Familiar Motives

Familiar Motives
A Witch’s Cat Mystery, Book 3

Delia James
Berkley Prime Crime, 2017

From the back of the book, “After learning that she comes from a family of witches—and adopting a familiar named Alistair—artist Annabelle Briton has made beautiful Portsmouth, New Hampshire, her home. Together with her coven, this good witch is trying to put a stop to magic and murder most foul.

“When Anna takes Alistair to see local veterinarian Ramona Forsythe, they meet the most famous cat in town: Ruby the Attitude Cat, spokes-feline for a pet food brand. But then Ramona turns up dead and Ruby goes missing. It seems like the murderer used magical means, so it’s up to Anna and Alistair to catch a killer and cat-napper as only a canny cat can.”

I’m really enjoying this series of books. I don’t mind the witchcraft – its presence in the story is minimal and the witches are always working for good and not evil. The star of the story is of course, Alistair, a thoroughly magical cat that can appear and disappear at will (I would love to know how to do that!). He is very important in solving the mystery, despite Anna’s frustration that he won’t do things her way. He’s a cat, after all! The mystery is totally engaging and I didn’t guess the murderer at all! The only thing negative I have is, that like the other two books, as soon as the mystery is solved, everything jumps ahead several weeks as the author is wrapping up the book. It’s a little too fast for me – after the slower pace of the story, the rapidity of the wrap-up is just too much. Slow it down, Delia! Let me savor saying goodbye to Anna and Alistair until the next book!!! I’m going to miss them!

Rating 4 out of 5 paws – fun, page-turning, and riveting cozy mystery to read on cold winter nights!!

Reviewer:

BobbieSue

 

A Familiar Tail

A Familiar Tail
A Witch’s Cat Mystery #1

Delia James
Obsidian, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2016

From the back of the book: “Unlucky-in-love artist Annabelle Britton decides that a visit to the seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the perfect way to get over her problems. But when she stumbles upon a smoky gray cat named Alistair and follows him into a charming cottage, Annabelle finds herself in a whole spellbook full of trouble.

“Suddenly saddled with a witch’s wand and a furry familiar, Annabelle meets a friendly group of women who use their spells, charms, and potions to keep the people of Portsmouth safe. But despite their gifts, the witches can’t prevent every wicked deed in town….

“Soon, the mystery surrounding Alistair’s former owner, who died under unusual circumstances, grows when another local turns up dead. Armed with magic, friends, and the charmed cat who adopted her, rather than the other way around, Annabelle sets out to paw through the evidence and uncover a killer.”

Wow! I enjoyed this book so much I read it straight through in one day! It’s always exciting to start a new book, especially when the book is a new series and the author has to do a lot of world-building. Love it! Portsmouth, New Hampshire – never been there, by the way – is wonderfully described – I felt I was there amongst the gardens, old shops and cottages and fancy houses. And of course, the star of the book is Alistair, a lovely gray cat who is magical and helps Annabelle solve the mystery – actually, he knows what’s really going on, but you know humans. They are inept at discerning our obvious clues so it takes his new person the whole book to figure it out.

Speaking of which, the mystery was well done – I didn’t figure out who the culprit was, nor any clue as to why, until it was revealed towards the end of the book. I hope the follow-up books are just as well done as this one; I’m seriously looking forward to them!!! The book is perfect reading for any mystery lover of any age – as long as you don’t mind practicing witches!

Rating: 4 ½ paws out of 5 – my highest rating, without it being a 5-paw rating, ever! Why 4 ½ and not 5? Well, while the story was fabulous, I’m not likely to read it again and there was no real emotional investment on my part which is the hallmark of a 5 paw book!

Reviewer:

BobbieSue