ESCAPE CLAWS
Linda Reilly is one of my very favorite authors. And her newest book, the first installment of her Cat Lady Mysteries, ESCAPE CLAWS, was one of my most anticipated books of 2017. On. My. Goodness. It completely lived up to my expectations! Purrfection! ESCAPE CLAWS opens with an introduction to the Cast of Feline Characters. With a dozen cats in the story, this list is a wonderful and welcomed addition to the book. And Kudos to author Reilly for managing to give each cat its own distinct personality. From page one, I knew this was a tale I wanted to read. Not just the mystery, but the story of protagonist, Lara Caphart, coming back to her hometown of Whisker Jog (love it) to help her Aunt Fran not only with her eleven cats, but with herself. With bad knees, Fran Clarkson is moving slow, and not able to do as much for herself and her kitty kids. There is tension at the very beginning when Lara doesn’t get greeted very fondly by her aunt. However, both characters grow immensely from the first page to the last, and I can’t wait to see them grow even more throughout the series. The murder mystery in ESCAPE CLAWS is expertly handled by the author. Ms. Reilly truly knows how to keep her readers on their paws. From the discovery of the body, to the surprising reveal, I didn’t come close to guessing the killer. There is also a second mystery mixed into the story. Between the two of them, I was so entranced, reading for a couple of hours turned into “I’m not getting out of this chair until I’m finished”. Starting a new series is both thrilling and exciting. You go into it with high hopes. Well, worry not with the Cat Lady Mysteries. Once you start reading ESCAPE CLAWS, you’ll know you’ve found a series you’ll want to follow for many years to come!