When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line. Mimi Lee is on top of the world. She has a thriving pet grooming business, the sweetest boyfriend, and a talking cat to boot. When she arrives at the elementary school where her sister Alice works, she’s expecting a fun girls’ night out—but … expecting a fun girls’ night out—but instead finds a teacher slumped over in her car, dead.
Alice was the last one to see Helen Reed, which instantly marks her as the prime suspect. Unable to sit quietly and let the authorities walk all over her sister, Mimi starts snooping and talks to Helen’s closest contacts, including one jumpy principal, a two-faced fiancé, and three sketchy teachers. With the help of her sassy but savvy cat, Marshmallow, and a cute kitten named Nimbus, the clock’s ticking for Mimi to get to the bottom of yet another case before her sister gets schooled.
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Absolutely charming cozy mystery series.
When a teacher is found dead at Alice’s, Mimi’s sister, school it looks like a tragic accident. Soon it’s clear that she was murdered and Alice comes under suspicion. That’s when Mimi, and her detecting cat, Marshmallow decide they have to find the real killer and clear Alice’s name. Add in an adorable kitten and trouble at home and you get a fun and engaging mystery.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sassy cat Marshmallow and Mimi Lee are back and investigating another murder. A visit to see her sister and the elementary school where she teaches takes a deadly turn when they find another teacher dead in her car. The police believe Mimi’s sister Alice was the last to see the deceased alive and place her at the top of their suspect list. Mimi knows her sister is innocent and quickly sees several other suspects. With a little help from her feline friend, she is going to put her sleuthing to the test and catch the real killer.
Mimi Lee continues to grow in this second Sassy Cat Mystery. She has a boyfriend, Josh, her pet grooming shop, Hollywoof is gaining new clients, some with some unusual requests, and her investigating has gone up a notch too. I love the relationship she has with her sister, Alice. I enjoyed getting to know Alice better. There is something going on with their parents that has them both worried. They take a page out of their mother’s handbook and do a little meddling of their own. The author has done a great job with character development, human and feline. Marshmallow again stole my heart.
The mystery was a fun one with Marshmallow and Mimi ferreting through the clues. Their telepathic relationship is unique. It would be such a treat to actually know what our cats are thinking, heck this cat can even read text messages. They worked through school politics and a clique of teachers as they pared-down the suspects. Frankly, setting the murder aside, it was nice to escape the reality of COVID and read about a school that was actually in session, teaching students.
The regular life subplots blended nicely and added so much to the book. A wonderful twist had me smiling ear to ear.
Mimi Lee Reads Between The Lines is a delightful lighthearted mystery with a sassy, smart kitty and his amateur sleuth person. All in all, a very enjoyable escape.
What a delightful new series this is! I plan to catch up by reading the first in this Sassy Cat series. The author has skillfully woven in sufficient backstory on characters so this can be read as a standalone. Some characters are defined through observations of others, and some are seen through their conversations and actions. While the setting overall is the LA area, the area where Mimi, her family and friends live is like a small-town atmosphere. The mystery kept me on my toes, but whodunit was not someone I would have seriously considered.
Mimi is a busy young woman who helped solve one murder mystery in the past. Thanks to an investor, she is the proud owner of Hollywoof, a salon for pets. She continues to learn new techniques and services from her veterinarian and from YouTube videos, such as clipping a bird’s feathers or dying a pet to look like a zebra. Mimi’s sister Alice got her a somewhat plump white Persian cat at a local rescue shelter. Mimi named the puffy white cat Marshmallow, and he loves to go to the salon with her.
One day after work, Mimi went to the school where Alice teaches. On the way out to the car, they saw a young woman in a car near Alice’s. It was Helen, a teacher, and she looked to be unconscious. Upon looking taking a closer look, they discovered she was dead.
Detective Brown, Mimi’s nemesis from an investigation a few months earlier, showed up at Alice’s the next day. While the autopsy results had not yet been received, the detective was questioning everyone who was at school the prior afternoon. When the results were in, he suspected Alice, as she was the last to see Helen and nobody else was in the school except the principal, with whom Mimi was chatting. Alice had motive, as she had been threatened with a layoff several months earlier, even though Helen was the newest teacher on staff.
There is a little one who misses Helen terribly – a stray kitten with dirty and matted fur that she had been feeding. This was a job for Mimi, who transformed the kitten into an adorable little girl named Nimbus. And Nimbus seems to have a similar talent to Marshmallow. She and Marshmallow have a special means of communication, and he finds they share a secret about their past. A secret that could soon come back to haunt them.
Alice’s principal asks her to take time off from school until things are settled regarding Helen’s death. Mimi has to act fast to find whodunit so Alice’s life can get back to normal. She begins to do what she did once before, asking questions of those who knew Helen best, including her roommate and her fiancé. There are a handful of possible suspects…but I never guessed who-really-dunit! This was a fun, surprising read, and I especially enjoyed the cats. I am excited about Nimbus going to her new home and looking forward to hearing more about her in the future! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys learning about the Malaysian culture, cats, and cozy mysteries with engaging young folks!
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel; a review was not required.
This was such a good book. I really enjoyed it.
Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines by Jennifer J. Chow is the 2nd book in A Sassy Cat Mystery series. I recommend reading Mimi Lee Gets a Clue before embarking on the newest addition. I did not and I was lost in the beginning. Mimi Lee owns Hollywoof, a pampered pooch palace in Los Angeles, California. She owns a cat that communicates with her telepathically named Marshmallow. Mimi is close to her teacher sister, Alice. Her father always seems to be busy with golf while her mother spends her time trying to marry off her daughters. When Helen Reed, a teacher at Alice’s elementary school, is murdered, Detective Brown puts Alice at the top of his suspect list. Mimi is not about to let her sister linger on the suspect list when she can do a little snooping with the aid of Marshmallow. The whodunit had several suspects, a red herring, and subtle clues. I like how Mimi and Marshmallow work together to solve crimes. That Marshmallow is one smart cookie. The mystery can be solved before the reveal if you pay careful attention to the clues. When not at her pet salon, she spends time with her boyfriend, Josh. They get to enjoy Valentine’s Day together. Mimi and Alice are worried about her parent’s marriage. They decide to plan a little something to help them. Alice finds a small kitten outside her classroom that Mimi takes into her home. She calls the little ball of fluff Nimbus who has something in common with Marshmallow. Mimi will need to come up with a plan to keep Nimbus safe. As you can see, Mimi is one busy woman. She certainly gets some unusual requests at Hollywoof. They provided humor in the story. We also get to learn about the Lee family mixed culture and the food they enjoy (lots of yummy food descriptions). I enjoyed the Harry Potter references and loved the nook under the stairs in Helen’s home. Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a cute kitten, a matchmaking mama, fun foreign fare, parent problems, a setup sister, one panicky principal, and a cheeky cat.