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sjsreads's review
4.0
My main disappointment in this book is that JJ (the cat) was hardly in it! That being said, this continues the small island town cozy mystery adventures of cat café owner Maddie. It's Christmas and she's dealing with a breakup as well as pushback from an upscale neighborhood against her and her fellow feral cat colony volunteers. When one of those neighbors ends up dead, Maddie must find who did it, while trying to avoid her ghosting ex who is back in town. There was a lot of angst in this one and maybe because I was chilling on vacation it was a little too much for me. I did like the first part where we kept going back and forth in time, but Maddie is at her best when she's not angry. And when she FINALLY decided to listen to Lucas to hear why he left for a conference and then never came back. I appreciated that everyone around her called her out on how she was acting. More JJ in the next one!!!!!!
whatjuliareads's review
3.0
Anther enjoyable cozy mystery, exactly the kind of thing I need right now. Honestly I'd have beamed someone else entirely over the head with a decoration that is not a garden gnome, because I love gnomes and I love cats.
georgeanne's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
A Whisker of a Doubt is the 4th Cat Cafe mystery by Cate Conte. Released 1st Dec 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 320 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an enjoyable and well written holiday themed small town cozy mystery with an appealing female protagonist. I had read the first couple of books in this series, then sort of lost track of it and hadn't read any of them for more than a year. I didn't have any trouble following the story or keeping the main characters straight in my head whilst reading. The setting is a small relatively isolated island community in New England which gives the author broad scope to pepper the narrative with "eccentric" local characters.
There's a fair bit of unnecessarily drawn out romantic drama which I found mildly annoying (since a 10 second face to face chat would've rendered it moot) but readers who enjoy heartfelt longing and regret from their characters will undoubtedly find it worthwhile.
The denouement was perhaps a trifle heavily foreshadowed, but nevertheless well written and executed. The cats (as always) are delightful and add a lot of whimsy to the story.
Four stars. This will appeal to lovers of small-town cozy mysteries (with cats).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
A Whisker of a Doubt is the 4th Cat Cafe mystery by Cate Conte. Released 1st Dec 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 320 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an enjoyable and well written holiday themed small town cozy mystery with an appealing female protagonist. I had read the first couple of books in this series, then sort of lost track of it and hadn't read any of them for more than a year. I didn't have any trouble following the story or keeping the main characters straight in my head whilst reading. The setting is a small relatively isolated island community in New England which gives the author broad scope to pepper the narrative with "eccentric" local characters.
There's a fair bit of unnecessarily drawn out romantic drama which I found mildly annoying (since a 10 second face to face chat would've rendered it moot) but readers who enjoy heartfelt longing and regret from their characters will undoubtedly find it worthwhile.
The denouement was perhaps a trifle heavily foreshadowed, but nevertheless well written and executed. The cats (as always) are delightful and add a lot of whimsy to the story.
Four stars. This will appeal to lovers of small-town cozy mysteries (with cats).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
peggyemi's review
4.0
A Whisker of a Doubt is the fourth book in the Cat Cafe Mystery series. I'm not a cat person, but I find this to be a very enjoyable series. It has great characters that are all hitting their stride. Maddie James is a bit impetuous, but her heart in the right place. She is loyal to her friends and can bit a bit stubborn when she is defending them. Maddie is surrounded by a wonderful cast of characters that include her Grandfather, sister, business partner, and parents. The one thing they can't seem to help Maddie with is her penchant for finding dead bodies or getting herself into trouble. This time around, Maddie stumbles upon a dead body close to Christmas and her close friend is accused and arrested for the murder.
The mystery was well done. It was interesting because the book started out with Maddie discovering the body and then goes back a couple of days prior to that to establish the circumstances that led up to the death of this person. There is plenty of intrigue and suspects to choose from. It seems like everyone in this neighborhood has a secret to keep and as they come to light the list of suspects grows. I enjoyed trying to unravel this mystery and figure out the identity of the killer. There was a nice twist thrown in as to the identity of the victim but that didn't help me guess the right suspect.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, St. Martin's, through Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The mystery was well done. It was interesting because the book started out with Maddie discovering the body and then goes back a couple of days prior to that to establish the circumstances that led up to the death of this person. There is plenty of intrigue and suspects to choose from. It seems like everyone in this neighborhood has a secret to keep and as they come to light the list of suspects grows. I enjoyed trying to unravel this mystery and figure out the identity of the killer. There was a nice twist thrown in as to the identity of the victim but that didn't help me guess the right suspect.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, St. Martin's, through Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
twocatstailoring's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
This book suffers from terrible editing and a main character who acts entitled, selfish, and just plain ridiculous.
The book is decent in the first half but then it goes off the rails. The main character says several times how she is known as reasonable and responsible, but her actions: demanding the law and law enforcement conform to what she personally wants, crashing a private event she was not invited to, and keeping herself in a snit with her boyfriend without listening to him - spoke otherwise.
She also seemed to lack pretty basic info about people she called her 'best friends' such as where they like to eat and what they do in their time off. All those things together made me won't why anybody put up with her.
But the way her family and friends talk to her - or don't! - answers that. They DONT.
The book is decent in the first half but then it goes off the rails. The main character says several times how she is known as reasonable and responsible, but her actions: demanding the law and law enforcement conform to what she personally wants, crashing a private event she was not invited to, and keeping herself in a snit with her boyfriend without listening to him - spoke otherwise.
She also seemed to lack pretty basic info about people she called her 'best friends' such as where they like to eat and what they do in their time off. All those things together made me won't why anybody put up with her.
But the way her family and friends talk to her - or don't! - answers that. They DONT.
addy1991's review
2.0
By this point in a series, one should like the main character more than the sides. I'm finding I don't care for Maddie as much as I would like to. She continues to throw her grandfather's name around in the hopes of it getting her what she wants, she doesn't understand the judicial system or boundaries between law enforcement jurisdictions and she certainly doesn't give others the benefit of a doubt unless it suits her. Being around her is exhausting! I gave myself until this book to decide if I will continue reading this series and it's a no-go. A shame, too because it truly held promise in the beginning.
audreylee's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A bouncing timeline and a wandering focus between romance and murder made this a tedious read.
kays_pallet's review
2.0
***SPOILERS***
Whenever I read a book, I like to look at the story and the writing as two separate things. I'm not the biggest fan of cozy mysteries. That being said, I liked this story. It was different from what I'm used to with the feral cats and the time jumping in the beginning. There were even a few times that really drew me in. I didn't read the other books in the series, but I felt like I was given enough information to enjoy the story without the background.
Now the writing. About halfway through the book, I wanted to give it 3 stars. However, the further I read, the more I didn't like. This book is a cozy mystery and I can't fault it for being one, but I can fault illogical actions, inconsistency, terrible characters, and just bad writing.
I was expecting some unrealisticness and flat characters as is the norm with this genre, but I thought Maddie was exceptionally annoying, childish, and entitled. She seems to think her opinion is the only one that matters and is at times more important than the law: "But that shouldn’t matter if someone is innocent" I imagine her saying this in a whinny voice as she believes her will power alone is enough to get her friend out of jail, even though what "shouldn't matter" is multiple witnesses. This girl needs to be told multiple times that what she's asking for is ridiculous and that's not how the law works, but she never listens:
"“He said he had to go. And I’m guessing he didn’t stop to offer up any money for Katrina’s bail.” I couldn’t keep the disgust out of my voice.
Grandpa shook his head. “Maddie. You can’t be like that. The man did his job.”
“I don’t care! There’s no way she can afford that. I’m going to try to raise it for her, but it’s not fair—”".
She's talking about a lawyer here. She was already told that the lawyer has no control over how much bail the judge sets. Does she really think that a lawyer is going to pay for his client's bail? I don't know of she's delusional or plain stupid.
This girl belongs on a reddit about entitled people. "Even for those who weren’t cool, they weren’t likely to call the cops on me since I was not only former Daybreak Harbor police chief Leopold Mancini’s granddaughter, but the daughter of Brian James, CEO of Daybreak Hospital." Do you even know who I am?
Then she invites herself to the man's funeral in order to spy or gather clues or whatever Nancy Drew nonsense she is up to: "I wanted a chance to talk to the people in Virgil’s life when they would, theoretically, have their guard down. And if they saw me at a function like this as a member of the prominent James-Mancini family rather than one of the wackadoodle cat ladies traipsing around the woods during a snowstorm, I’d probably have a better chance at finding something out." This is so insensitive. I mean this is a grown woman acting like she's 14.
Pages 156- 159 were pretty much unreadable and probably the most annoying Maddie scene in the whole book. She's so far up Katrina's butt, defending her tooth and nail, but she won't give her boyfriend the time of day to explain himself? Ok. It's kind of annoying having to wait so long (~300 pages) to find out what happened. Idk it wasn't good suspense building. It was dangling a mediocre carrot that I didn't even want anymore by the time I got it. Honestly, the way she is handling the whole situation, I wouldn't take her back if I was Lucas. She clearly doesn't prioritize their relationship or respect him as a person enough to let him explain.
Also, what's with the strong preachy overtones about stray cats. She seems to think that the fact of liking or not liking cats is the bases of friendship. We get it, she loves cats and feels responsible for them, but this is a fiction book. Not one to make me want to be a better person. Cool it.
All in all, I really didn't love this book. Maddie really grated on my nerves and I felt like a lot of things (not mentioned for fear of nit picking) were just illogical. In all honesty, I wouldn't have finished this book if I didn't have to read it for work.
Whenever I read a book, I like to look at the story and the writing as two separate things. I'm not the biggest fan of cozy mysteries. That being said, I liked this story. It was different from what I'm used to with the feral cats and the time jumping in the beginning. There were even a few times that really drew me in. I didn't read the other books in the series, but I felt like I was given enough information to enjoy the story without the background.
Now the writing. About halfway through the book, I wanted to give it 3 stars. However, the further I read, the more I didn't like. This book is a cozy mystery and I can't fault it for being one, but I can fault illogical actions, inconsistency, terrible characters, and just bad writing.
I was expecting some unrealisticness and flat characters as is the norm with this genre, but I thought Maddie was exceptionally annoying, childish, and entitled. She seems to think her opinion is the only one that matters and is at times more important than the law: "But that shouldn’t matter if someone is innocent" I imagine her saying this in a whinny voice as she believes her will power alone is enough to get her friend out of jail, even though what "shouldn't matter" is multiple witnesses. This girl needs to be told multiple times that what she's asking for is ridiculous and that's not how the law works, but she never listens:
"“He said he had to go. And I’m guessing he didn’t stop to offer up any money for Katrina’s bail.” I couldn’t keep the disgust out of my voice.
Grandpa shook his head. “Maddie. You can’t be like that. The man did his job.”
“I don’t care! There’s no way she can afford that. I’m going to try to raise it for her, but it’s not fair—”".
She's talking about a lawyer here. She was already told that the lawyer has no control over how much bail the judge sets. Does she really think that a lawyer is going to pay for his client's bail? I don't know of she's delusional or plain stupid.
This girl belongs on a reddit about entitled people. "Even for those who weren’t cool, they weren’t likely to call the cops on me since I was not only former Daybreak Harbor police chief Leopold Mancini’s granddaughter, but the daughter of Brian James, CEO of Daybreak Hospital." Do you even know who I am?
Then she invites herself to the man's funeral in order to spy or gather clues or whatever Nancy Drew nonsense she is up to: "I wanted a chance to talk to the people in Virgil’s life when they would, theoretically, have their guard down. And if they saw me at a function like this as a member of the prominent James-Mancini family rather than one of the wackadoodle cat ladies traipsing around the woods during a snowstorm, I’d probably have a better chance at finding something out." This is so insensitive. I mean this is a grown woman acting like she's 14.
Pages 156- 159 were pretty much unreadable and probably the most annoying Maddie scene in the whole book. She's so far up Katrina's butt, defending her tooth and nail, but she won't give her boyfriend the time of day to explain himself? Ok. It's kind of annoying having to wait so long (~300 pages) to find out what happened. Idk it wasn't good suspense building. It was dangling a mediocre carrot that I didn't even want anymore by the time I got it. Honestly, the way she is handling the whole situation, I wouldn't take her back if I was Lucas. She clearly doesn't prioritize their relationship or respect him as a person enough to let him explain.
Also, what's with the strong preachy overtones about stray cats. She seems to think that the fact of liking or not liking cats is the bases of friendship. We get it, she loves cats and feels responsible for them, but this is a fiction book. Not one to make me want to be a better person. Cool it.
All in all, I really didn't love this book. Maddie really grated on my nerves and I felt like a lot of things (not mentioned for fear of nit picking) were just illogical. In all honesty, I wouldn't have finished this book if I didn't have to read it for work.
pussreboots's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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