Review: Sleight of Paw by Patricia Fry

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Matilija Press

Release Date:
January 2015

Source:  My Kindle Collection Library





Synopsis from Goodreads…



Michael Ivey, the local veterinarian and Savannah’s new husband is attacked by an enraged client and then later accused of this man’s murder. The evidence quickly stacks up against Michael, until Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat, starts digging up clues implicating the unlikely suspect.

Coinciding with the details of this challenge is the discovery that the old house, which the couple purchased from Savannah’s aunt, is cursed. Is this why the couple has not been blessed with a child?

Savannah’s sister Brianna comes for a visit. She teams up with the Iveys’ vet tech, Bud, to discover how to break the gypsy spell and they fall hard for each other. Will their courtship be strengthened or weakened by a frightening carjacking incident?

Detective Craig Sledge is prominent in this story as the lead investigator in the murder case. As usual, he engages in some creative tactics to get the information and the confessions he’s after. He has also become embedded in Savannah’s friend, Iris’s family. He’s dating Iris and helping with her son, Damon’s rehabilitation in prison.

My Review

Michael and Savannah Ivey are more than a little stunned when one of their clients is so angry that he attacks them in their clinic. Not long after the attack, the client turns up dead. All evidence is pointing Michael’s way. The dead body was even discovered in the Ivey’s clinic. With the help of their good friend, Detective Craig Sledge, they set out to find the real killer and find out who could be framing Michael.

To add to the excitement, Savannah’s sister Brianna comes to town and pairs up with the Ivey’s vet tech, Bud. The two get closer and closer with each day.

For a cat lover like me, what can be better than a cat cozy mystery? The klepto cat is Savannah’s Rags and it’s a good thing he likes to take other people’s belongings since it often helps in solving mysteries. Once again, Rags’ talents come in handy. With a little help from Rags, they might just find out who the culprit is.

I really enjoy this series and it has some of the best book covers I’ve ever seen featuring cats. This book was a bit different as it was more like two books in one. The first book was a cozy mystery which was solved approximately half way through the book. The rest of the book had nothing to do with the mystery. It was more like a romance novel. Not that there is anything wrong with romances. Romance is my second favorite genre. However, I was a bit surprised that the first part of the book had nothing to do with the second part, except that the same characters were involved. I almost thought it was a preview for the next book, but it wasn’t.

It didn’t really matter as I was interested in the entire book and all the characters. The Iveys are the main characters throughout the whole book. They are “real” people who could be your average neighbor. They are likeable characters who readers will truly care about.  In fact, most of the secondary characters are likeable as well.

Overall, a sweet mystery and romance with no sex or violence. The perfect way to spend a quiet afternoon.



For reading challenges:
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2016
What An Animal Reading Challenge 2016
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2016