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Una McMurray Mystery #2
A Calculated Murder: A charming cosy murder mystery
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26Una McMurray is puzzled. Surely, statistically, the international cat show scene shouldn't be this... lethal?
Keen to make her mark in her new job in pet insurance, Una's first task is to calculate whether cat ownership extends human lifespan. Tragically, that's not the case for prizewinning cat owner Jeff Bridgely - a most improbable accident has ended his dreams of triumphing at the upcoming International Cat Show.
When a second competitor dies in mysterious circumstances, the maths just doesn't add up. Una vows to resolve this suspicious data discrepancy and impress her new project team, especially condescending Tim and ambitious trainee Patti.
After borrowing Pedro the cat and brushing up on her feline facts, Una dives deep undercover in the cutthroat world of cat shows. Competition is fierce, but what Pedro lacks in pedigree, he makes up for in character. Although as Pedro's odds of winning shorten, so do Una's chances of survival...
Armed with razor-sharp logic, analytical expertise and a scruffy moggy sidekick, can actuary Una catch the cat show killer before she becomes the latest fatal statistic?
Keen to make her mark in her new job in pet insurance, Una's first task is to calculate whether cat ownership extends human lifespan. Tragically, that's not the case for prizewinning cat owner Jeff Bridgely - a most improbable accident has ended his dreams of triumphing at the upcoming International Cat Show.
When a second competitor dies in mysterious circumstances, the maths just doesn't add up. Una vows to resolve this suspicious data discrepancy and impress her new project team, especially condescending Tim and ambitious trainee Patti.
After borrowing Pedro the cat and brushing up on her feline facts, Una dives deep undercover in the cutthroat world of cat shows. Competition is fierce, but what Pedro lacks in pedigree, he makes up for in character. Although as Pedro's odds of winning shorten, so do Una's chances of survival...
Armed with razor-sharp logic, analytical expertise and a scruffy moggy sidekick, can actuary Una catch the cat show killer before she becomes the latest fatal statistic?
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 3, 2026
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 1, 2025
A Calculated Murder is the second book in the Una McMurray Mystery series by British author, Jo Cunningham. The audio version is narrated by Rose Robinson. Actuary Una McMurray has been with the pet insurance section of Katapult Insurance for some weeks, and is mentoring Patti, a smart new (sometimes intimidatingly confident) graduate trainee, when her boss, Gareth decrees that Life Insurance and Pet Insurance will collaborate on a project.
Somewhat to her dismay, this entails interacting with her least favourite colleague, neo-liberal Tim, who managed to steal her hoped-for promotion, whose opinion of himself is stratospheric, and who excels at taking the credit for the work of others.
Before the focus of the project is decided, Una takes a call from her mum, who informs her that Cassie, Sheila’s mystic friend, needs someone to cat-sit her rather grumpy Pedro, and has deemed that it be Una, because a vision showed her that Pedro would protect Una from some dangerous situation to come.
Examining how pet ownership, specifically a cat, because both Patti and now Una have one, affects longevity, seems like a study pertinent to the insurance industry. A visit to the local Balham farmers market, is indicated. Una hopes the information stall about the coming Clapham Catstravaganza will yield some useful information. It does, and Una decides attending the Clapham event will allow her to interact with several cat owners.
She also learns that last year’s winner, Jeff Bridgely, who was tipped to again win the Balham International Cat Show, fell off a ladder and died just after the Tooting Feline Pageant: interesting, but a bit of a tangent.
When she and Patti attend Clapham, they discover just how specialised and competitive cat showing really is. A cat psychologist as well as a cat minder, and a purrsonality round, who knew?! And to her shock, one of the owners she has just spoken to, section winner, Sue Carmichael collapses and dies, and some owners are looking in Una’s direction. Two winners dying in short succession has them wondering if the deaths could really be accidental.
Back in Eastbourne, her mother’s new son-in-law, Anton mentions he is flat-hunting in London with little success. Website design can be done anywhere, though, and Una knows that Sheila and Ken have been trying unsuccessfully to matchmake him with local hairdresser, Rosa, whom Una is asking to groom Pedro. An opportunity to orchestrate casual meet-ups?
In a pub near Una’s flat, she and Anton encounter Balham Bugle reporter, George Davenport, who knows quite a bit about the cat shows, a popular news item with many readers. And when it turns out that Sue was poisoned, both Una and George are intrigued about motives and possible suspects, and decide to share what they find out.
When Tim enters Una and Pedro into the Balham show, she’s annoyed, but sees it as an opportunity to learn more about potential suspects under the guise of learning about cat showing. She begins trying to find Pedro’s talent for the purrsonality round without making him too likely to win, which might make her a target. Meanwhile, the motive is pondered: weeding out potential winners to reduce the competition? Revenge for past wrongs? Patti’s research turns up some incidents of rule-breaking in previous shows that might point to the latter…
In this instalment, Cunningham uses clever chapter headings, and gives Una a profile on a dating site that is exactly what might be expected for an actuary, if ineffective at attracting the right sort of date. There are a few turns, red herrings and surprises, and Una is twice locked in a cupboard. Does Pedro save Una’s life? Because, really, what danger could there be at a cat show? If there’s a third book in the series, fans might appreciate Cunningham finally getting Una and Anton to see how well matched they are. Very entertaining cosy British crime. More please!
Somewhat to her dismay, this entails interacting with her least favourite colleague, neo-liberal Tim, who managed to steal her hoped-for promotion, whose opinion of himself is stratospheric, and who excels at taking the credit for the work of others.
Before the focus of the project is decided, Una takes a call from her mum, who informs her that Cassie, Sheila’s mystic friend, needs someone to cat-sit her rather grumpy Pedro, and has deemed that it be Una, because a vision showed her that Pedro would protect Una from some dangerous situation to come.
Examining how pet ownership, specifically a cat, because both Patti and now Una have one, affects longevity, seems like a study pertinent to the insurance industry. A visit to the local Balham farmers market, is indicated. Una hopes the information stall about the coming Clapham Catstravaganza will yield some useful information. It does, and Una decides attending the Clapham event will allow her to interact with several cat owners.
She also learns that last year’s winner, Jeff Bridgely, who was tipped to again win the Balham International Cat Show, fell off a ladder and died just after the Tooting Feline Pageant: interesting, but a bit of a tangent.
When she and Patti attend Clapham, they discover just how specialised and competitive cat showing really is. A cat psychologist as well as a cat minder, and a purrsonality round, who knew?! And to her shock, one of the owners she has just spoken to, section winner, Sue Carmichael collapses and dies, and some owners are looking in Una’s direction. Two winners dying in short succession has them wondering if the deaths could really be accidental.
Back in Eastbourne, her mother’s new son-in-law, Anton mentions he is flat-hunting in London with little success. Website design can be done anywhere, though, and Una knows that Sheila and Ken have been trying unsuccessfully to matchmake him with local hairdresser, Rosa, whom Una is asking to groom Pedro. An opportunity to orchestrate casual meet-ups?
In a pub near Una’s flat, she and Anton encounter Balham Bugle reporter, George Davenport, who knows quite a bit about the cat shows, a popular news item with many readers. And when it turns out that Sue was poisoned, both Una and George are intrigued about motives and possible suspects, and decide to share what they find out.
When Tim enters Una and Pedro into the Balham show, she’s annoyed, but sees it as an opportunity to learn more about potential suspects under the guise of learning about cat showing. She begins trying to find Pedro’s talent for the purrsonality round without making him too likely to win, which might make her a target. Meanwhile, the motive is pondered: weeding out potential winners to reduce the competition? Revenge for past wrongs? Patti’s research turns up some incidents of rule-breaking in previous shows that might point to the latter…
In this instalment, Cunningham uses clever chapter headings, and gives Una a profile on a dating site that is exactly what might be expected for an actuary, if ineffective at attracting the right sort of date. There are a few turns, red herrings and surprises, and Una is twice locked in a cupboard. Does Pedro save Una’s life? Because, really, what danger could there be at a cat show? If there’s a third book in the series, fans might appreciate Cunningham finally getting Una and Anton to see how well matched they are. Very entertaining cosy British crime. More please!
August 29, 2025
This is a good cosy mystery with some lighthearted humour as well.
Una wants to start a project in her new job in pet insurance, and decides to look into whether owning a cat extends human’s lives.
She is happy to work with her trainee Patti but her colleague Tim muscles his way in, which Una is not happy about.
Una is then called by her Mum and told she needs to look after Pedro the cat for a few weeks, and she’s a bit concerned as she’s never had a cat.
It’s quite entertaining watching Una get used to Pedro and also speaking to the different characters at the cat shows as part of her project.
With two people dead who are heavily involved in the cat shows, Una is determined to get to the bottom of this.
This is an enjoyable light hearted cosy mystery.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book.
Una wants to start a project in her new job in pet insurance, and decides to look into whether owning a cat extends human’s lives.
She is happy to work with her trainee Patti but her colleague Tim muscles his way in, which Una is not happy about.
Una is then called by her Mum and told she needs to look after Pedro the cat for a few weeks, and she’s a bit concerned as she’s never had a cat.
It’s quite entertaining watching Una get used to Pedro and also speaking to the different characters at the cat shows as part of her project.
With two people dead who are heavily involved in the cat shows, Una is determined to get to the bottom of this.
This is an enjoyable light hearted cosy mystery.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book.
October 19, 2025
A light-hearted cosy murder mystery
Thank you, Little, Brown Book Group UK, for providing me with an ARC of A Calculated Murder by Jo Cunningham.
When Una, an actuary in pet insurance, accepts a project to explore the correlation between cat ownership and human lifespan, a couple of murders skew her data. With colleagues Patti and Tim, and cat Pedro, she decides to investigate.
A good plot, but I never managed to really connect with Una. Still, light-hearted and cosy, it was an entertaining read, which will grab many cosy mystery fans.
Three and a half stars for A Calculated Murder by Jo Cunningham.
Thank you, Little, Brown Book Group UK, for providing me with an ARC of A Calculated Murder by Jo Cunningham.
When Una, an actuary in pet insurance, accepts a project to explore the correlation between cat ownership and human lifespan, a couple of murders skew her data. With colleagues Patti and Tim, and cat Pedro, she decides to investigate.
A good plot, but I never managed to really connect with Una. Still, light-hearted and cosy, it was an entertaining read, which will grab many cosy mystery fans.
Three and a half stars for A Calculated Murder by Jo Cunningham.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews