When Ellie Warren opens the Kitty Beret Café, her life revolves around finding forever homes for rescued cats and serving lattes. That is, until a woman’s body is discovered behind her shop—the same woman who’d thrown a hissy fit with Ellie in front of lots of witnesses. With Ellie’s cat, Templeton, supplying clues and the help of handsome Detective Simon Dare, she’s on the prowl for the … murderer. Will Ellie discover the identity of the culprit before the murderer sinks their claws into her?
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Hairballs and Homicide (Kitty Beret Café Mysteries Book 1) by Ruth J. Hartman
5 of 5 Stars
As a book lover, a fan of cozy mysteries and a cat lover this novel is absolutely perfect as it combines all three! I loved this heartwarming and original story by a new author to me Ruth J. Hartman, and I will definitely be reading more of her books. This is the first in the ‘Kitty Beret Café Mysteries’ series and introduces the reader to the Kitty Beret Café and its owner Ellie Warren. The author does a great job of setting the scene, so much so I could picture myself (and my cat) at the café. As well as running the café, Ellie finds forever homes for rescued cats, but not everyone is a fan of cats and one lady in particular makes her opinion known to Ellie in front of a full café. Unfortunately that same women is then discovered murdered behind her cafe and her husband believes Ellie is the murderer.
Thankfully Detective Simon Dare is less convinced that Ellie is a suspect but the handsome Detective is not impressed when she decides to investigate herself along with her cat Templeton, of course. Templeton is very good as supplying clues and soon Ellie is discovering the identity of the murderer but she is unaware that she has put herself in their sights and is in danger.
The storyline flows well and is a lighthearted and fun read. The plot is full of quirky characters, drama, a murder mystery to solve and even romance, along with cats to keep you hooked and happily turning the pages. The descriptive narrative really brings both the quirky characters and the unique setting of the café to life and I felt completely immersed in the story. I was kept guessing as to the identity of the murderer and enjoyed solving the crime along with Ellie. I just wish I had a place like the Kitty Beret Café that I could visit along with my cat! An enjoyable and engaging read and I am already looking forward to book two.
I give Hairballs and Homicide (A Kitty Beret Cafe Mystery, Book 1) by Ruth J. Hartman, 5 stars.
As a cozy mystery book, this book is great, it has all the things you want in a cozy mystery and keeps you guessing until the end. As a cat lover and cozy mystery aficionado, this book is phenomenal. The cats in this book – I want to adopt them all!! As the lead clue finder, Templeton is awesome. The other kitties in the cafe looking for forever homes are all adorable and huggable. Ellie has a huge heart and genuinely wants to help others — mainly the furry kind, but also the two-legged kind also. Oh, and her assistant has her own funky personality and is just as great.
The setting as a kitty cafe where the kitties can be adopted is very original in a cozy mystery and I love the concept. The other people in her town are all unique and great. And the suspense around the murder keeps you guessing and changing your mind.
I loved this book and cannot wait to read the next one. Any fan of cozy mysteries or of the adorable balls of fur and purrs will love this book.
I just love Templeton in the cozy mystery. Templeton is just a cat, but oh what a cat he is!
Ellie Warren opens Kitty Beret Cafe in hopes of providing a different type of cafe atmosphere dedicated to “kitty time” and rehoming her cats. Customers come in to enjoy their cup of coffee while also enjoying time with her cats. Ellie’s cafe business contains lots of regulars, but an unwelcome visitor saying horrible things about the cafe and the stranger’s death behind her cafe makes her life a little more unsettling.
Detective Simon Dare stands at Ellie’s side when her life gets more complicated as someone sabotages her brake lines. The detective becomes her shadow as Templeton keeps finding clues in the coffee shop. Can Detective Dare solve the crimes related to Ellie’s cafe before it’s too late?
Hairballs and Homicide (Kitty Beret Café Mysteries Book 1) by Ruth J. Hartman is probably one of the most interesting books that I have read in a long time. When I first read the blurb about this book being the cat love that I am, I just knew that I had to read it right away. Ms. Hartman did not disappoint not only did she give us an enticing mystery with clues that had us furiously flipping the pages to see what would happen next but she gave us so many imaginative cute and cuddly kitties, amazing main characters, and a suspenseful mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. Her writing flows well, although I did find a few typos but nothing that bothered this reader. So if your looking for a fun mystery this week I highly recommend Hairballs and Homicide (Kitty Beret Café Mysteries Book 1) by Ruth J. Hartman.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery, it was a nice change of pace to me to dive into to read. Ellie Warren runs Kitty Beret Cafe and also loves to sew little costumes for the cats that are in her cafe. It warms the heart a bit that all she wants is to find loving homes for these cats. Unfortunately, a not so nice lady comes into the Cafe and says unkind words and threatened Ellie and her cafe to run a story on how bad the cafe is and the cats. Later, the same lady, is discovered dead behind Ellie’s cafe. Who would kill this lady and why? This is a sweet, cozy mystery. The cats made me chuckle especially Ellie’s cat Templeton. Overall a very good story if you do enjoy a cozy mystery.
Hairballs and Homicide by Ruth J Hartman is the first book in the Kitty Beret Cafe Mystery series. For a mystery book I found this to be surprisingly lighthearted and fun, although it didn’t take away from the mystery element of it. The characters were all easy to get on with and worked well with the story. I was definitely intrigued as to how the book was going to go.
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed how easy going it was. I think I definitely commented with it more because of that. I wish there had been just a little less of the cat side of things but it wasn’t enough to detract from the story. This was an overall great book and I will be reading the next book for sure.
This was a first book written by this author for me. It will not be my last. As a crazy cat lady, myself, I found this to be a wonderful read involving cats. And add into the mixture that it is a mystery, and we all know that cats are curious so of course that led to their involvement. It was hilarious. In fact, the cats were such an integral part of the storyline that I couldn’t put the book down. Even if you don’t love cats I think you will find this to be a very good read. However, if you are a cat lover you have got to pick this book up. It’s phenomenal. I can’t wait to read what the next cat caper entails.
This book brings home cute and cozy with a dash of mystery. Most people love cats and the author brings it home with a Cat Cafe. Just like a Starbucks, you can go in and do what you need while you can pet and cuddle a cat; maybe even adopt one. This Cafe owner, Ellie, has a dash of trouble with hers. But along comes Simon, the dashing detective, that even picky Templeton adores. Through a series of misadventures that come about after a particularly nasty woman leaves her Cafe and dies behind it, Ellie comes to help find out who did it. Ellie and Templeton have a nose for clues. Templeton has a bit of a talent for disappearing himself. The book was quirky. The characters felt like small town personalities that had me chuckling as I read through. The humor is really a nice touch. I never saw the ending. That’s what makes a good mystery for me. Highly recommend.
Sweet little cat-themed mystery
This was a super-cute cozy mystery based in a cat cafe. Absolutely adored the cats especially Templeton. There were moments where I felt the story lost momentum due to getting caught up on the descriptions of the cafe and cat accessories but these were few and far between. The characters all had their amusing moments. A quirky, fun read with a dash of romance that will keep you entertained until the end.
This was a fun book about a coffee shop owner, Ellie Warren, who’s Kitty Beret Cafe features cats in costumes roaming the shop looking to be adopted. When someone is murdered in the alley behind her shop, her own cat, Templeton, starts finding mysterious trinkets. Detective Simon Bates assigns himself as Ellie’s personal guard while they look for the murderer. Suddenly, Ellie’s life is turned upside down with strangers accosting her in the shop, strangers staring daggers at her, and more. This was a fun, light-hearted read that I recommend, especially to cat lovers.
4 Stars
Hairball and Homicide is the first book in the Kitty Beret Café Mystery series by Ruth J. Hartman. It is a cute cozy mystery- with some very quirky characters, a colourful cat café, murder, crime + investigation, humour, banter, a little romance, drama, and angst.
We meet Ellie Warren who owns the Kitty Beret Café where lattes and kitties abound. Life is good- until one of her crankier customers is found murdered, behind her café… and so the story begins.
This is a fun story to read with plenty of detailed descriptions that help set the scene/s. I love the original quirky premise of a cat café mystery series and am curious to see where we go from here. The only minor issue that I had is that the ‘mystery’ in the story got overshadowed somewhat by all the ‘cat’ elements, antics, shenanigans, costumes etc. Some of them were a little too long and involved and disrupted the flow of the actual ‘mystery’- but overall it was a fun and enjoyable story. I did adore Templeton though…
Thank you, Ruth J. Hartman!
Where do I begin? I absolutely adored this book! It was a light, a little cheesy (in the best way!!!) and engaging read. First off, as a proud cat lady, I really appreciated the lengths that Ellie went through for the cats that reside at her cafe. The idea of running a cat cafe that also provides adoption opportunities for these cats is a huge win for me. I would definitely patronize that business and be a part of that. Great premise.
I thought that the mystery of the plot was good. There were, however, parts of the story that I felt became much, were not necessary or confusing to the overall plot but I did like the way it ended.
I thought the naming of her cat, Templeton was very clever. He was an absolute star in this book. I definitely would read more mysteries in the Kitty Beret Cafe series.
I really enjoyed this cosy mystery. I enjoyed the little romance and the interaction with the cat Templeton.Its a beautiful relationship between a woman and the cats she loves.
When a women comes into the cat cafe and causes a scene with Ellie the owner the lady vows that Ellie will regret meeting her. How right she was.
When the same lady turns up dead behind Ellie’s cafe things start to take a dangerous turn not only for the person who was murdered but also for Ellie.
With help of her precious cat Templeton helping and providing clues to the real killer you are taken on a ride from beginning to end. Can Ellie and Templeton solve the case before the murderer strikes again?
A café, cute cats, and a murder mystery. I think I was in love when I came across this book! I am a person who defiantly supports animals and finding forever homes for them as well and I do love my cozy murder mysteries so of course I had to pick this one up and give it a read. I am so glad I did!
The story is around our wonderful protagonist named Ellie. Whom is a total sweetheart and really loves cats and ensuring the welfares of their health. She runs an amazing café named Kitty Beret Café (Personally I would love to visit this place in real life) where cats free roam while customers enjoy kitty inspired drinks. Everything in the café is cat related and I found truly fun and humorous to read. I must admit reading those words of the names of the drinks made my heart smile more than once.
Everything seems so blissful for Ellie and her fur babies. Well, that is until anyway when an elderly lady who walks in has many complaints about the beautiful cats free roaming. She immediately was a character you strongly dislike. Not long after her scene she made about cursing out poor Ellie, she was found well murdered.
By whom was the true mystery that needed to unfold? Who would have motive and reason to kill her aside from her bashing a café so many people knew and loved. Worst of all Ellie is at risk of losing her café because she seems to have the motive. Ellie wasn’t going to stop for this and she would have to rely on the instinct of her felines to help her! Especially her special one, he was very intelligent and he proved to be a wonderful side character and aided to the case very well. There was more characters introduced and I enjoyed them just as much. The detective (needless to say) was a character fun to imagine and easily could fall for as a reader. One thing was clear someone was out to get Ellie, but why and who? That is the mystery my dear friends and you will have to read to find out!
There was a lot things Ellie and her cats had to figure out. I loved how the author emphasized a lot on the cats The costumes, their habits, I really had fun reading that. It was a cozy mystery right up my alley. How could I not love this book? I also loved how this book kept be going there was quite a possibly list of people who could have murdered the lady who had the outburst. It kept me guessing as I read through and to be honest I was wrong with my guess in the end haha!
This was a delightful read and I truly enjoyed it. I never had read a book by this author, but from my love of this book, I can honestly say for a fact that I will. I am so glad I discovered this book and had a fun heartsome read as I read through. It had treats for the reader, as well as the cats. Highly recommend!
Hairballs and Homicide is the first book in the A Kitty Beret Cafe Mystery by Ruth J. Hartman and is a cozy mystery and a sweet romance rolled into one. Our super sleuth is on the hunt for a murderer with her trusty sidekick superbly dressed cat. That’s right our female lead loves and rescues cats but she loves to dress them up. I mean what is a story without a little quirkiness going on to make it fun. There a quite a few colourful characters that will have you laughing out loud and people on the bus staring at you. But who cares if it makes you feel good, right? This entertaining tale is full of comedic banter and is a great escape.