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The Mysteries of Max #1
Purrfect Murder
There’s something special about Max. He may look like your regular ginger flabby tabby, but unlike most tabbies, he can actually communicate with his human, reporter for the Hampton Cove Gazette Odelia Poole. Max takes a keen interest in the goings-on in their small town, by snooping around with his best friends Dooley, a not-too-bright ragamuffin, and Harriet, a gorgeous white Persian. Their regular visits to the police station, the barbershop and the doctor’s office provide them with those precious and exclusive scoops that have made Odelia the number one reporter in town.
But when suddenly the body of a bestselling writer is discovered buried in the last Long Island outhouse, and a new policeman arrives in town to solve the murder, it looks like things are about to change in Hampton Cove. Detective Chase Kingsley doesn’t take kindly to nosy reporters like Odelia snooping around his crime scene or interviewing his suspects. And to make matters worse, he’s got a cat of his own in Brutus, a buff, black bully, who, just like his owner, likes to lay down the law. Soon Brutus isn’t just restricting access to the police station, but he’s putting the moves on Harriet, breaking up the band.
Now it’s all Odelia, Max and Dooley can do to try and solve the murder, in spite of Detective Kingsley’s and Brutus’s protestations, and show the overbearing cop and his bullyragging feline how things are done in Hampton Cove. Will Odelia find the killer before Detective Kingsley does? And will Max prevent Brutus from moving in on his territory and taking over the town? Find out in Purrfect Murder, the first book in the new Mysteries of Max series.
But when suddenly the body of a bestselling writer is discovered buried in the last Long Island outhouse, and a new policeman arrives in town to solve the murder, it looks like things are about to change in Hampton Cove. Detective Chase Kingsley doesn’t take kindly to nosy reporters like Odelia snooping around his crime scene or interviewing his suspects. And to make matters worse, he’s got a cat of his own in Brutus, a buff, black bully, who, just like his owner, likes to lay down the law. Soon Brutus isn’t just restricting access to the police station, but he’s putting the moves on Harriet, breaking up the band.
Now it’s all Odelia, Max and Dooley can do to try and solve the murder, in spite of Detective Kingsley’s and Brutus’s protestations, and show the overbearing cop and his bullyragging feline how things are done in Hampton Cove. Will Odelia find the killer before Detective Kingsley does? And will Max prevent Brutus from moving in on his territory and taking over the town? Find out in Purrfect Murder, the first book in the new Mysteries of Max series.
236 pages, ebook
First published October 24, 2017
5494 people are currently reading
2160 people want to read
About the author
Nic Saint
276 books317 followersSign up for Nic's newsletter for news, releases and giveaways: nicsaint.com/newsletter
Nic has a background in political science and before being struck by the writing bug worked odd jobs around the world (including but not limited to massage therapist in Mexico, gardener in Italy, restaurant manager in India, and Berlitz teacher in Belgium).
When he’s not writing he enjoys curling up with a good (comic) book, watching British crime dramas, French comedies or Nancy Meyers movies, sampling pastry (apple cake!), pasta and chocolate (preferably the dark variety), twisting himself into a pretzel doing morning yoga, going for a run, and spoiling his big red tomcat Tommy.
He lives with his wife (and aforementioned cat) in a small village smack dab in the middle of absolutely nowhere and is probably writing his next ‘Mysteries of Max’ book right now.
www.nicsaint.com
www.facebook.com/nicsaintauthor
www.twitter.com/nicsaintauthor
Nic has a background in political science and before being struck by the writing bug worked odd jobs around the world (including but not limited to massage therapist in Mexico, gardener in Italy, restaurant manager in India, and Berlitz teacher in Belgium).
When he’s not writing he enjoys curling up with a good (comic) book, watching British crime dramas, French comedies or Nancy Meyers movies, sampling pastry (apple cake!), pasta and chocolate (preferably the dark variety), twisting himself into a pretzel doing morning yoga, going for a run, and spoiling his big red tomcat Tommy.
He lives with his wife (and aforementioned cat) in a small village smack dab in the middle of absolutely nowhere and is probably writing his next ‘Mysteries of Max’ book right now.
www.nicsaint.com
www.facebook.com/nicsaintauthor
www.twitter.com/nicsaintauthor
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 375 reviews
March 19, 2017
This book is for cat lovers.
Entertaining, humorously written story. Couldn't help myself but laugh out loud, thankfully other than my cats no body was around. But now I'm afraid my in and out cat Tinker will tell his bodies around the neighborhood that he has one crazy human. Max, Doolie, Harriet and Max are so loveable. Their human bodies are Poole family and Odelia and Chase. They all kept me laughing and reading.
Entertaining, humorously written story. Couldn't help myself but laugh out loud, thankfully other than my cats no body was around. But now I'm afraid my in and out cat Tinker will tell his bodies around the neighborhood that he has one crazy human. Max, Doolie, Harriet and Max are so loveable. Their human bodies are Poole family and Odelia and Chase. They all kept me laughing and reading.
December 3, 2021
I won this from my library in a raffle give-away. It wasn't my favorite genre (cozy mystery) ...but look at that little orange, furry face and tell me how I couldn't have not taken Max home! I read it in one night. It's a fun little mystery. Talking animals are always entertaining. My cat talked to me and let me know exactly what she thought of the human race all the time...so I can imagine how these felines must have been lots of help to the reporter and the cop that were butting heads trying to solve the murder. The author also improved my grasp of the English language with some words I had never heard of. He must have either had a thesaurus or was an English major. I had no idea what “preprandial” meant ... so but I looked it up. It means "done or taken before dinner or lunch". Why he couldn't just say that I don't know. Overall...it's just non-stop fun from start to finish.
February 11, 2022
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr ----- Wait NO HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
As much as I love cats and the idea of some humans being able to talk to their cats...this book left a lot to be desired.
The dialogue runs the gamut from trash talk to pedantic language that one doesn't hear much outside of a graduate school, and then only in certain types of people. There are a couple of chuckles early on in the book when we are getting to know the cats, and that's about it.
If you take Rita Mae Brown's books and toss in a hearty dose of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plums" grandmother and then add in a massive quantity of idiocy, then that's this book.
The main characters are dislikable and shallow and are written in a simple manner -and they all seem to have just one thing (or shall I say person) on their mind 24/7.
Bullying behavior abounds (with both humans and the cats), and the so-called heroine, who is a reporter treats everyone like her personal servants, does NOT do her job and is childish to the extreme.
Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and vanity authors - had I paid for this I would have been writing this review in more places than just here.
As much as I love cats and the idea of some humans being able to talk to their cats...this book left a lot to be desired.
The dialogue runs the gamut from trash talk to pedantic language that one doesn't hear much outside of a graduate school, and then only in certain types of people. There are a couple of chuckles early on in the book when we are getting to know the cats, and that's about it.
If you take Rita Mae Brown's books and toss in a hearty dose of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plums" grandmother and then add in a massive quantity of idiocy, then that's this book.
The main characters are dislikable and shallow and are written in a simple manner -and they all seem to have just one thing (or shall I say person) on their mind 24/7.
Bullying behavior abounds (with both humans and the cats), and the so-called heroine, who is a reporter treats everyone like her personal servants, does NOT do her job and is childish to the extreme.
Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and vanity authors - had I paid for this I would have been writing this review in more places than just here.
Want to read
August 18, 2017Why do authors have book covers that don't match the description of their books? This book is about an orange flabby tabby and there is a white & gray tabby cat on the cover. It's not even one of Max's cat buddies according to the blurb because those are a ragamuffin and a white Persian. It's like the author didn't even care enough about the book to get the cat right. It makes me much less excited to read this and I love cat books.
(Mind you-the next books in the series have orange tabbies on the cover so wtf is that all about?!?)
(Mind you-the next books in the series have orange tabbies on the cover so wtf is that all about?!?)
October 25, 2023
The cat's meow!
Max is a cuddly cat that is not fat but big boned. He has a human that can talk to him. This was the first book in this delightful series. I loved it.
Max is a cuddly cat that is not fat but big boned. He has a human that can talk to him. This was the first book in this delightful series. I loved it.
February 11, 2022
I received this book as a Christmas present from a good friend. In this series, a reporter can talk to cats, and her own cats are her secret informants, providing her with a lot of into on what they hear around town, and together they solve crimes. It's a great premise, so I was quite looking forward to this first book of the series. Unfortunately, this book wasn't what I expected or hoped for, and I feel like I should reimburse my friend the money he paid for it, because I did not like this at all.
The book started out well enough as we got introduced to the characters, with two different narrative points, a third-person narration for whenever main character Odelia is the focus character, and first-person narration when her cat Max, the other main character, is the focus character. I found that to be pretty unique and it brought variety into the story, to see it from two different point of views. But after a good beginning of the story, the book begins to decline rapidly , and it never recovers from there.
For starters, the writing hits one of my biggest pet peeves in literature, which is unfortunately rather common in cozies, from what I've seen, and that is characters speaking in overly formal ways that sound old-fashioned and antiquated, despite the fact that the book takes place in modern times. I read through other reviews and found that someone called it "pedantic", and that's pretty fitting. I honestly can't say I remember ever hearing anyone using words like "quandary", "poppycock", "ubiquitous" and "Sisyphus job" in casual conversation. Why does it seem to be a chore to find more cozies where the dialogue sounds like it fits in the modern place setting the story takes place in?
Just the dialogue alone was a big issue for me in this book, and it wasn't the only one. The setting is another. The town the book takes place in, Hampton Cove, I believe we're meant to see it as the usual quaint small town in cozies, the kind of place you'd like to live at, but it honestly doesn't come across that way at all. We barely get to see anything of the town, mainly sticking to just the house of the protagonist, her parents' house and a couple of buildings, that's it; plus it also seems to be an ideal destinations for famous celebrities to drop by constantly, which takes away that cozy aspect from it. Then there's also the fact that it's outright stated that the people of this town can take some time to warm up to any new person who moves there, which honestly sounds hostile and not the kind of place I'd like to live at or even visit, plus there's apparently a law stating that you're required to spay/neuter your pet cat, which I know it's a responsible thing to do if you don't want kittens in the family, but still, a law? What happens if someone actually wants kittens in the family? Do they get fined, or even arrested? All that came with characters constantly mentioning on "how things are done around here", which sounds very presumptuous. Yeah, the setting is yet another miss in this book.
Now, as this is a cozy, the mystery should be one of the main draws of it. But I can honestly ask, what mystery? Because it was, without a doubt, the easiest mystery to solve in any book I've ever read. There are only ever truly three possible suspects, and since two of them give solid alibis quite early on, it was beyond simple to not figure out, but know that the third person was the guilty party. When the mystery basically solves itself relatively early in the book before the final act of the story has happened and the characters finally figure it out, then it failed as a mystery.
And then there's the characters. Oh boy, the characters in this book were a mess and then some. There are a few likable ones, such as restaurant owner Aissa, actress Gabby (both of them have only one scene in the book), Odelia's boss at the newspaper, and one of the cats, Dooley, is as sweet and kind as he is dumb, and arguably the most likeable character in the book. The rest of the characters were a fail. Main character Odelia is supposed to be a consumate professional, but most of the time she comes across as whiny and entitled, and her having the new detective in town in mind almost 24/7 despite their bad first meeting was annoying. Said detective, Chase Kingsley, was allegedly framed for molesting a woman and forced to quit the NYPD and move to Hampton Cove, but we never find out in this book if he did get framed or if he truly is guilty, but based on his behavior alone, he just wasn't likable, being overly aggressive and constantly angry, even though most people in town seem to be utterly charmed from just first laying eyes on him, and even Odelia's cats think of him as absolutely upstanding. This last bit becomes particularly bad in one scene, because Max and Dooley point out that Chase would never harm a woman or touch her in anger, but this is immediately after a scene where Odelia tries to interview Chase about why he got fired, and he gets so angry that he grabs her roughly by the shoulders and shakes her, demanding answers from her as to where she heard the story from, making for a quite uncomfortable moment. The contradiction on Max and Dooley's statement about Chase was so glaring it may well just slap the reader in the face.
The rest of the characters didn't help. Max the cat, the other main character, could have been likable, but he came across about as whiny as Odelia or more so, and his constant pointing out to the reader about things cats do got annoying in the long run, plus there was his constant "dogs are dumb" lines, which felt like the author was trying too hard. Newcomer Brutus, Chase's cat, is nothing but a smug bully and complete jerk, and then there's Harriet, who is supposed to be Max and Dooley's best friend, but all there is to her is a shallow, superficial hag who turns her back on her friends because she thinks Brutus is attractive, so she constantly ignores and excuses Brutus's bullying of her friends and even tries forcing them to accept Brutus into their homes. This was made worse by how Max and Dooley point out that Harriet can get away with that and everything else, because every person in town considers her so beautiful that they bend over backwards for her and do everthing she asks, which is not only ridiculous, but also contradicts the fact that only the women of that family can talk to cats, so how Harriet can get everyone in town to do what she wants makes no sense and is never explained.
Then there are Odelia's parents, who are a pair of overly cheerful idiots who think Chase is the best, most upstanding man there is having only just met him, just gushing over him in an over-the-top way; Odelia's uncle Alex, the chief of police, gives her way too much leeway and at one point seems genuinely amused that a lady in town may lose her only way to earn a living due to her business place being the crime scene; Odelia's grandmother comes across as a mean-spirited, cantankerous jerk who also acts like a dirty old woman towards Chase, which seems to be an attempt at comedy, but it just comes across as extremely uncomfortable. And it's a normal thing for murder victims in cozies to be jerks, but the murder victim in this book was so incredibly, intensely, outright evil that it got to the point of me genuinely not caring for the case to be solved and the killer to be caught. Needless to say, most of the characters in this book are as unlikable as they come.
And then finally, there's the romance aspect. I didn't even need to read the synopsis of future books to know Chase and Odelia will become a couple; I went and checked after finishing this book, and sure enough, they do end up becoming a couple eventually, and it starts taking root in this first installment. Now, I'm already not into romance, but can be okay with it if it's done right. But this one was done so badly. From the cats thinking and acting like Odelia and Chase are basically meant to be together from the moment they first lay eyes on each other, to other people trying to play match-maker, to the whole thing about how Odelia and Chase start out instantly hating each other but at the same time they can't stop thinking of each other like hormonal teenagers. The "they hate each other because they love each other" trope is about the laziest type of romance that can be written, and this book is a perfect example of it. I about sprained my eyeballs from rolling my eyes at the numerous moments Odelia kept thinking of how extremely hot and absolutely perfect physical specimen Chase is while saying she dislikes him, as well as how often the narration points out how much Chase is a hunk and so tall and muscular and handsome and irresistible. This was another instance of trying way too hard and it felt very juvenile and very obnoxious.
From the synopsis, I really wanted to like this series. It's a good premise with lots of potential, and at close to fifty books, it could've meant a lot of reading material and entertainment. Instead, what I got was unlikable characters, a bad setting, a mystery so easy to solve that it shouldn't even be called a mystery, bad dialogue that felt way out of place, and a lot of trying too hard to the point it grated on my nerves. This book didn't just bore me, it annoyed me to no end. Lowest rating I can give, and I won't be reading anything else from this author.
The book started out well enough as we got introduced to the characters, with two different narrative points, a third-person narration for whenever main character Odelia is the focus character, and first-person narration when her cat Max, the other main character, is the focus character. I found that to be pretty unique and it brought variety into the story, to see it from two different point of views. But after a good beginning of the story, the book begins to decline rapidly , and it never recovers from there.
For starters, the writing hits one of my biggest pet peeves in literature, which is unfortunately rather common in cozies, from what I've seen, and that is characters speaking in overly formal ways that sound old-fashioned and antiquated, despite the fact that the book takes place in modern times. I read through other reviews and found that someone called it "pedantic", and that's pretty fitting. I honestly can't say I remember ever hearing anyone using words like "quandary", "poppycock", "ubiquitous" and "Sisyphus job" in casual conversation. Why does it seem to be a chore to find more cozies where the dialogue sounds like it fits in the modern place setting the story takes place in?
Just the dialogue alone was a big issue for me in this book, and it wasn't the only one. The setting is another. The town the book takes place in, Hampton Cove, I believe we're meant to see it as the usual quaint small town in cozies, the kind of place you'd like to live at, but it honestly doesn't come across that way at all. We barely get to see anything of the town, mainly sticking to just the house of the protagonist, her parents' house and a couple of buildings, that's it; plus it also seems to be an ideal destinations for famous celebrities to drop by constantly, which takes away that cozy aspect from it. Then there's also the fact that it's outright stated that the people of this town can take some time to warm up to any new person who moves there, which honestly sounds hostile and not the kind of place I'd like to live at or even visit, plus there's apparently a law stating that you're required to spay/neuter your pet cat, which I know it's a responsible thing to do if you don't want kittens in the family, but still, a law? What happens if someone actually wants kittens in the family? Do they get fined, or even arrested? All that came with characters constantly mentioning on "how things are done around here", which sounds very presumptuous. Yeah, the setting is yet another miss in this book.
Now, as this is a cozy, the mystery should be one of the main draws of it. But I can honestly ask, what mystery? Because it was, without a doubt, the easiest mystery to solve in any book I've ever read. There are only ever truly three possible suspects, and since two of them give solid alibis quite early on, it was beyond simple to not figure out, but know that the third person was the guilty party. When the mystery basically solves itself relatively early in the book before the final act of the story has happened and the characters finally figure it out, then it failed as a mystery.
And then there's the characters. Oh boy, the characters in this book were a mess and then some. There are a few likable ones, such as restaurant owner Aissa, actress Gabby (both of them have only one scene in the book), Odelia's boss at the newspaper, and one of the cats, Dooley, is as sweet and kind as he is dumb, and arguably the most likeable character in the book. The rest of the characters were a fail. Main character Odelia is supposed to be a consumate professional, but most of the time she comes across as whiny and entitled, and her having the new detective in town in mind almost 24/7 despite their bad first meeting was annoying. Said detective, Chase Kingsley, was allegedly framed for molesting a woman and forced to quit the NYPD and move to Hampton Cove, but we never find out in this book if he did get framed or if he truly is guilty, but based on his behavior alone, he just wasn't likable, being overly aggressive and constantly angry, even though most people in town seem to be utterly charmed from just first laying eyes on him, and even Odelia's cats think of him as absolutely upstanding. This last bit becomes particularly bad in one scene, because Max and Dooley point out that Chase would never harm a woman or touch her in anger, but this is immediately after a scene where Odelia tries to interview Chase about why he got fired, and he gets so angry that he grabs her roughly by the shoulders and shakes her, demanding answers from her as to where she heard the story from, making for a quite uncomfortable moment. The contradiction on Max and Dooley's statement about Chase was so glaring it may well just slap the reader in the face.
The rest of the characters didn't help. Max the cat, the other main character, could have been likable, but he came across about as whiny as Odelia or more so, and his constant pointing out to the reader about things cats do got annoying in the long run, plus there was his constant "dogs are dumb" lines, which felt like the author was trying too hard. Newcomer Brutus, Chase's cat, is nothing but a smug bully and complete jerk, and then there's Harriet, who is supposed to be Max and Dooley's best friend, but all there is to her is a shallow, superficial hag who turns her back on her friends because she thinks Brutus is attractive, so she constantly ignores and excuses Brutus's bullying of her friends and even tries forcing them to accept Brutus into their homes. This was made worse by how Max and Dooley point out that Harriet can get away with that and everything else, because every person in town considers her so beautiful that they bend over backwards for her and do everthing she asks, which is not only ridiculous, but also contradicts the fact that only the women of that family can talk to cats, so how Harriet can get everyone in town to do what she wants makes no sense and is never explained.
Then there are Odelia's parents, who are a pair of overly cheerful idiots who think Chase is the best, most upstanding man there is having only just met him, just gushing over him in an over-the-top way; Odelia's uncle Alex, the chief of police, gives her way too much leeway and at one point seems genuinely amused that a lady in town may lose her only way to earn a living due to her business place being the crime scene; Odelia's grandmother comes across as a mean-spirited, cantankerous jerk who also acts like a dirty old woman towards Chase, which seems to be an attempt at comedy, but it just comes across as extremely uncomfortable. And it's a normal thing for murder victims in cozies to be jerks, but the murder victim in this book was so incredibly, intensely, outright evil that it got to the point of me genuinely not caring for the case to be solved and the killer to be caught. Needless to say, most of the characters in this book are as unlikable as they come.
And then finally, there's the romance aspect. I didn't even need to read the synopsis of future books to know Chase and Odelia will become a couple; I went and checked after finishing this book, and sure enough, they do end up becoming a couple eventually, and it starts taking root in this first installment. Now, I'm already not into romance, but can be okay with it if it's done right. But this one was done so badly. From the cats thinking and acting like Odelia and Chase are basically meant to be together from the moment they first lay eyes on each other, to other people trying to play match-maker, to the whole thing about how Odelia and Chase start out instantly hating each other but at the same time they can't stop thinking of each other like hormonal teenagers. The "they hate each other because they love each other" trope is about the laziest type of romance that can be written, and this book is a perfect example of it. I about sprained my eyeballs from rolling my eyes at the numerous moments Odelia kept thinking of how extremely hot and absolutely perfect physical specimen Chase is while saying she dislikes him, as well as how often the narration points out how much Chase is a hunk and so tall and muscular and handsome and irresistible. This was another instance of trying way too hard and it felt very juvenile and very obnoxious.
From the synopsis, I really wanted to like this series. It's a good premise with lots of potential, and at close to fifty books, it could've meant a lot of reading material and entertainment. Instead, what I got was unlikable characters, a bad setting, a mystery so easy to solve that it shouldn't even be called a mystery, bad dialogue that felt way out of place, and a lot of trying too hard to the point it grated on my nerves. This book didn't just bore me, it annoyed me to no end. Lowest rating I can give, and I won't be reading anything else from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2022
DNF.
The cats talk: a selling point. The cats only want to talk about how hot the new police officer is? Um, no. Why would cats care? Seriously?
But most importantly, they didn't give me a reason to care. I'm not sticking around if the characters all annoy me.
The cats talk: a selling point. The cats only want to talk about how hot the new police officer is? Um, no. Why would cats care? Seriously?
But most importantly, they didn't give me a reason to care. I'm not sticking around if the characters all annoy me.
January 30, 2020
Technically, I am reading #3 of The Mysteries of the Max series so I am running little behind on reviews...I blame my travelling schedule last week. I got time to read, ain't got time to review man...
Rating:
3 stars
Cover:
Max is fine but I guess Dooley, Harriet and even Brutus requires some space in the cover. Bit disappointing...
Trigger:
Some touchy tropes LGBTQ community. The so-called bestseller writer was a mean person.
Short review:
It is neat and clean cosy mysteries series. My favourite cat mystery is still The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series by Leighann Dobbs. If you like cat mysteries I would definitely recommend that one but Purrfect Murder is also a nice one. My only gripe with Oyster Cove series is, the subsequent episodes are not coming up fast whereas the Mysteries of Max already has many books available.
There isn't much required to know apart from blurb to get into the story.
Review in image/gif:
I am lucky to find this image on the internet.
Cats according to colors -
Max - Orange (or Blorange = Blond + Orange, as Max called it)
Dooley - Grey
Harriet - White
Brutus - Black
Recommended:
Yes, if you like cosy mysteries and you are crazy cat lady like me
Aftermath: (possible spoilers)
I understand what others are talking about Max (or all the cats in the book) being too human-like.
This is what Max's description of Chase the first time he sees him
His long limbs stretched out languidly, his athletic body casually draped across the chair, he was listening to Chief Alec intently. He was definitely a handsome guy. He had one of those square jaws and chiseled faces that were all the rage with the ancient Greeks. A lock of dark brown hair dangled down his brow, his hair a little too long for a cop, which gave him a rebellious look. His white cotton shirt was stretched taut over bulging chest muscles, and his arms were all biceps and triceps and his belly was perfectly flat, unlike the beer belly Chief Alec had going for himself. If I’d had to venture a guess, I’d have pegged the guy in his early thirties, and never had the words ‘ruggedly handsome’ been a better description for any human male. Odelia was definitely in trouble, if my limited experience was anything to go on.
If you ask me that is human-like if a male cat drools over a male human.
Rating:
3 stars
Cover:
Max is fine but I guess Dooley, Harriet and even Brutus requires some space in the cover. Bit disappointing...
Trigger:
Some touchy tropes LGBTQ community. The so-called bestseller writer was a mean person.
Short review:
It is neat and clean cosy mysteries series. My favourite cat mystery is still The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series by Leighann Dobbs. If you like cat mysteries I would definitely recommend that one but Purrfect Murder is also a nice one. My only gripe with Oyster Cove series is, the subsequent episodes are not coming up fast whereas the Mysteries of Max already has many books available.
There isn't much required to know apart from blurb to get into the story.
Review in image/gif:
I am lucky to find this image on the internet.
Cats according to colors -
Max - Orange (or Blorange = Blond + Orange, as Max called it)
Dooley - Grey
Harriet - White
Brutus - Black
Recommended:
Yes, if you like cosy mysteries and you are crazy cat lady like me
Aftermath: (possible spoilers)
I understand what others are talking about Max (or all the cats in the book) being too human-like.
This is what Max's description of Chase the first time he sees him
His long limbs stretched out languidly, his athletic body casually draped across the chair, he was listening to Chief Alec intently. He was definitely a handsome guy. He had one of those square jaws and chiseled faces that were all the rage with the ancient Greeks. A lock of dark brown hair dangled down his brow, his hair a little too long for a cop, which gave him a rebellious look. His white cotton shirt was stretched taut over bulging chest muscles, and his arms were all biceps and triceps and his belly was perfectly flat, unlike the beer belly Chief Alec had going for himself. If I’d had to venture a guess, I’d have pegged the guy in his early thirties, and never had the words ‘ruggedly handsome’ been a better description for any human male. Odelia was definitely in trouble, if my limited experience was anything to go on.
If you ask me that is human-like if a male cat drools over a male human.
March 2, 2023
Max and his cat friends can communicate with the Poole women in their lives, including Odelia Poole, reporter for the Hampton Cove Gazette. The cats' ability to glean information for Odelia, simply by hanging around town and being ignored by other humans, has allowed Odelia to get the scoop on many a story. When a body is discovered at a writer's retreat and is determined to be the missing author Paulo Frey, Odelia is determined to crack the case with the help of Max and his best friends, Dooley and Harriet. Standing in their way is the new cop in town, Chase Kingsley, and his cat Brutus. Chase doesn't want Odelia interfering in his investigation, and Brutus begins throwing his weight around, intimidating the other cats. Nevertheless, Odelia is determined, and Max is savvy and clever. Together, they put the clues together on their way to catching a killer.
Um. I had high hopes for this book. It was disappointing. I enjoy cat cozies, especially with a twist such as a talking cat or a magical one. If the author had left out jackass Chase and his asshole cat, Brutus, I would have enjoyed this story. I was utterly gobsmacked at the character of Brutus. I'm a cat lover, but I f*cking hated Brutus. Congratulations, Mr Saint. You've made me hate a cat. Me! Chase was a condescending jerk, so of course Odelia can't control her vagina around him. Likewise, Max and Dooley's friend, Harriet, lost control of her vagina around Brutus. Oddly enough, all the cats were spayed or neutered, so I don't know why the author seemed to think a spayed female cat would be attracted to a neutered male. I had to read the author's bio to make sure he wasn't an incel, because he sure seemed to throw around the term 'alpha male' often enough in regards to Chase and Brutus. Max and Dooley were the "nice guy/friend zoned" males, while the pretty girl tripped over her tongue the first time she encountered an "alpha male". I'm not entirely convinced the author wasn't projecting. There was also mention that Chase only fed Brutus raw meat. A quick Google search showed that, while cats can eat raw meat, it isn't recommended by vets.
I'd like to say that I won't read any more of this series, but alas, I have several uploaded to my Kindle. Eventually, I'll see if things improve. I might have given this an average score of three, but my loathing of Brutus knocks it down to a two.
Um. I had high hopes for this book. It was disappointing. I enjoy cat cozies, especially with a twist such as a talking cat or a magical one. If the author had left out jackass Chase and his asshole cat, Brutus, I would have enjoyed this story. I was utterly gobsmacked at the character of Brutus. I'm a cat lover, but I f*cking hated Brutus. Congratulations, Mr Saint. You've made me hate a cat. Me! Chase was a condescending jerk, so of course Odelia can't control her vagina around him. Likewise, Max and Dooley's friend, Harriet, lost control of her vagina around Brutus. Oddly enough, all the cats were spayed or neutered, so I don't know why the author seemed to think a spayed female cat would be attracted to a neutered male. I had to read the author's bio to make sure he wasn't an incel, because he sure seemed to throw around the term 'alpha male' often enough in regards to Chase and Brutus. Max and Dooley were the "nice guy/friend zoned" males, while the pretty girl tripped over her tongue the first time she encountered an "alpha male". I'm not entirely convinced the author wasn't projecting. There was also mention that Chase only fed Brutus raw meat. A quick Google search showed that, while cats can eat raw meat, it isn't recommended by vets.
I'd like to say that I won't read any more of this series, but alas, I have several uploaded to my Kindle. Eventually, I'll see if things improve. I might have given this an average score of three, but my loathing of Brutus knocks it down to a two.
July 30, 2017
A reporter stinks at her job and so her cats snoop around town and do it for her and she takes all the credit. A new police officer joins her small city's force where her uncle is chief, but the catch is that the new guy is of course Mr. Bad Guy Hottie pants (better known as Captain Beefcake by Odelia's grandma) who may or may not (gotta read the whole series to find out) be a molester of women and that's why he was let go from the NYPD. Or was it simply a cover up for more sexual foul play he accidentally stumbled upon? NO ONE KNOWS! Well, Mr. Bad Guy Hottie pants has a rude bossy cat who bosses around Odelia's cats, so Odeila doesn't get along with Mr. Bad Guy Hottie because of all the molesting and rude cat business.
I loved the references to Harry Potter and Stephen King! Started off okay. So, yeah, this book was hilarious because the cats talk to their human, Odelia. So if you like the thought of boss cats talking to each other and a human and becoming detectives......haha...you will enjoy that humor. Now, this not high-quality literature by any means, but the idea behind talking detective cats was amusing. Also, the grandma in the sorry reminds me of mawmaw off the Netflix original "Raising Hope" and that was humorous.
At the end of the book, the only rational minded being appears to be Max....and he's a cat! Oh, boy. Anyways, the main character is reckless and mindless who loves breaking laws because her uncle is the chief of police. Mhm... so realistic! I don't blame Chase at all for wanting her to back off and let him do his blasted job!
Finally, this book is clearly written by a liberal and, as a conservative, this was highly amusing for me to read. Besides the blaring lack of morals and common sense, the writing is just poor.
There is too many things wrong with this book. I only made it through it because was so short and HILARIOUSLY HORRIBLE that it was entertaining in that aspect. I apologize to those who loved it so, but I just can't give it more than 2 stars for so many pit falls. It was lucky to even get 2.
I loved the references to Harry Potter and Stephen King! Started off okay. So, yeah, this book was hilarious because the cats talk to their human, Odelia. So if you like the thought of boss cats talking to each other and a human and becoming detectives......haha...you will enjoy that humor. Now, this not high-quality literature by any means, but the idea behind talking detective cats was amusing. Also, the grandma in the sorry reminds me of mawmaw off the Netflix original "Raising Hope" and that was humorous.
At the end of the book, the only rational minded being appears to be Max....and he's a cat! Oh, boy. Anyways, the main character is reckless and mindless who loves breaking laws because her uncle is the chief of police. Mhm... so realistic! I don't blame Chase at all for wanting her to back off and let him do his blasted job!
Finally, this book is clearly written by a liberal and, as a conservative, this was highly amusing for me to read. Besides the blaring lack of morals and common sense, the writing is just poor.
There is too many things wrong with this book. I only made it through it because was so short and HILARIOUSLY HORRIBLE that it was entertaining in that aspect. I apologize to those who loved it so, but I just can't give it more than 2 stars for so many pit falls. It was lucky to even get 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2017
I loved this humorous cosy mystery in which Odelia’s cat, Max, and his feline friends help her solve a murder. Not only is the story an entertaining murder mystery but the anthropomorphization of the cats is well written and totally hilarious. It had me laughing out loud. The narrator really brought both the human and animal characters to life, bringing out the sarcasm and humour with his tone and intonation. I also enjoyed the interactions between the somber new police officer, Chase, and Odelia. I will look forward to seeing how their relationship, and their cats, will develop in future books.
January 3, 2018
I do believe this is the first cozy mystery that I have read where the cat is the narrator of the story!
Max is a cat who lives with Odelia a reporter for the Gazette and he is always listening in on what is going on around town and reporting back to Odelia. Yes, Odelia can talk to her cats, something about having a bit of witch in her family tree. Her grandmother could do the same thing.
There's a new cat in town and he is causing trouble for Max, he is pushing his weight around because his owner is the new detective, Chase and Brutus thinks that since his owner is a cop he rules. This doesn't go well with Max but he has other things to figure out like who killed the bestselling author.
Odelia doesn't get along with Chase at first and this suits Max just fine because he is afraid that if they like each other he will be stuck with Brutus. Chase isn't use to small town life and gets mad when Odelia sticks her noise into his investigation but by the end of the book he gets use to it.
I really like Max and his gang, but Brutus seems to be a bit of a bully, so maybe he will charm me later. I like Odelia she is very persistent and won't let up even if it makes Chase mad. I felt bad for Chase because he was accused of something he didn't do which is why he had to move there. He seems like a really good guy under that crusty exterior.
This was a really fast listen so I am sure it would be a pretty fast read, it was a lot of fun and had a really good mystery.
Max is a cat who lives with Odelia a reporter for the Gazette and he is always listening in on what is going on around town and reporting back to Odelia. Yes, Odelia can talk to her cats, something about having a bit of witch in her family tree. Her grandmother could do the same thing.
There's a new cat in town and he is causing trouble for Max, he is pushing his weight around because his owner is the new detective, Chase and Brutus thinks that since his owner is a cop he rules. This doesn't go well with Max but he has other things to figure out like who killed the bestselling author.
Odelia doesn't get along with Chase at first and this suits Max just fine because he is afraid that if they like each other he will be stuck with Brutus. Chase isn't use to small town life and gets mad when Odelia sticks her noise into his investigation but by the end of the book he gets use to it.
I really like Max and his gang, but Brutus seems to be a bit of a bully, so maybe he will charm me later. I like Odelia she is very persistent and won't let up even if it makes Chase mad. I felt bad for Chase because he was accused of something he didn't do which is why he had to move there. He seems like a really good guy under that crusty exterior.
This was a really fast listen so I am sure it would be a pretty fast read, it was a lot of fun and had a really good mystery.
April 29, 2025
did not finish. it lost me when the protagonist, a regular reporter, honestly says, "Who did he think he was, bathing into town and telling her she had no business investigating a murder?". um, he's a police detective. I tried even after that but my heart sank when I saw I wasn't even half way through, a sure sign that I had better things to read.
the cats started off funny but quickly devolved into school boys on the playground. except the female and she became a slut. not saying its not realistic, but this is fiction bordering on fantasy. none of the characters were sympathetic, neither human nor animal. and the author seemed anti-spray/neuter, which is just irresponsible if your cat's are going to be free roaming. not to mention the heavy-handed social preaching.
the cats started off funny but quickly devolved into school boys on the playground. except the female and she became a slut. not saying its not realistic, but this is fiction bordering on fantasy. none of the characters were sympathetic, neither human nor animal. and the author seemed anti-spray/neuter, which is just irresponsible if your cat's are going to be free roaming. not to mention the heavy-handed social preaching.
October 11, 2025
I hated this.
Knew it would involve cats. Thought it would be cat themed. Did not realise it would be a talking cat thing.
It parrots the idea that false sexual assault allegations are commonplace and that you can tell whether or not someone is a sex pest based solely on vibes and how likable they are, which is dangerous.
The cats were annoying. The humans were annoying. The romance premise was misogynistic. The bigotry was unrealistic in its application. The stakes were bizarrely low for a story where a man had been MURDERED (this is problem with cozy books and it's exhausting).
Also if the author calls fat people "people of size" one more time my fat ass is going to explode into a million shards of rage.
Knew it would involve cats. Thought it would be cat themed. Did not realise it would be a talking cat thing.
It parrots the idea that false sexual assault allegations are commonplace and that you can tell whether or not someone is a sex pest based solely on vibes and how likable they are, which is dangerous.
The cats were annoying. The humans were annoying. The romance premise was misogynistic. The bigotry was unrealistic in its application. The stakes were bizarrely low for a story where a man had been MURDERED (this is problem with cozy books and it's exhausting).
Also if the author calls fat people "people of size" one more time my fat ass is going to explode into a million shards of rage.
February 2, 2023
This book is about cats, but unfortunately the author doesn’t have the moral compass of a dog catcher. The villain of the story is murdered and thrown in a cesspool. The author rightly condemns him for attacking and attempting to destroy those he dislikes and disagrees with. Ironically, the author does exactly the same thing. He writes that many of the townspeople consider the killer “a heroine”. How is premeditated murder ever heroic? So it’s ok to condemn and destroy someone you hate? What is the difference in the villain and the author? None.
August 19, 2024
3 stars for the writing, 5 stars for talking cats.
January 30, 2021
Take a young female reporter in a small town that has 3 cats that talk to her and she understands them and is able to talk to them , a new cop in town that has a mean spirited black cat that think he rules the world and a body found in an out house and you have a lot of interesting variables. The chief of police is the reporters uncle and the doctor in town is her father. Her grandmother works the desk behind her father's office. Said reporter gets quite a bit of help with her detective work form her two male cats. This is a fun fantasy type mystery with lots of unique characters. I have already begun book 2 in the series. Will she solve the case of the body in the dumper and tame the new cop in town? Stay tuned!
February 27, 2021
I had never read a book where an animal was doing so much of the narrating. It was great how Max talked to the other cats and his person. Did you know a cat could shrug their shoulders, well Max says they can you just can't see it because of the hair. Great little mystery solved with the help of sleuthing cats.
November 20, 2020
Great read.
Great read especially for those of us who do "converse" with our cats! Looking forward to getting to know the characters better.
Great read especially for those of us who do "converse" with our cats! Looking forward to getting to know the characters better.
June 19, 2018
Not the worse book I’ve read
I like mystery books and I like cats so I thought I’d enjoy this book, but it was rather bland. There wasn’t much to call mystery and the investigation wasn’t suspenseful. As for the cat portion, they weren’t very cat like nor what I’d imagine how cats would talk if we could understand them. The main character was plain annoying and unlikable and she didn’t actually do much except complain a lot. As for the writing, I could go without reading how much of a hunk the police officer is every five sentences.
I like mystery books and I like cats so I thought I’d enjoy this book, but it was rather bland. There wasn’t much to call mystery and the investigation wasn’t suspenseful. As for the cat portion, they weren’t very cat like nor what I’d imagine how cats would talk if we could understand them. The main character was plain annoying and unlikable and she didn’t actually do much except complain a lot. As for the writing, I could go without reading how much of a hunk the police officer is every five sentences.
December 31, 2022
While this proved to be a much better read than I expected it to be, it would have definitely benefitted from better editing and it almost read like a "romance" disguised as a cozy mystery... I do admire Saint's inclusion of the dire effects that online/in person bullying, prejudice, and harassment can have for transgender folks. My takeaway: JUST LET PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES! It's none of your business as long as they are not harming others! :) Stepping down off my soapbox now...
Though I won't continue with this series, it did prove to be a rather enjoyable read overall.
Though I won't continue with this series, it did prove to be a rather enjoyable read overall.
December 7, 2020
Meh. I've read a fair amount of YA fiction, and this one just doesn't measure up. If I wasn't reading it for a book club, I probably wouldn't have finished it. The characters are more like caricatures, and the conversations were too repetitive.
January 11, 2020
I really liked this book, the cats all have interesting personalities. More entertaining than their humans sometimes.
There's only one thing I disliked, the physical descriptions of Chase. It almost felt like I was reading a romance or erotic novel, some people may be into imagining this muscled guy but I'm not. Almost every appearance had one of those descriptions so I skipped a few parts.
Max describes himself as a blorange tabby, it made me smile because my red tabby also is a bit blonde. I didn't realize Ragamuffin was an actual cat breed at first, this would make Max and Brutus the only mix breeds. Even though they say Max, Dooley and Harriet are all rescuees and Brutus seem to be a pedigree cat. But I'd wonder how much they really know, or the author just forgot to specify and they all have a distinct breed, after all a cat can be a purebred and still be a rescuee.
The mystery was funny, and the cats kept mentioning poo jokes for a while, but I spotted the murderer at first introduction. Since it's written in Max's first person the scenes without the cats are in third person, I guess it makes sense I just wish there were more names and less "he/she" because it gets confusing sometimes.
May not be much as a mystery, I also don't think the humans made a lot of sense, but I just loved Max and his friends. It was still entertaining and I probably could have given one more star if not for those parts about Chase.
There's only one thing I disliked, the physical descriptions of Chase. It almost felt like I was reading a romance or erotic novel, some people may be into imagining this muscled guy but I'm not. Almost every appearance had one of those descriptions so I skipped a few parts.
Max describes himself as a blorange tabby, it made me smile because my red tabby also is a bit blonde. I didn't realize Ragamuffin was an actual cat breed at first, this would make Max and Brutus the only mix breeds. Even though they say Max, Dooley and Harriet are all rescuees and Brutus seem to be a pedigree cat. But I'd wonder how much they really know, or the author just forgot to specify and they all have a distinct breed, after all a cat can be a purebred and still be a rescuee.
The mystery was funny, and the cats kept mentioning poo jokes for a while, but I spotted the murderer at first introduction. Since it's written in Max's first person the scenes without the cats are in third person, I guess it makes sense I just wish there were more names and less "he/she" because it gets confusing sometimes.
May not be much as a mystery, I also don't think the humans made a lot of sense, but I just loved Max and his friends. It was still entertaining and I probably could have given one more star if not for those parts about Chase.
dnf
August 1, 2017I DNF'd this one at 21%
I loved the concept of this book and it sounded like something I would enjoy. A cat who is solving mysteries, that just seemed like fun! But for some reason I couldn't get into the stor. Maybe I picked it up in the wrong mood, but it just didn't work for me.
The cats seemed a bit too human, with how they could smile and shrug and it just seemed a bit off. It didn't feel like reading about cats, but like they were humans. I also didn't really like Max, he immediately disliked the new cat in town and while the new cat did seemed a bit of a meanie, Max wasn't all that nice either. I didn't really care for how Max jumped to conclusions or acted a bit judgemental. The conversations with the other cats didn't really work for me and I just wanted it to be more cat like somehow?
It felt like a weird mash up between Minoes, Secret Life or Pets and a cozy mystery. But where each of those things separately work for me, this book sadly didn't. The cat behavior and chats just rubbed me wrong instead of being entertaining.
I decided to continue until the murder took place, but even that was unable to catch my attention. Maybe I'll pick it up again later, but for now I am setting it aside. Great concept, but it didn't quite work for me.
I loved the concept of this book and it sounded like something I would enjoy. A cat who is solving mysteries, that just seemed like fun! But for some reason I couldn't get into the stor. Maybe I picked it up in the wrong mood, but it just didn't work for me.
The cats seemed a bit too human, with how they could smile and shrug and it just seemed a bit off. It didn't feel like reading about cats, but like they were humans. I also didn't really like Max, he immediately disliked the new cat in town and while the new cat did seemed a bit of a meanie, Max wasn't all that nice either. I didn't really care for how Max jumped to conclusions or acted a bit judgemental. The conversations with the other cats didn't really work for me and I just wanted it to be more cat like somehow?
It felt like a weird mash up between Minoes, Secret Life or Pets and a cozy mystery. But where each of those things separately work for me, this book sadly didn't. The cat behavior and chats just rubbed me wrong instead of being entertaining.
I decided to continue until the murder took place, but even that was unable to catch my attention. Maybe I'll pick it up again later, but for now I am setting it aside. Great concept, but it didn't quite work for me.
May 14, 2019
Max can talk to his owner, which makes either Max or Hampton Cover reporter Odelia Poole, or both, somewhat special in the world of cats and humans. Dooley is Max's ragamuffin friend, and Harriet his gorgeous Persian nemesis. The police station, doctor’s office and more are their regular beat. And out-of-town cop Chase Kingsley with his bossy cat Brutus are the story’s antagonists.
Of course, from Odelia’s point of view, Chase might be the handsome romantic lead and the antagonist is the killer. And catching the killer might be a higher priority than maintaining cat priorities.
These cats are fun. Max’s voice and preoccupations are very believably feline. Some of his actions may be less so, but hey, he’s a talking cat. So, fun mystery, fun romance… a quick enjoyable read.
Disclosure: It was on a deal and I enjoyed it.
Of course, from Odelia’s point of view, Chase might be the handsome romantic lead and the antagonist is the killer. And catching the killer might be a higher priority than maintaining cat priorities.
These cats are fun. Max’s voice and preoccupations are very believably feline. Some of his actions may be less so, but hey, he’s a talking cat. So, fun mystery, fun romance… a quick enjoyable read.
Disclosure: It was on a deal and I enjoyed it.
March 26, 2017
A hysterical laugh out loud murder mystery that keeps you wanting more!
I had so much fun reading this book. A humerous cozy mystery with a heroine who talks to cats! Odelia is a great, spunky main character and Max and his crew are a hoot. But together with their human, they solve a crazy mystery. It is a laugh out loud read of a fun cozy mystery! Even where the body was found is hysterical! This is the first book in this series and I am definitely looking for more! I love laughing and smiling throughout the book and you will too!
I had so much fun reading this book. A humerous cozy mystery with a heroine who talks to cats! Odelia is a great, spunky main character and Max and his crew are a hoot. But together with their human, they solve a crazy mystery. It is a laugh out loud read of a fun cozy mystery! Even where the body was found is hysterical! This is the first book in this series and I am definitely looking for more! I love laughing and smiling throughout the book and you will too!
September 27, 2024
This book has a confused identity ironically. It leads with immature poop jokes and stereotypes while attempting to address major issues that are relevant to current hot topics such as cyber bullying and lgbtq lifestyle. It manages to do both poorly being too silly to be taken serious and still not funny. The detective work is an unaware rendition of scooby doo adventures, stumbling luckily into answers. I don’t know who this book is written for, but I could never recommend it seriously for anyone. Maybe as a meme piece or for a hate read, but it would probably fail those as well.
October 15, 2024
Odelia is a reporter who has a cat, Max, that she can talk to. When a body is found under a local outhouse, Odelia is determined to solve the case, but the new handsome police officer does not want her interfering in the case. Max and his feline friends want to help Odelia, even though it's learned that the murdered man was a horrible person. A cute talking cat mystery.
May 28, 2023
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but was pleasantly surprised. It’s a cozy mystery with an edge. There’s definitely some very edgy humor that has me cracking up. Max, Dooley and the gang are hilarious.
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