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A Scumble River Mystery #15
Murder of the Cat's Meow
New York Times
Bestselling Scumble River Series
When ex–Vegas showgirl and local business owner Bunny Reid starts an online dating service called Cupid’s Cat’s Meow, out-of-town visitors flock to her bowling alley for the speed dating and cat show events that she hosts to bring in extra cash. Bunny’s scheme sounds harmless enough, but school psychologist Skye Denison knows all too well that an influx of strangers in Scumble River always spells trouble….
Meanwhile, Skye is convinced that her house is haunted and is afraid her fiancé, police chief Wally Boyd, won’t move in until the ghost moves out. But ghost-hunting takes a back seat when Skye is called to the bowling alley, where a riled up contestant is choking a cat show judge for insulting his feline. Skye breaks up the scuffle, but the next morning the judge’s dead body is found, strangled with a cat toy. Now Skye must solve this purrplexing mystery—and show a devious killer that her sleuthing skills are the cat’s meow.
When ex–Vegas showgirl and local business owner Bunny Reid starts an online dating service called Cupid’s Cat’s Meow, out-of-town visitors flock to her bowling alley for the speed dating and cat show events that she hosts to bring in extra cash. Bunny’s scheme sounds harmless enough, but school psychologist Skye Denison knows all too well that an influx of strangers in Scumble River always spells trouble….
Meanwhile, Skye is convinced that her house is haunted and is afraid her fiancé, police chief Wally Boyd, won’t move in until the ghost moves out. But ghost-hunting takes a back seat when Skye is called to the bowling alley, where a riled up contestant is choking a cat show judge for insulting his feline. Skye breaks up the scuffle, but the next morning the judge’s dead body is found, strangled with a cat toy. Now Skye must solve this purrplexing mystery—and show a devious killer that her sleuthing skills are the cat’s meow.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2012
50 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
Denise Swanson
69 books1,128 followersDenise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.
After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.
Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.
After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.
Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 7, 2014
Bland mystery with little subplots shooting off here and there every chapter or two; and the characters were either annoying or boring, depending on the chapter! Plus, the earlier introduction of a possible ghost was simply ridiculous. (sigh) The book's only redeeming part was the cat show/speed dating event with Bunny. That made me smile.
August 16, 2018
This book was written by a mean-spirited extra-terrestrial or lizard-person who does not understand anything about human biology or society except for spitefulness and blue balls.
Early in the book a woman is picked up by the neck and SHOOK. This would be horrifically painful and terrifying, maybe even fatal (and almost impossible for any man to do with one hand!), this writer does not understand how people work. And within a chapter people are blaming the woman for provoking the man who choked her! That woman is later found murdered, and the protagonist does not find it odd, or disgusting, for her and her friends to belittle the woman - within hours of her corpse being found.
After this terrible start the book settles down to being sub-mediocre, at least not as appalling as the beginning. The plot goes no where for 70% of the book, in favor of side-stories that add nothing to the story line. Ms. Swanson, if you don't have enough plot for a book, may I recommend you write a short story instead? Please believe me, I am not exaggerating - 70% of this book is padding. The protagonist plans her wedding, talks to her parents, talks about her parents, drives around, describes the places she drives around to, kibitzes with friends, tries to deal with a ghost which doesn't believe in pre-marital sex (WTF?), works as a school psychologist, dispenses folksy wisdom to school students that she admits is not in-line with what she learned studying psychology (i.e. the author was too lazy to do real research), etc., etc.
The resolution to the murder comes through sheer luck in the end. A friend of the main character is investigating corruption in a nearby town. I saw city supplies stolen from that city, what luck! The friend drops a photo of the city council. I recognize one of these people being in disguise the night of the murder, what luck! Coincidence and luck do not make a mystery. And the murderer's alibi trick is the stupidest ever. He sent text messages to a man who'd suffered brain damage telling the man 'I'm God, you killed that woman, throw away your phone and go into hiding'.... Somehow it works, the police consider the brain damaged man their first suspect, and that man admits to the murder when he's caught. Except that if the police had found that phone they'd have been able to track the messages back to the real killer, so, what kind of moron would come up with such a convoluted and risky plot? A moron in a book written by a lizard-person/extraterrestrial, that's what kind of moron.
Bad story, bad mystery, and a tangle of unpleasant characters. Absolutely do not recommend.
Early in the book a woman is picked up by the neck and SHOOK. This would be horrifically painful and terrifying, maybe even fatal (and almost impossible for any man to do with one hand!), this writer does not understand how people work. And within a chapter people are blaming the woman for provoking the man who choked her! That woman is later found murdered, and the protagonist does not find it odd, or disgusting, for her and her friends to belittle the woman - within hours of her corpse being found.
After this terrible start the book settles down to being sub-mediocre, at least not as appalling as the beginning. The plot goes no where for 70% of the book, in favor of side-stories that add nothing to the story line. Ms. Swanson, if you don't have enough plot for a book, may I recommend you write a short story instead? Please believe me, I am not exaggerating - 70% of this book is padding. The protagonist plans her wedding, talks to her parents, talks about her parents, drives around, describes the places she drives around to, kibitzes with friends, tries to deal with a ghost which doesn't believe in pre-marital sex (WTF?), works as a school psychologist, dispenses folksy wisdom to school students that she admits is not in-line with what she learned studying psychology (i.e. the author was too lazy to do real research), etc., etc.
The resolution to the murder comes through sheer luck in the end. A friend of the main character is investigating corruption in a nearby town. I saw city supplies stolen from that city, what luck! The friend drops a photo of the city council. I recognize one of these people being in disguise the night of the murder, what luck! Coincidence and luck do not make a mystery. And the murderer's alibi trick is the stupidest ever. He sent text messages to a man who'd suffered brain damage telling the man 'I'm God, you killed that woman, throw away your phone and go into hiding'.... Somehow it works, the police consider the brain damaged man their first suspect, and that man admits to the murder when he's caught. Except that if the police had found that phone they'd have been able to track the messages back to the real killer, so, what kind of moron would come up with such a convoluted and risky plot? A moron in a book written by a lizard-person/extraterrestrial, that's what kind of moron.
Bad story, bad mystery, and a tangle of unpleasant characters. Absolutely do not recommend.
August 16, 2018
I love cozy mysteries as they calm my mind and help me forget the stresses of the world, but this series main character is a bore. The main character Skye Denison lives in a superficial world with little to interest the reader. I just didn't like her or her friends and neighbors, and I quickly grew bored of their immature conversations.
August 31, 2012
As always Denise Swanson delivered a quirky, entertaining mystery! Love this series and the characters.
November 3, 2016
Extra meh. I swear I think I slept through part of this book, kinda like napping while golf is on TV. I guess it's true, familiarity breeds contempt....but I can't quit now, not this far in....
January 21, 2013
First, I hope Denise Swanson keeps writing this series. It is definitely a favorite of mine and even if there are a few things I do not like, I would hate to see it go.
Murder of a Cat's Meow is the 15th book in the Scumble River Mysteries (and the 17th story as there are two novellas). The Scumble River Mysteries focus on the town of Scumble River, Illinois and school psychologist/police psychological consultant Skye Dennison. This small farming community is continually the hub of some wacky goings on, but it is always done in a way that is fresh. I have yet to read and think "Again?" I came to this series a couple of years ago, and I really have enjoyed each and every one although some more than others.
Skye has been asked to help out Bunny as she hosts a special cat show and matchmaking weekend at the bowling alley Bunny manages for her son Simon (Skye's ex boyfriend). As often happens when Skye is involved, a murder happens, and Skye finds the body. The fact that the victim was an antagonistic self-centered witch made this murder not a major shock. Finding the killer however will be difficult, because anyone with the kind of track record the victim has is bound to have plenty of enemies. The police force will have a rough time with this one, but Skye will be happy to help.
I'll be honest, as much as I still enjoyed being engulfed by Skye's story and the town, there were a few times when I forgot what murder was even being investigated. It became ultra secondary to Skye's wedding planning and her relationship with her fiance the police chief and her trying to figure out how to unhaunt her home. I'll be honest, if there is a ghost, I hope it doesn't leave, because I don't enjoy Skye and Wally's sex scenes any more than the ghost does. Now I am not saying this because I am a prude. I am saying this because a sex life was really sooooo very in the background of the first several books in the series. Now if Skye and Wally are alone...it is like they are a couple of teenagers (though not as bad in this book as others). It is distracting and decidedly not hot. If I wanted to read a mystery with sex in it, I wouldn't be reading a cozy mystery. I am glad that at least this time I didn't have to read about how Skye wonders how Wally keeps his year round tan as he gets undressed.
Here is what I enjoyed: I love Scumble River and its quirky characters. I love Bunny and how off the wall she is. I like that Skye has a hungry grumpy cat and that she is tight with her family. I like that her dad is a farmer and her mom works at the police station as a dispatcher and dresses up her lawn goose. I like that even though Skye always finds a body, it is a fresh murder and not the same old thing happening again. Keeping things fresh after so many stories is probably not easy. Denise Swanson is really good at keeping a story moving and creating characters with humor and believability. There are only a few here and there that make you scratch your head and ask why?
Here is what I did not enjoy: I don't like Wally and Skye together. Maybe it is because I connected with her first relationship in the book and I never thought her breakup with Simon was a good one (she thought he was cheating on her, he wasn't), and I didn't like how quickly she leaped into a relationship with Wally. Their relationship seemed good to me. I liked that it wasn't perfect. I liked that Simon was attached to some rather quirky souls himself like his ex-Vegas dancer mom. Wally's dad is an oil tycoon and they have family issues because he apparently doesn't want anything to do with that life and wants to be a cop. Admirable. But suddenly Wally sure is tossing around the money. For a guy who wants a simple life, since he has hooked up with Skye, money really seems more of an issue. The guy buys her very expensive items including a 2 carat Tiffany engagement ring. How is he doing this on a small town police chief's salary? That is like over 25,000 big ones! As much as I like that Skye is growing and changing and heading toward the altar. I think her and Wally dull the character down. Lastly, do police psych consultants seriously go to almost every suspect interview. It is as if Wally can't be alone without Skye and her twinsets (if you read the series you'll know what I mean).
All in all though, I really do enjoy this series a great deal. It is because I like it so much these things get to me. It is because I have really grown to care for these characters and this town. That in and of itself really is a mark of a good series.
Murder of a Cat's Meow is the 15th book in the Scumble River Mysteries (and the 17th story as there are two novellas). The Scumble River Mysteries focus on the town of Scumble River, Illinois and school psychologist/police psychological consultant Skye Dennison. This small farming community is continually the hub of some wacky goings on, but it is always done in a way that is fresh. I have yet to read and think "Again?" I came to this series a couple of years ago, and I really have enjoyed each and every one although some more than others.
Skye has been asked to help out Bunny as she hosts a special cat show and matchmaking weekend at the bowling alley Bunny manages for her son Simon (Skye's ex boyfriend). As often happens when Skye is involved, a murder happens, and Skye finds the body. The fact that the victim was an antagonistic self-centered witch made this murder not a major shock. Finding the killer however will be difficult, because anyone with the kind of track record the victim has is bound to have plenty of enemies. The police force will have a rough time with this one, but Skye will be happy to help.
I'll be honest, as much as I still enjoyed being engulfed by Skye's story and the town, there were a few times when I forgot what murder was even being investigated. It became ultra secondary to Skye's wedding planning and her relationship with her fiance the police chief and her trying to figure out how to unhaunt her home. I'll be honest, if there is a ghost, I hope it doesn't leave, because I don't enjoy Skye and Wally's sex scenes any more than the ghost does. Now I am not saying this because I am a prude. I am saying this because a sex life was really sooooo very in the background of the first several books in the series. Now if Skye and Wally are alone...it is like they are a couple of teenagers (though not as bad in this book as others). It is distracting and decidedly not hot. If I wanted to read a mystery with sex in it, I wouldn't be reading a cozy mystery. I am glad that at least this time I didn't have to read about how Skye wonders how Wally keeps his year round tan as he gets undressed.
Here is what I enjoyed: I love Scumble River and its quirky characters. I love Bunny and how off the wall she is. I like that Skye has a hungry grumpy cat and that she is tight with her family. I like that her dad is a farmer and her mom works at the police station as a dispatcher and dresses up her lawn goose. I like that even though Skye always finds a body, it is a fresh murder and not the same old thing happening again. Keeping things fresh after so many stories is probably not easy. Denise Swanson is really good at keeping a story moving and creating characters with humor and believability. There are only a few here and there that make you scratch your head and ask why?
Here is what I did not enjoy: I don't like Wally and Skye together. Maybe it is because I connected with her first relationship in the book and I never thought her breakup with Simon was a good one (she thought he was cheating on her, he wasn't), and I didn't like how quickly she leaped into a relationship with Wally. Their relationship seemed good to me. I liked that it wasn't perfect. I liked that Simon was attached to some rather quirky souls himself like his ex-Vegas dancer mom. Wally's dad is an oil tycoon and they have family issues because he apparently doesn't want anything to do with that life and wants to be a cop. Admirable. But suddenly Wally sure is tossing around the money. For a guy who wants a simple life, since he has hooked up with Skye, money really seems more of an issue. The guy buys her very expensive items including a 2 carat Tiffany engagement ring. How is he doing this on a small town police chief's salary? That is like over 25,000 big ones! As much as I like that Skye is growing and changing and heading toward the altar. I think her and Wally dull the character down. Lastly, do police psych consultants seriously go to almost every suspect interview. It is as if Wally can't be alone without Skye and her twinsets (if you read the series you'll know what I mean).
All in all though, I really do enjoy this series a great deal. It is because I like it so much these things get to me. It is because I have really grown to care for these characters and this town. That in and of itself really is a mark of a good series.
September 5, 2012
Cat's Meow is the 15th book in Scumble River series by Denise Swanson.
It's always nice to spend some time in Scumble River visiting with school psychologist Skye Denison.
Bunny Reid, ex-Vegas showgirl, has returned to Scumble River and has purchased the local bowling alley. Bunny, Frannie and Justin were sitting around talking about increasing business and the idea of a Cat Show and Speed Dating, they decided would be a big boom. So they go ahead with there plans and things organized. They were even able to get a DJ to volunteer his time for a dance after the Speed Dating. Things seemed well in hand, but Alexis, the judge for the cat show portion, alienated a lot of the owners with her flippant attitude towards their cats and before the night is over she is found in the basement murdered.
Of course no visit to Scumble River would be complete without visiting with the student and school personnel and the Dooziers family. They show up with a bunch of mayhem and good times.
The real dilemma that Skye is facing is that she is sure her house is haunted by the ghost of its former owner. Once Skye and Wally, the police chief, are married, they are planning to live in Skye's house. But whenever things start to become "romantically" related, things on the counters start flying around. That's hardly the way to start your married life.
A very enjoyable series.
It's always nice to spend some time in Scumble River visiting with school psychologist Skye Denison.
Bunny Reid, ex-Vegas showgirl, has returned to Scumble River and has purchased the local bowling alley. Bunny, Frannie and Justin were sitting around talking about increasing business and the idea of a Cat Show and Speed Dating, they decided would be a big boom. So they go ahead with there plans and things organized. They were even able to get a DJ to volunteer his time for a dance after the Speed Dating. Things seemed well in hand, but Alexis, the judge for the cat show portion, alienated a lot of the owners with her flippant attitude towards their cats and before the night is over she is found in the basement murdered.
Of course no visit to Scumble River would be complete without visiting with the student and school personnel and the Dooziers family. They show up with a bunch of mayhem and good times.
The real dilemma that Skye is facing is that she is sure her house is haunted by the ghost of its former owner. Once Skye and Wally, the police chief, are married, they are planning to live in Skye's house. But whenever things start to become "romantically" related, things on the counters start flying around. That's hardly the way to start your married life.
A very enjoyable series.
September 29, 2012
Our lead sleuth, Skye Dennison, is beyond thrilled that, after countless delays from church, law, and families, her long awaited nuptials with Police Chief Wally Boyd are firming up. Just in time too as the ghost in her house constantly lets Skye know her opinions on the subject. This was a fun section to read.
Adding to the ghostly situation is the fact that an acid-tongued woman judge in a local cat show was found dead by, you guessed it, Skye. Being as Skye is a Psychological Consultant with Scumble River Police Department, there is no way Wally will be investigating the case without her.
As is often the case, there are all to many willing suspects whom are showing no grief at the quick demise of Judge Alexis. Alexis was a nasty person. Skye views the victims and suspects through her psychologist eye and tries to keep ahead of the culprit. There were several unexpected twists in this mystery, just as I like them to be.
The mystery was interesting and at times fun. I wish the ghost of Mrs. Grigg's was more prominent. I also thought the twin sisters should have had more page space. I enjoyed the book, and will look for the next in the series. I wish the couple would just get married after so long. Also with Skye being so careful to watch her Lenten promises, I was a bit discomforted with her careless (as far as Church) views of premarital sex. It felt awkward to me.
Adding to the ghostly situation is the fact that an acid-tongued woman judge in a local cat show was found dead by, you guessed it, Skye. Being as Skye is a Psychological Consultant with Scumble River Police Department, there is no way Wally will be investigating the case without her.
As is often the case, there are all to many willing suspects whom are showing no grief at the quick demise of Judge Alexis. Alexis was a nasty person. Skye views the victims and suspects through her psychologist eye and tries to keep ahead of the culprit. There were several unexpected twists in this mystery, just as I like them to be.
The mystery was interesting and at times fun. I wish the ghost of Mrs. Grigg's was more prominent. I also thought the twin sisters should have had more page space. I enjoyed the book, and will look for the next in the series. I wish the couple would just get married after so long. Also with Skye being so careful to watch her Lenten promises, I was a bit discomforted with her careless (as far as Church) views of premarital sex. It felt awkward to me.
April 11, 2015
Murder of the Cat's Meow by Denise Swanson is the 15th book in the Scumble River mystery series.Bunny Reid starts a dating website which is frequented by many cat lovers so she combines a cat show and a speed dating night. An obnoxious judge is found strangled by a cats toy the next morning by Skye.This series is so addictive, just like a soap opera. I love catching up with the characters and there is always something crazy happening in Scumble River, making for a fun read. Always entertaining and leaves me wanting more.
October 26, 2019
This is the only book I have read in this series. Someone passed this book on to me and I felt obligated to give it a shot. I was told it wasn't necessary to read the previous books in the series. However, maybe this is why I felt like I didn't really know the characters. I also felt like there were too many things going on here and there. I probably won't pursue anymore books in this series. But if someone hands me one...
May 22, 2017
Too much focus on Skye and Wally's "romance". Barely a mention of any of the supporting characters that make the little town interesting, e.g., Justin, Frannie, the bookshop owners, the bar owner, the café owner, etc. There hasn't been a mention of Skye's twin cousins in the last several books. At least there's no Simon in this one.
The ghost story/exorcism subplot was ridiculous.
The ghost story/exorcism subplot was ridiculous.
July 2, 2015
Not a bad mystery but the title had nothing to do with the story. Also I really wasn't invested in any of the characters. They did not seem "real" to me and the ghost story added absolutely nothing to the plot.
September 1, 2015
Good entry in the Scumble River series. Skye and Wally work well together both personally and professionally. I don't know if there is any way for any one to guess the murderer ahead of time but it was a lot of fun getting to the end.
October 24, 2012
I always enjoy the Scumble River mysteries. They're funny and light, an easy read, and quite entertaining.
February 18, 2013
Another readable mystery starring school psychologist Sky Dennison in Scumble River, the apparent murder capitol of Illinois!
September 27, 2015
Nope sorry. Gave up on this one half way thru. Just too tedious !
July 22, 2016
Fun to revisit the Scumble River community in all its wacky glory.
January 4, 2021
School psychologist Skye Denison stamped her bunny-slippered foot on the black-and-white-tiled floor of her newly remodeled kitchen and shouted, "If you keep doing that, I won't be able to convince Wally we should live here once we're married."
In this fifteenth book of the series, Bunny has decide to host a speed dating event at the bowling alley. The name of the site is misconstrued and it turns into a cat show followed by the speed dating. One of the cat show judges is so obnoxious to not only participants but to vendors as well. Of course, she ends up dead and Skye finds her body.
This was a very good installment of the series. In addition to the events at the bowling alley, there is an issue at school involving a group of girls trying an internet challenge that could be deadly. Skye is right in the thick of everything.
To top it off, Skye has decided that she needs to exorcise Mrs. Griggs from her home or she and Wally will never be able to have an intimate relationship there. The antics in the house are quite a hoot.
Frannie and Justin have a bump in their relationship that Skye gets sucked into as well. I loved the scene in the bookstore when Skye wonders if she has time to pick up a book from a new series set in a small town dime store before meeting with the quarreling couple. (A reference to Ms. Swanson's Devereaux's Dime Store series which was released after this book)
The mystery was well done and I didn't pick up on the killer until Skye did. I agreed with her about the main suspect and felt he was innocent.
I've come to enjoy my trips to Scumble river and look forward to the next book.
In this fifteenth book of the series, Bunny has decide to host a speed dating event at the bowling alley. The name of the site is misconstrued and it turns into a cat show followed by the speed dating. One of the cat show judges is so obnoxious to not only participants but to vendors as well. Of course, she ends up dead and Skye finds her body.
This was a very good installment of the series. In addition to the events at the bowling alley, there is an issue at school involving a group of girls trying an internet challenge that could be deadly. Skye is right in the thick of everything.
To top it off, Skye has decided that she needs to exorcise Mrs. Griggs from her home or she and Wally will never be able to have an intimate relationship there. The antics in the house are quite a hoot.
Frannie and Justin have a bump in their relationship that Skye gets sucked into as well. I loved the scene in the bookstore when Skye wonders if she has time to pick up a book from a new series set in a small town dime store before meeting with the quarreling couple. (A reference to Ms. Swanson's Devereaux's Dime Store series which was released after this book)
The mystery was well done and I didn't pick up on the killer until Skye did. I agreed with her about the main suspect and felt he was innocent.
I've come to enjoy my trips to Scumble river and look forward to the next book.
November 23, 2019
Another enjoyable romp in Scrumble River. In this story Skye is talked into helping out at a cat show being held in the bowling alley. Of course someone gets murdered and it is one of the judges for the show. She was not a pleasant person so lots of people are suspect. While trying to help her police chief fiancée, Wally, figure out who the murderer is Skye deals with lots of different problems at the schools where she is a psychologist.
Lots of quirky characters populate these novels and some are more prominent in some stories than others. Skye has a large extended family and they are always involved. She and Wally are trying to decide when to get married and the ghost that haunts her house isn't letting them get to friendly in the meantime. She tries to get rid of the ghost with no success. It is fun to see how the different characters progress thru the novels. Situations change as they age.
Lots of quirky characters populate these novels and some are more prominent in some stories than others. Skye has a large extended family and they are always involved. She and Wally are trying to decide when to get married and the ghost that haunts her house isn't letting them get to friendly in the meantime. She tries to get rid of the ghost with no success. It is fun to see how the different characters progress thru the novels. Situations change as they age.
October 6, 2022
As these types of cozy series progress it seems to be there is less info in the books and more copy and paste. Doesn't make for a bad book, but does make for a bit of skimming. The wedding storyline finally moved forward a bit, the ghost storyline is stuck in Skye complaining about coitus interruptus and the mystery seems a bit tacked on. Do people really start reading a series at Book 15? Do we need such repetition on the background and the extra characters? I know who Bunny is. I know about May's problems with Wally. Just seems for every one sentence moving forward, there are 10 or 15 reiterating something I don't need to repeat.
March 26, 2019
Another fun addition to the Scumble River canon. I've never heard of a speed-dating service paired with a cat show, but Swanson makes it entertaining. I was very surprised by the mystery in this installment. The culprit took me by surprise. I am rarely stumped by whodunit, but this one had me guessing until the end. I'm hoping Simon's half-sister Spike is here to stay in the series because she's a great secondary character!
September 19, 2024
Skye and Wally are finally moving forward with the wedding! I’m so glad they’ve finally committed, hopefully nothing goes wrong. The cat show was a fun backdrop for this story, though the mystery was quite complicated and there weren’t any clues that would have logically led me to the real killer. This is such a fun series I’m torn between binge reading the rest of it and dragging it out to make them last longer.
November 25, 2020
Scumble River is hosting a cat show/ online dating service, in the bowling ally. This gives you a clue of what is happening, Skye Dennison is roped into helping and things get interesting. She also believes her house is haunted by the former owner and is thinking of ways to remove her. Let the fun begin
June 9, 2022
This book had a great start and then a lull in the middle and then finally picked up speed after all the loose ends started to come together. No real big plot twist that couldn’t be seen a mile away, but it was an enjoyable read all the same. From the intro: No actual cats were harmed in any way in this story.
January 3, 2023
I so enjoy this series. Some of the characters are really developing through the history of the series and that is one reason I read series whenever I can. Nice, crisp writing that does not get bogged down. Story moves along at a good pace. Very few, if any, plot holes.
Look forward to these books and often read them just revisit the characters.
Look forward to these books and often read them just revisit the characters.
November 10, 2025
Great book. This book was hilarious, especially good old Bingo. What fun. I couldn't stop laughing at the unfolding event with Bingo and his photo session. I'm surprised she didn't follow through. Plot and storyline were interesting. Lots of twists and turns. The Doozier event was funny. Characters were well developed. Probably one of the funnier books by this author. Highly recommend.
February 11, 2020
A good mystery with several leads coming together. There’s action and intrigue. The main character is a little religious for me. Could be sexier but at least it had a normal Wiccan character. I’m excited to read the next one.
January 6, 2021
I was truly stuck rating this one. It had a good twist in the plot at end but the normal ruckus Skye (the main character) gets into wasn't there. Making the story feel a little flat. Still worth reading.
February 3, 2021
I used to love this series a few years ago but never finished so decided to pick back up. I couldn’t even finish the book, stopped halfway through. It felt different - unrelatable and unrealistic. Going to move on.
October 9, 2023
I read this because of the cover (to fill a challenge for a book with pink cover). Not any better than most cozies. Same trope: woman has police officer as boyfriend but she's the one who solves the murder. It didn't inspire me to read others in the series.
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