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The No.2 Feline Detective Agency #1
The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency
Prepare to be besotted with The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, the first book in a new series that turns the traditional British cozy on its head and features feline crime-solvers.
Hettie Bagshot has bitten off more than any cat could chew. As soon as she launches her No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, she’s bucketed into a case: Furcross, home for slightly older cats, has a nasty spate of bodysnatching, and three of the residents have been stolen from their graves. Hettie and her sidekick, Tilly, set out to reveal the terrible truth. Is Nurse Mogadon involved in a deadly game? Has the haberdashery department of Malkin & Sprinkle become a mortuary? And what flavor will Betty Butter’s pie of the week be?
In a haze of catnip and pastry, Hettie steers the Furcross Case to its conclusion, but will she get there before the body count rises--and the pies sell out?
Hettie Bagshot has bitten off more than any cat could chew. As soon as she launches her No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, she’s bucketed into a case: Furcross, home for slightly older cats, has a nasty spate of bodysnatching, and three of the residents have been stolen from their graves. Hettie and her sidekick, Tilly, set out to reveal the terrible truth. Is Nurse Mogadon involved in a deadly game? Has the haberdashery department of Malkin & Sprinkle become a mortuary? And what flavor will Betty Butter’s pie of the week be?
In a haze of catnip and pastry, Hettie steers the Furcross Case to its conclusion, but will she get there before the body count rises--and the pies sell out?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2014
64 people are currently reading
977 people want to read
About the author
Mandy Morton
30books106followersMandy Morton began her professional life as a musician. Her songwriting formed the basis of six albums during the 1970s and early 1980s, when she toured extensively with her band. More recently, she has worked as a freelance arts journalist for national and local radio, specialising in making music and theatre documentary. She is the co-author of a non-fiction theatre book, In Good Company, and lives with her partner in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always a place for an ageing long-haired tabby cat. The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is her first novel, and begins a series of books inspired by her first cat, Hettie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
April 7, 2023
I didn't know what kind of read this would he and at first I was a little worried that all characters were cats and no humans in sight! But I quickly got engaged and this was a successful mystery and the end even managed to shock me a bit. I got the next book in the series borrowed from the library as well so hopefully will get it soon before I have to return it.
May 7, 2017
This book is an obvious nod to Alexander McCall Smith (or as he's referred to in this book, Alexander McPaw Spit) and his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but there the similarity ends. While McCall Smith's books are funny, charming, brilliant in their simplicity, and a commentary on human nature, this book was just silly. And kind of boring. Maybe it's me. I guess a book on anthropomorphized cats just isn't my thing. But even after I was able to wrap my head around the concept, the book still didn't work for me. There's a lot of murder and mayhem in this book but no one seems too fussed about it: X just murdered Y? Shucks. Want some cake?On top of this blasé attitude, there doesn't seem to be any sort of kitty justice system so there are no repercussions for the criminals which sort of begs the question of why there would even be a need for a feline detective agency. My other major problem with this book was it's pandering to racial stereotypes. One of the characters, for example, is a Jamaican catnip-smoking cook by the name of Marley Toke with lines like "Oh Miss Marcie! Dat sound de best ting dat ever happened to me in all me days." Kind of reminiscent of Prissy from Gone With the Wind. Pretty offensive stuff. Basically the title was the best part of the book.
*I received this book through ŷ Giveaways*
*I received this book through ŷ Giveaways*
February 17, 2018
Well, what to say about this book....It is just silly but in it's a lot of fun to read. The characters are all cats and they sort of solve mysteries. The ending sort of threw me but the book was fun and very silly. I'm glad I took the time to read it.
February 13, 2016
Drawing heavily on Alexander McCall Smith's ideas (and not just for the title), this is a very silly, and moderately charming attempt at humourous crime. It is sometimes really quite funny, and I liked the recurrent cardigan motif. The relationship between the two main characters was good, even though Hettie is a feline Mma Ramotswe (without the brains or the compassion).
The cats seem to be operating in an alternative version of early 1960s rural England, although why would you bother to have a Detective Agency in a place with apparently no Police, and no consequences at all for causing death, however accidentally?
I've given it 2 stars, because it did make me chuckle, but sometimes it reads like a book written much longer ago than 2014, and this is especially so with the very broad racial stereotypes which made me feel quite uncomfortable. Has no one else noticed this?
The cats seem to be operating in an alternative version of early 1960s rural England, although why would you bother to have a Detective Agency in a place with apparently no Police, and no consequences at all for causing death, however accidentally?
I've given it 2 stars, because it did make me chuckle, but sometimes it reads like a book written much longer ago than 2014, and this is especially so with the very broad racial stereotypes which made me feel quite uncomfortable. Has no one else noticed this?
August 4, 2016
let me tell you, this book is so macabre, I love it! here we have a world inhabited by cats having shops, driving cars, and doing all the stuff humans normally do, including starting detective agencies. this book comes along with a solid mystery and a surprising solution, coupled with the strangest deaths I ever encountered in any mystery novel before. also, all the small details Mandy Morton put into the book - like naming her cats after famous people - only made me love it even more! personal favorite: Turner Page, the library van cat!
one more thing, not sure if this was intended or if it's just me reading this into the novel, I see a certain critical view towards society in here, especially concerning euthanasia. intended or not, this book is a must-read if you love black humor and cats!
one more thing, not sure if this was intended or if it's just me reading this into the novel, I see a certain critical view towards society in here, especially concerning euthanasia. intended or not, this book is a must-read if you love black humor and cats!
July 26, 2017
I'm at a complete and utter loss on this one. Maybe it would've made more sense if I'd been drunk when I read it. I wonder if the author was drunk when she wrote it.
This is not just a cozy with cats. The characters are all cats. And not of characters like you find in the "Cat Who ..." series, I mean all of the characters are cats. They wear clothes, drive cars, take buses, hold library cards ... and yet the author has made an attempt to make it clear that we are not talking about humans, as they sleep curled up in chairs and lick their fur.
I didn't find it charming, just weird. The cats mimic most aspects of British civilization except apparently having an actual police force ... they simply off each other and move corpses around like dead mice. I'm stunned to see that this really is a series, with multiple entries.
This is not just a cozy with cats. The characters are all cats. And not of characters like you find in the "Cat Who ..." series, I mean all of the characters are cats. They wear clothes, drive cars, take buses, hold library cards ... and yet the author has made an attempt to make it clear that we are not talking about humans, as they sleep curled up in chairs and lick their fur.
I didn't find it charming, just weird. The cats mimic most aspects of British civilization except apparently having an actual police force ... they simply off each other and move corpses around like dead mice. I'm stunned to see that this really is a series, with multiple entries.
November 1, 2015
Incredibly daft but sweet little book which was a perfectly acceptable way to while away a Sunday afternoon.
March 8, 2017
This is a very creative, humorous and quirky mystery novel. Cats are in charge. No humans. It's a world of anthropomorphized kitties. Hettie Bagshot and her assistant, Tilly, have started a detective agency in a rented room behind a bakery. Hettie knows nothing about detecting or crime, but figures she can wing it and make enough money to pay the two pound a week rent. Their first mystery involves the theft of three dead cats from the Furcross Home for Slightly Older Cats. The three elderly cats had opted for the euthanasia package, but after their peaceful sendoff, someone snatched their bodies right out of the graves! Hettie and Tilly are hired by the owner of Furcross who begs them to discover the nefarious bodysnatchers before all the residents bail from the care home in fear.
There are lots of references, puns and cute jokes sprinkled throughout this book. It took me a chapter or two to really get into the story. But once I got used to the fact that all things were cat-centric in this cozy mystery, I began to enjoy the tale.
Hettie is a cute main character. I had to smile when she reminisced about her days in rock-and-roll. Tilly is a sweet side-kick. Her love of cardigan sweaters is endearing. All of the supporting characters are quirky and fun. The mystery is light. The mood is humorous and fun. It's baptism by fire for the cats on the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency's first case, and they rise to the occasion with kitty-like aplomb. The ending wasn't really a surprise, but it was thrilling with a sharp edge of humor.
For those looking for a mystery with good humor and lots of creativity, this is it! It's a light, quick read. Don't expect a detailed murder mystery, but enjoy a quick romp through an old folks home for slightly older cats.
There are four books in the Hettie Bagshot Mystery series.
**I voluntarily read a copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
There are lots of references, puns and cute jokes sprinkled throughout this book. It took me a chapter or two to really get into the story. But once I got used to the fact that all things were cat-centric in this cozy mystery, I began to enjoy the tale.
Hettie is a cute main character. I had to smile when she reminisced about her days in rock-and-roll. Tilly is a sweet side-kick. Her love of cardigan sweaters is endearing. All of the supporting characters are quirky and fun. The mystery is light. The mood is humorous and fun. It's baptism by fire for the cats on the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency's first case, and they rise to the occasion with kitty-like aplomb. The ending wasn't really a surprise, but it was thrilling with a sharp edge of humor.
For those looking for a mystery with good humor and lots of creativity, this is it! It's a light, quick read. Don't expect a detailed murder mystery, but enjoy a quick romp through an old folks home for slightly older cats.
There are four books in the Hettie Bagshot Mystery series.
**I voluntarily read a copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
September 19, 2016
It took me three attempts to finish this book, as I just couldn't engage with the characters. The book is easy enough to read, but the characters and story just didn't leave me gripped at any point. If anything, it left me annoyed at times.
There were some big continuity errors in the book, and at times it missed the 'anthropomorphism' mark where the characters were neither human nor feline (eg they could do up buttons on a cardigan and hold a pencil, but not a knife and fork??) and the twists and turns in the story seemed to be put in more to fill pages than to add anything.
Probabky won't bother with the next in the series.
There were some big continuity errors in the book, and at times it missed the 'anthropomorphism' mark where the characters were neither human nor feline (eg they could do up buttons on a cardigan and hold a pencil, but not a knife and fork??) and the twists and turns in the story seemed to be put in more to fill pages than to add anything.
Probabky won't bother with the next in the series.
March 13, 2017
Oh my! Where to start? Like quite a few others, I’m a big fan of cat detective stories and have several favorite authors in this area including Rita Mae Brown, Lilian Jackson Braun, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Shirley Rousseau Murphy.
All these noted writers feature cats that have humans attached to them in some way; the principal characters do their sleuthing in a world of humans. This book is different. These are two hard-working felines residing and working in a society populated entirely by cats. It’s as though your favorite feline detective writer decided to channel Lewis Carroll (for the through-the-looking-glass qualities of its imaginative world) and Alexander McCall Smith (whose No. 1 Ladies� Detective Agency surely provided the inspiration for this book’s title and central pair).
The furry detectives, feisty Hettie Bagshot and her loyal but arthritic assistant Tilly Jenkins, are endearing. Reduced to living in a back room and garden shed at a modest rent of two pounds a week, they are clawing for their lives. The goal of their fledgling detective agency is simply to make enough to pay the rent and buy themselves some food.
Their big chance comes with a call from Marcia Woolcoat, matron of the Furcross home for slightly older cats. The haughty Marcia has a problem--not so much a missing persons case as a missing bodies case. Their search for solutions takes them into the world of hut cature with some rather macabre findings. How Hettie and Tilly manage to solve this thorny problem and raise their standard of living makes for fascinating reading. The premise (and the puns) are a bit outrageous, but the book is surely laugh-out-loud funny at times. I liked it so much I ordered another in the series, The Death of Downton Tabby (!). I’ll let you know how that goes. But this book is great fun.
All these noted writers feature cats that have humans attached to them in some way; the principal characters do their sleuthing in a world of humans. This book is different. These are two hard-working felines residing and working in a society populated entirely by cats. It’s as though your favorite feline detective writer decided to channel Lewis Carroll (for the through-the-looking-glass qualities of its imaginative world) and Alexander McCall Smith (whose No. 1 Ladies� Detective Agency surely provided the inspiration for this book’s title and central pair).
The furry detectives, feisty Hettie Bagshot and her loyal but arthritic assistant Tilly Jenkins, are endearing. Reduced to living in a back room and garden shed at a modest rent of two pounds a week, they are clawing for their lives. The goal of their fledgling detective agency is simply to make enough to pay the rent and buy themselves some food.
Their big chance comes with a call from Marcia Woolcoat, matron of the Furcross home for slightly older cats. The haughty Marcia has a problem--not so much a missing persons case as a missing bodies case. Their search for solutions takes them into the world of hut cature with some rather macabre findings. How Hettie and Tilly manage to solve this thorny problem and raise their standard of living makes for fascinating reading. The premise (and the puns) are a bit outrageous, but the book is surely laugh-out-loud funny at times. I liked it so much I ordered another in the series, The Death of Downton Tabby (!). I’ll let you know how that goes. But this book is great fun.
August 5, 2018
This novel is a bit of light-hearted nonsense, and should be enjoyed as such.
Mature-aged tabby cat, Hettie Bagshot, former pop star, is in somewhat impoverished circumstances, and so sets up a detective agency. Her first case takes her to the Fur Cross Home for Slightly Older Cats, where Matron Marcia Woolcoat is alarmed at the disappearance of three of her recently deceased residents. Hettie, together with her assistant Tilly, begin a seemingly simple investigation, which takes them far deeper than they (and the reader) might have imagined.
The book's title alludes to the delightful, witty Alexander McCall Smith book, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and there are lots of references to British popular culture. I giggled at some of them, such as the Malkin and Sprinkle department store, and Dignicat (presumably a play on the name of the euthanasia lobby group Dignitas.) The persona of Hettie Bagshot is undoubtedly a caricature of the fictional crime character Hettie Wainthrop.
One of the reasons I selected this title was to read a humorous novel, a bit of fun and frivolity while on holiday at the beach. This book is not rocket science, but definitely good for a laugh.
Mature-aged tabby cat, Hettie Bagshot, former pop star, is in somewhat impoverished circumstances, and so sets up a detective agency. Her first case takes her to the Fur Cross Home for Slightly Older Cats, where Matron Marcia Woolcoat is alarmed at the disappearance of three of her recently deceased residents. Hettie, together with her assistant Tilly, begin a seemingly simple investigation, which takes them far deeper than they (and the reader) might have imagined.
The book's title alludes to the delightful, witty Alexander McCall Smith book, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and there are lots of references to British popular culture. I giggled at some of them, such as the Malkin and Sprinkle department store, and Dignicat (presumably a play on the name of the euthanasia lobby group Dignitas.) The persona of Hettie Bagshot is undoubtedly a caricature of the fictional crime character Hettie Wainthrop.
One of the reasons I selected this title was to read a humorous novel, a bit of fun and frivolity while on holiday at the beach. This book is not rocket science, but definitely good for a laugh.
January 1, 2019
Very silly cozy with amateur ”cat�-tectives Hettie and her roommate/office assistant Tilly.
Assisted by their plumber friend Poppa (an old rhodie colleague of Hettie's from her travelling musician days) they are hired to solve a case at the Furcross Home For Slightly Older Cats. Much zaniness ensues as the super cute kitty cats lend their expertise to the solving of the mystery. The author gives homage to a best-selling author both in the title of the book itself and also in the name of one of Tilly’s favorite mystery writers � Alexander McPaw Spit. Too funny, cute and clever. (NOTE: different cover than displayed.) The drab cover illustration on the 2014 edition will make many readers wish the publishers had chosen an artist to illustrate this darling story � perhaps with whimsical black and while drawings of the town and all the interesting inhabitants
Assisted by their plumber friend Poppa (an old rhodie colleague of Hettie's from her travelling musician days) they are hired to solve a case at the Furcross Home For Slightly Older Cats. Much zaniness ensues as the super cute kitty cats lend their expertise to the solving of the mystery. The author gives homage to a best-selling author both in the title of the book itself and also in the name of one of Tilly’s favorite mystery writers � Alexander McPaw Spit. Too funny, cute and clever. (NOTE: different cover than displayed.) The drab cover illustration on the 2014 edition will make many readers wish the publishers had chosen an artist to illustrate this darling story � perhaps with whimsical black and while drawings of the town and all the interesting inhabitants
November 5, 2020
This is described as a cosy mystery.
This book is so bonkers it needs a category all if it's own
Every character is a cat & the book is very witty with some hilarious moments.
I look forward to reading more if the series
This book is so bonkers it needs a category all if it's own
Every character is a cat & the book is very witty with some hilarious moments.
I look forward to reading more if the series
July 26, 2021
Hettie and Tilly have just set up their detective agency when they get a call that bodies have been snatched from local graveyard.
Can they get to the bottom of what’s going on and still be home in time for tea?
I really enjoyed this fun, cleverly written and surprisingly dark mystery story in which all of the characters are cats!
There are some excellent descriptions of food, some good twists and turns and this first book in the series does a great job of setting up the world and introducing us to the characters.
There are some stereotypes that made me a little bit uncomfortable (the book is a few years old now) and I think the pace slowed a bit in a couple of places but this is a series that I will be continuing and I’m looking forward to more!
Can they get to the bottom of what’s going on and still be home in time for tea?
I really enjoyed this fun, cleverly written and surprisingly dark mystery story in which all of the characters are cats!
There are some excellent descriptions of food, some good twists and turns and this first book in the series does a great job of setting up the world and introducing us to the characters.
There are some stereotypes that made me a little bit uncomfortable (the book is a few years old now) and I think the pace slowed a bit in a couple of places but this is a series that I will be continuing and I’m looking forward to more!
July 29, 2021
The No. 2 Feline Detection Agency has two things I like very much � felines and detection. It is for this reason I decided to give this book a try. However, it is a somewhat confusing and seemingly written as it goes along kind of book.
The author spends approximately 30 � 40% of the book, by my own estimation, talking about either food or cardigans/other clothes. It strikes me as strange that I should see this as a negative since I am very fond of both those things, but it just added really next to nothing to story which was already rather skimpy on plot.
On the subject of the writing, it is sometimes difficult to read when the author writes in big blocks of text as this author does. I remember that at least once an entire page (small though they were) was just a long text block. There is not enough dialogue to break up these rambling narrative passages for my personal liking. And speaking of the narrative, the writing during the action sequences are passed over so quickly, I was very often left thinking, “wtf did I just read?� (SPOILER: Marcia’s murder, Oralia’s fall from the catwalk, the break-in at Hambones� etc. All seemingly impactful scenes that were maybe covered in a paragraph or two?)
I’m additionally very confused about this world of cats. In some ways it seems very much like our own; references to Hollywood and something being “Spanish� seems to indicate it’s the same world as ours. But there doesn’t appear to be any humans living in it? Are the cats just the dominant species or are we going to find out in later book that there’s a cat society set up out of site of the humans? There are a number of analogs to humans; Cocoa Repel as a type of Coco Chanel and Elizabeth Traybake as Elizabeth Taylor. But aside from a few references, these characters have no real character at all and don’t live up to their potential human counterparts.
The characterization of all the cats in general could use some work. For instance, Hettie, who apparently used to be a famous musician now has no money and has decided to set up a detection agency despite having absolutely no experience or knowledge about it? How…does that work? She employs Tilly, her friend, whose relationship is left extremely vague. We have no knowledge of their meeting, or how they became friends which I feel like could have been important to the story. Instead we have gratuitous scene of cats stuffing various food products into their pockets?
But all that aside, what is the strangest part of this entire book is how much murder is gotten away with and how bad police protocol (is there even police?) is in the cat society. I don’t know if we’re supposed to say, “oh they’re cats, so they’re fine with this,� but to me it just seems really poorly written. We’ll start with the first instance in which three cat bodies are found dumped at the back of the store. Instead of calling the police (what police?), the store puts out a radio announcement about it? So Hettie goes to view the bodies and…just takes them? Without having any idea what the missing cats she’s looking for look like. And when they get the back to the home and they ask the director to identify them? She faints and falls in an open grave. Never are the cats properly identified and no authorities are called. Cats go inside and eat handsomely. W.T.F.
And what about the perpetrator, who stole the dead bodies for their luscious fur? She trips on the catwalk and becomes impaled on a skewer Hettie was holding (while intoxicated I may add). Any police report filed? No. Any inquiry made into it? No. Instead, Hettie is heralded as a hero for her manslaughter (or catslaughter) and the party who died is vilified. Don’t get me wrong, she is clearly the perpetrator, but she didn’t kill the cats. Why is Oralia Claw so one-dimensional as villain that we don’t even get an investigation into her death?
And what about Alma who stabbed her sister in front of three witnesses and has no consequences? WHY IS THIS OKAY? WHY ARE WE LETTING SO MANY CATS GET AWAY WITH MURDER?
I don’t know if this is maybe an attempt a dark humor, but it does not land if so. I expected this to be an actual mystery, but it felt much more like a parody. Maybe that was the intention, but it didn’t work for me. Love cats, love food, love mystery but this one was a miss. It hurts to give this two stars, but I feel like I must.
The author spends approximately 30 � 40% of the book, by my own estimation, talking about either food or cardigans/other clothes. It strikes me as strange that I should see this as a negative since I am very fond of both those things, but it just added really next to nothing to story which was already rather skimpy on plot.
On the subject of the writing, it is sometimes difficult to read when the author writes in big blocks of text as this author does. I remember that at least once an entire page (small though they were) was just a long text block. There is not enough dialogue to break up these rambling narrative passages for my personal liking. And speaking of the narrative, the writing during the action sequences are passed over so quickly, I was very often left thinking, “wtf did I just read?� (SPOILER: Marcia’s murder, Oralia’s fall from the catwalk, the break-in at Hambones� etc. All seemingly impactful scenes that were maybe covered in a paragraph or two?)
I’m additionally very confused about this world of cats. In some ways it seems very much like our own; references to Hollywood and something being “Spanish� seems to indicate it’s the same world as ours. But there doesn’t appear to be any humans living in it? Are the cats just the dominant species or are we going to find out in later book that there’s a cat society set up out of site of the humans? There are a number of analogs to humans; Cocoa Repel as a type of Coco Chanel and Elizabeth Traybake as Elizabeth Taylor. But aside from a few references, these characters have no real character at all and don’t live up to their potential human counterparts.
The characterization of all the cats in general could use some work. For instance, Hettie, who apparently used to be a famous musician now has no money and has decided to set up a detection agency despite having absolutely no experience or knowledge about it? How…does that work? She employs Tilly, her friend, whose relationship is left extremely vague. We have no knowledge of their meeting, or how they became friends which I feel like could have been important to the story. Instead we have gratuitous scene of cats stuffing various food products into their pockets?
But all that aside, what is the strangest part of this entire book is how much murder is gotten away with and how bad police protocol (is there even police?) is in the cat society. I don’t know if we’re supposed to say, “oh they’re cats, so they’re fine with this,� but to me it just seems really poorly written. We’ll start with the first instance in which three cat bodies are found dumped at the back of the store. Instead of calling the police (what police?), the store puts out a radio announcement about it? So Hettie goes to view the bodies and…just takes them? Without having any idea what the missing cats she’s looking for look like. And when they get the back to the home and they ask the director to identify them? She faints and falls in an open grave. Never are the cats properly identified and no authorities are called. Cats go inside and eat handsomely. W.T.F.
And what about the perpetrator, who stole the dead bodies for their luscious fur? She trips on the catwalk and becomes impaled on a skewer Hettie was holding (while intoxicated I may add). Any police report filed? No. Any inquiry made into it? No. Instead, Hettie is heralded as a hero for her manslaughter (or catslaughter) and the party who died is vilified. Don’t get me wrong, she is clearly the perpetrator, but she didn’t kill the cats. Why is Oralia Claw so one-dimensional as villain that we don’t even get an investigation into her death?
And what about Alma who stabbed her sister in front of three witnesses and has no consequences? WHY IS THIS OKAY? WHY ARE WE LETTING SO MANY CATS GET AWAY WITH MURDER?
I don’t know if this is maybe an attempt a dark humor, but it does not land if so. I expected this to be an actual mystery, but it felt much more like a parody. Maybe that was the intention, but it didn’t work for me. Love cats, love food, love mystery but this one was a miss. It hurts to give this two stars, but I feel like I must.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2022
For my full review click on the link below:
December 28, 2019
First sentence: Hettie Bagshot sat at her desk and stared at her phone, willing it to spring to life.
Premise/plot: It isn’t at all unusual for cats to star in mysteries, to “help� their humans solve mysteries. But this isn’t your usual mystery with a cat. There are no humans—only cats. Cats that walk, talk, run businesses, drive cars, cook and bake, drink tea, and...murder. Hettie and Tilly are a detective pair new to the field, their first case takes them to a senior living facility where a couple of graves have been robbed. Can these two find the missing bodies before the robber strikes again? Is all as it seems at this nursing home?! Are other cats in danger?!
My thoughts: I have very mixed feelings on this one. I do love mysteries. If this book starred humans as murderers and victims, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to zoom through it without much thought. But since it only stars cats in this alternate reality, I struggled. Why?! Because I love cats. I do. And I try my best to not read SAD books where cats (or dogs or really any pet) die. I wouldn’t describe this book as terribly sad, just terribly weird. Cats should not be plotting murders and killing each other. I did read this one at a quick pace, but I am not sure you could say I enjoyed it.
Premise/plot: It isn’t at all unusual for cats to star in mysteries, to “help� their humans solve mysteries. But this isn’t your usual mystery with a cat. There are no humans—only cats. Cats that walk, talk, run businesses, drive cars, cook and bake, drink tea, and...murder. Hettie and Tilly are a detective pair new to the field, their first case takes them to a senior living facility where a couple of graves have been robbed. Can these two find the missing bodies before the robber strikes again? Is all as it seems at this nursing home?! Are other cats in danger?!
My thoughts: I have very mixed feelings on this one. I do love mysteries. If this book starred humans as murderers and victims, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to zoom through it without much thought. But since it only stars cats in this alternate reality, I struggled. Why?! Because I love cats. I do. And I try my best to not read SAD books where cats (or dogs or really any pet) die. I wouldn’t describe this book as terribly sad, just terribly weird. Cats should not be plotting murders and killing each other. I did read this one at a quick pace, but I am not sure you could say I enjoyed it.
May 10, 2020
This is a light read but it took me awhile to get into it. The mystery itself was no mystery. I knew who did it even before we knew what the case was. There was an attempt to make it more complex but it really didn't do much for me.
There was nothing objectionable but nothing outstanding about this book. It is kind of like a Flintstones episode with cats. You might say a cross between the Flintstones and Top Cat.
I bought it because there was a quote from PD James that it was original and intriguing. I obviously missed the intriguing part. And I would call it different, rather than original.
There was nothing objectionable but nothing outstanding about this book. It is kind of like a Flintstones episode with cats. You might say a cross between the Flintstones and Top Cat.
I bought it because there was a quote from PD James that it was original and intriguing. I obviously missed the intriguing part. And I would call it different, rather than original.
December 17, 2024
This is such a good idea for a book, but I was disappointed. The story was boring and the writing is bad. It's written as if the author has used a thesaurus for every sentence. Sometimes it's perfectly fine to say 'gave' or 'took' rather than 'thrust' or 'snatched'. Using interesting words is great but not if they aren't right for what is actually happening. I can't imagine needing to 'wrestle' a phone receiver off the hook, 'dispatching' a cake rather than eating it and it doesn't make sense to 'languish in the delights of Jessie's charity shop' (languish?!).
So yeah that just ruined it as the writing is so bad.
So yeah that just ruined it as the writing is so bad.
July 27, 2023
This book is based on such a charming concept, but Morton is clearly not sure if she's writing about cats or humans and comes out with a truly bizarre mix- not to mention feeding her protagonists things that are poisonous to cats (chocolate? Onions?)...
The characterisation is a little shaky, though she does quite well with Tilly and Poppa. But some of the cats have some odd inconsistentencies.
The plot felt lacking and indeed became more and more weird as the book reached its conclusion. Morton would have done better to choose one clear plot line and develop it better. This felt like a mix of too many ideas getting tangled up.
A pity, it had such potential to be a cute light read.
The characterisation is a little shaky, though she does quite well with Tilly and Poppa. But some of the cats have some odd inconsistentencies.
The plot felt lacking and indeed became more and more weird as the book reached its conclusion. Morton would have done better to choose one clear plot line and develop it better. This felt like a mix of too many ideas getting tangled up.
A pity, it had such potential to be a cute light read.
January 30, 2018
I had high hopes for this book. What's not to love? A cat mystery? Think Joe Grey, right? Wrong. This was more Beatrix Potter gone potty. I personally think my cat, if he were able to have a cat body with everything else human like, as this book portrays, would be much more intelligent and dignified than these feline characters. One of the main traits of any cat I've ever been owned by is their dignity and that's not apparent in this book. I won't read any more of this series. The mystery wasn't even well done.
July 13, 2022
This just wasn’t really for me. I was looking for something low stakes because my last read was quite intense - but this was too low stakes.
Like given it was a mystery their was no urgency around it.
It’s was light, and the puns where cute. Cats are wonderful and I love them all, but plot wise this just felt purposeless.
Like given it was a mystery their was no urgency around it.
It’s was light, and the puns where cute. Cats are wonderful and I love them all, but plot wise this just felt purposeless.
July 14, 2017
A strange story. Not really junior fiction nor adult, but somewhere in between. For me, the anthropomorphism doesn't quite work. I was intrigued enough to finish the story, although I worked out the identity of the 'villain' early on. Not a story I'd go out of my way to recommend, though.
August 19, 2015
Easy to read but not a world I really engaged with.
January 9, 2024
An intriguing premise, well written, just not my cup of tea.
May 6, 2024
Really enjoyable. Like catnip. A really well written cosy mystery and great feline characters.
June 6, 2022
If you need a bubblebath for your brain, go and read this right meow. It's very cute, a little slow. Oddly comforting. I'll take a book on a world run by cats anytime.
March 16, 2024
Quite difficult to read. The characters are sweet but I sometimes forget that they’re cats. I’m not sure what it was but the writing all seemed to go into one for me and I found myself re-reading sections and still being confused. Not a fan of the way other races of cat were portrayed. Wish it was an easier read as I love cat stories and the two main characters had potential
March 10, 2017
Just to strange for words. I couldn't understand the point.
July 24, 2017
I desperately tried to like this book. I mean, what's not to love? It's cat detectives in a cat world! Sure, the writing was more than a little clunky and Hettie wasn't exactly the most focused cat, but OK, it's a cute book, whatever.
And then the racism. Oh god, the racism.
First we have the Jamaican cat Marley Toke (get it? because Jamaica) who sprinkles "Jamaican catnip" into the food at the place where she works (get it? like weed!) and who talks like a white person's imitation of Jamaican patois (as another reviewer pointed out, the way it's written out is uncomfortably close to old Hollywood "yessuh!" speak).
Then we get the Siamese cat Miss Ping. Oh dear god. I'm gonna write this out because y'all need to be as horrified as I was when I read this:
"You have to spleak wiv Mister Splinkle. I send for him to come quickerly."
That's everything she says. Literally, her only lines are Mr. Moto-esque "Asian" English. I would've thrown the book across the room if I hadn't been too stunned to move and it wasn't a library book.
I couldn't read much more, but I desperately hoped it got better, so I skipped a ways to see:
"She certainly fought like a g*psy cat" (censoring by me)
Aaaaaaaaaaaand, that's the big nope from me, folks.
You know, I can let slide (barely, with much side eye) British racism in books from the '30s-'50s because times were terrible and enough people didn't see what was wrong with this. But this is a book written in the 2010s. There is absolutely no reason for all this racism to get published in what's ostensibly a cute parody book.
One star because no stars doesn't count. Very poor, see me. No points for trying.
And then the racism. Oh god, the racism.
First we have the Jamaican cat Marley Toke (get it? because Jamaica) who sprinkles "Jamaican catnip" into the food at the place where she works (get it? like weed!) and who talks like a white person's imitation of Jamaican patois (as another reviewer pointed out, the way it's written out is uncomfortably close to old Hollywood "yessuh!" speak).
Then we get the Siamese cat Miss Ping. Oh dear god. I'm gonna write this out because y'all need to be as horrified as I was when I read this:
"You have to spleak wiv Mister Splinkle. I send for him to come quickerly."
That's everything she says. Literally, her only lines are Mr. Moto-esque "Asian" English. I would've thrown the book across the room if I hadn't been too stunned to move and it wasn't a library book.
I couldn't read much more, but I desperately hoped it got better, so I skipped a ways to see:
"She certainly fought like a g*psy cat" (censoring by me)
Aaaaaaaaaaaand, that's the big nope from me, folks.
You know, I can let slide (barely, with much side eye) British racism in books from the '30s-'50s because times were terrible and enough people didn't see what was wrong with this. But this is a book written in the 2010s. There is absolutely no reason for all this racism to get published in what's ostensibly a cute parody book.
One star because no stars doesn't count. Very poor, see me. No points for trying.
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