Truly awful. No one in my book club liked this; everyone had to quit before they finished. YIKES.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

this is the first cozy mystery in the Hettie Bagshot Mystery series.
This series is pure catnip for cat lovers! It is a wonderful series told from the cats perspective. This is a feline cast with a great cast of cats that are absolutely purrfectly fun as they solve crimes.
I predict a long series ahead .This series has great humor, a well crafted sleuth and wonderful cat personalities.

An interesting premise, but struggled to follow the fact that these are real cats, looking for dead cats. Skimmed more than read, and would most likely not read the next book in the series. Would probably have liked this more back when I was in high school, but as that was many decades ago my tastes have changed. Not for me, but the writing is done well, and if you like cats you will like this book.

I have to admit, the idea of cats behaving like humans took some getting used to. While I love cats, and have had many over the years, I can’t picture any cat as a human living the way we do; It was a huge stretch for me to visualize cats walking around in coats, driving cars and buying things from hardware stores. The cats in this book have detective agencies, plumbing businesses, pastry shops and and one cat even has a home for slightly older cats. While there are a few cat-like details such as the foods you might expect them to eat other details take a huge stretch of the imagination. For the most part, I believe the book satirizes people and many of the things they do by using cats in their place.

The cats names are definitely an enjoyable touch. They include: Elizabeth Traybake who has three passions in life: diamonds, Tom cats and cardigans, as well as Marilyn Repel, a vivacious siren of a cat who made movies and her daughter Cocoa who founded her own perfume house and also designs clothing. Some other names of cats have more to do with their jobs such as Digger Patch, the gravedigger; Lavendar Stamp the postmistress and Prunella Snap, photographer.

The interactions between the cats are people-like and the friendship that develops between the main characters, Hettie and Tilly is heartwarming. They have a nice little group of friends in the community and everyone looks out for each other.

Usually, mystery books keep my attention because I am trying to figure out who did the crime. In this book, my attention was on the antics of the cats, and I really didn’t have any idea at all about who stole the dead cats bodies. However, the mystery was neatly wrapped up in the end.

This is definitely different from anything I have ever read, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. I’m giving it three stars, because I liked it; however, it isn’t up there as one of my favorites. I do believe the author will develop quite a following among people who enjoy the interesting way that cats behave like people—including the good and bad.

This is a fun mystery with lots of death and mayhem. The characters in the story are anthropomorphic cats – they have the thoughts and actions of humans. What is really funny is that the author has “borrowed” a number of real celebrity humans and has created parodies of them. She has also created characters based on traits one associates with individuals from certain geographical areas, complete with accents and mannerisms.

Hettie Bagshot is the would-be feline detective. She has had many roles in her life, including a well-known singing career. Her friend, assistant and flatmate, Tilly, seems to have the common sense approach to detective work. The two of them, with assistance from friends and foes, work to solve their first case.

The book introduces a lot of characters, which is common in first books in series. I expect that there will be more focus on plot in future books. There was still a lot of action – including some end surprises which – well – surprised me! I look forward to more books in this series.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This had me at go! What a cute concept, which strangely reminded me of The Cat Who series. Maybe not so strange since the cats helped solve mysteries. Here is a cat world full of fun cat surprises and feline ways of living. It’s adorable!

Sadly, although I loved the premise and was dying to read this, after a few pages my excitement waned. There are paragraphs and paragraphs of information that probably does not need to be in the book. It’s okay information, but I found myself drifting away and thinking about anything other than the paragraph that I was reading. It was really hard to stay focused.

The cats themselves are beyond adorable. The name dropping and creativity that had to be used in order to create a world of cats was fabulous. I am so sad that the plot was lacking for me, because I loved everything else.

I wound up skimming through most of this. I love the idea but it was a bit too wordy for my taste, even with the glorious, hilarious, wonderful characters.

Although I did not fall in love with this, I am positive that many will find this absolutely delightful!

What a delightful imagination this author has! I was a bit taken aback at first when I realized the characters were really all cats and not cats 'helping' people as I've seen in other books. But I soon got used to the cat-characters and really enjoyed their antics. The descriptions were vivid and the characters a real hoot. I cracked up over some of the names - like Tabby Wynette singing 'Stand by Your Van', Marley Toke the Jamaican cook, etc.

A really fun read.

I know often mysteries have gimmicks, but this poorly written mystery takes the cake! Instead of people, the characters are cats. Not cat cats, no. It's as if the apes in Planet of the Apes were cats instead of people! gimmicky, poorly written and dull -- don
t bother.

Not sure what I expected when I requested this book from Netgalley but it's different. The entire cast is cats. The story is very light hearted and a quick read. Cat lovers will certainly enjoy it. Hetty has just opened her own detective agency and is called to Furcross, an old cat home, when elderly cats who have died are missing. Some funny moments when you can just imagine you cat saying one of Hetty's lines. This is the first book in the series.

My Review:
When I started reading this and realized that it was actually cats who were the characters, I was turned off. But this was provided by a publishing house for a review, so I had to at least make an effort to read it. And I did make an effort. It didn't take me long to get over the fact that these were cats having tea and worrying about paying rent and murdering other cats. Ms. Morton jumps right into life with Hettie and Tilly and you might as well be curled up with them licking your paws after tea.

And there are no anonymous cats in this book. As you travel around with Hettie and Tilly solving the crime, collecting clues, and tidbits to eat, the author describes the feline residents of the town in such a way that you see each one as an individual. She really creates characters of her characters and I think that's why it works so well. She has a Marilyn Monroe type and a Coco Chanel type. She flagrantly steals from old movies and books for characters and gives her cats real personality. She makes you see these characters easily because you already know something about them and it's fun even in the midst of murder and mayhem.

So if you like cozy murders and love cats, give Ms. Morton's Hettie Bagshot mysteries a try. This is the first one in the series where she starts the agency and has her first case. I was provided an eARC of this by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

Very silly and childish, I had to double check that this was a cozy mystery.
Not my style.

**My review of this book will post to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on March 15th. I will post a link to the post at that time. **

This is a very creative, humorous and quirky mystery novel. Cats are in charge. No humans. It's a world of anthropomorphized kitties. Hettie Bagshot and her assistant, Tilly, have started a detective agency in a rented room behind a bakery. Hettie knows nothing about detecting or crime, but figures she can wing it and make enough money to pay the two pound a week rent. Their first mystery involves the theft of three dead cats from the Furcross Home for Slightly Older Cats. The three elderly cats had opted for the euthanasia package, but after their peaceful sendoff, someone snatched their bodies right out of the graves! Hettie and Tilly are hired by the owner of Furcross who begs them to discover the nefarious bodysnatchers before all the residents bail from the care home in fear.

There are lots of references, puns and cute jokes sprinkled throughout this book. It took me a chapter or two to really get into the story. But once I got used to the fact that all things were cat-centric in this cozy mystery, I began to enjoy the tale.

Hettie is a cute main character. I had to smile when she reminisced about her days in rock-and-roll. Tilly is a sweet side-kick. Her love of cardigan sweaters is endearing. All of the supporting characters are quirky and fun. The mystery is light. The mood is humorous and fun. It's baptism by fire for the cats on the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency's first case, and they rise to the occasion with kitty-like aplomb. The ending wasn't really a surprise, but it was thrilling with a sharp edge of humor.

For those looking for a mystery with good humor and lots of creativity, this is it! It's a light, quick read. Don't expect a detailed murder mystery, but enjoy a quick romp through an old folks home for slightly older cats.

There are four books in the Hettie Bagshot Mystery series.

**I voluntarily read a copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**