REVIEW: Cat About Town

Cat About Town
Author: Cate Conte

Maddie James returns to Daybreak Island off the Massachusetts coast for her grandmother's funeral. She grew up on the island but now lives in San Francisco where she owns a juice bar. Planning to only stay on the island a few days to visit with family and friends, Maddie is perplexed when she discovers a local businessman, Frank O'Malley, is trying to force her grandfather to sell his house, even resorting to threats. Rescuing a stray orange tabby cat helps distract her from O'Malley's nonsense for awhile....until the kitty discovers his dead body. Who murdered Frank O'Malley? And who keeps leaving information about cat cafes for Maddie to find? Does someone want her to stay on the island?

I adore the idea of cat cafes! So I knew I just had to read this book! Loved it! A great start to a new cozy series! Cat About Town has a nice mix of humor and mystery. The mystery is engaging, and not entirely predictable. I like Maddie James as a main character .... she is intelligent and has spunk. The side characters are nicely developed and interesting, adding some depth to the story. JJ, the lovely ginger rescue cat, is awesome, of course. I was a bit skeptical about a former stray and adult cat adjusting immediately to being on a leash though.....I think in reality most adult cats would balk at a leash and require some time to get used to it. But.....it is a cozy mystery.....and a cat on a leash is just darling. So...I'm willing to suspend reality and just relax.

I am a bit weary of the budding love triangle cozy trope though. Maddie has a couple local men showing interest in her in this first story......just hoping this doesn't become a major plot point. Too formula. And....I'll be honest....the MCs never seem to choose the one I like best in these situations....or they end up marrying some other character that pops in from out of the blue, leaving both men in the lurch. Bleck. Just skip the love triangle.....and focus on the kitty cafe, IMHO. :) \

I enjoyed this light-hearted cozy mystery and look forward to more books in this series! The cover artwork is just darling!

Cate Conte is a pen name used by the author Liz Mugavero, author of the Pawsitively Organic Mystery series. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://lizmugavero.com/wp/