The Cat, The Quilt and the Corpse

Author: Leann Sweeney
Genre: Suspense/Mystery
Pages: 278
Series: 1st book in the 'Cats in Trouble' series
Series Order:

1. The Cat, The Quilt and the Corpse (2009)
2. The Cat, The Professor and the Poison (2010)
3. The Cat, The Lady and the Liar (2011)

First Line: "My cat is allergic to people -- yes, odd, I know -- so when I came in the back door and heard Chablis sneeze, I stopped dead."

Synopsis: Jillian Hart is a recently widowed forty year old who lives with her three beloved cats - Chablis, Syrah and Merlot -- in a small South Carolina town. Jillian has a business near and dear to her heart, making quilts for cats, and her business is thriving.

When Jillian returns from an overnight craft show she realizes that someone has been in her house. She is heartbroken to learn that Syrah is missing. Jillian begins investigating and discovers more missing cats and a dead body.

My Thoughts: Let me start off by saying that I'm more of a dog person than a cat person. I don't have anything against cats but I also don't want to read an entire book gushing everything feline when it's meant to be a mystery.

I knew going in, based on the title, that this book would have a cat theme to it. After reading the book it's more of a cat obsession, which I found totally excessive. The main character owns 3 cats, makes cat quilts, checks her smart phone for video of her cats who are at home, goes on and on and on about her love for felines. All this feline talk takes centre stage leaving the mystery portion of the book weak and floundering. I had to force myself to finish the book just so I could move on to the next book. Definitely not a good sign.

Sometimes the secondary characters are quirky enough to pull me through a dull read but sadly the secondary characters are cliches and totally one-dimensional. I also found the idea of someone being able to sustain a large house, 3 cats and a nice lifestyle on merely a business selling quilts for cats a little unrealistic. Correct me if I'm wrong. Is there a huge market for cat quilts? If you're a cat fanatic and love to read about small town life this book could be for you. I, apparently, am not such a person.

My Rating: 1.5/5 stars