Sarah and the rest of her crew must defend their friend Mac from murder charges when a woman from his past ends up dead in their small town. Ryan does a great job creating a compelling mystery that gives the reader answers about one of her more enigmatic characters.

This is the first book of the series that I have read. I did not feel as though I had walked into the middle of something, as is the case with some book series, the story is complete in itself.

It an enjoyable, light, cozy detective story, interesting and yet perfectly suitable for bedtime reading as it will not get the heart rate up. The addition of the furry feline is different but I did not feel that it added anything other than cat lover appeal.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance e-copy for review.

This is book 5 in the Second Chance Cat series and somehow I've missed the first 4. Sarah and her cat Elvis run the Second Chance store where she re purposes furniture, household goods and just about everything under the sun. With the help of Matt her friend and helper they make a living. When a friend from Matt's past turns up dead in North Harbor, Maine he becomes the prime suspect and even though he's never shared anything about his past, Sarah knows she has to prove he's innocent. The story is a good mystery and the characters are likable and real. Of course cat lovers will adore Elvis and his helpful ways. I received an ARC from the publisher/author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sarah and her sidekick Elvis are at it again, detecting in order to help out a friend. The latest installment in this enjoyable cozy mystery series doesn't disappoint. We learn more about Mac, Sarah's kind, quiet co-worker, and Sarah herself just seems even more engaged in the detecting in this book, which I liked. I also like the other characters--Nick, Michelle, Mr. P and the rest of the older generation detectives--but this book felt more Sarah-focused to me, and I thought that worked just fine. The book also dealt with some painful topics, which gave it a little more emotional impact than many cozies tackle. Can't wait for the next one!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Truly, I have been reading this series from the start, and let me tell you this is the book that blew me away. I feel like we are well set in the series with these characters that have become dear imaginary friends to me and I am sure many other readers. I am eager to see what may come with this series, and encourage all to pick this book up, it is a must read mystery!

This is the fifth installment in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series. I've read the first couple in this series but wasn't caught up before starting this one. Even with not being up to date, I really enjoyed this book. I think that it reads more like a standalone so it would be enjoyable even this is your first book by this author. This is a very light and quick reading cozy mystery. I love cats so Elvis is my favorite character in the book. The mystery kept me guessing right until the end.

The Fast and the Furriest is a pleasant cozy mystery from Sofie Ryan. In this novel, fifth in the series, we uncover a mystery surrounding Mac, Sarah's employee. While his history has been previously unrevealed, we learn in this novel about his wife, his in laws, and he unfortunately becomes a suspect in a murder. Sarah, Elvis, her cat, and the Charlotte's Angels group get to work to unravel the mystery.

This novel reads well as a standalone and is well written and enjoyably placed. The mystery is the key focus of the novel, and the suspects are well introduced and developed. Overall, a nice read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishers for an ARC for this novel in exchange for review.

The Fast and the Furriest

by Sophie Ryan

Looking for a cozy mystery with a good plot, interesting characters, and humorous overtones? Do you enjoy reading a story that features a cat as a supporting character? If so, then Sophie Ryan’s The Fast and the Furriest fits the bill.

This mystery will keep you guessing as Sarah, owner of Second Chance repurpose shop joins with her grandmother’s friends (Charlotte’s Angels) to help prove that her employee Mac is innocent of murder. Sarah’s sidekick is an endearing, Jeopardy-watching cat named Elvis who accompanies her almost everywhere. Sarah discovers she knows almost nothing about Mac, and Mac discovers that he does not really know his friends and family members as well as he thought he did.

I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in this series for some relaxing fun. Meanwhile there are several other books in this series purring out an enticing welcome.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Berkley Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #5 in the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series, but works well as a standalone.

Publication: February 6, 2018—Berkley Publishing

Memorable Lines:

I’d worked in radio after college, eventually hosting a popular evening program playing classic rock and interviewing some of the genre’s best musicians. Then one day I was replaced by a syndicated music feed out of Los Angeles and a nineteen-year-old who read the weather twice an hour and called everyone “dude.”

She made her way over to him, a tiny woman with short, white hair, warm gray eyes and a stubborn streak that made a mule look easygoing.

“He can walk, Rose,” I said. “The pavement is too hot for his feet.” She picked the cat up and Elvis meowed and wrinkled his whispers at me, cat for “nyah, nyah, nyah.”

The Fast and the Furriest by Sofie Ryan is the fifth installment in A Second Chance Cat Mystery series. Sarah Grayson owns Second Chance in North Harbor, Maine. Sarah is refurbishing an item for the shop when she is approached by Erin Fellowes looking for Mac McKenzie (a part-time employee of Sarah’s). Mac is a private man who has not shared any details of his past. When Mac returns Sarah passes along the message from Erin. Later that evening Mac shows up at Sarah’s house. He was unable to find Erin and wants to tell Sarah about his past. His wife, Leila has been in a coma for two years from a carbon monoxide leak in their home. Mac was the main suspect and Leila’s parents sued for guardianship. While they are talking, Detective Michelle Andrews shows up looking for Mac. Erin Fellowes was found dead and a witness claims Mac was arguing with her before her death. Sarah with help from Elvis (her cat) and Charlotte’s Angels goes about locating Erin’s killer and discovering what happened to Leila two years prior.

The Fast and Furriest can be a standalone. The necessary details are provided in the book. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. The Fast and Furriest is a light, entertaining cozy mystery. The story has a good pace and great characters (Mr. P is one of my favorites). I love Sarah’s business and her creative ideas. I like the interactions between the characters along with the scenes between Elvis and Sarah. The author is adept at dialogue. The mystery is nicely constructed. Clues are provided to aid readers in identifying the culprit. There is also misdirection that could send you down the wrong path. I appreciated getting to know Mac in this story. I hope we will see him again in the future books. It will be interesting to see what develops between Sarah and Nick. There are those cozy moments that readers love (cooking, going out, gossip, friendship, and family) as well as light-hearted humor. If you are looking for a charming cozy mystery with a smart main character and an adorable cat, then you should check out The Fast and the Furriest.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I love cool cats. I mean kitties who are both debonair, charming and handsome. If you have read my reviews and interviews you will know I have quite a few of my favourites. If I had opposable thumbs I might even pin them up on my wall.
Enter Elvis! I have read and reviewed his books before but he just keeps getting better and better. Sarah Grayson runs the Second Chance shop where she sells both antiques and consignments and repurposed objects. Of course, she would not be as successful as she is if not for her assistant Elvis. He is an eloquent cat without saying a word.
He keeps Sarah and her staff and the group of seniors who hang out with her and call themselves Charlotte’s Angels. They solve crimes and they are very good. Needless to say neither the local constabulary nor the senior’s family members are happy about their investigations. When one of their friends, and colleagues at Second Chance, is accused of murdering a woman who has come to town to visit him, there is nothing that will stop them.
It seems Mac has an entirely different life that he shared with no one that includes a wife in a coma and suspicions from her family that he had something to do with it.
The Fast and The Furriest is a good mystery that is well paced, full of all sorts of surprises and twists with enough humour to keep it charming while maintaining the suspense.
I will look forward to more adventures as each one gets better and better.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.

This was such a fun read. This is definitely a series that you read for the characters, who touch your heart and funny bone. This book has a great flow and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Terrific series! Sarah and Elvis as well as the Charlotte's Angels work to prove Mac is not the killer. Just because a woman from his past shows up asking for him, and he is the only one who knows her doesn't mean he is the killer in Sarah's eyes. So even though Nick is the one who saw Mac and the woman meeting just before her body was discovered, The team is out to find the explanation and the killer. Looking forward to seeing more in the series .
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for an honest review .

I love the title and the cover of The Fast and The Furriest by Sofie Ryan. This is the firth in the series but a first for me. I liked the idea of the mystery and theme that just how much you think you know a person is so subjective. This February 6th Berkley release is going to please fans of this series.

When an attractive female shows up at Sarah's store looking for Mac, she tells her he's out on a boat and won't be back until later. She leaves her cell number and emphasizes she must talk to him. Before she gets a chance to talk to him, she ends up dead. The worst part is that cops think Mac did it!

Berkley and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 6th.

Sarah just knows Mac wouldn't do that. But how can she prove it? She and her cat, Elvis, talk to the local PI and soon all the old ladies are on the case. They drive the cops nuts, but they usually solve their cases...

It seems that Mac's past he never talks about is coming back to haunt him. He has a wife. She's in a coma and her family sued to become her guardian. He moved away but the woman that came to visit was his wife's best friend. What had she found out?

As they dig into the past, they find out all kinds of secrets but the hunt for the killer is elusive. Was it her sister? Her sister's husband? The half-sister who is running her business in the ground? Or someone else?

This is good cozy mystery with a cat that has a sixth sense and two men who want Sarah so there's romance as well as mystery. I'll have to read the next book in this series to see what happens with the romance. I know which man I'd choose!

Another fun mystery in the Second Chance Cat series, The Fast and the Furriest dug into the shadowy past of Mac, the enigmatic handyman at Second Chances. And what a story it was! It would’ve made for a great soap opera plot even Elvis the cat could get in to (as long as it wasn’t on during Jeopardy, of course.) When Erin Fellows shows up in town looking for Mac and is later found dead, Mac comes under suspicion after an eyewitness places him at the scene. Sarah’s sassy senior friends, an informal PI agency calling themselves “Charlotte’s Angels”, kick into gear to solve the murder to save their friend.

I always enjoy this series, it’s a relaxing, light read and the charming characters make it feel like I’m catching up with old friends. I have to say, Sarah is stubbornly clueless about Nick’s interest, maybe he needs to step up his game? I enjoyed their “field trips” they took in the course of their investigation (Stevie’s alibi made me laugh) and it all came together for an exciting ending, Mr. P. certainly is a man of many talents.

Overall, The Fast and the Furriest is a delightful addition to an already great series. This book can easily be be read as a standalone or an entry into the series, as any references to prior books are summed up nicely and it would be easy for readers new to the series to understand.

This series grabbed me from the very first book and it has been a true delight to read ever since.
The characters, especially Sarah, Elvis and the friends who form a detective agency, are vividly written and are wonderfully engaging and entertaining to read.
The whodunits are well paced and keep me guessing and wanting to know the outcome!
This latest offering is even better than expected.
I cannot wait to read the next in the series!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It let us explore Mac’s backstory and why he left his high powered job in the city for small town life. This is a great cozy series and I recommend it for any fan of the genre.

Another fun entry in the Second Chance mystery series by Sofie Ryan. Sarah Grayson has her hands full in trying to help prove the innocence of her employee Mac, who has been implicated in the murder of an friend from his past. She has the "help" of Charlotte's Angels (a group of senior citizen friends who rent a room upstairs at her "Second Chance" shop, along with other friends.

Another enjoyable entry in the Second Chance Cat cozy mystery series. Sarah Grayson, aided by friends and by her intrepid cat Elvis, springs into action when employee Mac is accused of the murder of a woman from his past. Sarah knows that Mac is not capable of murder, and Elvis agrees.

Light and fun.

This is a great series! Quick reads and the author's writing style is very easy to read. This latest book was great to have Mac in it more and learn about his life. Elvis is great fun and Sarah keeps the story going. I can't wait for the next one in this series and can see it continuing for a long while.