Review of The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan

The Whole Cat and Caboodle, published in 2014, is the first book in the Second Chance Cat Mysteries series.  Currently, there are nine books in the series.

Sarah Grayson lives in North Harbor, Maine, and owns Second Chance, The Repurpose Shop, which is a cross between an antique store and a thrift shop.  When Maddie, a friend of Sarah’s grandmother, is accused of murdering her beau, Sarah wants to let Maddie’s attorney handle things.  Maddie’s friends, however, have other ideas.  Dubbed Charlie’s Angels, the crew of senior citizens begins to hunt for the true killer.  Reluctantly, Sarah ends up joining the investigation, and they all work together to clear Maddie’s name.

Unlike most cozy mysteries, The Whole Cat and Caboodle doesn’t have a quirky vibe.  Unlike in most cozy mysteries, the amateur sleuth at the center of the book doesn’t want to investigate anything.  These are not bad qualities.  In fact, I really enjoyed the more serious tone of the book.  Not dangerous serious or uptight serious, just everyday serious.  Sarah still has a business to run, and we see her doing so.  She still has a social life, and we see her socializing.

Of course, I also love Sarah’s cat, Elvis.  His fur is inky black, his eyes are green, and he has a scar across the bridge of his nose.  But the coolest thing about him is that he listens to people and can read them like a book.

The only thing I didn’t like about The Whole Cat and Caboodle was that a few things from Sarah’s past were mentioned and then explained too quickly and never talked about again.  However, this is the first book in the series, and it may be that these things will come up again and be explained more thoroughly.  I suppose I’ll have to continue on with the series to find out, which I’m happy to do.

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