Welcome back to the charming New England coast, where Maddie James’s cat café is at risk of becoming a crime scene for the purrfect murder. . .Maddie is hoping to have some downtime during Daybreak Island’s off-season to tackle her to-do list. Her grandfather’s house-turned-cat-café is under construction and she’s also scoping out places to open a juice bar on the island. On top of that, her … island. On top of that, her relationship with adorable dog groomer Lucas has taken a pawsitive turn.
But easy is getting harder every day for Maddie, especially when a big-name writer who’s on the island working on a new project winds up floating in the canal. This, on the exact same day an eccentric woman shows up at the cafe claiming Maddie’s cat, JJ, is hers.
As the investigation into the dead writer picks up, Maddie realizes that even the neighbors she’s known all her life might be keeping secrets that go deep into the heart of this small seaside town. Meanwhile, a killer remains at-large…and on the prowl.
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Things on Daybreak Island have gotten quieter now that it has entered November and the season is officially over. Maddie James is delighted to find that she still has a few locals who drop into her cat cafe. But she’s really surprised about the man who came in, paid for a week in advance, and spends most of his time working on his laptop surrounded by the cats. However, things get interesting when a woman shows up and announces that she believes JJ, Maddie’s cat, is really her cat. Naturally, the encounter upsets Maddie, but it is soon pushed to the back of her mind when a body is found floating in the water next to the yacht club. With a Nor’easter approaching the island, will that interfere with the investigation into the death?
I found it fun to visit this island during the off season, not that it keeps the book from being any less exciting. In fact, there is quite a bit happening here, and it takes some time for Maddie to unravel what relates to the murder and what is just red herring. By the time she does that and we reach the exciting climax, everything makes perfect sense. One of the minor characters in the series really steps into the spotlight with this book, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about him. The suspects are strong, and I loved spending time with the series regulars again. I’m already anxious for the next book to see how the ending of this one is resolved. This is another fun, charming entry in the series.
Although my daughter is the cat lover in our family, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Having a real live book novelist sitting in your cat cafe writing his novels, and not recognizing him is just too much. At least your privacy is guaranteed. Between Maddie and her Dad, the former police chief, things are always hopping!
Great book! A famous writer has been visiting Daybreak Harbor and suddenly is found murdered. A strange woman had recently been in the cat cafe claiming that Maddie’s cat, JJ, was hers. It seems like she could be a suspect, as well as the man’s ex-wife and writing partner. Also, Leopard Man seems to be involved somehow. Maddie’s grandfather won’t let her help with the investigation he is doing, so she goes it alone. Maddie’s sister, Val, is helping a woman plan a big Thanksgiving party, and the woman seems to think someone is stealing ship replicas from the yacht club. She asks for Maddie’s help in finding the thief. A very intriguing story and I had a hard time putting the book down. I look forward to more books and especially seeing what’s really going on with Lucas.
I love this series! Including The Tell Tail Heart. The characters are endearing and engaging, the cats adorable, and the mysteries are challenging for this armchair sleuth.
I couldn’t imagine spending a winter on Daybreak Island, subject to nor’easters and other storms that could keep one from leaving the island at all for days at a time. It would be fun for a while except for folks who get stressed when feeling confined.
Speaking of confined, there is at least one person who needs to be confined, possible two or three, for the creepy stuff going on. First, the writer who has spent many hours at JJ’s House of Purrs, the cat cafe she recently opened, is found dead in the canal. It was only hours after Maddie’s sister Val told her the man in her cafe is the renowned author, Jason Holt. And only hours after a strange lady had a staring contest with him when she was at the cafe.
It is the same strange lady who told Maddie, owner of and partner in the cat cafe, that JJ is not Maddie’s cat, but her Pumpkin that she lost a few years ago. Maddie’s partners in the cafe are her grandpa Leo and her former business partner when they lived in California, Ethan. She moved back to Daybreak Island after her grandmother died, and she and JJ adopted each other at the cemetery after a visit to her grandma’s gravesite. Nobody is taking JJ from her!
Maddie is busy already overseeing the remodel of the first floor of the family home, which will be almost entirely used for the cat cafe while the family lives on the upper floors. She is over her 10-cat limit by one, then her close friend from the shelter drops off a carrier full of adorable kittens. Yet she has the insatiable curiosity that her grandfather, the retired police chief, helped him through his years on the force and now as he does PI work.
Maddie’s sister Val has a VIP client for her new party planning business. The wealthy Ava-Rose hired her to help plan her Thanksgiving party to be held at the yacht club, closed except for special events through the winter. Only board members and the skeleton staff have access to the building, and Ava-Rose has discovered a crime. Somebody has been stealing valuable, hand-carved ship replicas that are part of the club’s history. Ava-Rose was “staking out the joint” from her vehicle to see who might enter the club when she saw Jason Holt and the island’s only vet, Dr. Drake, having a heated discussion. Holt walked away and Dr. Drake left in his car. Moments later, she hears a vehicle rev up, a thump, and speed away. Sadly, she didn’t see the car, nor did she see Holt at the time as he was in the canal.
Maddie comes up with several suspects. And does she have a vivid imagination, trying to determine who might have killed Holt and why, and how to keep the creepy lady away from her JJ! One person that the police want to see is Leopard Man, the sweet older man who is a friend of Grandpa and the family, who speaks in Shakespearean quotes and dresses as a leopard. Then there is the vet, who was there talking with Holt that night, and the creepy lady who had the stare down with the author. As if that isn’t enough, Holt’s former writing partner and Holt’s soon-to-be ex-wife arrive. Both stop at the cat cafe after hearing the author spent much writing time there. Crimes from 40 + years ago seem to have a tie-in, but how?
As if these aren’t enough to keep a gal busy, Maddie’s boyfriend Lucas goes to a pet-grooming convention off-island, and doesn’t come back as planned. The last we hear of him, he has to take another trip and will explain everything when he returns.
This fabulous book is a must-read for those who love cozy cat mysteries, appreciate a protagonist who is challenged with a slight lack of confidence in relationships, and complex crimes begging to be resolved. As well as JJ, the adorable boy who needs to be kept safe. I enjoy the interactions and friendships between characters, the mysteries and historical tie-in, and how almost everything is resolve and tied up with a bow…everything but the cliffhanger! While I already look forward to the next novel, the cliffhanger isn’t why…
This is an amazing book in a phenomenal series. I started reading this book, and I couldn’t put it down. I love reconnecting with Maddie, her grandfather, her family and friends, and of course JJ her cat. There were so many twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages. We learned the back story of one of the characters, and it was very fascinating and interesting. I would absolutely love to go to the cat café and spend time with the cats. The characters are real, and I appreciate that. I highly recommend this books and this series!