I enjoyed this cozy mystery story with all of the characters. The main character was Gwen Franklin.

Gwen Franklin is a retired schoolteacher.  Since she retired she an a best friend have  started a pet valet services. They have been invited to attend the annual Clear the Shelter event but before the event starts the blonde bombshell newscaster is found dead. And the police have arrested one of Gwen' student when she was a teacher. To clear her student she will do some investigate with her friends.

This was a fun story to read. It was also fun trying to find out the murder. It also had a few laughs throughout the story that had me giggling or laughing to.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

2 Sisters Pet Valet Services is surprisingly still up and running and gaining clients. So much so that Gwen and Nora have been invited to the annual Clear the Shelter event which will be hosted by Babs Prescott, a local newscaster with overwhelming assets. Sadly someone decided to cut Babs’ broadcasting career short. Her body is found in a parking garage following a press conference and local crime reporter and Nora and Gwen’s friend Shelby Tucker has been arrested for the crime. Shelby was one of Gwen’s best students and she knows the woman wouldn’t kill anyone. So again, the 2 Sisters insert themselves in another investigation this time to determine who took down the blonde bombshell.

Oh, my stars! The Friendly Bean is Nora and Gwen’s home away from home but Gwen likes her coffee “dark and black and hot”. She may be convinced to try a cappuccino or a mocha but the woman has her limits.

When Nora tried to press her into a healthier drink she had this response . . . “Not if it means drinking milk made from nuts. If God meant us to drink almond milk, he’d have given them little almond boobs”.

In the first book in this series, Doggone Dead, I really didn’t like Nora because of the way she ran roughshod over Gwen but this time Gwen gave as good she got a lot more often. Don’t get me wrong Nora is still as overbearing as ever and she did insert herself into one event that really made me want to tug on her leash and pull her right out of the book to allow Gwen to enjoy herself without Nora’s interference. I feel Gwen has grown quite a bit from the first book and still has plenty of room to grow. Nora has shown her true colors and I am not sure she has any desire to change or grow.

I did enjoy Shelby taking on a larger role but hated that she was the main suspect in Babs murder. Brent is a flawed character and could eat 24/7 if there was food in front of him. I do feel both Gwen and Nora have taken advantage of his child-like nature. I am glad he has found Rachel and that she cares for him just the way he is.

I loved that we met more canine characters. Sometimes the pets can steal the scene and that is just fine with me.

The mystery this time was interesting as the suspect list continued to grow. Several meetings were held to discuss the case and plenty of food was eaten and coffee drank. I was excited by the new additions to the group. The ladies get a big assist from a surprising source that seemed to fit seamlessly with the group too. There were a few nice twists and I was surprised when the whodunit was revealed.

The Pet Valet Service goes on hiatus during the investigation and I was sad to see this as a lot of humorous scenes stem from their canine, feline, and aviary clients. They did agree to take on one special case but that experience ended up being pretty short.

Cat’s Meow . . that title puzzles me a bit . . . was a very entertaining read with amusing characters and a lighthearted mystery investigation. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Playing Possum with be out on October 5.

Cat’s Meow by Dane McCaslin is the second book in the cozy The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries series. This series as with most other cozies has a seperate mystery to be fully solved within each book so a reader can read the books as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There is however some character development that carries over from book to book for those that choose to read the entire series in order.

The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries series introduced readers to Gwen Franklin who had just retired from her career as a high school teacher and had plans to just relax and enjoy this new chapter in her life. Gwen’s best friend Nora however had other plans for Gwen now that she’s retired, Nora had the idea that she and Gwen should go into business together. Nora’s chosen plan is for the pair to open a pet-sitting service which Gwen isn’t too sure about.

Gwen eventually caved into Nora’s plans and the pair find themselves taking on all kinds of pets to get their business going. As their business began to pick up Gwen and Nora found themselves invited to the annual Clear the Shelter event. Unfortunately for the ladies though the hostess of the event, Babs Prescott, is found murdered and a former student of Gwen’s, Shelby Tucker, is arrested for the murder leaving Gwen wanting to catch the real killer.

After finishing the first book in The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries series I really enjoyed the characters and had a ton of laughs but when finishing the second book now I felt like it missed a bit of the sparkle the first book had. I’m not sure if it were simply the mystery or something else but I’ve lowered my rating of this second book to three and a half stars. I do still feel like this series has potential to really become a favorite so I do plan on coming back for book three hoping a new case, new surroundings and different events will bring my rating back up.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I did not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble following along with the characters. Gwen and Nora have a successful pet sitting business. The book focused as much on the character interactions as the mystery and maybe more so. It definitely falls into the light cozy mystery category. Gwen is much more likable compared to Nora. I will read book three before making a decision on the series though.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

The mystery itself is, overall, good, with an assortment of suspects. I enjoyed reading about the Portland, Oregon neighborhood where Gwen and Nora lived, and the idea of the new business the two old friends recently began. The characters are an eclectic mix of ages and lifestyles.

Gwen and Nora have been best friends since kindergarten. Now in their early fifties, they get into as many insult-trading spats as they probably did back then, which at times is mildly amusing and at other times a distraction. Gwen was a high school English teacher who took early retirement and has been working with Nora in their new Pet Valet business. One of Gwen’s former students, Brent, walks dogs for them, and his girlfriend Rachel is starting to do the same. As a new pet-related business in the area, they were invited to attend the annual Clear the Shelter fundraising event. One of the local TV news anchors, Babs, will present awards to people involved in various aspects of caring for pets at the local shelters.

Gwen’s primary reason for being on social media is to keep up with her former students and see their growing families. She opened her Instagram feed and found a photo of Babs with Shelby, a local newspaper journalist and former student they stay in contact with. Nora called Shelby about the photo and heard a very upset young woman. At the event they were covering, Babs suggested to Shelby that she needed a spa makeover and recommended the Fabulous Fattie Farm. Shelby comments that she was considering murder, a figure of speech that this young woman used to blow off steam. The TV news later opened with the stunning announcement that Babs was dead. Calling Shelby again, they learned that she found Babs just after she died. Later, Shelby is the only person of interest in Babs’s murder. Nora’s current beau, Marcus, a PI, will begin to look into it for them. Babs was not well-liked by anyone. A blond bombshell, she enjoyed being the center of attention and didn’t care who she stepped on to get it. Surely the suspect list is longer than just one person.

The characters are well-defined, and I found Gwen and Roger, the first man to ask Gwen out for a long time, and most of Gwen’s former students were very likable. Nora is a little too eccentric for my liking. Yes, there are positive things about her, but I had a hard time with her overall personality and tactless comments. I liked their new friend. Louisa, who might also prove helpful to the mystery, and hope to see more of her.

Overall, I like the premise of the Pet Valet company, including the special care given to Isis. I would like to see more of the pets they care for, having enjoyed the morning they spent with Isis, and less of the snarky exchanges between the best friends as they were too distracting. The age difference between the older ladies and Gwen’s former students does show how the younger generation is, overall, responsible and respectful of Gwen and Nora. The dogs owned by Gwen, Roger, and Brent were a delightful addition. The bad guy absolutely surprised me; it was someone I had not considered. I recommend this to those who enjoy the idea of mysteries associated with pets and a possibility of romance.

This series could become a favorite: I loved the first novel and I loved this one.
I was happy to catch up with the quirky and fleshed out characters and the solid mystery kept me hooked.
I had a lot of fun in reading it and strongly recommended this engrossing and entertaining book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

They’re back! Former high school English teacher Gwen Franklin and Nora Goldstein, her much-married-and-divorced sister from another mother, have made such a success of their pet valet service that they’re thinking about hiring another dog walker. Cat’s Meow is the second 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries. Practically a third character is the city of Portland, Oregon and its many coffeehouses, not to mention Voodoo Doughnut. Gwen, Nora, and Brent Mayfair, their faithful, always-hungry, inarticulate dog walker, drink inordinate cups of coffee and consume a dazzling array of scones, coffee cake, doughnuts, and croissants. Cat’s Meow is set in the before-times, so Gwen, wearing her trusty Birkenstocks, valiantly tries to walk off the worst of the sugary calories.

Now that they’re a part of the pet ecosystem, Gwen and Nora receive an invitation to the annual Clear the Shelter celebration. Nora is even asked to present an award. Murder rears its ugly head when Babs Prescott, “Portland’s very own blonde bombshell newscaster,” is found dead before the event. One of Gwen’s former students, Shelby Tucker, “a journalist with the Portland Tribune” and Gwen’s “go-to for help with all things digital,” is the last person to see Babs alive. Which unfortunately makes Shelby the top suspect. The two entrepreneurs know in their bones Shelby cannot have murdered Babs, but they disagree about the why and wherefores. Could it have had something to do with Babs’s recent investigation into “excess spending in education?” Nora certainly doesn’t think so.

“Oh, get the twist out of those granny panties, Gwennie. I just meant there’re bigger stories out there. No one in their right mind would bump off a two-bit Botox babe over something like that.”



“Of course not, but what if they weren’t in their right mind? Wouldn’t that push the killer over the edge? And trust me when I say there’re plenty of people in education who’d fit that description.”



Nora stared at me for a moment, then leaned over and hugged me. “And that, dear Sis, is exactly why I keep you around.”



I snorted as I pushed her away, but I was smiling. “And I thought you kept me around to balance out that crazy life of yours.”



“We balance each other out,” Nora corrected me. “But back to the whole crazy issue. That has to be the reason behind this. I’ve got a feeling right here.” She patted her midsection with a pleased expression.

“Crazy” turns out to be not such a crazy idea. Folding new characters into the mix keeps a series perking along nicely. At the Clear the Shelter evening, the sisters meet Louisa Lovejoy Turner, a wealthy and influential Portlandian. When Lovejoy Turner tells underlings she wants to discuss “business,” everyone assumes she’s referring to her “massive family logging business.” Gwen and Nora are persistent and well-connected but nothing on Lovejoy’s level. When she attaches herself to their investigation of Babs’s murder, doors open, and memories are jogged.

The other new character owns two gorgeous golden retrievers. Roger Smithson had never heard of Babs Prescott and her dazzling smile nor did he know of the connection between Gwen’s former student and the murder scene.

He shook his head almost regretfully. “No, I can’t say that I have. And I’d have liked to have seen her big teeth.” He flashed a grin at me, displaying his own set of pearly whites. “I’m a retired dentist.”



One of the golden retrievers tired of the circling ceremony and flopped on the sidewalk with a loud sigh.



“Well, I’d better get going before I end up carrying these two fellas home. I’d like to how it turns out for your friend though. Maybe we could find a spot and talk while these gents run around.”



“She’s a student, not a friend,” I corrected automatically, and my face heated again. “And yes, I’d like that. We could meet up at the Portland Pooch Park.”



“Then it’s a date.” Roger’s charming smile was back, and so was my racing pulse. Had he used the “d” word?

How dangerous can a 10:00 am coffee date at the Portland Pooch Park be? Lest you think Cat’s Meow is all fluff and caffeine, Gwen and Nora are relentless in uncovering the mystery of who and why someone killed Babs Prescott. They pursue the story she was working on at the time of her death—financial malfeasance at a local junior college—and discover that one of the instructors has an invidious racket underway. Tim LaFoe demands sexual favors from some of his female students in exchange for good grades. There are rumors about him but nothing concrete, not until the Pet Valet duo finds folks who are willing to spill the beans.

Gwen is inspired by her love of classic English detective novels, so much so that Nora often feels like Miss Marple is a ghostly presence in their deliberations. Gwen really does have a well-honed detective toolkit, as readers discovered in Doggone Dead.

Will the vintage mysteries Gwen loves, which fuel her mystery-solving dreams, provide a mystery-solving roadmap? Gwen does have the gift of thoughtful observation, honed over many years in the classroom.

Gwen and Nora are full of vim and vigor—no feet up on the couch retirement for them. They have a business to run and murderers to track down, all with the help of an underground army of Gwen’s former students. A pleasant lagniappe for readers is Gwen’s bemusement at the massacre of English in the hands of some of her students (like Brent): “His texts were enough to send me running to find the nearest grammar book to assure myself the language and its structure hadn’t changed when I wasn’t looking.”

Cat’s Meow is another enjoyable outing from Dane McCaslin, with just enough seriousness to balance out the hilarity.

Cat's Meow is Dane McCaslin's second instalment in her 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mystery series. Retired high school teacher Gwen Franklin owns and runs a new pet valet business with her BFF, Nora Goldstein, in Portland, Oregon. As their venture starts to flourish they bring in an ex-student of Gwen’s, Brent Mayfair, along with his girlfriend, Rachel to assist them. They’ve been invited to attend the annual Clear the Shelter fundraiser, a huge event in their town, hosted by Portland’s blonde bombshell newscaster, Babs Prescott. Later that day following a press conference, attention-seeker Babs is found dead in a parking garage and a friend of Gwen and Nora, a journalist with the 'Portland Tribune' named Shelby, is accused of her murder. Gwen and Nora decide to investigate and help clear Shelby's name.

The mystery starts off quickly and the pace throughout the book is even. One of my favourite aspects of Cat's Meow is the relationship between reserved Gwen and her feisty sidekick, Nora whose repartee had me frequently chuckling and it was a delight to observe their interactions. Dane McCaslin sprinkles clues throughout the book so the story remains fresh whilst the reader follows along. While I had a hunch as to who the culprit might be, the twists and turns left me quite surprised. The finale is written with humour and the threads of the story link together in a satisfying conclusion.

Cat's Meow is a highly recommended five star read that will be of interest to many cozy readers, especially pet worshippers, and I’m game to see what shenanigans Gwen and Nora get into next in book 3, Playing Possum. If you haven’t tried this series out yet, then you’re definitely missing out!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This series is a delight for pet lovers . Its humorous and fun with great charcters that make me laugh out loud.
This is the second book in The Two Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries by Dane McCaslin. The protagonist Gwen is a retired school teacher and her friend Nora are both retirement age. This is so refreshing to read about real women and not 30 somethings . This reader appreciates that the author has given her charcters a wide range of talents and life experience. They are both great charcters with depth and interesting to the reader. They are a funny pair and have great dialogue that keeps me laughing. Starting over in life is a decision they made together and the business they love is off to a great start.

They have a pet valet business that is popular and doing very well. The friends have solved one murder and now they are taking on a mysterious murder to help the police . The mystery is fast paced and kept me guessing to conclusion. With the humorous charcters and the many red herrings this was a mystery that kept me turning pages into the night. The conclusion surprised me and I look forward to the next in series with the crime fighting duo of friends. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for the opportunity to review. Review will be cross posted. My review opinions are my own.

This cozy series got my attention with location - Portland, OR is one of my favorite cities, a pair of funny ladies of a certain age who are BFFs and a pet care business. Put it all together and it's the perfect light cozy escape.
In this, their second mystery, Gwen and Nora are involved in the local Clear the Shelter event. Sounds simple enough but then a killer enters the picture. The local tv news personality, Babs Prescott is the host for the event and it sin't long before the killer makes her history. What did she do to make somebody mad enough to resort to murder? That's bad enough but Gwen and Nora are forced to do their own sleuthing when one of Gwen's former high school students, now a print reporter, become the police's prime suspect. Certain that the focus is on the wrong person, Gwen, Nora and their two young employees set out to nab the killer.
Gwen and Nora are besties who have each others backs, share lots of laughter and support each other in their 'golden years'. They are also good at solving murders. Who knew that retirement would be so eventful. All Gwen had planned was catching up on her reading. Such is life when you think you have plans. We should all be so lucky to have friends like Gwen and Nora. I'm looking forward to their next investigation.
My thanks to the publisher Lyrical Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cat's Meow by Dane McCaslin is the 2nd book in The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries series, and another fun book. My favorite cozy mysteries are this ones that make me laugh, and this one sure did the trick. I enjoy the two main characters, 2 best friends who are in their 50's, one a retired high school teacher, the other one is rich, and they have been best friends for years. I found this book to be fast-paced, I read it in one day. The characters are quirky and fun. I highly recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, perfect escape that will lifts your spirits.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the review copy of this book. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and was eager to pick up the second. In this installment, the pet valet service is on vacation for two weeks as Gwen and Nora work to clear the name of a close friend accused of murder. The victim? The most famous television news anchor in Portland. With the help of the lovable oaf, Brent, and a wonderful cast of characters, the truth is bound to come out.

I really enjoyed the story line of this cozy mystery. Gwen and Nora’s quips at each other were often hilarious, but sometimes bordered on mean (I found it a bit off-putting.) Even though the valet service is on vacation, there was still plenty of animal high jinx to add to the story.

All in all, I found this book very entertaining, and would recommend it (as well as book #1).

I wanted to like this book. The plot seemed interesting (murder of a local TV personality, investigated by 2 senior pet sitters). But when I began reading, I realized that dogs were more prevalent than cats in the plot. And even then, they were truly minor characters. I never got to the point where that changed, because I was turned off by the stereotypical "retired spinster English teacher" character and her equally stereotypical "flamboyant cougar" friend/partner. Their conversations primarily consisted of insulting one another (they'd been friends since childhood). I found that so tedious that I couldn't bear to continue. True lifelong friends would not spend the majority of their time throwing insults at one another.

A fun cozy mystery. Entertaining characters. Adorable dogs. Engaging murder mystery. There was a little repetition that I hope is eliminated by the final edit. As this was an advanced reader copy, I understand things may change. One scene was so similar to another book that I wondered if I had read this one already and forgotten.

This is the 2nd in a series of cozies. Having read the first, “Doggone Dead” I was looking forward to this also. I especially like the main character a retired teacher. . Humorous series and lots of coffee!

Thank you NetGalley, Dane McCaslin and Kensington Books for the ARC of Cat’s Meow. This is my personal review.
Gwen and Nora own 2 Sisters Pet Valet Services. They have been invited to the annual event Clear the Shelter by the local newscaster Babs Prescott in Portland. The mystery begins when Babs is murdered before the event even starts. The person who is the top suspect is Shelby is a friend of Nora and Gwen’s and they both know there is no way Shelby is guilty. So, they are determined to find out who really killed Babs.
This is the second book in the Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries series.

Cat’s Meow: A 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mystery
By Dana McCaslin
Lyrical
March 23, 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

After two decades of teaching English to Portland high school students and taking early retirement, Gwen Franklin had an abundance of free time and a best friend determined to make use of it. While the five –or maybe six – time divorcee and business mogul Nora Goldstein definitely didn’t need the income, she was able to convince her bestie of over five decades to form the pet-sitting and pet-walking Two sisters Pet Valet Services. Sisters from other misters, their completely opposing personalities balance one another out as they seem to jump from one disaster to another. This time it’s Gwen’s former student Shelby Tucker who lands in the hot seat after a social media battle with a local celebrity news anchor. Big haired, big personality, big everything Babs Prescott body-shamed reporter Shelby on Instagram, and Shelby’s furious reaction makes her the top suspect when Babs is found dead in a parking lot following a news conference.

Extremely protective of her former students, it doesn’t take much for Gwen to find herself investigating the many locals whom Babs infuriated not only with her meanness but through her actual journalist investigations. Gwen’s abundance of classical mystery fiction lore gives her a step-up on how to detect clues and trap criminals with nuanced questioning, while Nora has her business connections and sway over every eligible bachelor within reach. Gwen is always asking herself WWMMD – What Would Miss Marple Do – and using the answers to have them digging into some of Portland’s many scandals. Particularly infuriating for her is learning of predatory teachers hiding their own MeToo shame within the schools. No one more than Gwen believes that these institutions for education should be safe places of those hungry for knowledge, and not where grades are a currency for predators.

This second of what is to a trilogy is a fun romp that handles serious topics but always maintains its ebullient humor and a light tone. Nora’s ex-student and current dog walker Brent Mayfair seems to have coasted through high school solely on his football skills, or perhaps he took too many hits to the head. Far more competent is Nora’s new friend Louisa, a mega mogul herself with some savvy skills and impressive acquaintances. Even more exciting for Gwen is meeting Dr. Roger Smithson, a man who delights in accompanying her on her dog walks and whom Nora is ready to steamboat into the role of her “Sis’s” new boyfriend. The friendship between the women and the interactions with their quirky staff and friends are the reasons to return to this series, which is full of their outrageous antics, snarky quips, and Nora’s questionable lycra fashion choices. Pet lovers will find much to enjoy as the books make the most of the Portland setting and its quirky, unpredictable population.

Gwen knows- just knows- that her former student Shelby did not murder Babs, a fellow reporter who was covering a Clear the Shelters Event. She enlists her long time pal and business partner Nora as well as another former student and their employees in their pet valet business in the effort. Cozy readers know that there was more to Babs than met the eye (and she was not likable even on the surface). I like this series for the main characters- Gwen and Nora are mature women who have been friends for 40 years and it shows. McCaslin makes good use of her Portland, Oregon setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A light read for cozy fans which will be just fine as a standalone.

Retired English teacher Gwen and her best friend Nora are quirky characters indeed. They set out to find who killed Babs the anchorwoman whom nobody seemed to care for. I enjoyed the story even though I feel the ending could have been alittle more suspenseful. Thanks #netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cat's Meow is the second book in the Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries. I really enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and fun and there are dogs, which is always a good thing. The mystery is solid. It's about a TV anchor's murder. It is a fun cozy mystery that I think most people will enjoy.