The Ghost of Christmas Paws

The No.2 Feline Detective Agency #4

by Mandy Morton

It's a week before Christmas and Hettie and Tilly set out on a very dangerous case for The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency. Lady Eloise Crabstock-Singe has summoned them to Crabstock Manor in the village of Porthladle on the Cornish Coast to solve the mystery of Christmas Paws, a servant cat who haunts the Manor intent on killing off all the Crabstocks.

Should they put their trust in Absalom and Lamorna Tweek? Will Saffron Bunn's cooking get any better? And what is Evergreen Flinch searching for?

Through blizzard and storm, stranded on the notorious Bodkin Moor and laid up at Jam Makers Inn will Hettie and Tilly save the day and get home in time for Christmas dinner?

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Cats

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Mandy Morton began her professional life as a musician. Her songwriting formed the basis of six albums during the 1970s and early 1980s, when she toured extensively with her band. More recently, she has worked as a freelance arts journalist for national and local radio, specialising in making music and theatre documentary. She is the co-author of a non-fiction theatre book, In Good Company, and lives with her partner in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always a place for an ageing long-haired tabby cat. The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is her first novel, and begins a series of books inspired by her first cat, Hettie.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a perfect mystery as I wired more of an answer to why at the end. Perhaps I missed those I.portant bits sprinkled in the story. But I adore Hettie and Tilly and the other cats. Interesting to listen to and with the right amount of Cozy and mystery.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another cosy mystery with cats as the detectives. I've become fond of the series and wanted a light Christmasy book to read.

Bulk of the story was a little strange but enjoyable. However, I hated the ending: a lot of violence compared to the rest in the series, then my least favourite 'type' of ending reveal (it can never be done well); followed by a sinister decision that was out of character for Tilly and felt unsettling.

Not sure if the middle of the book made up for the end.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I made a mistake by reading this book having not read any of its previous counterparts. This was, very unfortunately, not particularly enjoyable for me. It took its time getting started, then we got to the actual plot which felt pretty uninteresting, the climax happened which felt crazy, and then it did the thing (yes, that thing (iykyk)) and then it took ages to end. Very sad to say this just wasn’t for me.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, loved the characters

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read , lighthearted and entertaining, but quirky and clever with its use of place names and literary references. Glad I followed up the recommendation, will read more of the series

[Christy Siu · Rating 2 out of 5]

90% of the book is good. It's a quick, light, cozy mystery with a little bit of excitement and intrigue. It's a little predictable but I didn't expect anything mind blowing in the first place... It would be a 3 if the ending wasn't so god darn awful. If you don't mind those taboo endings that no one over the age of 7 should be using, then it's a good ending. It might have well started off with, "It was a dark and stormy night." Taking this 10% away, yeah, it's an easy read.

[LudmilaM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I wasn't quite sure how to rate this. Its witty, funny, feline and very british. All of this I enjoyed. Nevertheless it's also weird and the ending was a bit of a let down. But I definitely want to try another of the No 2 Feline Detective Agency books.

[Fabio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Team gatti che si buttano il cibo scadente nel fuoco per farsi caldo “ah, i vassoi sono di legno, proprio quello che ci vuole!” 🐱 🐱

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is a series of books led by a feline detective duo. Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins are summoned to solve a case a few days before Christmas. The elderly Lady Eloise Crabstock-Singe lives in a manor off the Cornish coast, and believes her house is haunted by the ghost of a cat who wants to finish off the entire Singe family. Lady Eloise's sister and brothers have already been brutally murdered by the hands of Christmas Paws, who shows up every Christmas Eve to wreck havoc on the Singe family. Eloise is the only surviving member, and is certain it's her turn this Christmas.

This cracking cat crime is an absolutely delightful and entertaining read for the Christmas season, populated by a world without people that cat lovers would certainly enjoy. All the characters are cats, and Mandy Morton has given each of them their own distinct character traits. Hetty and Tilly are named after the author's own cats, and the other characters are based on her friends' pets. Our protagonists are avid readers, and the book is peppered with literary references which are an absolute treat for book lovers. The word play is all animal-related - Santa Claws, Agatha Crispy, The Daily Snout, Cat of the Baskervilles, and the title itself being a take on Charles Dickens' novel. A fun, feline read that is definitely recommended if you're looking for something lighthearted and witty.

[Linda Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ladies are invited to Cornwall to assist someone who thinks they are being targeted by a ghost.
Legend has it, whoever sees Christmas Paws will be the next to die. Hetty and Tilly pack their things and take a train to their next assignment, away from the raging cat flu that is decimating the population. The house is forbidding and ready to fall into the sea due to eroding coastline. Their welcome from the Bunns is as warm as the icy weather outside. Danger lurks as they learn about the lady who has asked for their help and the history of her family.
Another good storyline, funny and plenty of puns along the way. It's great that the author uses names from localities within the story, which must take quite a bit of research. They are all easy read so far.

[Kira K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted a cozy christmassy book and I wasn’t disappointed. The mystery was an interesting one with a definite festive twist (think marley and cratchit style) and I enjoyed the twist on most mystery books with the main characters being cats, and the name changes for books were witty. I usually find the it was all a dream trope lazy writing to avoid tying up loose ends but it was actually well done and answered most things anyway, there’s only one thing I found myself still unsure on by the end. I also think the mild focus on food was great characters as most cats I’ve known have loved food and I’m a little disappointed there wasn’t any recipes included at the end.

[Anna Butler-Whittaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered this book completely by chance on my local library borrowing app.
It is a little bit twee for me (‘The Porkshire Dales’), it’s been easy listening as an audiobook, but almost too easy as I get distracted and miss bits! It’s very easy to catch up though as the story is quite simple. It isn’t totally for me, I prefer my gentle ‘easy reading’ stuff to be more comical, but I always like to try something new. I probably won’t be reading or listening to any more, but I’m pleased I gave it a bash.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I utterly adore this series and get through each book in a day. With every book I feel myself becoming more and more enthralled with Hettie, Tilly and the gang. Easy reading that has we laughing in parts and eager to solve the mystery before our duo.

Lovely book as always and I liked the little surprise at the end

[Polly Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t expecting to like this but did! Pays to be on top of the literary references as you’ll appreciate the puns and parodies more.

Saw the author speak at an event and appreciate the energy that is put into something that could appeal farcical.

[Ann Sawyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really weird read! Cats that dress up as humans and solve mysteries are not for me. The best thing about this book was the way the author played with Cornish names and traditions but even that wasn't desperately clever and certainly not enough to sustain the whole book.

[Lost Vegas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the book but one part broke my heart. I think I was glad to have finished it. I have enjoyed all the other books immensely, but I guess I’m a bit of a wimp.

The lines written about friendship were absolutely beautiful.

[Zoe_reading_queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5 nice easy read. A little crazy but fun x

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series. I can image the cats eating pies with their paws etc. I am continuing to read the series

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable with an interesting twist in the tale or should that be tail 😊. Look forwards to finding some more Mandy Morton books.

[Donna Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the nods to Cornwall. The puns on names never fail to amuse.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read in this series

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy these series of books and this is just as wonderful as the other 4 I've read 📚

[Richard Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great cosy well written feline mystery and a wonderful twist.

[Zarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing cover and cute concept, but quite silly (and surprisingly gruesome at times!). Not as good as I'd hoped. Maybe 2.5 stars.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit violent and predictable, but the plot twist at the end was very interesting. Apart from the violent scenes and the predictable parts, it’s a nice cosy Christmas mystery.

[Barbara Brabiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

such fun books

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another cute book in the feline detective agency. This one is set over Xmas where the detective agency are called to the Moors to investigate the deaths of a family over the Xmas period supposedly by a vengeful ghost - Christmas Paws.

I like these books as they are quite light. They are fairly predictable so if you are a diehard detective fan this may not be for you.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love these little books! Cracking crime fiction set in a world believably populated by cats.
It's the attention to detail; the cats all display typical cat mannerisms that any feline fan will recognise whilst having 'human' characters.

More please!