Colbie Summers is trying to build her organic cat food business, raise a 12-year old boy and help her ill father. Her life in beautiful Sunnyside, CA is busy and chaotic. She has a chance to increase distribution of her Meowlio Batali products to a health food store chain that owns seven locations in the San Diego area, and she's networking like mad to get as much local exposure as possible. She's even joined the Sunnyside Power Moms, a group for female home business owners in the area. The SPMs are having a trade show in a gated community and Colbie is helping with setup. She fields complaints about booth space, competing products and other catty in-fighting among the SPM members, but the show goes smoothly otherwise. During the show, her father becomes ill at home so Colbie has to leave early. Her friend Twila offers to pack up her products and drop them off at her house after the show ends. Later, Colbie and her father return to the product show site, only to find that Twila has been murdered. Not just killed...she has a Meowlio Batali brand knife sticking out of her chest. Suddenly Colbie's life is a whole lot more complicated.... she's a suspect in a murder investigation!!

The Trouble With Murder is the first book in the new Gourmet Cat Mystery series It's a quick, fun read and gives a great introduction to the characters and their lives in Sunnyside. I like Colbie as a main character. She is trying to improve her life by building her business but still takes time out to help her father recover and to make sure her son gets what he needs to thrive. She also supports her son's love of theater. I also had to smile at the relationship between her and her father. They grouse at each other occasionally, but are always there to support and love each other, even if it's in secret. The mystery moved along at a good pace and had some nice surprises. I pretty much had the murder figured out before the end....but the ending was action-packed and exciting, so I didn't mind that the murderer's identity wasn't a surprise. All in all, a very enjoyable, fun cozy mystery! And the cover is totally cute! :)

I will definitely be reading more of this series! Luckily, I don't have too long to wait! The second book, The Trouble With Truth, will be out in August 2018.

Kathy Krevat also writes the Chocolate Covered Mystery series (published by Berkley) under the name Kathy Aarons. To find out more about the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.kathyaarons.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Colbie Summers and her son Elliot, return to her home town, back to the father that always seemed disappointed in her. Taking care of her cantankerous dad after a bout of pneumonia is a challenge, but one Colbie feels she cannot escape from.
Getting her own organic cat food business running is no easy feat, so when she joins the Sunnyside Power Moms group, she hopes to find a connection with some of the other ladies in the group.

What she doesn't hope to find is herself a murder suspect, but when one of the moms is found dead, with a knife from Colbie's business plunged into her, it makes Colbie the prime suspect.

Asking questions is her only hope, but soon sets her in the path of danger. Will she find the answers or will she soon be facing her own arrest?
Find out December 12th by picking up your own copy of The Trouble with Murder.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Colbie Summers has not had an easy life but it could have been worst. She drops out of college when she became pregnant and her boyfriend abandoned her.
It is now 13 years later, she has a 12 year old song who is into theater arts, an ill father, and a growing organic cat food business. She has returned to Sunnyside, CA to assist her father.
She is involved in a local Mom’s business group for Mom’s working from home. A friend in this group is murdered and Colbie is in the crosshairs to be framed.
What I liked: the characters were real people with real every day issues; the cover; the writing, and the humor. This is a great start to a new series.
What I did not like: I must wait for the next book to be published to continue the adventures in the Gourmet Cat Mystery.

Nice start to what will no doubt be a successful cozy series. It's got a sympathetic entrepeneurial lead in Colbie, a finicky cat in Trouble, and a chicken! The murder mystery is not too complicated, the case of characters is entertaining, and in general, it's a quick fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Trouble with Murder is a delightful start to Kathy Krevat’s Gourmet Cat Mystery series. The storyline is well plotted, the characters are well developed and relatable, and it’s filled with humor. Not only is there and intriguing mystery, but a strong message about the importance of family and friends. Twists and turns, plus plenty of plausible suspects, keep the reader engaged. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Colbie Summers and her twelve year old son, Elliott, who is an aspiring actor, and their cat, Trouble, have moved to her small hometown of Sunnyside, California, which is near downtown San Diego, to help her dad, who is recovering from severe bouts of pneumonia. Trouble is the taste tester for Colbie’s organic cat food business, Meowio Batali Gourmet Cat Food. She joins the Sunnyside Power Moms (SPM), a group of home-based business owners who work together to support each other and host parties and events. Colbie meets one of her dad’s neighbors, Joss Hayden, is a certified organic vegetable farmer who also raises chickens, when she escorts his chicken, Charlie, who loves to ring doorbells home. There’s chemistry between Colbie and Joss. As a show at the activity center in SPM leader, Twila Jenkins’, gated community is winding down, Elliott contacts his mom because he’s worried about his grandpa’s coughing spells and Twila insists that she go home and offers to pack up her products. Later that evening, Colbie returns to the activity center with her dad, they discover the Twila’s body, and one of Colbie’s specialty knives is the murder weapon. When it appears someone might be setting Colbie up to take the fall, her best friend, Lani, encourages her to question the SPM group members to see who might have had reason to kill Twila. Detective Little is convinced that Colbie and her dad are guilty, but the lead detective, Norma Chiron, isn’t convinced, although she is quite annoyed that Colbie is asking questions and messing with her investigation.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Colbie Summers never expected to be moving back to her childhood home in the small town of Sunnyside, CA but after her father gets ill that is just what she does. Colbie packed up herself, her son and their pet cat trouble as soon as she could wanting to be there for her father and with her business being small she was able to work on her gourmet cat food in Sunnyside.

Things were actually going well for Colbie after the move with her business taking off and getting herself involved with the Sunnyside Power Moms. When one of the other women in the group is found murdered however Colbie finds herself a suspect in the crime and needs to do whatever she can to clear her name.

The Trouble with Murder by Kathy Krevat is the first book in the cozy Gourmet Cat Mystery series. This opening introduces readers to Colbie who runs a gourmet cat found business and tests her treats on her own feisty feline, Trouble, who has a personality of his own. Along with a chicken that has a doorbell fetish this series certainly has it’s own unique set of critters to gain a chuckle or two and warm the heart.

Colbie was certainly a strong female lead but also realistic on the investigating front in not really knowing where to start or how to go about figuring out the murder. Eventually Colbie finds her way and questions everyone involved opening the door for a few twists and turns as she goes about finding other suspects to clear her name. Definitely a nice start to this series and I’d return just for that wandering chicken alone!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the first book in the series and I am hoping for more to come. Kathy Krevat is a new author to me. I enjoyed this cozy mystery a lot. It includes lots of drama, murders, fraud, family, and a bit of romance. A well written page turner.
P.S. I still use incense. Read the book and you'll understand.

The Trouble with Murder introduces us to Colbie. Colbie recently had to pack up her son, cat, and organic gourmet cat food business and move in with her father when he fell ill. As Colbie navigates her new normal, tries to better her relationship with her father, help her son adjust, she becomes the prime suspect in her friends murder. Now Colbie needs to clear her name while keeping her business running, helping her father, and trying to land a huge contract to sell her cat food to a huge store.
This book was a strong start to what promises to be a really engaging series. Colbie is extremely relatable. The author did a great job developing characters and relationships without giving too much away, leaving room for more books. The plot was fantastic, never once did I find myself straying from the story. The mystery was well thought out and had just enough curve balls without giving anything away. I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for Colbie and the gang next time.

I admit, I was attracted to this book by the cat on the cover. Colbie has returned to her father's home to care for him after a serious illness. She brings along her young son, her cat "Trouble" and her cat food business. Working with a group of mothers who also run their own businesses, she sells her wares at farmers markets and other outdoor venues. But, one of her friends is killed after Colbie leaves the sales area to check on her father. And, from here, the typical cozy mystery begins when Colbie tries to get herself off the main suspects list. This mystery also includes a bit of romance and a bit of humor. It was a decent read, as cozies go, but the suspects were a bit too one-dimensional, making it pretty easy to figure out the killer early in the book.

2.5 stars. Decent but not good enough for me to read the next one.

Single Mom Colbie Summers and her son Elliott are staying with her Dad who is recovering from pneumonia in a small California town. She has moved her gourmet cat food start-up with her and joined the Sunnyside Power Moms, a group of home-based businesses like hers. After the group's trade show has closed, Colbie returns to the site to pick up her materials only to find one of the group murdered. So now Colbie is a murder suspect, her father relapses and is back in the hospital, her son, an aspiring thespian, aces an audition for his summer camp production and she has to submit a proposal for her gourmet cat food to be carried in a local chain.
Oh, and Charlie, a neighbor's chicken, keeps dropping by to ring her doorbell in a very consistent manner by pecking the button with his beak. Aside from being an amusing visitor, Charlie proves to be a real pain for her cat, Trouble, the inspiration and partner in creating the gourmet cat food recipes.

As outlandish as this sounds, the author deftly infuses the thoughtfully conceived mystery with humor and imagination, weaving all the improbable pieces into the story's fabric. The story's pace is steady, the characters and relationships feel real and dialogue well done. This is a fun read.

A solid debut for the new A Gourmet Cat Mystery series. Colbie Summers and her son, Elliott, have moved in with her dad as he recovers from a severe bout of pneumonia. Colbie makes and sells organic cat food and dreams of it being distributed by a large company. Her dad’s neighbor, Josh Hayden, is a certified organic vegetable farmer plus he raises chickens. Colbie and Josh have good chemistry together.

Trouble begins when Colbie and her dad find the body of the leader of the Sunnyside Power Moms—a group Colbie networks with to make sales and get the word out about her products. A female detective, Norma, does her best to stand behind Colbie who is a top suspect because one of her knives was used as the the murder weapon. They feel like Colbie is being framed. I love Trouble, Colbie’s cool cat, who is the mascot for the Meowio Batali Gormet Cat Food line.

The story flies along, filled with humor, warmth of family, and plenty of suspects to mull over as Colbie sets out to question the SPM group members to see who might have had reason to kill Twila. The ending has a neat twist, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. I’m looking forward to reading book two in 2018.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Great debut of a new cozy mystery series. This book starts with a fantastic twist (I am partial to Charlie the Chicken), it gets a bit slower in the middle, and ends wonderfully.
Well written, solid plot, lovely charachters.
I cannot wait to read the next instalment in this series.

What a great start to the Gourmet Cat Mystery series this is! Single mother Colbie ends up back in her father's home to take care of him while he is recovering from pneumonia. Along with her son Elliot and a charming cat named Trouble it isn't long until Colbie is the center of a murder investigation. Throw in an attractive neighbor, wonderful friends and a well executed mystery, and you have a great recipe for what I hope is a long lived series.

An interesting cozy mystery of a single mother, who makes organic catfood. Colbie moves back home to help her father recover from pneumonia, and works with other young mothers who work together to sell their products. When one gets murdered, and Colbie is framed for the murder she decides to try to find the killer herself. With her cat Trouble, and her son Elliot, along with her friends, it makes for a lively story. Fun read, and hard to put down at times. Would recommend this book and author, and look forward to the next book in the series.