Catnapped!

Dead-End Job Mystery #13

by Elaine Viets

The fur is really flying in this Dead-End Job Mystery from the national bestselling author of Checked Out.No more pussyfooting around! Husband-and-wife PI team Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont have barely scratched the surface of the world of show cats when a cornered kitty kidnapper’s claws come out.... The one thing celebrity Trish Barrymore and her no-account accountant husband, Mort, can agree on in their bitter divorce is shared cat custody. But when Mort is found brained by a mahogany cat tower and their pedigreed Chartreux show cat goes missing, Trish calls on Helen and Phil to find the feline filcher and let the cat out of the bag.Discovering that Mort had some shady dealings within cat show circles, Helen goes undercover as an assistant for a woman who shows prizewinning Persians. As Phil and she get deeper into a high-pressure world of primping, posing, and purring to collar a killer, they get caught up in a cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are literally life and death....

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Humor, Animals, Crime

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2014

About the author

As a young girl, Elaine Viets was taught the virtues of South St. Louis: the importance of hard work, housecleaning, and paying cash. She managed to forget almost everything she learned, which is why she turned to mystery writing.

Living in South Florida has not improved her character. But it has given her the bestselling Dead-End Job series. Like her amateur detective, Helen Hawthorne, Elaine actually works those rotten jobs. Perhaps her early training has given her a lifelong fascination with jobs. She and Helen both know working for a living can be murder.

To research her novels, Elaine has been everything from a salesclerk to a survey taker. Her first book in the series is SHOP TILL YOU DROP, a novel of sex, murder and plastic surgery. It's set at a fashionable dress shop that caters to kept women. Book two, MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS, takes place at a bookstore. Elaine worked at a Barnes & Noble in Hollywood, Florida, for a year.

For the third, DYING TO CALL YOU, Helen works as a telemarketer. Elaine sold septic tank cleaner and did telephone surveys. She actually asked women if they shaved their armpits. In the fourth Dead-End Job mystery, JUST MURDERED, Elaine and Helen explore big-money matrimony for better or worse. Elaine did her research in Zola Keller’s posh bridal salon in Fort Lauderdale.

For the fifth novel, Elaine and Helen go to the dogs. MURDER UNLEASHED is set at a high-end dog boutique, where people spend two hundred dollars for canine cuisine, women sneak illegal pets into condos using high-priced designer purses, and the dogs at the store have bigger wardrobes than the salesclerks. MURDER UNLEASHED is Elaine's first hardcover mystery. Publishers Weekly calls it “wry social commentary.”

Although Elaine lives in Fort Lauderdale, her heart – and her viewpoint – remain in the Midwest. Like Helen Hawthorne, another transplanted St. Louisan, she observes the outrageously rich Florida culture (and lack thereof) with wide-eyed fascination.

Elaine’s second series takes her back to work in St. Louis. It features Josie Marcus, a mystery shopper and single mom. The debut novel, DYING IN STYLE, tied with Stephen King on the bestseller list for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Elaine won both the Agatha and the Anthony Awards for her short story, "Wedding Knife," in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES.

Some honors don’t come with plaques and award banquets. Elaine was thrilled when her short story, "After the Fall," was featured on the same cover of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine as the master, Ed Hoch.

Her short story, "Red Meat," is in BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS, the Mystery Writers of America anthology edited by Lawrence Block. "Blonde Moment" is in the MWA anthology, SHOW BUSINESS IS MURDER, edited by Stuart Kaminsky. "Sex and Bingo" is featured in the HIGH STAKES gambling anthology. And if you've ever wondered about the early life of purple-loving landlady Margery Flax, read "Killer Blonde" in DROP-DEAD BLONDE.

Elaine has served on the national boards of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband, actor Don Crinklaw, where they collect speeding tickets.

Please buy her novels so she can pay her MasterCard.

Series:
* Dead-End Job Mystery
* Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper
* Francesca Vierling Mystery

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the Dead End Job mystery series, I feel like I've taken a mini-vacation to south Florida. This was especially enjoyable during a recent stretch of bitter cold winter days. In Catnapped! Helen and Phil suddenly have two crimes to solve. The clock starts ticking on the chance to solve a murder. And there are lots of cats.

[Victoria Allman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elaine Viets has kept her Dead-End Job series going strong by focussing on the secondary characters that we, as readers of the series, have come to love. Catnapped is the dual story of a ransomed show cat that has Helen working in a cattery shampooing, conditioning and brushing the fur of pampered felines, as well as the story of Helen's loved land lady, Marjory, who has been arrested for the murder of her ex-husband.
As always, the writing is tight and funny. Viets excels at teaching the reader something about the world in which Helen's investigations take place without making it sound like a research paper on show cats. Her main character, after 13 books, has remained flawed but interesting and someone you can root for, even when she bungles part of the investigation.
I always feel like I know a little more about South Florida after reading a Dead-End Job book, set in Ft. Lauderdale, and look forward to the next installment in this series.

Victoria Allman
Author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it the first time on March 15, 2015 and again January 17, 2018. Loved it just as much the second and third time. Can’t wait for the next adventure but I truly believe this is the last book of the series and I feel sad about that. Love the characters which evolved through the years and all their adventures. Will miss everyone.

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good plot but not my favorite of the series. I still prefer the early books when Helen was single.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another series I've read for ages. It really should have ended several books ago but I keep reading them...

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can never go wrong with an Elaine Viets cozy mystery. I learned a lot about the world of cat shows reading this story.

[Avidreader Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been quite awhile since I read one of these. Got kind of tired of the cozy mystery for a bit. But then after a few heavy books club books needed something light and fun and this did not disappoint. I really enjoyed, how unlike many cozy mysteries this character has grown and now has a partner. And this was not just a one murder case. It was not even straight or simple. Predictable?? Yes for the most part… I saw most of it coming. But still was a very enjoyable read!

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining cozy mystery featuring lots of long-haired show cats! The thought of all of that cat hair made me shudder!

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catnapped is the thirteenth book in the Dead-End Job Mystery series.

Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont have been hired by Nanci Hays to find Trish Barrymore's valuable show cat, January's Jubilee Justine. The Barrymore's are going through a very messy divorce and the only thing they can agree on is that Justine has the very best of everything. They have joint custody of the cat and when Mort Barrymore fails to return Justine at the appointed time. Trish's lawyer, Nanci Hays, rings Helen and Phil and gives them the case of the missing show cat. Upon arriving at Mort's mansion they find that Mort has been killed. Mort had a reputation of being “ladies man” and a player, so Helen goes undercover and get a job at a cattery. Hoping to get more information about his personal life and maybe learn who might have been jealous enough to do him in.

Meanwhile, there are interesting times at the Coronado, where Helen and Phil live and have their office. The building is starting to show damage done by the salty sea air and Margery is in a turmoil as what about it. Adding to this, Zach Flax her ex, who see hasn't seen in some 50 or so years, shows up and wants to pick up where they left off. Margery quickly becomes a “person of interest, so now Helen and Phil have a second case to work on. This was a quiet humorous segment of the book, as life with Margery always is.

Will be watching for the next book in the series.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlucky number 13? Not with this thirteenth book in the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries!

While I’ve read a few books in author Elaine Viet’s Mystery Shopper series, CATNAPPED is the first I have read in her Dead-End Jobs series. I could tell from the very beginning that this was going to be a fun book, and it was!

I love the character Helen and Phil, a husband and wife PI team, and Nancie, they lawyer for the firm they work for. Helene and Phil have a great relationship. I love the way they interact with each other. And Nancie, well, she’s a real piece of work. ;-)

I started laughing during the first chapter and kept laughing until the end. Ms. Viets has a wonderful sense of humor. But the humor in her writing didn’t diminish the wonderful mystery aspect of this story at all. It was tight and well plotted with plenty of twists in the story to keep me guessing. A real page turned that kept my brain working on the answer even when I was reading!

Because of CATNAPPED, I now have a new to me series that I will be adding to my TBR.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more I read of this series, the less I like them. The plots are usually entertaining, but the writing, or should it be attributed to the editor...there are places, too many, where one character says something and a couple sentences later, is contradicted by the person they are talking to, or the 2nd person just repeats what the first said. And, the reader is not only not drawn into the story, it's more like even the writer is apart from the characters.

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Dead-End Job Mystery series by Elaine Viets and I am amazed how Viets keeps coming up with dead-end jobs for main character Helen Hawthorne to apply for and get. Catnapped is the thirteenth book in this series and boy oh boy will it capture your attention !!!

When the Dead-End job Mystery series starts Helen had left her cushy life in St. Louis after catching her husband cheating on her and when she filed for divorce, the judge awarded her ex-husband half of her future earnings. She vowed that he would never get another dime out of her so she left and drove until her car broke down in Ft. Lauderdale. She got an apartment and started getting "dead-end jobs" staying under the radar so she wouldn't get found out. Luckily for her she moved into the Coronado Tropics Apartments where her landlady is like her second mother and she fell in love with her neighbor Phil. Things gradually worked out for Helen so that now (in recent books) she and Phil have their own business as private investigators which is good because Helen seems to always find herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

In Catnapped Helen and Phil are looking for a kitten, Justine, whose "parents" are going through a messy divorce but have an agreement regarding visitation for Justine. Justine was suppose to be returned to her "mother" Trish but when her "father" Mort fails to return her, Trish has her lawyer contact Helen and Phil to retrieve Justine. Unfortunately when they arrive at Mort's house, they find him dead with no sign of Justine. Shortly after Trish receives a call looking for ransom money for the return of Justine so Helen goes undercover at a cat cattery to try to find out where Justine is and who may have killed Mort. Phil does his part by looking into things via the internet.

Before they can solve that case Margery, their landlord, has a confrontation with her ex-husband, Zach, who she hasn't seen in 30 years. Shortly after the confrontation he is found dead and Margery is arrested for his murder !!!

Helen and Phil have their hands full in Catnapped dealing with all these cases .... and the Coronado is not the same without Margery there so they have to do whatever they can to find out who killed Zach so that she can come home !!!

There is so much in this series to capture readers attention and you will want to move into the Coronado so that you can enjoy your evenings hanging around the pool with the gang and a glass of boxed wine. You will fall in love with Helen and all her dead-end jobs and her relationship with Phil will capture your heart. I long for every time I can open a book in this series and escape to Ft. Lauderdale without leaving my couch or packing a suitcase.......

If you haven't read any of the books in this series that is okay. You don't have to read the books in any kind of order and can pick up any of them and not be lost at all. However, if I were you, I would want to read ALL of the books in the series. Readers cannot help but fall in love with Helen and as she grows throughout the series, you will also.

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so disappointed that this is the last book in the series that is available from Kindle Unlimited.

I absolutely loved the 'Dead-End Job Mystery' series by Elaine Viets. I started this series when I stumbled across one at random the decided it was one series worth reading. Even though this series is a murder mystery, it's delivered with a huge side of humor.

Helen's latest dead-end job is with Phil—her husband and PI partner—they land the case
of local socialite Trish Barrymore when she hires Helen and Phil to recover her beloved show cat—named January’s Jubilee Justine—from her ex-husband Mortimer, the case seems simple enough, right? Wrong! Unfortunately, when they arrive, not only is the cat missing, Mortimer has been bludgeoned to death.

Meanwhile, back at home a dear friend they both Helen and Phil consider family has been set up and charged for the murder of her ex- husband.

The team has their hands full in this book and family is on the line. If you want more deets that make the story a whole. Your just going to have give it a read. I promise you will not be disappointed.

On the flip side if anyone is willing to lend me the rest of the series through the lending library, I'll love you forever!
~Laters Peeps

[librarian4Him02 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of the plot and learned a ton about the world of cat shows. Also, the Florida setting drew me in. The author had a way of incorporating the local setting through the use of major highways, the names of building complexes, and vivid descriptions of buildings that made me feel as if I were there. Setting was a strength of this book.

One difficulty I had was with the dialogue. The author obviously did a lot of research for this book and it showed through in the dialogue. Often the characters seemed to be regurgitating facts the author learned in order to explain things to the reader. Conversations just didn't seem to flow naturally to me. Also, there were some things one of the main characters did as a private investigator that didn't seem plausible to me. It was hard to suspend my disbelief at times and just go with the flow.

Overall it wasn't a bad read. I'd recommend it to cat lovers, those who like books set in Florida, and fans of murder mysteries.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather mediocre, at times verging very close to a 2.
Ordinarily I would not jump into a series at # 13, but I was attracted by the cat show theme, and I felt I did not suffer from not having read the earlier books.
The cat show details were nice, as was a rather extraneous description of the Keys that ended the book, but I did not find Helen and Phil especially appealing. They are in their 40s and act like teenagers who just discovered sex. For my taste also I was not too interested in the constant descriptions of what everyone is wearing, especially since I did not especially like the way most of them dressed.
I wonder why the book's two murders were both of divorced/about-to-be-divorced men whose innocent ex/about-to-be-ex- wives are arrested for the crimes. Maybe they thought this was a clever structure, but I found it oddly confusing.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen and Phil try to find their clients cat and end up finding her ex-husband..dead. Once again Helen and Phil go undercover to help a client. Helen gets the short end of the stick and ends up grooming show cats. As if all of this isn't enough, their home is being threatened. Their landlady is faced with some very expensive repairs or possibly selling the place. Out of the blue her ex-husband shows up. If all of that wasn't bad enough, the ex-husband is found dead and their landlady is now the only suspect. Helen and Phil must find the clients cat, help get her cleared of murder, and help their landlady be cleared of murder. This book as so many hilarious twists and turns along with a surprise I did not see coming.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Show Cats and Ex Husbands
This book is one in a series that is best read in order, although a new reader would not be totally lost. This episode has several things happening at once. And, as usual, it is a bit chaotic. The reader gets to step behind the scenes of the cat show world to see how pampered these beauties really are. These mysteries are not easily solved and the reader knows things when the PI's find them. I love getting the clues as they do and never getting surprised by hidden clues. I have been binge-reading the series and have not gotten tired of them. I will miss reading them when I finish.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and have read many of these books. They are set in an area of Florida that I am so familiar with as that's where we used to winter for 26 years. Of course that adds to my enjoyment of the Dead End Job Mysteries. This was a fun plot centered around a catknapping of a prize-winning cat. Lots of suspects, red herrings, and adventures. If you are a cozy mystery lover, you might want to give these a try. I suggest starting at the beginning because although every one does stand alone, the characters have been through a lot of changes throughout the series and the first book explains the reason for all the following books.

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read some of the other books in this series and I like these books very much.
The setting is unusual (Helen working low grade jobs to only get paid in cash because of her ex-husband) and it all takes place in Florida, which feels like a mini vacation during reading.
Helen is now married again and has a detective agency with her husband.
In this book they are investigating two murders and a kitnapped cat. I liked the story, it was an entertaining read.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting! Enjoyed the characters and story line, especially all that Helen and Phil go through to rescue the purloined puss!

Highly recommend, especially if one loves cats - the author shows us a world of cat showing and care that I hadn't considered before - and I'm happy that my cats are happy rescues without special 'bloodlines'!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously, can Helen and Phil stay off of each other for more than 5 minutes? And if I had to read about someone's jalousie door one more time, I think I might have screamed. Okay, those things aside, I liked the overall mystery, though who killed Zach was super predictable. I usually really enjoy the dead end job mystery stories, this one just wasn't my favorite.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple cases have Helen and Phil running around like cats who got their tails stepped on! I figured most of the who as well as why but was satisfied to learn the rest. Another good story in this fun cozy series!

[Susan Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cats and no Dogs

An interesting read. A lot of info on cat care didn't detract from the story. Highlighting the idiosyncrasies of the rich, the elderly and man's eternal greed for money

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Helen and Phil (PIs) were very busy. Many twists and turns. 2 main investigations that were quite involved.

[Marseydoats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care too much for the first book I read in this series but this one was better. Margery is a hoot.

[Clyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute. it's the 1st one in the series I read....want to go back and read more!!

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice change of pace. Well written.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quirky characters a totally enjoyable read.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun cozy to read, Elaine Viets writs a good story!

[Patricia McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kidnapped cat, a murder, and renovations

Phil and Helen have their work cut out for them when their landlady is arrested for murdering her former husband.