cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but still a great read for cat lovers who prefer intelligent, tough cats in their mysteries, as opposed to cutesy. I look forward to reading more Nick and Nora adventures.
mrs_gippy's review against another edition
1.0
Trying to remember this is just a book and that there is thus no one to actually be mad at, but oh, the main character was just so loathsome! I get it--the hallmark of a cozy mystery is a sleuth that is very much NOT a part of any sort of law enforcement agency, who catches things the police missed and saves the day; suspension of disbelief is usually necessary. But a sleuth who helps solve the case not through their smarts, but by being condescending, aggressive, and engaging in multiple criminal activities? That is just too much! Nora's attitude can be summarized as "I'm in the right and am superior to everyone else, so I can do whatever I want, including frequently taking off from my actual job, breaking the law, and lying to the police about it (which is breaking the law in itself)!"
Nora thinks far too highly of herself. She not only thinks the police can't do their job, but she thinks she can do it BETTER than they can. I mean, in Nora's world, why should anyone bother becoming police officer or detective at all with her around? They might as well shut down all the police stations and let her handle all investigations, because clearly police don't know what they're doing and need her to figure out everything for them.
Further, she commits multiple CRIMES, and thinks it is the RIGHT/MORAL thing to do! Impersonating a police officer twice? Why, that's just a "white lie"! And she has no qualms about having her friends hack the police's intranet or breaking and entering...in fact, she encourages and applauds such activities! And then, when she is threatened with going to jail for some of these crimes, she has the audacity to get angry and offended that the police would even consider such a thing!
She is also a hypocrite. She gets mad at the FBI agent, saying how wrong and unfair he is because "you lied to me!" ...but then turns around and lies to him AND the police, promising she'll finally butt out, when she has no intention of doing so. (I thought lying was wrong and unfair, Nora? Guess only when you're the one being lied to). Then when they don't believe her that she'll butt out and put police detail on her, she gets indignant and says something like "can you believe that? they didn't trust me to keep out of it?!!" Umm, well, you DID lie to them and try to continue being a nosy busybody, so they were right to do that!!! Could she be any mire obnoxious???
I haven't even finished the book, but I'm sure she'll* believe that it was her criminal activity that "solves the case," thus "proving" that the police "couldn't have done it without her" and that she was right all along. PUH-lease!!! As previously stated, I'd much rather have a sleuth whose brains is what helped solve the case, not their criminal activities. The very fact she had to resort to constantly taking off from her actual job and breaking the law to solve the case proves she is NOT fit to be investigating anything.
*I'm aware this is a work of fiction, so Nora will actually feel none of this as Nora doesn't exist. But the writer created the most unlikeable cozy sleuth I've ever encountered, so she really got under my skin! I wish the book ended with her actually going to jail for interfering with a police investigation.... meaning there were no more books written regarding this travesty of an amateur sleuth. As this is not the case, the best I can do is to avoid any other books in this series and urge other readers to stay clear of them as well.
Nora thinks far too highly of herself. She not only thinks the police can't do their job, but she thinks she can do it BETTER than they can. I mean, in Nora's world, why should anyone bother becoming police officer or detective at all with her around? They might as well shut down all the police stations and let her handle all investigations, because clearly police don't know what they're doing and need her to figure out everything for them.
Further, she commits multiple CRIMES, and thinks it is the RIGHT/MORAL thing to do! Impersonating a police officer twice? Why, that's just a "white lie"! And she has no qualms about having her friends hack the police's intranet or breaking and entering...in fact, she encourages and applauds such activities! And then, when she is threatened with going to jail for some of these crimes, she has the audacity to get angry and offended that the police would even consider such a thing!
She is also a hypocrite. She gets mad at the FBI agent, saying how wrong and unfair he is because "you lied to me!" ...but then turns around and lies to him AND the police, promising she'll finally butt out, when she has no intention of doing so. (I thought lying was wrong and unfair, Nora? Guess only when you're the one being lied to). Then when they don't believe her that she'll butt out and put police detail on her, she gets indignant and says something like "can you believe that? they didn't trust me to keep out of it?!!" Umm, well, you DID lie to them and try to continue being a nosy busybody, so they were right to do that!!! Could she be any mire obnoxious???
I haven't even finished the book, but I'm sure she'll* believe that it was her criminal activity that "solves the case," thus "proving" that the police "couldn't have done it without her" and that she was right all along. PUH-lease!!! As previously stated, I'd much rather have a sleuth whose brains is what helped solve the case, not their criminal activities. The very fact she had to resort to constantly taking off from her actual job and breaking the law to solve the case proves she is NOT fit to be investigating anything.
*I'm aware this is a work of fiction, so Nora will actually feel none of this as Nora doesn't exist. But the writer created the most unlikeable cozy sleuth I've ever encountered, so she really got under my skin! I wish the book ended with her actually going to jail for interfering with a police investigation.... meaning there were no more books written regarding this travesty of an amateur sleuth. As this is not the case, the best I can do is to avoid any other books in this series and urge other readers to stay clear of them as well.
krisrid's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, but not *quite* as much as the first book. It was still an entertaining book, especially as an audio book, which kept me occupied on my drive home for Christmas.
I like this world, with Nora having changed careers and inheriting an - apparently - magical cat. For the most part, Nora is a likable main character, although she is the stereotypical cozy heroine who inserts herself into the murder investigation in the most dunderheaded ways, virtually guaranteed to not only annoy the actual investigators, but also to land Nora in dangerous situations. But that is a regular feature of a cozy mystery, so I can't fault the author too much for it.
The actual murder mystery was pretty well-conceived and engagingly written. It held my attention pretty much all the way through and I especially love Nick the cat, who just appears in places he shouldn't be able to get into, just in time to help Nora out of tight spots. He is fun and funny and a creative addition to the cast of characters in this story.
Overall, this was a good read. Not a great read or a series that I would chomp at the bit to get my hands on the next book, but certainly a good, easy-reading and entertaining series that I would pick up a new book in if it was available when I needed a next read.
I like this world, with Nora having changed careers and inheriting an - apparently - magical cat. For the most part, Nora is a likable main character, although she is the stereotypical cozy heroine who inserts herself into the murder investigation in the most dunderheaded ways, virtually guaranteed to not only annoy the actual investigators, but also to land Nora in dangerous situations. But that is a regular feature of a cozy mystery, so I can't fault the author too much for it.
The actual murder mystery was pretty well-conceived and engagingly written. It held my attention pretty much all the way through and I especially love Nick the cat, who just appears in places he shouldn't be able to get into, just in time to help Nora out of tight spots. He is fun and funny and a creative addition to the cast of characters in this story.
Overall, this was a good read. Not a great read or a series that I would chomp at the bit to get my hands on the next book, but certainly a good, easy-reading and entertaining series that I would pick up a new book in if it was available when I needed a next read.
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoy this author’s twist on The Thin Man as the theme for her mysteries. In this case Nora is joined by a lovable cat named Nick and I believe there is more to this cat than just being lovable, he is a very special cat. A cat very savvy in figuring out clues and presenting them in very clear ways for Nora to understand.
In this 2nd installment of the series, Nora receives a call from her aunt telling her that her sister Lacey is in big trouble. One of her professors has been killed and Lacey was seen standing over his body with the murder weapon in her hand right before she fled the scene. The man wasn’t well liked and there have to be many more suspects. Nora and Nick set out to get their claws into the real killer and get her sister out of jail.
The author has given her readers another strong mystery to solve and thankfully Nick is there to move both the reader and Nora down the right path because there are twists that had us scratching our heads but later made perfect sense. She is also still trying to find out what happened to Nick the cat’s former owner Nick the private investigator. There are a couple of interesting developments.
All the characters are well developed including a man from Nora’s past and a very handsome FBI agent. They do their best to keep Nora at her sandwich shop and out of their investigations but she is a pretty stubborn woman when she sets her mind on something, especially when it comes to trying to save her sister.
Speaking of the sandwich shop, there are recipes at the end of the story. You may want to start there and make yourself a sandwich before you begin reading. Sandwiches are described within the pages with their clever and catchy names. They will have your stomach growling and your mouth watching so it is better too be prepared than having to put the book down for a grocery run or a trip to the kitchen.
Great characters and a great plot means this book is a perfect escape!
I need to mention that you do not need to know anything about the movies or the original story by Dashiell Hammett to enjoy this story, but if you do this story is a must read. I used to watch the movies with my mom way back when. This story and the one before always bring up those fond memories. You can probably catch them somewhere on television if you want to check them out. Also the next book in this series, Crime and Catnip hits store shelves December 6.
I thoroughly enjoy this author’s twist on The Thin Man as the theme for her mysteries. In this case Nora is joined by a lovable cat named Nick and I believe there is more to this cat than just being lovable, he is a very special cat. A cat very savvy in figuring out clues and presenting them in very clear ways for Nora to understand.
In this 2nd installment of the series, Nora receives a call from her aunt telling her that her sister Lacey is in big trouble. One of her professors has been killed and Lacey was seen standing over his body with the murder weapon in her hand right before she fled the scene. The man wasn’t well liked and there have to be many more suspects. Nora and Nick set out to get their claws into the real killer and get her sister out of jail.
The author has given her readers another strong mystery to solve and thankfully Nick is there to move both the reader and Nora down the right path because there are twists that had us scratching our heads but later made perfect sense. She is also still trying to find out what happened to Nick the cat’s former owner Nick the private investigator. There are a couple of interesting developments.
All the characters are well developed including a man from Nora’s past and a very handsome FBI agent. They do their best to keep Nora at her sandwich shop and out of their investigations but she is a pretty stubborn woman when she sets her mind on something, especially when it comes to trying to save her sister.
Speaking of the sandwich shop, there are recipes at the end of the story. You may want to start there and make yourself a sandwich before you begin reading. Sandwiches are described within the pages with their clever and catchy names. They will have your stomach growling and your mouth watching so it is better too be prepared than having to put the book down for a grocery run or a trip to the kitchen.
Great characters and a great plot means this book is a perfect escape!
I need to mention that you do not need to know anything about the movies or the original story by Dashiell Hammett to enjoy this story, but if you do this story is a must read. I used to watch the movies with my mom way back when. This story and the one before always bring up those fond memories. You can probably catch them somewhere on television if you want to check them out. Also the next book in this series, Crime and Catnip hits store shelves December 6.
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