’s car to head home, they find a large brown cat sitting on the hood. Tansy says his name is Apollo and he’s there to help. Apollo leads Cait to the home of Thea Blane, the new director of the adult choir, and Cait finds Thea’s body in her bedroom. Thea’s cause of death is determined to be blunt force trauma to the back of her head. Apollo leads Cait to a wallet that was washed up in the storm and later to the body of the wallet’s owner, Travis Long. Cait, her best friend and business partner, Tara O’Brian, her fiancé, Cody West, her brother, Danny Hart, and her older sister, Siobhan Finnegan team up with the island’s resident deputy and Siobhan’s husband, Ryan Finnegan, to try to figure out who killed Thea and Travis. Cait’s younger sister, Cassie, is torn about staying on the island or going to college even though she doesn’t know what career she’s interested in and Cait and Siobhan giving sage advice to her. Siobhan is expecting her first child; and Cait’s brothers, Danny and Aiden, and Aunt Maggie all have big news to share with the family.