Book 6, 2019

[chez_jae]

Paws and Effect by Sofie Kelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



On Wednesday, after finishing the final chapter of one book, I got ambitious and finished another. It was Paws and Effect by Sofie Kelly, and it's in her "Magical Cats" mystery series, featuring small town librarian Kathleen Paulson, and her unusual cats, Owen and Hercules.

When Kathleen and her boyfriend, Detective Marcus Gordon, go to the local diner for breakfast, they unexpectedly run into three friends from Marcus' college days. The trio are in town to look into the possible environmental impact of a proposed development. Two of the three, John and Danielle, seem happy to see Marcus, but the third, Travis, appears to be holding a grudge. Kathleen learns that Travis and Dani were dating in college, until Travis caught her with Marcus, and he's still bitter about it.

Later, Dani is found dead, and once it becomes clear her death may not have been an accident, Marcus is tabbed as a suspect, since he was the last one to see her alive. He's taken off the case, but that doesn't stop Kathleen from doing some investigating of her own. She knows Marcus would never harm someone, but she also can't help but feel he's keeping secrets from her. Fortunately, Marcus' partner on the force is still looking into the case, too, and she and Kathleen team up to prove he's not a killer.

Very good story, with twists and turns aplenty. As always, I enjoy reading about Kathleen's real life. She goes to work at the library, meets up with friends, has dates with Marcus, attends her regular Tai Chi class, and spends time at home cooking, cleaning, and hanging with her cats. The cats, of course, play an important role in the story, too.


1. Dani was portrayed as a Mary Sue. Travis loved her, Marcus appeared to, and John loved her, too? Even Kathleen at one point was asking herself, 'Did this woman have no flaws?' when she was digging into Dani's background.
2. Can we pleeeeeeaase have one of these books end without Kathleen being in mortal peril? Like, could she solve the mystery of whodunnit, alert the police, and they go make the arrest while she's safe and cozy at home? Guh. At least in this one, she didn't find the body.
3. The author is turning Kathleen into a bit of a Mary Sue, as well. Marcus loves her, obviously, but now another man is vying for her attention? One whom she finds attractive and fascinating? Blah.

Favorite line: Micah leapt into the air and caught the furry corpse with her two front paws like Lynn Swann catching a forward pass from my dad's favorite quarterback, Terry Bradshaw. Micah is Marcus' cat, and I liked this quote for two reasons: 1) it reminded me of the time my Annalise sprang into the air and snagged a bat out of flight, and 2) I loved the Pittsburgh Steelers of the late 70's/early 80's era. Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert...

Wonderful book, loved the characterizations, including the 'regulars' like Maggie and Eric and Roma, along with the 'transients'. Five out of five!