The Black Cat Steps on a Crack is the 4th book in the Bad Luck Cat cozy mystery series. Some of the residents of Lavender, TX still think the sleek black cat owned by Sabrina Tate is bad luck. Hitchcock always seems to be in the thick of things when there are dark goings on in town. Sabrina vehemently swears that her cat is not an incarnation of legendary El Diablo Gato, a devil cat said to bring bad luck and curses. Hitchcock just happens to find trouble where it's brewing. He can't help it! This time, a new library is under construction in town. The new librarian, Jane Alcott, can be a bit annoying. She pesters the construction workers and just seems to always stick her nose in to other people's projects and business. When Jane is found dead at the construction site, Sabrina finds herself pulled into the investigation to clear a friend's husband. Jane might have been annoying....but she didn't deserve to die! And the wrong person is being framed for the crime!

This series is fun to read. Hitchcock manages to sneak out and go all sorts of places. It seems every time Sabrina is absolutely sure her cat is at home.....he isn't. I like all the quirky characters and the local superstitions and legends. The mystery moved along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and surprises. I wasn't all that shocked at the end....but there were elements to the final solution that I didn't expect. Sabrina is a funny, intelligent and feisty main character. And Hitchcock brings an awesome mini-panther fabucat feel to the plot.

This is definitely a cozy mystery. No graphic descriptions of the murder or violence, no cussing, no sex, etc. Age appropriate for middle grade and up.

There are three yummy dessert recipes at the end of the book as well!

I will definitely be reading more of this series! Very entertaining story!

**I voluntarily read this book from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. **

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack by Kay Finch is book four in the Bad Luck Cat Mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone. Having read all in the series, you will want to read them all though.
Lavender, Texas is getting a new library built and already hired the head librarian who has stepped on plenty of toes. When she turns up dead, buried in the construction site, Sabrina and Hitchcock are again on the prowl to find out who did it. Sabrina also is trying to find out who the mystery man is renting the cabin from Aunt Rowe, after all, he is not with the scrap booking group.
There are twists and turns that have you guessing until the end. You also have humor, romance, family, and friendship, Other all an easy to read, clean, fun, cozy mystery that proves, black cats are not bad luck.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Beyond the Page publishing.

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack by Kay Finch is the 4th book in A Bad Luck Cat Mystery, and my 2nd book in this series, I must catch up. Sabrina Tate is a mystery writer, her cat Hitchcock has a habit of finding dead bodies. Once again Hitchcock finds a body at a construction site. When Sabrina's good friend husband is the prime suspect, she is determined to find the truth. Once I started this book I could not stop reading it. It was a quick read that kept me guessing. I look forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book for all cozy mystery book lovers, you will not be disappointed.

I reviewed an advanced galley from Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing. Thank you.

There was a murder in town and mystery writer Sabrina Tate can't resist investigating. There seems to be a lot of possible suspects but things get even more interesting when Sabrina finds out that the victim has no proof of life before the past year with no friends, no family but plenty of money.

A well written plot guides us through a maze of suspects but it is impossible to figure out the guilty person until the very end. My favorite character is Hitchcock. He is a black cat that has a talent for sniffing out trouble.

Although this is the fourth book in A Bad Luck Cat Mystery it could easily be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Beyond the Page and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Count me as a very happy camper when I found out that Beyond the Page had decided to continue the Bad Luck Cat series. Not only is it a great mystery series but I have a fondness for black cats - I have shared my heart with many of them. Hitchcock is my kind of cat but maybe not so much for his sleuthing talents when it comes to murder. He has the reputation of being bad luck, no surprise when he knows how to suss out murders like some cats can find out your secret hiding place for the tuna treats. Sabrina is almost his sidekick when the investigating begins.
Sabrina has written her first mystery and now comes the really hard part - can she write a sequel or is there only one book in her? Try as she might, staying focused on writing is tough. On the day she stops by her friend's bookstore to let Hitchcock be part of the children's reading activities - the children pick one of three cats to read to - she meets Jane Alcott, the new librarian. Let's just say Jane can be a bit intense. She instantly shares her many ideas to help Sabrina promote the debut of her series. Blogs, websites, photographs, etc. etc. have Sabrina's head spinning. However, to be honest, the ideas sound promising so, when Jane asks her to meet at the library construction site that night for photographs under the full moon, Sabrina agrees. And there it all ends when Jane fails to show up. The next day, still no sign of Jane until she gets a call from the construction site that Hitchcock is snooping around. Sabrina thinks she will just retrieve her cat, not dreaming that the feline detective will start her on an other investigation by uncovering Jane's very dead body.
Sabrina knows she has other things to do, like write her book, keep an eye on her Aunt Rowe and her mysterious bucket list but, when her best friend's husband becomes a prime suspect in Jane's murder, she adds snooping to her to do list. Hitchcock approves, of course. It turns out that much is not known about Jane and what occurs after her demise is strange indeed. Who tossed her apartment? Who is the strange man who has rented one of Aunt Rowe's cabins and seems to be watching people? The wonderful duo of Hitchcock and Sabrina -along with some help of friends and family - will uncover the truth. Welcome back, Hitchcock, Sabrina and Aunt Rowe.

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack is the fourth mystery in the Bad Luck Cat series by Kay Finch.
I have read the books in the series and have enjoyed them. This is a standalone book. You will not be left in the dust if you decide to pick this up.

I liked the part about reading to pets in the library to enhance reading skills. Our library offers that program and it has been on the local news.

I liked that this is a well-plotted and written series. I can count on being entertained without a shoddy plot or out of the blue reveal. The clues are there, just look for them. The characters are engaging, the setting great, and the writing a nice escape from our current nation news.

For the adventurous recipes are included.

Looking forward to the next book.

It’s sad that black cats get such a bad rap. I for one love Hitchcock and would be happy to hang with him anytime. I think he’s quite intelligent myself. Seriously, how could Sabrina survive without him? I loved the story, which had some twists and turns to keep you guessing what was really happening. The characters are great. Oh, my word, the Bucket List Group/Crop Shop Crew! I think you’ll enjoy them. We have a library, a book store, and a craft store in this book. Three of my favorite places. I love the kids reading to cats. How sweet is that? I hope you enjoy reading about Sabrina, Luke, Aunt Rowe and friends as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

The fourth installment in the Bad Luck Cat Mystery series takes us back to Sabrina Tate's life in Emerald Springs and the Around-the World Cottages owned by her aunt Rowe.

All the regular characters show up, including Glenda and Thomas who work at the cottages, Sheriff Crawford, Deputy Rosales, Tyanne (Sabrina's best friend) and others from town. And, of course, Sabrina's cat Hitchcock, the bad luck cat.

All is well until the energetic new librarian, Jane Alcott, and is found dead at the construction site for the new library, where she had been driving all the construction workers nuts.

There's also lots of action going on at the cottages. The Crop Shop Crew is staying there, a group of scrapbookers who are documenting their adventures for their bucket list themed scrapbooks.

The main mystery is interesting and had some fun twists. Hitchcock is super helpful in helping find clues for Sabrina to discover. There are a few storylines intertwined that keep the book moving along and winding its net around possible suspects for the murder and other things going on around Emerald Springs.

All in all, it was a well-plotted read with well-developed characters. I'd recommend it to any cozy readers looking for some chuckles and a delightful mystery.

I haven't had a chance to make any of the recipes in the back of the book but they sound delicious.

I received an advanced digital copy of The Black Cat Steps on a Crack by Kay Finch from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack is Book 4 in the fantastic Bad Luck Cat Mystery Series. This series keeps getting better and better! Sabrina Tate is back with her cat Hitchcock (great name by the way) on the case of a murdered librarian. I loved the mystery and the characters in this book. I did not guess who the perpetrator was at all.
I very much look forward to the next book in this series. Great cozy mystery!

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack is the fourth mystery in the Bad Luck Cat series by Kay Finch. Due out 11th June 2019 from Beyond The Page publishing, it's 346 pages and will be available in ebook and paperback formats.

This is an appealing and well written cozy mystery (and series). For some reason, my reading list has been too heavily slanted toward very serious 'deep' and angry books lately. This was the perfect antidote to too much current events, philosophy, and politics.

The story finds Sabrina and Hitchcock again involved in some amateur sleuthing, this time concerning the demise of the difficult new librarian who disappears the day she meets Sabrina.

There was a lot to like here. The book is well written technically, the plotting and characterizations are fine and the dialogue is well done and not clunky or awkward. The story arc moves along at a good clip and the clues follow all the rules of engagement. Like many other 'cozy' mysteries with food and cats (and sometimes libraries), this one does actually include some recipes at the end of the book. I cannot vouch for any of the recipes, but they look good, and I actually intend to try the peanut butter crunch cake, which uses a cake mix as its base and seems manageable. I also really like that the author included a mention of library therapy animals for reading practice for patrons who are struggling with literacy. The animals provide a non-judgemental listening ear and the reader gets practice and literacy confidence building! Well done!!

The language is clean (a couple of 'damn's, nothing worse) and there's no racy content, nothing to make anyone blush. This was my daily bus commute read and it was a good one.

Four stars. I'll be sticking with Hitchcock and Sabrina for the next books in the series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack
(A Bad Luck Cat Mystery #4)
by Kay Finch

Kindle Edition, 346 pages
Expected publication: June 11th 2019 by Beyond the Page



Goodreads synopsis:
Sabrina Tate and her cat, Hitchcock, must sort through the clues when a librarian is killed and justice is overdue . . . 

With construction on the town’s new library nearing completion, mystery writer Sabrina Tate is thrilled that local book lovers, and her own forthcoming novel, will soon have a fresh new home. But tensions are rising at the site as the headstrong new librarian insists on telling the construction crew how to do their jobs, bringing work to a standstill. When Sabrina’s cat unearths the dead body of the librarian not long after—and a good friend’s husband is named as the main suspect—she finds herself being pulled into a murder investigation yet again. 

While virtually all the workers at the site had a motive to commit the dark deed, Sabrina turns her attention to the victim’s background looking for clues, but hits a dead end when she can’t locate any of the woman’s family. As a string of planted evidence and a murky collection of malicious characters starts to surface, Sabrina knows she and Hitchcock will have to tread carefully, before the library killer decides to check them out for good . . . 


***

4 Stars

This is the fourth book in the A Bad Luck Cat mysteries series. Sabrina Tate is a new author who already has followers but she is not as adept in things like social media and website. Her thing is mystery. She has a black cat named Hitchcock who seems to sense trouble and pull her into it at every turn. So, needless to say, Sabrina is the bane of the police department when she uncovers a dead body of the soon to be new librarian Jane Alcott on the grounds of the new library where they are about to pour the foundation of the new gazebo.

The secondary storyline that involved Sabrina’s mother and all the bucket list women was quite a hoot. I would have enjoyed seeing them zipline or boot scoot boogey in person. But don’t overlook this part of the book. You will be sorry in the end. Pay attention to all the clues.

This bool was pretty good. The mystery kept me engaged and there were a lot of pieces to put together to solve the thing. The twist at the end was great. Didn’t see that coming.

Sabrina might as well get used to the fact that her cat is bringing people bad luck. Realistically, they created their own bad luck and the cat just revealed it to everyone. People tend to hate when their dirty laundry is aired. Love the complex threads in this story. It really kept me guessing and engaged until the end.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I'm a fan of this series and was really happy to meet again Sabrina and Hitchcock.
I loved this mystery and read it in one setting, it's engrossing and fun to read.
The cast of characters is likable and well written as usual, the setting is lovely and the plot was engaging.
The mystery was very good, full of red herrings and twists, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Sabrina, a mystery writer living in a small town in Texas, has a black cat named Hitchcock who accompanies her almost everywhere. In this story, Hitchcock is instrumental in helping find the murderer of newcomer Jane Alcott. I like animal mysteries, but this one had some gaping plot holes. As a librarian, I was annoyed that an assortment of random people were interviewed for the library director position, which requires a mandatory library master’s degree. And who would hire someone and not have called references and checked their resume for prior jobs? If you can get past these lapses, this cat mystery is an enjoyable read.

I am partial to black cats and Hitchcock is a clever boy. He does help solve mysteries, but he still behaves as a cat. A soothing companion. An engaging and intriguing murder mystery. Several suspects and some surprises.

This book was so good. I enjoyed every minute of it.I feel in love with Hitchcock and want to read the rest of this series. This book has mystery, drama and a little romance, it's well written and holds your attention. Thank you Beyond The Page Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! I like cats so the title alone appealed to me but after having read this, so do all the quirky characters who surround the main character. Great mystery, satisfying conclusion which left me wanting to read more in this series so I am going back to book 1 and will continue to follow this author. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

The Black Cat Steps on a Crack continues the adventures of Sabrina Tate and her feline companion Hitchcock. New town librarian Jane Alcott misses her meeting with Sabrina Tate, where she is scheduled to take publicity photos of the budding author. Her body is later discovered, with the help of Hitchcock, among the construction site for the new library. Of course Sabrina knows she should be working on her novel however the pull of the investigation is too alluring. With her sidekick in tow, they work to uncover any information about the new librarian that will help unmask her killer. Clues are sparse at first, until Sabrina discovers that Jane was disliked by many of the members of the construction crew for her overbearing manner in regards to the construction of the library, which often resulted in delays. Among the top suspects are Bryan, who happens to be the husband of Sabrina's best friend Tyanne and also an outspoken member of the construction crew, and a stranger who has watching Jane closely.
I am pleased to see that the black cat mysteries have found a home with a new publisher and the adventures of Sabrina and Hitchcock can continue on again. As a black cat lover myself, I am pleased to see one featured so prominently in the plot. The author makes sure to educate individuals about the untruth of the unlucky myth that often surrounds them cleverly through the stories as well. There were plenty of interesting characters throughout the narrative to both drive the plot forward and also to keep the reader engaged. Although the killer did not come as a huge shock, there was a twist at the end I believe readers will enjoy. This is another delightful tale to add to your summer to read list is you are a cat loving cozy mystery reader fan.

Review featured on Goodreads, and will be added to Amazon, and Barnes and Noble upon publication.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2846300017?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This was a surprise! Sabrina is trying to write a mystery, but she is easily distracted, especially when there is a murder and her Aunt Rowe is thinking about trying a zip line, etc. Aunt Rowe owns a bunch of cottages that she rents out to tourists. Sabrina lives in one of them with her black cat Hitchcock. Rowe's current guests are a group of ladies who want to scrapbook and also fulfill some bucket list items. Hitchcock finds the town librarian murdered (before the library construction is even done). Sabrina is pulled into the mystery as she tries to prove the innocence of her friends husband and also to defend Hitchcock and his reputation as a bad luck cat.

The scrapbook ladies and Aunt Rowe are a hoot. I liked the characters, and even though this is the fourth book in the series, it is my first by this author. I didn't get lost and was able to figure out who was who and some of the background that was probably introduced in earlier books. The story is entertaining and the writing style is easy-to-read. I didn't catch on to the killer until the big reveal.

Poor Hitchcock, everyone thinks he’s the bad luck cat, but honestly, I think he’s the smartest cat around.
This is a great series and I’ve enjoyed every book so far.
I’m sorry I read the book so fast, but I’m really looking forward to reading more.

amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, pets, family, friendship, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery

Great characters! Fast paced! Full of twists and red herrings! Who would think that becoming the new librarian in the small town of Lavender, Texas would lead to being murdered? Or that a cat would be the better sleuth by first finding the body and later in finding important clues? I loved it, even though cats aren't my favorite (allergic).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!