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The No.2 Feline Detective Agency #2
Cat Among the Pumpkins
Cat lovers, rejoice! The second installment in Mandy Morton's cat-driven series has arrived with Cat Among the Pumpkins, where crime-solving is in the capable paws of felines. And these cats haven't been declawed.
As All Hallows' Eve approaches, Hettie Bagshot of The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency has more than just a ghost and warlock tart on her plate. Along with her faithful sidekick, Tilly, the tabby duo set out to investigate an old crime and a spate of new murders.
Why is Mavis Spitforce dressed as a pumpkin? Can Irene Peggledrip really talk to cats from the spirit world? Did Milky Myers murder his family on Halloween, longer ago than anyone can remember? All questions the pair must answer before the case can be solved. As the November fog closes in, where will the killer strike next--and will there be enough catnip to go around?
As All Hallows' Eve approaches, Hettie Bagshot of The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency has more than just a ghost and warlock tart on her plate. Along with her faithful sidekick, Tilly, the tabby duo set out to investigate an old crime and a spate of new murders.
Why is Mavis Spitforce dressed as a pumpkin? Can Irene Peggledrip really talk to cats from the spirit world? Did Milky Myers murder his family on Halloween, longer ago than anyone can remember? All questions the pair must answer before the case can be solved. As the November fog closes in, where will the killer strike next--and will there be enough catnip to go around?
252 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2014
23 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
About the author
Mandy Morton
18 books112 followersMandy 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 14, 2023
3.5 stars. I've read 1 and 3 previously and really enjoyed them. And while I liked this one too I didn't quite love it as much as the firsts. I loved the playing of Michael Myers with Milky Myers and there where probably more name games I missed. I'm eager to read the next one, think this is going to be one of my top favorite Cozy mysteries so far.
December 8, 2017
I'm categorising this one as fantasy because it posits a world without humans, where cats, who must have opposable thumbs, do everything that humans do including walking upright, wearing clothes and lipstick. The atmosphere is mid twentieth century, with transoceanic shipping and TV but no computers, and for no reason I can see, no police. Wouldn't you think they'd have co-opted a few lynxes to be cops?
Anyway the cat hoping to make a living in the vacuum thus created runs a detective agency and is unhappily drawn to attend seances and hear folk tales of ghoulish murderers. She tries to find out why an elderly lady cat was killed. A nice touch is other nationalities being shown in town, like Indian shopkeepers. The author inserts puns and cat-themed names, like a town name Much Purring.
I really dislike that the cats' tails barely get a mention whereas cats express themselves so much with tails. Nor do the cats wash their coats or sense with whiskers. In short they are not cats, just a Victorian-style parody of cats dressed in dolls' clothes. If that suits you, fine. Some readers will like it and some won't.
I read this ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
Anyway the cat hoping to make a living in the vacuum thus created runs a detective agency and is unhappily drawn to attend seances and hear folk tales of ghoulish murderers. She tries to find out why an elderly lady cat was killed. A nice touch is other nationalities being shown in town, like Indian shopkeepers. The author inserts puns and cat-themed names, like a town name Much Purring.
I really dislike that the cats' tails barely get a mention whereas cats express themselves so much with tails. Nor do the cats wash their coats or sense with whiskers. In short they are not cats, just a Victorian-style parody of cats dressed in dolls' clothes. If that suits you, fine. Some readers will like it and some won't.
I read this ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
October 10, 2017
A cat-tastically original cozy mystery.
It’s safe to say I have never read a book like this one before. In the Hettie Bagshot Mysteries, author Mandy Morton has created a cozy mystery is no humans. None. The entire cast of characters is made up of cats. I have read para-cozies, but this is more of a fantasy cozy . . . Fanta-cozy?
Once you get use to the idea that everyone is feline, and start to embrace it, CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS is a cute mystery. In my mind while reading, I kept thinking the film studio, Dreamworks, would have a blast making this into a move.
Cat lovers with vivid imaginations will find this tale a treat. Also, the simplistic writing style makes CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS a great read for ages as young as tweens.
It’s safe to say I have never read a book like this one before. In the Hettie Bagshot Mysteries, author Mandy Morton has created a cozy mystery is no humans. None. The entire cast of characters is made up of cats. I have read para-cozies, but this is more of a fantasy cozy . . . Fanta-cozy?
Once you get use to the idea that everyone is feline, and start to embrace it, CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS is a cute mystery. In my mind while reading, I kept thinking the film studio, Dreamworks, would have a blast making this into a move.
Cat lovers with vivid imaginations will find this tale a treat. Also, the simplistic writing style makes CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS a great read for ages as young as tweens.
May 22, 2017
Made me chuckle as ever - they are lovely and simplistic reading - in a good way.
October 19, 2024
Book 2 in this feline crime series and one I thoroughly enjoyed; the characters are developing, the plot was good and the humour made me smile. The Death of Downton Tabby is next …
November 30, 2017
Princess Fuzzypants here:
I do enjoy cat mysteries where the kitties play pivotal roles. This series is like hitting paydirt. All the characters are cats and they live in a world similar to our own,, sort of a parallel universe. Hettie Bagshot is the owner of the 2nd Feline Detective Agency who, along with her room-mate and assistant, Tilly and an older rambling tom who settles down and makes himself useful, takes up the murder of a pillar of the community. At first, it seems impossible anyone could dislike the victim but when the post carrier who found the body is also killed, Hettie realizes there is much more than meets the eye.
I confess I twigged early as to the murderer and to the reason behind the murder but it was still an enjoyable read. Much of the enjoyment came from the detail and ambience of the world in which the story takes place. It is charming and delightful. It is mixture of Agatha Christie meets Beatrix Potter. It might sound odd but it works. I look foreword to returning for future adventures.
I give this four purrs and two paws up.
I do enjoy cat mysteries where the kitties play pivotal roles. This series is like hitting paydirt. All the characters are cats and they live in a world similar to our own,, sort of a parallel universe. Hettie Bagshot is the owner of the 2nd Feline Detective Agency who, along with her room-mate and assistant, Tilly and an older rambling tom who settles down and makes himself useful, takes up the murder of a pillar of the community. At first, it seems impossible anyone could dislike the victim but when the post carrier who found the body is also killed, Hettie realizes there is much more than meets the eye.
I confess I twigged early as to the murderer and to the reason behind the murder but it was still an enjoyable read. Much of the enjoyment came from the detail and ambience of the world in which the story takes place. It is charming and delightful. It is mixture of Agatha Christie meets Beatrix Potter. It might sound odd but it works. I look foreword to returning for future adventures.
I give this four purrs and two paws up.
July 18, 2015
It is rare that I do not finish a book, but this was awful.
March 23, 2025
Mavis Spitforce is found dead at her home, dressed in a pumpkin costume. Rumour has it that Milky Myers, who killed his entire family at Halloween, is to blame. Trouble is, that event took place 150 years ago, but was Milky the killer? Hettie and Tilly get their thinking caps on to pursue the murderer with a little help from a local ghost and Irene Peggledrip to communcate with them.
This story made me chuckle. With cats instead of people and christian names like Jalfrezi, Rogan and Bhaji, you just have to. It's great to see the characters and their relationships develop. Looking forward to reading the next one.
This story made me chuckle. With cats instead of people and christian names like Jalfrezi, Rogan and Bhaji, you just have to. It's great to see the characters and their relationships develop. Looking forward to reading the next one.
June 6, 2020
I loved reading this book. I liked the writing style. I liked the names of the villages. My favorite part was when Tilly wore the latest in cobweb headgear. Bruiser is my favorite character.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
August 13, 2024
- a very cutesy only-cats-as-characters book;
3.25-3.5ish
- read it aloud to Boo 🐈⬛ & he went to sleep every time
3.25-3.5ish
- read it aloud to Boo 🐈⬛ & he went to sleep every time
October 20, 2024
Quite a nice fluffy cosy murder with the twist that it is set in the world of cats. Lovely quips like Agatha Crispy seem to overtake the plot which is a bit of a damp squib.
December 25, 2017
A strange and unique adventure awaits as you venture into a world populated with intelligent cats and no humans. Meet Hettie Bagshot of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency and her trusty sidekick, Tilly, as they work to solve the brutal stabbing death of Miss Mavis Spitforce. Alerted by Teezle Makepeace, the village post cat, Hettie finds the body of Mavis sitting at her kitchen wearing a complete Halloween Witch costume. Removing the cape shows an ornate dagger in the back of the corpse. As Hettie's investigation proceeds we meet the many eccentric inhabitants of the village and surrounding area including Irene Peggledrip who talks to cats in the spirit world. How does this connect to the legend of Milky Myers who is thought to have killed five members of his immediate family a long time ago. Milky's body was never found nor was he ever seen alive again. With the help of an old friend of Hetties, Mr Bruiser Venutius, a down on his luck old timer who they provide with a heated shed and food, the three elderly cats set out to find the truth among all the old and new rumors. Bruiser is tasked with driving the motorcycle the ladies own while they ride in the comfort of the sidecar chasing down cats and clues. Hettie gets the dubious honor of interviewing the victim's sister and her daughter and has to add them to the suspect list. Reading family charts the victim had, Hettie realizes that she and her sister were descendants of the infamous Milky Myers and starts to suspect the ancient murders are connected to the new one. When the body of post cat, Teezle Makepeace, is found hanging from a tree it becomes apparent that the murderer thought she saw something that would solve the crime. Can Hettie, Tilly and Bruiser stop the murderer before they strike again and solve both old and new crimes?
This was a delightfully spooky book with unique and lovable cat characters replacing the usual human ones. It was a hoot watching our three elderly sleuths live and work in the same way that we do in our own daily lives. You get to see the reflections between the two worlds as you meet the noisy neighbors, over zealous club members, homeless people, family members who don't get along and everyone else who lives in a small town. The mystery plot was well conceived and kept me turning the pages to the end. This is how cats would be if they could only talk!
This was a delightfully spooky book with unique and lovable cat characters replacing the usual human ones. It was a hoot watching our three elderly sleuths live and work in the same way that we do in our own daily lives. You get to see the reflections between the two worlds as you meet the noisy neighbors, over zealous club members, homeless people, family members who don't get along and everyone else who lives in a small town. The mystery plot was well conceived and kept me turning the pages to the end. This is how cats would be if they could only talk!
March 15, 2018
From the Witty Kitty Cat Cafe and Book Bar blog:
This is quite an a quite original addition to my cat cozy collection! Unlike so many recently-published cat cozies where the animals don't help at all to solve the crimes and are mainly just cute props, in this series, ALL of the characters are cats. I loved it!
Hettie Bagshot, a former musician, runs the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, along with her trusty sidekick, Tilly Jenkins, an arthritic older tabby whom Hettie took in. Later, an aging outdoor tomcat named Bruiser – my favorite! – shows up tired and weary of the outdoors (though too proud to outright admit it). They let him stay in the shed out back and give him a role as driver of the motorcycle-with-sidecar, in which they do their sleuthing. These cats are all drawn so well. Hettie has a little catnip-smoking habit, while Tilly enjoys her tea 🙂
Morton is British and the books are set in England and full of English flavor, which I loved, being an Anglophile :) There’s a Guy Fawkes day celebration that the town is preparing for, and the riverside towns have Stratford-upon-Avon-type names such as Much-Purring-on-the-Rug, Much-Purring-on-the-Chair, and the like. There’s an Indian family – the Doshes – who run a store chain. The mother, Pakora, desperately wants her son, Balti, to learn to run the business, but Balti wants to play sitar professionally – and he’s quite good at it, according to musician Hettie. I enjoyed the camaraderie between Hettie and Balti.
When Mavis Spitforce, who is researching an old, unsolved mass murder, is found dead with her research papers torn up and stuffed into her mouth, Hettie and Tilly must delve back into the cold case to find the killer. Along the way, they come across a good deal of very colorful suspects. Details bring the town and its inhabitants to life and the mystery is well-paced and plotted. I did not figure it all out until the very end. But, as always for me, it’s all about the main characters. They drive the story. And I definitely want to spend more time with Hettie, Tilly, and Bruiser!
Four delicious bonito flakes!
This is quite an a quite original addition to my cat cozy collection! Unlike so many recently-published cat cozies where the animals don't help at all to solve the crimes and are mainly just cute props, in this series, ALL of the characters are cats. I loved it!
Hettie Bagshot, a former musician, runs the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, along with her trusty sidekick, Tilly Jenkins, an arthritic older tabby whom Hettie took in. Later, an aging outdoor tomcat named Bruiser – my favorite! – shows up tired and weary of the outdoors (though too proud to outright admit it). They let him stay in the shed out back and give him a role as driver of the motorcycle-with-sidecar, in which they do their sleuthing. These cats are all drawn so well. Hettie has a little catnip-smoking habit, while Tilly enjoys her tea 🙂
Morton is British and the books are set in England and full of English flavor, which I loved, being an Anglophile :) There’s a Guy Fawkes day celebration that the town is preparing for, and the riverside towns have Stratford-upon-Avon-type names such as Much-Purring-on-the-Rug, Much-Purring-on-the-Chair, and the like. There’s an Indian family – the Doshes – who run a store chain. The mother, Pakora, desperately wants her son, Balti, to learn to run the business, but Balti wants to play sitar professionally – and he’s quite good at it, according to musician Hettie. I enjoyed the camaraderie between Hettie and Balti.
When Mavis Spitforce, who is researching an old, unsolved mass murder, is found dead with her research papers torn up and stuffed into her mouth, Hettie and Tilly must delve back into the cold case to find the killer. Along the way, they come across a good deal of very colorful suspects. Details bring the town and its inhabitants to life and the mystery is well-paced and plotted. I did not figure it all out until the very end. But, as always for me, it’s all about the main characters. They drive the story. And I definitely want to spend more time with Hettie, Tilly, and Bruiser!
Four delicious bonito flakes!
October 11, 2017
When there's crime in town, it's up to The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency to pounce. Hettie Bagshot, well known for her work in the famous Furcross case, along with her partner Tilly Jenkins, is on the case, and these two will paw through the clues, scratch at all the leads, and sniff out the answers. A bit Sherlock Holmes, a tad small British hamlet from an earlier time, and lots of fur, and you've got Cat Among the Pumpkins.
Mandy Morton's newest installment in her cat detective series (yes, the cats are the detectives, as well as the rest of the characters around town) sparkles with imagination and catnip as Hettie and Tilly search for the killer who is terrorizing their town.
The approach of Halloween brings out the ghost stories. Marmite Sprout has written a book called Strange But True Stories, and one of those stories brings back the legend of Milky Meyers. The young son of the local milkcat, Milky was rumored to have killed his entire family in one terrible day and now he supposedly haunts the family house.
While Hettie doesn't believe in ghosts or their stories, she does get involved when the postcat Teezle Makepeace finds Mavis Spitforce dead in her kitchen, the knife still in her back. Teezle tells Hettie that Mavis had been working on her own version of the Milky Meyers story, the true story, shortly before she died. But then Teezle disappears too, and the danger is growing. Hettie needs all the comfort of her catnip pipe to help her solve this mystery.
Cat Among the Pumpkins is a whimsical cozy for cat lovers. It can be a little challenging to read if you're not familiar with British expressions from several decades ago, or if you have an issue with anthropomorphism. But if you've got those covered, then this is a charming mystery with enough catness to leave you purring.
Galleys for Cat Among the Pumpkins were provided by Minotaur Books (St. Martins Press) through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.
Mandy Morton's newest installment in her cat detective series (yes, the cats are the detectives, as well as the rest of the characters around town) sparkles with imagination and catnip as Hettie and Tilly search for the killer who is terrorizing their town.
The approach of Halloween brings out the ghost stories. Marmite Sprout has written a book called Strange But True Stories, and one of those stories brings back the legend of Milky Meyers. The young son of the local milkcat, Milky was rumored to have killed his entire family in one terrible day and now he supposedly haunts the family house.
While Hettie doesn't believe in ghosts or their stories, she does get involved when the postcat Teezle Makepeace finds Mavis Spitforce dead in her kitchen, the knife still in her back. Teezle tells Hettie that Mavis had been working on her own version of the Milky Meyers story, the true story, shortly before she died. But then Teezle disappears too, and the danger is growing. Hettie needs all the comfort of her catnip pipe to help her solve this mystery.
Cat Among the Pumpkins is a whimsical cozy for cat lovers. It can be a little challenging to read if you're not familiar with British expressions from several decades ago, or if you have an issue with anthropomorphism. But if you've got those covered, then this is a charming mystery with enough catness to leave you purring.
Galleys for Cat Among the Pumpkins were provided by Minotaur Books (St. Martins Press) through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.
October 14, 2017
** ARC provided by the author for an honest review **
I am a huge fan of murder mysteries and Mandy Morton is an author that gives you an interesting twist on mystery novels. In Cat Among the Pumpkins the second novel in her Hettie Bagshot Mysteries Series, she gives us a Halloween mystery to be solved by feline detectives.
I didn’t get into this mystery novel like I have with others in the past. The premise of a detective that is a cat, threw me and I couldn’t connect like I do with other novels. For people who love cats and can read novels a little bit of a disconnect from reality then this is worth a shot.
Mandy’s writing is intriguing to say the least. She is an author that can keep you interested throughout the story. But with this one, it just couldn’t keep my interest enough for me to be invested in this novel. Mandy has an excellent writing ability and someone else may find this to be the perfect book for them. It wasn’t what I was expecting or looking for. I just couldn’t get into it.
Unfortunately, I give Cat Among the Pumpkins 3.5 stars. I know Mandy’s writing isn’t for everyone and I am certain there are readers out there that will really enjoy this series and the premise of a world full of felines.
I am a huge fan of murder mysteries and Mandy Morton is an author that gives you an interesting twist on mystery novels. In Cat Among the Pumpkins the second novel in her Hettie Bagshot Mysteries Series, she gives us a Halloween mystery to be solved by feline detectives.
I didn’t get into this mystery novel like I have with others in the past. The premise of a detective that is a cat, threw me and I couldn’t connect like I do with other novels. For people who love cats and can read novels a little bit of a disconnect from reality then this is worth a shot.
Mandy’s writing is intriguing to say the least. She is an author that can keep you interested throughout the story. But with this one, it just couldn’t keep my interest enough for me to be invested in this novel. Mandy has an excellent writing ability and someone else may find this to be the perfect book for them. It wasn’t what I was expecting or looking for. I just couldn’t get into it.
Unfortunately, I give Cat Among the Pumpkins 3.5 stars. I know Mandy’s writing isn’t for everyone and I am certain there are readers out there that will really enjoy this series and the premise of a world full of felines.
February 23, 2016
This book was just awful. I could not read it after the first few pages. The anthromorphology of the cats was apalling! I simply could not carry on.
August 18, 2017
As others have said, this is a book about anthropomorphic cats who are detectives, not a tea-cozy mystery about a human detective with a cat.
I love cozy mysteries, whatever form they take, library, bookmobile, amateur sleuths, professors turned investigators, I'm not picky. Animals are a plus. So I really assumed this would be right up my alley, so to speak.
The writing is fine and even the dialogue and pacing move the narrative along. The part that I found really tough going were the utterly relentless puns and tongue-in-cheek cuteness. It just never stops. Towns are called Much-Purring-on-the-rug, Much-Purring-on-the-Cushion, Much-Purring-on-the-Step, etc. The shop names are full of puns. The characters names border on the criminal (a cat with an apparently neurological tremor is called Delirium Treemints and she's not the only one). Right on the very edge of unforgivable is right on the cover (and mentioned often in the book): the first book in this series (there are more of them) is called 'The No.2 Feline Detective Agency'. Virtually every single sentence contains some sort of culture/book/film reference. It gets wearing after a while.
Because the author wanted to make every character and place in the book a punny reference to other books and characters, the characters are quite difficult to keep straight Beryl & Betty, Marks & Spinkle (groooooooan - yes, this is a Marks & Spencer *wince* reference), the Indian shopkeepers are called Pakora and Rogan Dosh, their nephew is Bhaji. /banging my head on my desk. There are also references to the cats smoking catnip. If casual light drug use is a worriesome, that might be problematic.
I did finish this book for the purposes of review. The actual mystery part was honestly pretty well crafted.
Two stars (for the writing). Eye-wateringly bad puns.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
I love cozy mysteries, whatever form they take, library, bookmobile, amateur sleuths, professors turned investigators, I'm not picky. Animals are a plus. So I really assumed this would be right up my alley, so to speak.
The writing is fine and even the dialogue and pacing move the narrative along. The part that I found really tough going were the utterly relentless puns and tongue-in-cheek cuteness. It just never stops. Towns are called Much-Purring-on-the-rug, Much-Purring-on-the-Cushion, Much-Purring-on-the-Step, etc. The shop names are full of puns. The characters names border on the criminal (a cat with an apparently neurological tremor is called Delirium Treemints and she's not the only one). Right on the very edge of unforgivable is right on the cover (and mentioned often in the book): the first book in this series (there are more of them) is called 'The No.2 Feline Detective Agency'. Virtually every single sentence contains some sort of culture/book/film reference. It gets wearing after a while.
Because the author wanted to make every character and place in the book a punny reference to other books and characters, the characters are quite difficult to keep straight Beryl & Betty, Marks & Spinkle (groooooooan - yes, this is a Marks & Spencer *wince* reference), the Indian shopkeepers are called Pakora and Rogan Dosh, their nephew is Bhaji. /banging my head on my desk. There are also references to the cats smoking catnip. If casual light drug use is a worriesome, that might be problematic.
I did finish this book for the purposes of review. The actual mystery part was honestly pretty well crafted.
Two stars (for the writing). Eye-wateringly bad puns.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
October 13, 2017
Imagine a world populated by cats, cats who talk, have shops and even solve mysteries. The world of Mandy Morton’s No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is charmingly feline centric. This unique series focuses on Hettie and Tilly, two tabbies who operate a detective agency. When Teezle the post-cat brings news of the death of Mavis Spitforce, Hettie and Tilly realize it is time for action. Mavis was murdered and the only lead is the story of Milky Myers, a young man who is believed to have brutally murdered his entire family many years before. With less than a paw’s worth to go on and a large number of suspects, Hettie and Tilly have their work cut out for them.
Mandy Morton’s series is definitely one of a kind. It is written for adults, but is easily enjoyable by mystery lovers and cat lovers of all ages. As long as you are willing to suspend your disbelief and let yourself go with the flow, you will have fun reading this charming light mystery.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Cat Among the Pumpkins from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
October 29, 2019
In this quirky seasonal read, the world is populated purely by cats. All cats. No people. But cats that act like people. That leads me to wonder what animals cats keep as pets, but maybe that's for another instalment. Not only are there no people, but no police either. So, to keep law and order in the Midsomer-inspired Much-Purring-On-The (insert as applicable), step forward Hettie Bagshot, our furry sleuth and her sidekick Tilly. It's a lot for her to have on her furry shoulders.
Just like us, cats celebrate Halloween and Bonfire Night, and there is more than a little trick-or-treating going on when one of the grande dame cats is found stabbed to death and dressed like a pumpkin. Hetty and Tilly must fit in solving the crime around their endless pie eating (No, of course they don't eat Go-Cat! eight out of ten cats prefer the Butters' Bakery offerings!) making toast and preparing for Guy Fawkes' Night. This leads me to ponder; did he attempt to blow up the Houses of Pawliament along with Robert Cat-sby, Kit(ten) Wright and those three Tom-cats, Percy, Bates and Winter?
The book does have a plausible storyline on a par with crime stories, and I liked the amusing puns on names from detective series, horror films and popular culture. I'm not sure who the target audience is though. Cat lovers? YA? The book could be Marmite Sprat (one of the characters) to cat lovers, but it just happens I love Marmite. I thought it was great. Not enough to read the whole series, but I will give the catty Christmas mystery a once over with the slicker brush later in the year.
Just like us, cats celebrate Halloween and Bonfire Night, and there is more than a little trick-or-treating going on when one of the grande dame cats is found stabbed to death and dressed like a pumpkin. Hetty and Tilly must fit in solving the crime around their endless pie eating (No, of course they don't eat Go-Cat! eight out of ten cats prefer the Butters' Bakery offerings!) making toast and preparing for Guy Fawkes' Night. This leads me to ponder; did he attempt to blow up the Houses of Pawliament along with Robert Cat-sby, Kit(ten) Wright and those three Tom-cats, Percy, Bates and Winter?
The book does have a plausible storyline on a par with crime stories, and I liked the amusing puns on names from detective series, horror films and popular culture. I'm not sure who the target audience is though. Cat lovers? YA? The book could be Marmite Sprat (one of the characters) to cat lovers, but it just happens I love Marmite. I thought it was great. Not enough to read the whole series, but I will give the catty Christmas mystery a once over with the slicker brush later in the year.
November 5, 2020
Found this at Dollar Tree. I figured -- rightfully so -- that anyone who thinks up "The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency" would be okay. But if the writing hadn't been so delightfully English, I'd have asked for my dollar back. Somehow, in spite of the cat in the title, the cover, and the flap I missed that the main characters are cats. I guess I saw what I wanted to. One of the reviews on the back says something about "as long as one suspends disbelief long enough to allow for feline crime solvers and the like..." and that sums it up. I don't know why I can read children's books with anthropomorphic animals, but I couldn't wrap my mind around this adult book with adulting cats. I had to transform them into blurry humans in my mind. All in all, a fun light read for the Halloween season.
February 28, 2017
S,o on my first reading I gave up pretty early on. I had expected a story about a detective with a cat, NOT a cat detective. I think they should explain this in massive bold writing on the cover. It was off-putting and ridiculous at first.
However, on the second read I persisted and about 50% of the way though I realised I had grown use to it. A little convoluted plot-wise and I'm still not sure of the world (this may be unfair, but I felt the author may have chosen a world of cats so they didn't have to pay to much attention to research and could ignore real-life detective protocol), but I enjoyed it as a super-light, fun read with characters I grow to like and would read more in the series from the library.
However, on the second read I persisted and about 50% of the way though I realised I had grown use to it. A little convoluted plot-wise and I'm still not sure of the world (this may be unfair, but I felt the author may have chosen a world of cats so they didn't have to pay to much attention to research and could ignore real-life detective protocol), but I enjoyed it as a super-light, fun read with characters I grow to like and would read more in the series from the library.
February 18, 2018
There are only cats in this book--no people or other animals. The cats live in what seems like a quaint English village, where our heroines Hettie and Tillie are moderately successful, running a detective agency. Bruiser, an outdoor cat and an old friend of Hettie's, is down on his luck, but finds a home in the garden shed; after all his years on the road, he can't stand to be in a house for too long. When a former client of Hettie's is murdered, she's on the job, looking into her family connections and for any possible motive. Morton brilliantly combines the catness of the characters with enough humanity to make the plot plausible, but it's hard to explain the charm of this book in a few words.
May 29, 2018
They're cats. THEY'RE ALL CATS. I thought this was one of those mysteries that occasionally had passages from the point of view of a cat, so for a paragraph and a half I assumed the author was just being winsome, then reality tilted uneasily on its axis, and I realized everybody in this story is a cat!! Cats in macs! Cats in sidecars! Cats with successful Indian takeaways! Cats pay rent to other cats!!!! At that point the fact that the cats have apparently no official police force and the casual inclusion of actual ghosts were just weird grains of sand on a really weird beach.
That being said I didn't hate this.
That being said I didn't hate this.
November 27, 2024
Hettie and Tilly, two cats, living in a town of cats, run a detective agency. When there is a new bout of murders in town, they immediately put themselves on the case to find the killer, and to work out whether it's linked to the historic murders attributed to Milky Myers years before.
Honestly, this is a bit of a surreal read. I loved that all the characters are cats, and learning how their town worked was fun, but it also read a little bit like satire of detective novels at times, so I'm not really sure where it was going.
It is a cosy mystery, and it certainly is original. But I don't really know what else to say which is unusual for me!
Honestly, this is a bit of a surreal read. I loved that all the characters are cats, and learning how their town worked was fun, but it also read a little bit like satire of detective novels at times, so I'm not really sure where it was going.
It is a cosy mystery, and it certainly is original. But I don't really know what else to say which is unusual for me!
August 20, 2017
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
Cat Among the Pumpkins has all the elements of a successful cozy mystery; however, the elements never quite gelled for me. The premise of the series is really fun - an all feline world with the quirky Hettie Bagshot running the Feline Detective Agency with the help of her friend, Tilly.
Hettie and Tilly's next big case has ghosts, mediums, legendary killers, and the Friendship Club. While I had a hard time with the story, there were several excellent moments and the mystery kept me guessing.
Cat Among the Pumpkins has all the elements of a successful cozy mystery; however, the elements never quite gelled for me. The premise of the series is really fun - an all feline world with the quirky Hettie Bagshot running the Feline Detective Agency with the help of her friend, Tilly.
Hettie and Tilly's next big case has ghosts, mediums, legendary killers, and the Friendship Club. While I had a hard time with the story, there were several excellent moments and the mystery kept me guessing.
January 14, 2018
I love cats, so when I heard about this one I was quite excited. A number of years ago, I'd enjoyed a book where a flock of sheep led the humans to discover the murderer of their shepherd, while still acting like sheep, and I thought this might be like that. Unfortunately, it was a distracting mix of cats being mostly human, but with a few cat-like mannerisms--like living in fully furnished houses, but sleeping in chairs or on rugs or on chaises in front of a fire. Ultimately, as hard as I tried to like it, I just couldn't, which was really disappointing.
October 16, 2017
This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.
November 8, 2022
I was looking for something spooky to read before Halloween, and this one was a little halloweeny, but not really spooky in my opinion.
It took me a while to get into this story. The characters are all CATS. Once I got over that fact, and got into the meat of the story, it wasn’t too bad. I did enjoy all the punny names of characters and places, in an eye-roll-and-groan sort of way. Probably won’t be looking for any more of Mandy Morton’s books at this point though.
It took me a while to get into this story. The characters are all CATS. Once I got over that fact, and got into the meat of the story, it wasn’t too bad. I did enjoy all the punny names of characters and places, in an eye-roll-and-groan sort of way. Probably won’t be looking for any more of Mandy Morton’s books at this point though.
October 31, 2024
Hmm very unique and unusual but a good book nonetheless. I picked up this book to read for the month of October as I like to read spooky, Halloween themed books during the month. It’s sort of cheesy in that it reads like a cliche murder mystery however that sort of makes it charming. Every once in awhile I would forget that the characters are literally cats though which made me giggle. I liked the book but wouldn’t necessarily pick it up again.
November 14, 2020
Clever cozy mystery/fantasy with cats living in British villages. Cute puns, a range of characters, a good mystery offering creative, light entertainment. I had fun learning what some of the English foods were and phrases meant. It's slow in the start, I think that's why some reviewers gave up, but I kept going and really enjoyed this book.
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