Book 63, 2018

Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof by Blaize Clement

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Yesterday, I had only a few chapters left in my book at work, and I brought it home to finish reading. It was Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof by Blaize Clement. It's part of the author's "Dixie Hemingway" mystery series, featuring ex-cop and current pet sitter, Dixie Hemingway.

Although I jumped into the series with the fourth book, the author did a good job of not making me feel like I was missing out. Dixie quit the police force after the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, and now she makes her living by taking care of other people's pets. One such assignment has Dixie taking care of a young boy's service dog while the boy is having surgery that will hopefully end his seizures. While caring for Mazie, Dixie meets one of the neighbors, a beautiful woman named Laura. Dixie is drawn to Laura right away. She doesn't have many female friends, and she is pleased to strike up a rapport with the other woman. Laura reveals she is on the run from an abusive husband.

Later, when Laura is murdered, Dixie is shocked but determined to aid the police by telling them what she has learned from Laura. Dixie takes Laura's cat to be boarded until the woman's sister can claim him. However, when Dixie meets Celeste, she takes an instant dislike to her. It seems there was little love lost between the sisters, either. It also becomes apparent that Laura had a habit of attracting dangerous men, and Dixie runs afoul of two of them during her time in Laura's neighborhood. Unable to keep out of the investigation, Dixie continues to ask questions, and curiosity may just kill the cat.

Fantastic story. Dixie was very real and relatable. She wasn't fun loving and free-spirited; instead, she was guarded and cautious. However, I found many of her wry observations to be humorous. All characters were fleshed out, even the pets, which I appreciated.

Favorite lines:
♦ Men are like puppies, they're easily distracted by compliments.
♦ ...he wears round eyeglasses that give him a cute Harry Potter look.
♦ Dogs don't stop loving you when your luck turns sour.
♦ You can be feeling like yesterday's cold oatmeal, and the sound of a cat's purring just because you're there makes you feel like you might be worth something after all.
♦ I like that about cats. They don't compare themselves with other cats. They don't talk themselves into feeling dumb or ugly or fat or thin, they just enjoy feeling gorgeous. Too bad humans don't do that.
♦ Cats, on the other hand, are as fickle about their toys as they are about their food. Wave a peacock feather at a cat one day, and he'll jump for it with ecstatic excitement. Wave the same feather the next day, and the cat will sit with a disdainful sneer on his face and look at you as if you have insulted him, his mother, and all his ancestors back to Egypt.
♦ Pets don't care if your boobs bounce or sag or swing or just lie there, but with all the stuff going on, I thought I might have to deal with men before the morning was over. Men are not as evolved as pets, they are easily distracted by loose bosoms.

I could have quoted even more! Loved the book, and I regret not reading the entire series to this point. However, I plan to remedy that. Five stars:

*****

Book 64, 2018

Murder Any Witch Way by N.M. Howell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



In addition to finishing my work book last night, I was also able to knock back the rest of the ebook I was reading: Murder Any Witch Way by NM Howell. It's the first installment in the "Brimstone Bay" mystery series, featuring young witch and journalist River Halloway.

River has moved to the small town of Brimstone Bay to get some journalistic experience writing for the local, small paper. She misses the paranormal normalcy of living in NY, where she was surrounded by like-minded folk. Here, River must keep her nature a secret. However, she is renting a room in a house filled with other witches, whom she becomes friends with.

When the Shadow Festival comes to town, River sees it as a chance to relax her guard. After all, there will be plenty of people role-playing as witches, weres, vampires, etc. Unfortunately, on the first day of the festival, a young girl is found murdered, with a ritualistic symbol carved on her back. River finds herself drawn into the investigation, and she enlists the aid of the other witches she lives with. Together, they may be able to solve the case before the body count gets higher.

The book was fun and lighthearted for the most part. The girl's murder was rather gruesome, however. Characterizations were okay, the plot moved along, and I didn't guess who dunnit. Or rather, I did, but I was wrong. Hah! Some things bugged me. For one thing, no sheriff in his right mind is going to ASK a journalist to help with the investigation. For another, the mayor isn't going to be involved, either, except maybe to put pressure on the sheriff to solve the crime. River came across as a bit juvenile, but she is young, so I guess it's to be expected.

Favorite line: Of course, the witch would live on a street called Black Cat Lane.

Average story, average score of three:

***