Clues, Cats, and Contracts: A Delightfully Twisty Cozy Mystery

by Aleena Vale

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2026

Reviews

[Tasha Henry nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall concept was good but could use more development. I think some key plot points were missing like how all the research brought about the conclusion, it felt like the research side was just there and a completely different group brought about the conclusion to the story. Almost like hiring a P.I. who is building a case and has it wrapped up then the next chapter the bad guy is in jail. The reader has no idea if the investigators work was the cause of if the police themselves solved it without the P.I.'s evidence.

Too many metaphors for my liking, I kept trying to figure out if the building was truly alive (sentient) or if there were just so many metaphors being used to help describe the scene, and in places the first paragraph was a metaphor but then the next paragraph did all the description so one of the paragraphs could have been left out with no story impact.

I also want clear on if the Cat was truly sending thoughts to the character or if it was just her interpretation of his expression and movement. Seemed to flip back and forth.

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clues, Cats and Contracts is an Excellent story and start of a series about Keira James City Archivist she was in storage area of paperwork and found a cat she later called Whisper. The cat saved her when a shelf collapses. She finds incorrect paperwork and started a trail of looking for the truth. Jonah and Felicity from IT come to see what had caused the noise. Keira, Whisper, Jonah and Felicity look into the contract.
There are many twists and turns throughout the story. They do not know who they can trust. But can they discover the truth?
I enjoyed reading this story and recommend that you read.

[Anne Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keira is in her place of work when some things fall off a shelf, including a cat bound up in surveyor tape. She releases him and then her virtually saves her life, by noticing the wall unit was going to fall on her. She names him Whisper, because she can hear his thoughts. She realises something wrong is happening in City Hall , and with help from two work mates, Jonah and Felicity they trace the source and uncover the perpetrator.

[Kate Wells]

Too much of the metaphors and similes, no room for the ideas to breathe. Deliberate mystification. Annoyed me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.