A blizzard blows into Indiana, bringing gifts, gala events, and a ghastly murder to heiress Katherine “Katz” Kendall. It’s Katherine’s birthday, and she gets more than she bargains for when Colleen and her mum visit the Victorian mansion to celebrate. Handsome boyfriend Jake adds to the joys of the season. After all hell breaks loose at the Erie Museum’s opening, Katherine and her five cats unwittingly stumble upon clues that help solve a mystery. But has Scout lost her special abilities? Or will Katz find that another one of her amazing felines is a super-sleuth? With the cats providing clues, it’s up to Katherine and her friends to piece together the murderous puzzle ... before the town goes bust!
"The Cats that Played the Market” is the fourth book of Karen Anne Golden’s bestselling cozy animal mystery series “The Cats that ... ”
I like cozy mysteries that allow my mind to relax. No bloody gore or horrifying descriptions just to gross you out. The cats that.... books do not disappoint. Likeable, real characters, a bit heavy on the "how different Indiana is" stuff (I am from Ohio, so I find that constant comparison unnecessary), the story's end does leave me wanting to know what will happen next in this town with Katz and her cats.
This is the 4th book in the series and is just as great as the others. If you are a cat person, you will love this series. There are 5 cats in the series. They will entertain you, make you laugh, and make you wonder what’s going to happen next. I hope there is another one in the series because I really enjoy reading about them, even though I’m a dog person.
2 1/2 stars. It's an easy read, entertaining and I look forward to see what is happening with the characters. All the things you look for in a cozy. Just a few complaints. The solution to the mystery comes too soon; there isn't following clues, etc. There were were a number of very funny scenes with the cats but some of it seemed a little forced. I also think it is too soon for Jake to think the cats have some sort of mysterious power when it comes to solving mysteries. There just hasn't been enough interaction where he has been around. Maybe, that is it: things are just too rushed.
This was the 4th book in this series that I have read, and it also rates "My Favorite Reads" rating.
I love how this author has managed to give each of her 5 cats it's own unique voice and personality, even though they do not actually "talk" in human speech, which is the way I like it. I also really enjoy the recurring supporting characters in this series. It makes reading each book feel like revisiting your hometown.
So far there are 9-books in this series, so I am looking forward to reading book #5~"The Cats That Watched The Woods. I love that they are all available to read with my Kindle Unlimited subscription!
The Cats that Played the Market by Karen Anne Golden
This is the 4th and latest book in Golden's series, and it is another quick, fun read.
This adventure takes place in December, just a couple of months after the finish of the last book. Katherine and Jake have become an item. Once again, Erie, IN is in the throes of a winter storm. Roads are closed and the state police are advising everyone to stay at home. In just a few days, Colleen and her mother are coming out to visit before the holidays. The trial of Patricia Marston, who murdered her own mother and Kathleen's ex-boyfriend, Gary (book #1) occurred just a few weeks earlier and Marston was found guilty and will be transported to a maximum security prison in the northern part of the state. And, it's Katz's birthday.
For her birthday, the estate attorney, Mark, present Katz with a check for 5 million dollars as payout from the estate funds. She will inherit the entire amount in just a few months, after fulfilling the requirements of her great aunt's will. He advises her to invest some of the money with a new financial advisor in town, Robbie Brentwood, who had returned to Erie from New York in order to care for his aging mother.
The story marries to story lines, the mysteries surrounding Brentwood and his seemingly too-good-to-be-true financial promises and the wrap up of the Marston story. Both story lines provide plenty of twists and turns, action and danger, and put all of Katherine's friends and furry family at risk. The story lines are well paced, intertwine well, and keep the reader engaged and turning page after page.
As usual, great proofing/editing. Kudos! The characterizations of main characters are well fleshed out by this 4th book, and a reader of the entire series feels a comfortable with them as with his/her real life friends. Abra, the fifth cat (book #3) has settled in well and is a good fit with the growing Kendall clowder. Golden has utilized references to popular culture in all of the books, and continues that in this book, a practice of which I am very fond. A good example would be the names Barbie Sanders has given the two Siamese cats she has adopted: Dewey and Crow, obviously named for the Dewey Crow character in the TV series "Justified." (An aside -- interesting that I would read this the night before watching the first episode of the current, and last, season of "Justified," in which Dewey passes into that great TV land in the sky).
All in all, I have enjoyed this series very much. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series, to see what trouble will come knocking at Katherine's door, and how her friends and her furry family will react.
Another entry in a cute series. I love that you can curl up and read this in an afternoon, and the characters are adorable. The only criticism I have is that the main mystery wasn't solved very well. It wasn't until after I finished it that it occurred to me that with all the excitement at the end of the book, the resolution to the murder was buried. But still a fun, enjoyable series.
Had a fun time with this book, and I’m glad the characters are sorting out issues raised in previous books. Jake and Katz are sweet, and Colleen has a surprise for her bestie. Cora is a problem, and Mark finally has a more serious talk with Katz.
A fast paced plot that has a nice resolution for our main players. Onwards to book 5.
At this point in the series I have decided that I wouldn't want to live in this house. In the first book of the series a character mentions that crime is really rare in this town. How, in the space of a few months, this lady has death and mystery this often is kind of crazy. I'd be back in Brooklyn in a NY minute, to use the heroine's expression. However, I do like the fast pace of the stories and I very much enjoy the feline antics. It's a fun series.
Another quick, light read. This cozy romance has a few different mysteries going on, and several cat capers. To be honest, I would have preferred two books... the first ⅔ could have been the story- it just needed some more details. The last ⅓ could have been a complete story, all its own. I really wanted more details and information, it was really quite bare.
If you love Siamese and small town murders, try this series! Lots of action, small town gossips and real characters. Thank you again Ms Golden for the entertainment and excitement!
In having so much fun with this series. Normally I know who dunit early but I haven't in this series. Ima big cat lover and once had part Siamese so it doesn't adds fun to the story. I highly recommend
The continuing adventures of Katz and her 5 cats continues. It has a swindler, a murder, an unfriendly mother & a formidable foe returns. I really like the progression and filling out of the characters and am looking forward to the next book.
A mystery involving a new financial planner in town and the new historical society museum, and a bad person from the past. The cats, as usual, know things humans don't and are so much fun.
The cats do their death dance when someone is about to die. This series gets better as it goes along. It is full of light fun reading with many cat centered incidents and a growing romance.
Karen Anne Golden has brought another wonderful cozy book which I loved. In the fourth book the amazing cats are back to play the market...Scout, Abra, Iris, Lilac and Abby they will touch your heart. Mark Dunn has brought Katz some wonderful news on her birthday no less. His advice is to invest her fortune..When she meets Robert Brentwood for the first time, he sets off some bad vibes. The cats even tell her too in the way they only now how. Wow you can't help but laugh. When something terrible happens you know who will help solve the mystery? The plot only thickens, because of other things the cat's find after Robert Brentwood leaves Katz's house. It's very fascinating how the mystery is solved.
In this book my heart was beating in moments and crying too..such sweet moments. You'll see why..so buy the books. You'll just fall in love with all the cats. Highly recommend this book, as well as the entire series.
This is a light, easy murder mystery with minimum suffering and minimum gore. There's love involved, but the author discreetly draws the line at hugging and kissing. I very much appreciate this! When I wasn't a cosy, I'm not looking for steamy sex. The plot is straightforward but extremely well crafted. While our heroine, Katz, is becoming a murder magnet in this series set in small town INDIANA, the plot is believable. I found it a totally enjoyable afternoon read.
I loved this latest installment. The storyline draws the reader in right away and I couldn't put it down until the end. It's fun to imagine inheriting such a fortune. I love reading about the cats and their distinct and human-like personalities. I can't wait for the next installment.
Murder once again comes to Eerie, Indiana and heiress Katz Kendall and her feline sleuths are on the case. I love these books. Katz is a woman you could be friends and her cat menagerie are charming, smart, and helpful. I recommend it to mystery lovers who also love cats. If you enjoy Lillian Jackson Braun,Rita Mae Brown, and Carole Douglas, then you will enjoy Karen Anne Golden. Happy Reading!
Oh my god I love these books. Karen Anne Golden is a great author. I have read the full series and can't wait for her next one. Please don't wait to long to write the next one.
Another quick read with Katz and her 5 cats. The scene at the fund raiser is hilarious; the author is sparse with description so you can fill in the images yourself, esp. with the really interesting cakes. Not sure where she's going with this series, but this one had a very satisfying ending.
The cats that played the market excellent book read
I wrote that it was excellent because it keep you wanting to read more. It kept you wanting to know what happened next. Cannot wait to start reading the next one. Great job.
Such a darling, funny, intriguing story, one I won't give away! Karen Golden writes about cats as if she had been one in a previous life, maybe she was!!! Really enjoying this as well as other of her books. Hope you will too!