Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson often seems to gets mixed up in murder, but luckily, her very special cats always find a way to help her close a case . . .The charming Minnesota town of Mayville Heights is hosting a music festival, and the whole place is bustling with musicians and tourists. Kathleen is looking forward to taking in some fabulous performances–and her two cats, Owen and … cats, Owen and Hercules, are looking forward to taking in some fabulous sardine crackers. But then the trio stumbles across a dead body by the river.
The victim is a close friend–who also happens to be a look-alike of a popular cabaret singer set to perform at the festival. Who could have wanted to harm this innocent girl? Was it a case of mistaken identity?
As accusations abound and suspicions swirl, Kathleen, Hercules and Owen will put their abilities–both mundane and magical–to the test, and lay down the paw.
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A good mystery is sometimes hard to find, but Sofie Kelly continues to do a fantastic job with The Cats Came Back.
Now, this is the tenth novel in the series, but do not let that stand in the way. Kelly does a fantastic job of recapping events in the previous novels to give the reader a sense of where the characters are now. They are not distractions but only serve to engage the reader and ground them in. Kelly’s sound structural and lively writing gives the novel its strong personality that allows the reader to know who these characters are.
The Cats Came Back is a book any reader can curl up to. It makes the reader want o curl up to it on a cozy sofa with a cup of tea or coffee. The atmospheric writing is relaxing, even in those few high-tension moments. The Cats Came Back is, after all, a mystery and it is a good one at that.
Unsuspecting
What I loved about the novel is the suspense. There are so many red-herrings in the novel that keep the reader from figuring out who the culprit it. I will say that eventually, I figured it out, but I had the motive all wrong. No one wants to read a mystery where they already know who did it. It only works in some cases like in Monk, but most of the time I prefer to be surprised.
Kelly does a fantastic job of pointing the finger at various suspects to keep the story engaging and the reader on the edge of their seats. Her precision and attention to detail are impressive and, once again, the characters are realistic and funny, connecting to the reader.
Warm and Fuzzy
What also makes the novel stand out is the cats. Kathleen has two magical cats that can go through walls and do all sorts of things. They even help Kathleen in her investigation. Honestly, Kathleen is living my life. All I want is to be a librarian just like Kathleen in a small town and her love of cats only makes her more personable.
Owen and Hercules may only meow to the reader, but Kelly has imbued them with so much life and vitality. Anybody who is a cat owner will see their cats in this novel because of the personality they have.
Final Thoughts
The Cats Came Back is a brilliant novel. It encourages the reader to take a breath and curl up with a nice cup of tea…or coffee if you are like Kathleen.
This is such a good series. I love the town and the characters and mostly the cats. A perfect cozy.
I love most books that have cats as part of the action. These cats are a cut above “normal”, but fun to read.
I enjoy mystically cat books and this is a great one. My only complaint is she doesn’t write fast enough.
I started reading this book and getting the basic info about the Cats Hercules and Owen sounded familiar and I realized I had read the book in the series before this. The good thing about this book is you can read it and get a good sense of what was going on, I was not lost because it was one in a series.
Kathleen is a librarian in Mayville Heights. Her Boyfriend Marcus is a detective with the police. A friend of a friend dies and somehow Kathleen gets involved. Because people talk more to people who are not the police friends talk Kathleen into “Investigating” the case. Of course she discovers it and gets into some trouble.
I love the silliness of the cats disappearing and that the town seems to know that the cats understand them and are special because they are “Wisteria Hill” cats. I honestly can’t wait for the next book in the series to see if the cats secrets are finally given to Marcus.
Great book.
I received this book to read for free in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.
Cats Hercules and Owen help Kathleen investigate the murder of the assistant to cabaret singer, Emme Finley, who is in town for a music festival. This book also has Roma and Eddie’s wedding. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to see what mischief the cats get into next. Hoping for a wedding between Kathleen and Marcus soon, too!!!
I’ve read several of the Magic Cats series. This was my least favorite. Not very interesting. In fact I skipped several sections and don’t feel like I missed anything.
The Cats Came Back is another great book in Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats Mystery series. This book takes place during the Wild Rose Summer Music Festival. Musicians and fan have come from far and wide to participate. During the festival, while Hercules and Owen are being photographed by a local artist, a body is discovered not that far from them. She looks like one of the singers but she ends up being a friend who also bears a striking resemble to the singer. It’s up to Kathleen and Marcus to find out why the woman was murdered and if she was actually the intended target or if it was a case of mistaken identity.
I really enjoy the Magical Cats Mystery series. The pacing is steady and the entire novel is easy to read and understand. Multiple suspects keep the reader guessing and keep Kathleen and Marcus on their toes. The continued world building and character development of Kathleen, her magical kitties, and Marcus, along with the secondary characters, is fresh and original with each installment.
The books in Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats Mysteries are descriptive without going overboard. I feel like I’m in every scene of the story. The books also have the right amount of suspense to keep the reader engaged all the way to the end. The romance included isn’t over the top and doesn’t overshadow the mystery solving. It’s a nice addition to give the story and characters realism.
The Magical Cats Mystery series is one of my favorites. I enjoy the lowkey nature of cozy mysteries. They keep me entertained with their quirky main characters. I recommend the series to all cozy mystery lovers.
I voluntarily reviewed a hardcover version of this book.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This is one of my favorite cozy series. The cats remind me of my own, sans magical powers of course, but including their love of treats. In this story, Owen and Hercules are going to star in a new calendar promoting Mayville Heights. While getting ready for his close up, Hercules is distracted by something in the water. When their human counterparts investigate they find the body of a woman in town for a music festival. Because of the festival the town in full of performers and tourists opening up the suspect pool. Kathleen and the cats find themselves on the path of the killer. Her insight and the magical talents of Owen and Hercules may solve the case or put them all in danger.
With well-drawn characters, the mystery takes us on a great ride leading up to a very exciting ending. Kathleen doesn’t back down and her cat’s little powers come in handy and crack me up, even in dire situations. I love the way Kathleen handles her cats and the way Hercules and Owen handle her. Their interactions are priceless.
Kathleen and Marcus’ relationship continues to grow. She is getting close to having to tell him about the cat’s special abilities, but I think he already knows something is up. He is a detective after all. I enjoy the way he supports Kathleen’s sleuthing, they do make an awesome team.
Sofie Kelly writes a story so easy to escape right into. Being #10 in the series it is like visiting old friends, but if you are new to the series, you will quickly feel at home. This is a fun and entertaining story. I anxiously await the next book! It’s going to be a long year
I love this series. I am glade that kathleen and maracus are a couple. Will they get married???
I can’t rave enough about the delightful Hercules and Owen! Who could resist such handsome, intelligent, and charming magical cats. Plus, the sense of community and warmth of Mayville Heights had me almost packing up to move there. It would have been purrrfect except for the…..murder! I found this book to be engaging, heart warming and suspenseful with a huge dash of fun. I highly recommend it.
“THE CATS CAME BACK” by Sofie Kelly is the tenth book in the Magical Cats series. Although part of a series, it can be read as a standalone book since you are brought up to speed on characters from the past books pretty quickly. This was the first book in this series that I have read and I didn’t feel lost or confused on who was who at all.
“THE CATES CAME BACK” is the story of Kathleen Paulson, the librarian for the small town of Mayville Heights, Minnesota and her two feral recued and somewhat magical cats, Hercules and Owen (especially Hercules who has the ability to walk through walls).
The story all takes place during late August, during the preparations for the Wild Rose Summer Music Festival to be held in the Stratton Theatre and the upcoming wedding of friends Roma and Eddie.
It’s during a photo excursion for a tourism publicity calendar using Hercules and Owen as models that Kathleen and Ruby Blacthorne find a dead body. Detective Marcus Gordon, Kathleen’s boyfriend, was one of the officers to arrive when Ruby called 911. They had first misidentified the body Emme Finley, but the type of shoes and the lack of a beauty mark assured them it was Miranda Moore, Emme’s friend who resembled her a lot.
After being asked by two people to help solve the murder since she has had success in the past with such matters, Kathleen feels the need to help the police in any way possible to find the murderer. Marcus understands but asks her to be careful and to keep him informed of anything she finds out. Hercules and Owen prove to be invaluable in helping to solve the crime.
The story keeps you guessing whodunit while at the same time the preparations for both the concert and the wedding precede. You will fall in love with Hercules and Owen, become friends with the characters in the book hoping for a solution to the crime and a happily ever after for the happy couple. The murderer was a surprise to me and the ending well played out.
After reading “THE CATS CAME BACK”, I will be checking out the first nine books and definitely be looking forward to the next book to see what adventures Kathleen, Hercules and Owen can get themselves into. If you love cats, love cozies and love a bit of magic, then you will love “THE CATS CAME BACK” as much as I did.
Kathleen Paulson is the head librarian for the
Mayville Heights Free Public Library in Minnesota.
She is the owner of two special cats, Hercules
and Owen. These cats aide Kathleen with murder
investigations.
Both cats were feral cats. They followed Kathleen
home.
Hercules can walk through walls and helps Kathleen
find certain websites on her laptop.
Owen can become invisible whenever he wants
with a habit of finding and taking things he can
carry away in his mouth.
The annual festival in about to take. The town is a
buzzed with a lot of non-locals.
While down by the harbor taking pictures for a cat
calendar, Hercules gets restless. Then Kathleen, her
cats and the photographer find a dead body.
Who is dead? Was it a robbery gone wrong, an
accident or foul play?
The story drew me in immediately. It takes off very
quickly keeping an invigorating pace right up to the
end. A very well plotted adventure with interesting
sub plots and several twists and turns.
The characters are complex, colorful, well defined
and ones you would like to meet. The cats were a
great addition to the story!!
A magical, entertaining read!!
I volunteered to read The Cats Came Back. Thanks
to Penguin’s First-to-Read Program for the
opportunity. My opinion is my own.