Diet Is murder When former actress and lifestyle guru Donna Bruce is found murdered in her sauna cabin, stung to death by bees, Odelia and Chase are on the case. Meanwhile Odelia’s tabby Max has his own issues to deal with. The vet has decided the flabby tabby is too flabby and has put Max on a strict diet. Feeling weak and out of sorts, the blorange cat has a hard time coming up with original ideas to solve the crime his human is grappling with. And then there’s the fact that Odelia has decided that this time Harriet, her mother’s white Persian, is in charge of the case, leading the feline sleuths even further astray. Harriet’s idea of investigating a crime is surfing the web and sifting through Internet gossip, and since Odelia doesn’t seem to be making any headway in the case it’s up to Max and Dooley to save the day and find that telling clue that will lead them to Donna’s killer. Will Max be able to stick to his diet? Will Gran be able to control her online shopping habits? And will Odelia and Chase finally go on their first date? Find out in Purrfect Crime, the fifth installment in the funny cozy cat mystery series The Mysteries of Max.
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.
These are the best books to read when you'll need to laugh out loud. Newspaper report Odelia and her cats, with the help of handsome sheriff always solves the mystery. Makes me wish I could talk to my cats too. Not only cats, Odelia's grandmother mother makes me laugh out loud too. Can't wait to read and find out more about developing relationships Odelia and her grandmother. Also their sex toys.
Donna Bruce, famous actress and lifestyle influencer, has been murdered in her own sauna. The weapon? A swarm of bees. Odelia is soon on the case with Detective Chase Kingsley, and she's relying on her cats to snoop around and see what they can learn. Max, however, is having trouble keeping up. A trip to the vet indicates that he's gone from tubby to obese, and Odelia has to put him on a diet. Weakened with hunger and unable to think of anything but food, Max isn't much help. This leads Odelia to putting Harriet in charge of the cats' investigation. Harriet's idea of investigating, however, is surfing celebrity gossip sites on the internet. Max is going to have to pull himself together if he and Odelia are going to crack this case.
Okay. So, I thought this series had reached a turning point with the last book, but this one swirled down the toilet again. Brutus is back to being a class A jerk, the author (for reasons unknown) decided to add sex toys to the mix, which would have been funny in passing, but he chose to make a huge deal of them. I'm no prude, but when I'm reading a cozy mystery, I don't expect to be metaphorically smacked upside the head with a dildo. It was sort of like if you'd gone to the movies to see a rom-com and it involved some terrifying chase scenes à la a horror flick. What was the point? I'm back to thinking the author knows precious little about cats, or women either, for that matter. He certainly doesn't seem to hold the females in the story in high regard, especially Harriet. It's like the author is projecting all of his aggravation with women onto her, since Harriet comes across as prissy, incompetent, focused on celebrity gossip, and disgustingly ga-ga for any domineering, alpha male/bad boy. It was revolting. As for cat behavior, they don't kiss, they don't punch one another, and they don't have pecs. Yes, I know they don't talk, either, but I can enjoy a talking cat in fiction, so long as it still acts like a cat. Sue me. Finally, the clue that broke the case wide open wasn't something that was discovered via hard work or sleuthing, but rather was served up on a platter in the most ridiculously unbelievable situation. Lazy and sloppy.
Back to square one with this series. Dismal score of two stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The start of the stories was cute, the characters interesting but now I just find them annoying. Odelia who can talk to her cats never actually listens. Gran and Marge supposedly can also but it's never part of the story. No human noticed Diego missing. Harriet is an unlikable character. Clarice was supposed to be adopted but doesn't seem to have been. Maybe it's reading one book right after the other
I generally like Nic Saint characters, but by far my favorites are Max and the other cats of this series. The take of the cat sleuths on human sex toys in this book had me in stitches. Needless to say, this book whose murder victim sold said toys is R rated for that reason. Max is delightful as are all his sidekicks, especially innocent little Dooley. The humans in the book are fun too, though I'd like to see the romance develop a little further soon.
The mystery isn't all that complicated but I like the fact that the clues are there if you pay attention. I do wish Odelia would not just stumble into the answer, but you can't have it all. This is a particularly fun book in a fun series, so get started reading. And if you love talking cats, you will love this one.
The murder or the diet - which will win in gaining Max's full attention?
Terrific as always. The cats all have such diverse personalities and display such innocence when thrust into certain human situations. A murder of a woman in a sauna with bee's as the murder weapon has them all chasing their tail. Especially as Max has been put on a diet and can only think about food. (We've all been there). Can his human and her new man find out what and who. Wonderful mic of suspects and motives making it hard to pick the right culprit. The writing as always is delightful with great dialogues and situations. Plus the human characters are the dysfunctional ones we expect in any family. Great read that will have you chuckling in places.
Max and his crew of feisty felines work with his human, Odile, to solve the sick murder of an ex-Hollywood star. Max is back, but having trouble concentrating because Odile insists on putting him in a diet, which makes poor Max weak and vulnerable. The group of four cats work together as usual and provide Odile with the clue she needs to solve the case.The murderer is on to her, though, and her life is in danger. Will handsome police detective Chase save her in time? A fun read!
If you like cats and mysteries to solve this silly tale is just the thing. Odellia is a reporter and a cat lover. She also has a secret, she can talk to cats. Her cat and his friends help her solve mysteries.
A woman was murdered, she used to be a famous actress now she own a company. She has made many enemies, the ex, the neighbor, the stalker and more, who wanted her to suffer the most. Can Odellia and her cop boyfriend find the killer before she strikes again?
“Diet” is just “die” with a “T” on the end. And that’s pretty much the attitude Max has for this book. His fluffiness is too much of a good thing, so he needs to cut back on the calories. Good thing the victim of the mystery they’re trying to solve is a fitness and lifestyle maven. She’s bound to have known a thing or two about living the Good Life, right? Poor Max. His hunger became like another character in this book, but I loved seeing Dooley get the chance to shine. With where this book leaves off, I can’t wait to discover what’s going to happen next.
Love this series because it makes me laugh how the cats talk and only Odelia can hear them. When a former actress, Donna Bruce changes her profession as a lifestyle guru and later found murdered in her sauna. Odelia's tabby, Max has to go on a diet per the vet and Max is not happy about this news. Max only can thing of eating instead of looking for clues of who murdered Donna. I can picture cats doing this because I had a few cats and their looks at me made me feel I knew what they were thinking.
My first time to read a book in this series. It is an interesting series where Odelia can communicate with her cat Max and other cats belonging to her family members. The cats help her solve crimes. In this book former actress and lifestyle guru Donna Bruce is found dead in the sauna cabin. Someone locked her in and filled the cabin with bees.
It was an interesting read and there were humorous side stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the series! Extremely entertaining. I loved the humorous parts in the story and the fantastic interaction between cats and humans. Max is really wonderful and Dooley is such an endearing little soul. I laughed so hard at the part at the vet and the tick. Absolutely a truly fantastic series! Highly recommended!
6 was better than 5. It was interesting to learn that people used bee stings to counter act rheumatoid arthritis. The 4 cats had an addition….Diego who reappears at the end of the book. I like this series. Wonder if Odelia will tell Chase she can understand cats?
Another brilliant book. Do you know I am 70 years old and I simply love these books. I laugh so much and I love cats. Nic Saint truly is a saint for writing such books. If my cat Taz could read he would say the same, or perhaps he can 😸. Thank you for making making me happy.
Odelia and Chase are hot on the case when bees are used to murder Donna. Getting her feline family to help pick up clues leads to various possibilities but so far no arrests. When Dooley mentions a death by bee sting he saw on the internet Odelia suddenly thinks she has the answer. Follow the gang and see who it is.
I am pleasantly surprised that each installment of this little series gets better and better. Looking forward to number six. I enjoy that this is a quick read that is mindless and fun. Not sure I will get the next 10 in the series, but I like that they are easy and fun. They are mindless and great entertainment.
The underlying story is cute, and I adore Max, but there was a lot of really oddly placed sexual...something going on in this one. Suddenly seemed like a different author, almost.
Cute mystery with the cats trying to solve the crime before the "humans". Interesting story. You didn't see who the killer was until the very end. A lot of little cliff hangers leading you in different directions.
A Fantastic Story With Great Humor! Definitely A Must Read!!
I have to say I haven't laughed so much or been more entertained by this book! The humor in this book was beyond funny and I found myself laughing out loud! Definitely a super series!!
I am madly in love with this series. Max and his friends are soo cute. Grandma Vesta is a complete entertainer. She is so hilarious. Odelia and Chase's romance adds further cuteness to the series.
I was sceptical about this book when I started to read it. I enjoy mysteries but wasn't sure about a book with talking animals, but as I continued to read I started to enjoy the book. I liked the different twists of looking for suspects and the cat participation in trying to solve a crime. I would definitely read more books in this series.
What a hoot to read! The felines are once again helping Odelia track down the clues that lead to the identity of the murderer. There are so many side-splitting lines in this one . . Max and Dooley are hilarious. This is my favorite in this series so far.
I just love these books funny easy to read and good story lines the characters are such fun and the end always leaves wanting more must go now want to start the next one x
The fearsome foursome are at it again. They assist their humans solve another grisly murder. But the 8th grade silliness keeps things light. Another eye rolling read.
So much fun, I once again found myself laughing throughout to his book. Max and especially Dooley are so funny. I did feel Chase needs to be less "cheesy"! So if you want a fun book to read try The Mysteries of Max books.