Catnapped

An Animal Instinct Mystery #1

by Gabriella Herkert

Nine lives go fast...

Legal investigator Sara Townley's not feeling too good about her recent Vegas wedding to a Navy SEAL she barely knows, and her assignment to the case of a missing cat-despite the fur ball's multimillion dollar inheritance-only confirms that her life is in the litter box.

When the Navy man comes home from active service to make good on his vows, and a rendezvous with an informant puts Sara face to face with a dead body, her personal and professional lives suddenly get serious-and she'll need a sharp survival instinct to make it out alive.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Cats, Animals, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

314 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 4, 2007

Reviews

[Salem · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is awful. I'm convinced the author had to write in the protagonist's husband once she realized the protagonist was entirely too incompetent and volatile to function in a book by herself.

[Chelsea Kärn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at a garage sale simply because it had a cat on the cover, and I thought "a mystery with a cat. Could be amusing." And it was mildly entertaining. At first it seemed promising because the author had a quirky sense of humor and witty writing. However, the main heroine's neurosis quickly got tiresome, as did the description of how she was able to eat incredible amounts of food but still managed to be amazingly skinny and beautiful enough to have a sexy god-like man for a husband. Then at the end she tried to add some kind of sentimentality and dimension to the stereotypical characters (I.e. The Gay Best Friend). It felt very contrived and unnatural. The author would probably be better suited for writing amusing essays for a newspaper column, but I would say quality characters and unpredictable endings are not her strong suit.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literally, don't judge this book by its cover. Its a tad more...ahem.. adult-themed than the "tween" front cover suggests. Which s a good thing! ;) Author endows main character Sara with the curiosity equivalent of a cat clowder... foolish moxie/bravado without brains backup ....yet bungling Sara's witty gab and oddball instincts guide her through personal and professional landmines, many of which she hastily brings upon herself. For a fluff-chick piece, the catnapping mystery surprisingly develops into a serious, actually intriguing whodunit. Poor-rich Flash, the two million $ catnapped feline, is mostly relegated to afterthought status, as Sarah pursues the money and murderers trails. (*hint* Flash does not appreciate his neglected, victimized circumstance!)
Much as a falling cat manages to land on its feet, Sara's many capricious landings are cushioned via sexy Seal husband Connor and her best buddy Russ. In general, its a fun, quirky read.

[Mirah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, fast-paced caper. Even though it was light there was still a legit mystery that wasn't a giveaway. Mysterious people, feuding enemies, missing money, questionable deaths, and most importantly, a missing feline. The characters were enjoyable and made the novel light-hearted while still dealing with real relationship issues. The witty dialogue just rounded everything out nicely. While reading I was reminded of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Overall, a good read...I look forward to more of the series.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuk
Protagonist has superhot Navy SEAL husband that she married after they had sex in Vegas. She hasn't seen him for months, but she must be fantastic. Husband has returned and is determined to have a real marriage. She apparently has no brain function when she is around him and they can't keep their hands off of each other.
When she is not around him, she doesn't want him in her life, and tries to avoid going home - to the point where she prefers to stay in a hospital.
Why this guy likes her, I'll never know - I couldn't finish this book.

[Annthelibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sara Townley takes a case investigating a missing cat, and is also dealing with her new husband's return, a husband whom she barely knows. I picked this up thinking it would be a cute "cat mystery," but really, the cat plays a very small role in this novel. Lightweight fluff.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Townley is a legal investigator who is trying to forget her recent, impetuous Vegas wedding to a Navy SEAL. It's been four months since she's seen her husband, and she hasn't told anyone she got married. Not long after Sara is assigned to look into the disappearance of a cat with a seven-figure inheritance, Connor shows up, wanting to pick up their whirlwind relationship where it left off when he was deployed. Sara's life rapidly goes from boring to exciting. Connor's proximity has reawakened her inner sex-fiend, and chasing down a lead on the cat ends up with her stumbling over a dead body. While fleeing in terror, Sara manages to collide with a stout police officer, leaving her with a concussion and a black eye. At the hospital, things get more complicated when TWO husbands show up to claim her--Connor, and Sara's gay BFF, Russ, whom she had listed as her emergency contact. That's the least of her problems. What started out as a simple 'find a missing cat' case soon leads Sara into an ever-expanding web of missing persons, murder, disinherited family, missing money, identity theft, and blackmail. Lucky for her, she has a Navy SEAL for backup.

This story was downright funny. Sara got herself into so many pickles, and even she was surprised that Connor didn't blow his top over some of the more serious scrapes she got into. She was plucky, feisty, and witty, and I enjoyed her interactions with Connor, Russ, her co-worker Joe, and even the evil legal secretary, Elizabeth. The plot had so many twists and turns that I almost forgot about the poor, missing cat.

As for Sara, she's having a difficult time adjusting to having Connor around. She's independent and used to doing things by herself and for herself. She resents Connor's intrusion into her case, even as she also finds his steady presence reassuring.

Overall, a very enjoyable read. Characters were fleshed out, except, perhaps for Connor, but Sara is still getting to know him. Russ was a hoot, and Elizabeth made a perfect villain (not a criminal, just Sara's work nemesis). I plan to read the next book in the series, for sure.

[ReadaBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some first books in a series spend a lot of time establishing characters, environment, and so forth, this one seemed to leave plenty of holes and leap around a good bit. After finishing the book, I still felt like I didn't know much -- or, maybe, enough -- about Sara or Connor. Same with the solving of this murder. It was not so off-putting that I put the book down (or throw it against the wall in frustration!), so I will read #2 soon.
One thing: Connor seems WAY too good for Sara!

[Macjest · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of meh. I picked it up because it involved a cat. Sara, the lead, is a legal investigator. She is assigned to a case involving a missing cat. She is also married. It was a quickie Las Vegas wedding to a Navy Seal who all of a sudden shows up. He buts into her case and sometimes acts like a cave man. The two of them fumble their way through the case and most of the time my eyes glazed over. The characters were just not interesting enough and the case was poorly written.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute mystery. I liked the main characters very much. Looking forward to more books by this author. For some reason I found it difficult to keep the characters straight who were part of the murder. But I really enjoyed the dialogue and situations between Sara, Connor, and Russ. The cat was incidental, but it did draw me into reading the book.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute mystery. I liked the main characters very much. Looking forward to more books by this author. For some reason I found it difficult to keep the characters straight who were part of the murder. But I really enjoyed the dialogue and situations between Sara, Connor, and Russ. The cat was incidental, but it did draw me into reading the book.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read the second book in this series when I found it, then liked it enough to go get the initial story. Not as good as the second one, actually - I like the lead investigator, but her husband really is a throwback who needs to learn to listen.

[RollingT · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite nice easy read but don't think it is an animal book. Still looking to fill in the void left by Braun.

[Gabriella Herkert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved writing this!

[Gwenette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had an email conversation with this author; am about three chapters into the book. She jumps right into the action, maybe more so than other mysteries I've read.

Well, I ended up with mixed reactions to this book. I didn't initially like the main character; she's one of those "I can do it myself" types who didn't outgrow that attitude after the age of 2. Lots of people have that characteristic, but the author bashes readers over the head with it. I got tired of it after a while.

Still, the character finally lets her love interest help her do some things (in the investigation) and comes to realize that they make good partners.

The mystery itself almost seemed to be subtext. Most mysteries are plot-driven, but this novel was much more character-driven.

All in all, I enjoyed it enough to say "yeah, sure, read it if you have some spare time," but it's definitely not on my list of favorites.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

01/09/08
TITLE/AUTHOR: CATNAPPED by Gabriella Herkert
RATING: 3/C
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery/2007/314 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1 in Animal Instinct series
TIME/PLACE: Present/Seattle
CHARACTERS: Sara Townley/legal investigator
FIRST LINES: Do I appear to be kidding, Sara?

COMMENTS: 01/04/08 -- rec from John S (MOTB)This one never took off for me and dragged. The quickie Vegas marriage to Connor the Navy Seal ... just didn't buy it, OK they may have married but why stay married when he immediately leaves for duty...just didn't feel right to me. Her job is to find the missing millionaire -- Flash, the cat inherited all the money from Millicent's estate. Plot was not engaging. Maybe my mood for the debut read, but this is not a series I will be looking for.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

So why would a hunky smart guy continue to be with a woman who just insists on picking fights with him? She gets huffed when he does things to help her, secretly or no, but it's ok to lie to him and secretly do what you just said you wouldn't? A few times might be ok, but this just gets old as it goes on and on and on. While the plot seemed ok, this nit picking territorial stuff was so obvious that I ultimately jumped to the end and thought a little counseling wouldn't hurt her and save me from more of this...Never did find out what happened to Fluffy and really, by 5/6 of the way through,and no "proof of life" on poor Fluffy had showed up, I began to think there was no cat, and no one cared anyway.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 in the Animal Instincts series. An inoffensive animal-centric series that apparently ran to 3 entries through 2009. Not bad but I haven't yet tried #2.

Animal Instinct series - Sara Townley is a low-level investigator for a Seattle law firm. Her current assignment is to find a missing cat that has inherited a multi-million trust fund. Problems include several dead bodies and numerous unsavory characters. Helping her are her best friend ( a gay radio personality) and her husband (met and married during a week in Vegas) who is a Navy SEAL.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story (debut & #1 in a series) and really how can Herkert miss? You have a main character (Sara) and her hubby (married him after only knowing him a week in Vegas), Connor, who is a Navy Seal and she is solving mysteries relating to animals. This one is about a cat who is inheriting A LOT of money!

I love the chemistry between Sara and Connor and can't wait for book #2, which isn't due out until next September!

[Pamela Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a boater's exchange and was surprised at how much I liked it. It's a cozy mystery, full of odd characters, including the heroine. The author's voice is wonderful, and my only complaint is that I never got the backstory of how the hero and heroine got together, nor did I ever get a good picture of what she looked like. Nevertheless, it has a good plot and a nice twist at the end.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was she just imagining that she got married? After knowing someone for a week? Four months ago?
She's been doing reasonably OK. A real job, sort of. A work friend, who has assumed she was gay. A best friend, who is.
And now this gorgeous guy wants to be in on everything in her life. But not share his. And will be gone again in about a week.
OK so he's a Navy SEAL. And she did find this dead body in a dangerous alley. But where does he get off telling her what to do?

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got better as one continued. It took me four weeks to finish with at least 4-6 other books finished first. After I finished, I tried to come up with an image of the main character, Sara, and I failed. I was more sympathetic with the two guys in her life and could vaguely imagine them. Perhaps this is a take-off on the taming of the shrew and this is why I felt uncomfortable.

[Alycia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just cannot get into this book ... I've started at least 6 books since I started this one, and finished most of them. This one just drags on and I cannot connect with the main character. She seems whiny and immature and pretty irresponsible.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite sure why, but this seemed to be lacking something, especially in the chemistry (or lack of) of the main character and her Vegas-romance husband. If that gets sorted out in later books, there's some potential for it to improve.

[Kirstin Sandaas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Gabi wrote this well-developed mystery about a cat who receives an inheritance, a female private detective and her very hot Navy Seal boy friend. A fun, light read that also lets you use your brain to figure out the mystery.

[Alyson]

Enjoyed it.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - it was a great debut!

[Lael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly mind-candy mystery. Good vacation book or for when you need some light fluff.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read in a promising new series. I have read the second book as well and am keeping my eye out for others in the series.

[Andria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been a good story if there had been more lead in.