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Operation Tomcat #4
Operation Checkout
An idyllic farm holiday to meet the family turns to something more sinister when Ben's mother is targeted by criminals.
***
Detective Senior Constable Ben Jackson is handsome, kind, hard-working and diligent. He's also as thick as two planks.
Tammy Norman is clever as all get-out. She's also sillier than a wet hen.
And then there is Tom.
Tom is a cat.
***
Detective Senior Constable Ben Jackson is handsome, kind, hard-working and diligent. He's also as thick as two planks.
Tammy Norman is clever as all get-out. She's also sillier than a wet hen.
And then there is Tom.
Tom is a cat.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 7, 2023
There’s nothing like a good novella to perk up your reading time, and this one has it all: humor, mystery, a cat…and pie. Ormiston-Smith is a writer who promises her readers a good romp through her pages. She never fails to deliver a good story with a few good laughs along the way. This one’s a keeper!
May 4, 2023
This novella is a fun, quick read, a small-stakes detective story with elements of workplace comedy, cozy family life, gentle romance … and a lovable cat!
Tammy has it pretty good: loving boyfriend Ben, sweet cat Tom, newly renovated home. All she needs is a rug she can’t afford. On an extended Christmastime visit to Ben’s family’s farm to meet the parents, she stumbles onto a way help Ben’s mother, who has been scammed at the grocery store, while earning extra money for the rug by going undercover as a supermarket clerk. The tension ratchets up when Tom disappears, and Tammy will do anything to get him back.
I liked how this small story filled the screen. The stakes are not small to Tammy! The comedy runs to broad farce, with the villains being really terrible people but not dangerous, and the good guys down-to-earth and lovable. There were times when it seemed like Tammy knew something in one chapter but didn’t in the next, but some days are like that. Meanwhile, I want to go eat pie in Ben’s mother’s kitchen.
Tammy has it pretty good: loving boyfriend Ben, sweet cat Tom, newly renovated home. All she needs is a rug she can’t afford. On an extended Christmastime visit to Ben’s family’s farm to meet the parents, she stumbles onto a way help Ben’s mother, who has been scammed at the grocery store, while earning extra money for the rug by going undercover as a supermarket clerk. The tension ratchets up when Tom disappears, and Tammy will do anything to get him back.
I liked how this small story filled the screen. The stakes are not small to Tammy! The comedy runs to broad farce, with the villains being really terrible people but not dangerous, and the good guys down-to-earth and lovable. There were times when it seemed like Tammy knew something in one chapter but didn’t in the next, but some days are like that. Meanwhile, I want to go eat pie in Ben’s mother’s kitchen.
May 6, 2023
What an absolutely delightful, lighthearted novella. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are most amusing and work well together with enough diversity to create good relationships and not so good ones. The not so good ones get their comeuppance in the end which is a satisfying end to the novella.
Tom the cat is the star of the show, and as a cat lover, I was literally "laughing out loud" when reading the episode of the tree climbing to rescue him. That is so typical of a cat. Also, I must not forget Dizzy the dog, an adorable untrainable mutt who you couldn't possibly not love. Tabitha knows animal behaviour well.
I would recommend that if you would like a book that makes you smile, then read this; you will smile and laugh.
Tom the cat is the star of the show, and as a cat lover, I was literally "laughing out loud" when reading the episode of the tree climbing to rescue him. That is so typical of a cat. Also, I must not forget Dizzy the dog, an adorable untrainable mutt who you couldn't possibly not love. Tabitha knows animal behaviour well.
I would recommend that if you would like a book that makes you smile, then read this; you will smile and laugh.
May 8, 2023
This is easy to get into, and engaging to the end.
I may have missed something, not having read the previous instalment (I shall have to, if only to discover what the acronym 'T.W.A.T.' means), but my ignorance did not impede my enjoyment.
There is nothing too scary here, though the tension builds nicely to keep us invested. It is mostly good clean fun, though some prissier readers might not fall in love with Lizzie Jackson - she'll be no problem for aussies, brits or irish readers, but the puritans might flinch at her earthy vocab. I'd be happy to hear more from her, and there are other background characters whom one senses are living full lives outside our view; and the animal characters are clearly defined. Further or fuller explorations of this bucolic setting would be welcomed.
I may have missed something, not having read the previous instalment (I shall have to, if only to discover what the acronym 'T.W.A.T.' means), but my ignorance did not impede my enjoyment.
There is nothing too scary here, though the tension builds nicely to keep us invested. It is mostly good clean fun, though some prissier readers might not fall in love with Lizzie Jackson - she'll be no problem for aussies, brits or irish readers, but the puritans might flinch at her earthy vocab. I'd be happy to hear more from her, and there are other background characters whom one senses are living full lives outside our view; and the animal characters are clearly defined. Further or fuller explorations of this bucolic setting would be welcomed.
May 20, 2023
Tammy strikes me as a big-hearted human who loves all living things, especially her beloved cat. Which is how she ends up following her heart to solve another baffling mystery. The bond between Tammy and Tom is heart-warming and is a central theme throughout. I was behind Tammy all the way as she goes meandering through the aisles of supermarket shenanigans. I now feel as though Tammy deserves a glamping holiday or something to awaken her "nature woman" spirit. I will also be checking my receipts more closely in future.
May 7, 2023
If you have an hour or two to kill, Tabitha Ormiston Smith's novella, Operation Checkout, would make an ideal choice of reading material. The story, packed with engaging characters and zany animals, is highly entertaining. I took it to bed and remained awake far longer than I intended, as I simply had to find out what happened. Were the villains captured? Did Tom escape unscathed? Did Tammy get the designer rug she coveted? Read the book to find out. I promise you won't be disappointed. 4*
May 10, 2023
I love Tabitha's books and the latest addition to the Operation Tomcat series is no exception. Ben is still adorable, Tammy has developed more of a spine and Tom is still, well, Tom. Whilst not being literary works on the scale of War and Peace, these are great feel-good, easy reads and I find myself reaching for them wherever I am a bit down or unwell. Tabitha's ear for conversation is second to none. You can hear the talking and none of it strikes an awkward or wrong note. Highly recommended.
May 1, 2023
Phenomenal. I've never lived on a farm, but reading this book I felt like I belonged on one. Tabitha has woven a great arm chair mystery with a slice of life feel in this clever book. I couldn't wait to finish but never wanted it to end. A great read from the very start to the perfect ending.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews