Cats and Other Calamities

A Case for the Master Sleuths #1

by Alex Wagner, Rudy Sanda (Narrator)

The new mystery series for cat and dog lovers by Alex Wagner, author of Penny Küfer Investigates

Victoria Adler's plunge into midlife proves to be quite the rollercoaster. As a successful psychotherapist, she expected stability, but life had other plans. Abandoned by her faithless husband for a fling and overwhelmed by her increasingly neurotic patients, Victoria finds solace in the company of Athos, her late father's intelligent sled dog.

Seeking a fresh start, they travel to a quaint forest resort, where Victoria hopes to rediscover her inner peace at a seminar. But tranquility is the last thing they find.

A fellow seminar attendee dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind Pearl, a kitten so adorable that even the stoic Athos can't help but be charmed, though he'd never admit it.

Now he must team up with the little lady to sniff out the truth . . .

. . . or his very own human may be next for murder.

Fans of Ellen Riggs, Molly Fitz, and Sara Bourgeois will devour this cozy mystery with two adorable animal sleuths!

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

6 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 13, 2022

Reviews

[Clemmie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed reading this mystery, the animals really stole the show.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. The animals communicate with each other telepathically. If you’re a fan of spiders you may not like this one. (I’m not, & even I felt a little bad. Probably because it “talked”.) It’s interesting to see the different ways authors create animals communicating. e.g. Rita Mae Brown decided that Mrs. Murphy & friends can communicate with all the animals—even fish!—but not a spider—which seemed illogical to me. The ending of this did surprise me. But once the killer & their “reasons” were revealed, I was surprised the love affair that triggered the whole thing wasn’t just a figment of the killer’s imagination. The idea of the big fluffy Malamute (“I am NOT a fat Husky!”) & the small cat (Dwarfism, maybe? But not actually a kitten, as established at the beginning, & “NOT a midget!”) laying together is adorable, I think I’ll check out the next one.

[Cynthia webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the Dog's point of view

I really enjoyed this book. Athos, the Malamute, tells the story. It is well written, enjoyable, not too intense for a murder mystery. I look forward to more.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cutest cozy detective pair ever! A cat, a dog, a spider, crows...a menagerie treat. Now on to the second installment.

[Mr Francy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOOKING FOR A COZY MYSTERY WITH THE DOG AS A PROTAGONIST WHO HAS A KITTEN AS HIS WATSON? LOOK NO FURTHER!!!

PREMISE: In this book we follow Athos who is an Alaskan Malamut. Athos's human's name is Victoria Adler. Victoria has gone through a horrible break-up with her ex and decided to go to a resort for some R&R therapy with Athos. While there, they get to know this woman who seems rather skittish and carries a kitten around. Not too much later the woman is found dead and in the interum Victoria adopts the kitten. The kitten who's name is Pearl is a little white kitten and her attitude is so much more than her diminuative size suggests. Concerned about the death of her former human and bonding with Athos over their love of crime shows, the Alaskan Malamut and White Kitten come together to solve the case!

THOUGHTS: This was a fantastic read! I recently read another aminal-lead cozy that seemed to omniscient narration. This book however, was not. It was 100% from the perspective of Athos and from that end I really enjoyed it. I loved how things were mixed-up in this book when compared to standard cozies given we follow the perspective of a dog and also loved the great bond that Athos and Pearl seemed to have.
One warning: 4-6 Chapters focus on a "Banana Spider" and given I'm an arachnophobe I did find that to be rather less than even an average cozy. I docked 0.5 stars for this.
Otherwise the book was fantastic and I definitely want to read more in the series.


4.5 Stars!
xoxo.

[April ♥"LOS" ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the first book I’ve listened to that is almost entirely narrated by the animals, and I really enjoyed it. When Victoria‘s father passes away, she inherits Athos, an Alaskan malamute with a nose for mystery. While on a self discovery retreat in the mountains, Victoria and Athos find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery. With the help of a small kitten, pearl, these three are able to solve the crime.

[ann pac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book.

If you love animals, this book is for you. Athos and Pearl make a great team. On to the next book.

[Randee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute.

[Mary Jane Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story in which animals of all species can communicate with each other but not their "two legged" companions. At a retreat, the malamute and cat work hard to protect their person and solve the murder(s).

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entzückend - erzählt aus der Sicht von Hund und Katze 😁

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love cozy mysteries, and loved the dog and cat in this story. They communicate together, and manage to solve the murders. Looking forward to more in the series.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book but after a chapter or two could not put it down. Dr. Victoria Alder, Psychotherapist, father died and her husband was cheating on her. She decided she needed a vacation and some time to find herself again. With her father's dog, , Athos who she adopted or he adopted her they take off for a nice resort area for a seminar. Expecting to have a nice, relaxing time isn't even in the cards. When one of the other guest, Fiona, is murdered, her kitten, Pearl connects with Athos and the two of them decided to do some investigating. When they realize that Victoria might have been the intended victim they decided to protect her while finding the real killer. This book is mainly told by the dog and cat with a few human comments. Very enjoyable and you can't help but lose Althos and Pearl. They are such a great team and totally devoted to their human, So much fun to read. Looking forward to the next book to see what they are up too.

[Theresa LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute cozy

Cute cozy mystery. A dog and a cat join forces to solve crime. They make quite a team! Very cute and fun novel.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and entertaining, but not a good mystery book. The premise is fun - a dog and a cat team up to solve a murder mystery - and the animal’s conversations are cute, and that’s about it. There’s no depth to the characters, nothing grabs you, and overall it’s pretty blah. I did read to the end, though, to see whodunit, and that was disappointing too. Pretty poor excuse for murder. I will not be reading the rest of this series.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read where the main characters are a dog and cat. The story is told from the point of view of the dog, an Alaskan Malamute. I love the way they figure out how to help their human solve a crime despite the fact that she can't understand a word they're trying to say. They are loyal and resourceful and lovable.

[Donna Alspach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a fun read!

[Mary Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and plotted

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters and the style. Engaging characters and imaginative use of them carried the day.

[Lucy Stillwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fun and intriguing read

At first, I wasn’t sure about another book written from the animals perspective, but this one was very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing in this synopsis that isn’t found in the Goodreads summary.

If you like dogs and/or cats and think they are more intelligent and make better companions than humans then you may enjoy this first in a series book.

Victoria has just filed for divorce from her disloyal-woman-chaser-husband then her father passes as the result of an accident and leaves her his home, all its contents including one large Malamute dog, Athos, Victoria has never owned a pet. In addition to this she is weary of her job as a psychiatrist and all the complaining clients.

When Victoria is invited to a meditation retreat in the woods with some of her former class she considers it the opportunity she needs. A chance to unwind, the freedom to move on from her grief, the liberty to break from her former husband’s disloyalty to their relationship, a time to refresh from her day-to-day routine as a psychiatrist.

The first day is calm and peaceful, all the participants can ease into their daily schedule and a time to get reacquainted.

[Andrea Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this series because of the cover of the book and read a little about the story and was hooked and this series is another one of my favorites. Rudy Sanda, the narrator does a wonderful job narrating from Athos, a Malamute (sled dog) point of view. Victoria Adler inherited Athos from her father and is on her own now after her husband abandoned her because he cheated on her. Victoria is a successful psychotherapist who is going to a seminar and brings Athos with her because animals seem to be welcome. During the seminar, one of the attendee's is murdered and Victoria takes in Pearl, the kitten of the murdered woman. This was interesting from start to the end and look forward to the next story.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. The animals can communicate with each other but not with humans...so totally believable! Athos is a dog that was left to Victoria after the death of her father. He accompanies Victoria to a retreat (or some such thing) hosted by a former class mate. The tiny cat belongs to the first murder victim and is taken in by Athos and Victoria. She begs Athos to help her find out who killed her owner. The two work together to solve the mystery as well as saving Victoria's life. I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read with a decent mystery.

[Rosemarie Grainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute animal mystery

Athos, an Alaskan malamute, has a new owner, Victoria, who takes him to a retreat. There they meet Pearl a tiny kitten-like cat. When Pearls owner dies, Athos and Pearl decide to figure out what happened. This story has tons a twists and turns. It is an intriguing mystery with a delightful dog and cat detective team!

The pace is fast and the tone is engrossing with a character oriented storyline that has some action. The characters are vivid and engaging, especially Athos and Pearl. Enjoy this cute mystery with great animal detectives.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out much better than I expected based on the synopsis. I avoided this series for a while, but I was wrong. It’s a perfect example of a cozy mystery—predictable and low on suspense, but the characters (a dog and a cat) are absolutely charming. Narrating from the dog’s point of view is surprisingly engaging.
I’d recommend giving it a try if you’re on the lookout for a cozy mystery 🤭 I will continue with the series😊

PS. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator was fantastic. If you get the chance, I’d recommend giving it a listen 😊

[Amanda Roland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. This was a cute little murder mystery. I really enjoyed the dog perspective and animal characters. The book kept my attention but overall the mystery part felt a little weak. I felt the twist was predictable and motivation a bit unbelievable. I also really really struggled with the male narrators female voices and likely would have enjoyed it more in written form. Overall still an enjoyable quick read!

[Celest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Different Kind of Mystery

This is my first book by Alex Wagner and my first from a dogs perspective. Athos and his little friend Pearl are becoming a great crime fighting team. I'm sure that this one mystery will not be the last case for these two critters to solve. Can't wait for another adventure with this pair of unlikely heroes.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about this one, but once I realized it was from the dog's POV, I was skeptical. It surprised me with how much I liked it.

There was a lot of humor in this that I wasn't expecting, & the animals were adorable. The twist at the end even surprised me. This was a great, light, cozy read & I'll probably be getting to the second one soon.

[ms.pilesofpaper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat cosy murder mystery where a dog and a cat are the detectives. Despite the murders, it is rather light-hearted and quick to read. Not the greatest piece of literature in the world but it was fun to read and a nice break for my brain.

If you like books where the animal is the protagonist and the human is a side character, you will enjoy it.

[James Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new cozy mystery

This book takes the cozy mystery up one step. The narrating dog, Athos the malamute, is urbane and personable. The tiny cat Pearl is a clever companion and both are skillful at solving v complex mysteries. I look forward to continuing to enjoy reading this series.

[S M Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming.

And different. Very nicely done, keeping away some clues about the mysteries happening because Athos (and Pearl, to a lessor extent) are not always around, and sometimes can't be, as well as not able to go where they want when they want, and can't communicate some things to the humans very well.
Really liked this. Nicely different.

[Kathleen H. Forni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read.

This is a fun book. If you like animals who can speak their minds, Athos, the dog, and Pearl, the kitty, are good company. They protect their human from danger and solve a crime. This is a good bedtime story.