A cute fun read that I could see a handful of my students enjoying.

Characters: I loved the voices and development of the animals in the story. I was a huge fan of the Warriors series told by cats in middle school, and I could see myself enjoying this story as well because of how well Schneider builds animals into characters. I will definitely recommend for my students who love animals as characters who are sassy and strong willed. This story also brings in representation by having a deaf puppy character.

Plot: A fun, middle grade mystery that keeps the reader engaged with twist and turns and lots of suspense.

Craft: Strong narration throughout the story with lots of wit and flare. I thoroughly appreciated Schneider's style in building an engaging middle grade mystery read.

Tucked in the cold Colorado mountains lies the remote village of Gray Birch, a place where outsiders are frowned upon. In this village lives a cat named Bijou. But she’s no ordinary house cat; her ancestors were mousers on Viking longships, and their blood runs through her veins. Since her battle skills are hardly needed in this modern age, however, she spends her energies running the Fox Burrow Pet Inn with her human, Spencer, and her assistant, Skunk, a mentally negligible Pomeranian. Together, the happy trio has created a safe haven for their four-legged guests.

But when Eddy Line, a handsome baker from California, comes to the inn—along with his piglet and pit bull puppy—everything changes. Spencer falls for Eddy, Bijou is unhappy with the sudden changes to her clan, and the townspeople are anything but welcoming; in fact, threats are made against Eddy when he buys the town’s historic firehouse in order to open a bakery.

Then a shocking murder/dognapping occurs on the night of the bakery’s grand opening, and Bijou finds herself thrust into a tangled mystery. To solve it, she will have to summon her inner Viking—and fight tooth and claw for her new clan.
Throughly enjoyable

This book killed me with cute! Its Viking kitty Bijou portrayed the ultimate cat qualities perfectly by being equal parts silly and intelligent. I fell in love with her attitude and her imposed superiority over the other animals felt like real thoughts that could actually be going on in a cat’s head. Skunk the Pomeranian was a great comic relief and Hamlet the pig’s different sweaters made me melt! It wasn’t only the animals that stole my heart in this one but the characters’ names as well: the local hairdresser is Bobi Pinn, the police lieutenant is Lou Tennant, and the bakery is called Witching Flour. The fact that all this takes place in a sleepy Colorado mountain town made this book so cozy I wished it was snowing outside my Texas window.

I was so caught up in the adorable world-building going on that when the murder mystery aspect came up I was caught off-guard! I appreciated how it was a truly a whodunnit, there were a few people with motive and opportunity and the perpetrator wasn’t immediately obvious. For all those reasons I felt this book was a solid five stars and highly recommend if you’re an animal lover in search of a good mystery.

Thank you to the publisher Sparkpress and NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy for review.

Bijou isn’t just a cat, but also a powerful Viking! She’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep her clan safe, and to get her meals on time.

Bijou is a cat with an impressive vocabulary, and she tells the story. It’s easy to forget you’re hearing it all from a cat. In this episode of Bijou’s story, she’s confronted with a pig at the Fox Burrow Pet Inn, which she manages for her human, Spencer. While she’s not pleased with the prospect of sharing her home with a swine at first, she soon learns that pigs play a much more important role in Viking legend than she previously thought.

Soon enough, Bijou, Skunk (Bijou’s assistant at the Inn, a pomeranian), and Hamlet (the pig, of course) are on a vital mission to rescue Fennec (Hamlet’s pit bull brother) from the evil clutches he was in before being adopted by Eddy (his human).

While the book started a little slow, the rescue action was fun, and the mystery was indeed cozy. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to animal lovers who like a quirky cast of four-legged characters.

Bijou, a Norsecat with the blood of her Viking ancestors flowing through her veins, lives in a small town in the Colorado mountains with her owner Spencer and Skunk, a high energy Pomeranian. When a murder and dognapping plague the small town, Bijou is on the case with her sword and helmet at the ready. With the help of her friends, will she be able to solve the mystery?

What a fun journey this was! Bijou was a charming narrator, quirks and all, and was surrounded by equally charming and equally quirky characters. The writing style was fun and kept me engaged, and the mystery was compelling and kept me on my toes. I really appreciated how Codi Schneider brought real life issues facing our furry friends into the plot and the cruelty that they may be forced to endure, while also showing how deeply they can be loved (and love in return). I recommend!

Cold Snap by Codi Schneider is a very wonderful mystery book with lots of lovely animals, I really hope there will be more in this series!

In Gray Birch village lives a Viking cat named Bijou (It means jewel). She is co-owner and manager of the prestigious Fox Burrow Pet Inn, with her human, Spencer, and her dog assistant, Skunk.
Eddy Line, a handsome baker from California, comes to the inn with his boys, Fennec and Hamlet, piglet and pit bull puppy to rent the new bakery.
Bijou is not very happy with the little pink piglet at first but, when the threat comes for the handsome California man, she does her best to help her new friends.
Many stranger things start to happen, a knife, robbery, threat letters, attempts to start the fire, dogfights, and a murder. Apparently, people can't do much, So this is a time for Bijou and his warriors to handle these.

"According to my moral code, abusing animals was no different than abusing humans."

This is a very lovely and mysterious story. I hardly could put it down. The best part of this story is that it has been told by Bijou. Bijou, what a beautiful name I adopt in my new kitten.
I enjoyed the story and narration. Bijou and his animals' friends are very kind and cute, I love them. I can't say this is a cozy mystery exactly, but it's a suspenseful story with a gorgeous detective, oh no sorry, A Viking and her warriors.:)

Many thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read Cold Snap: A Viking Cat Mystery by Codi Schneider, I have given my honest review.

A cute cosy mystery about a cat who has the blood of Vikings roaring in her veins, along with her virtual viking helmet on her head and her virtual sword at the ready. Bijou is a Norwegian Forest cat who lives in the Colorado mountains, running a pet hotel with her owner Spencer and Pomeranian called Skunk. When Eddy Line, the handsome mystery buyer of the old fire station, arrives in town, he moves into the pet hotel with his pets, Fennec a deaf puppy and Hamlet, a baby potbellied pig. Eddy will be staying for a few weeks while he completes renovations to turn the fire station into a bakery and an upstairs apartment for himself.

Bijou is not sure she approves of pigs, but when she learns that the Norse goddess Freyja had a battle boar she often rode, she decides to take on Hamlet as an apprentice Viking. When a man is murdered and Fennec the puppy disappears on the opening night of Eddy's bakery, Bijou is determined to find the puppy, along with her brave companions Skunk and Hamlet. A fun and witty cosy mystery, suitable for teen readers as well as adults.

What a clever concept - I adored every second of this book. I was worried it would be overly silly or cheesy, being written from the perspective of a cat. But it was a solid story with fantastically developed characters and an intense mystery. It had the perfect amount of comedy, the animals personalities all shone!! I hope one day to be half the Viking that Bijou is.

Hidden away in the Colorado Mountains, the residents of Gray Birch live a quaint life. The town is small, the people are quirky and gossip spreads like wildfire. Up at the Fox Burrow Pet Inn, Bijou manages the guests with her human, Spencer, and her faithful assistant, a Pomeranian called Skunk. Of course, it should be mentioned that Bijou isn’t just any old cat, no. Bijou is a descendant of the brave Viking Cats and she’s certain she possesses the same ancient battle skills, lurking in wait until they’re needed. As it turns out, the life of a pet inn manager is fairly tedious and Bijou prefers to put her skills to the task of convincing her human to give her as much food as possible.

Then something out of the blue happens – a stranger from California moves to town. Handsome and full of dreams of running his own bakery, Eddy takes up residence in Gray Birch after buying the town’s old firehouse. Of everyone in the town who is upset by this occurrence, Bijou is the most. Ordinarily, a guest staying at the inn with his two pets would be a perfectly fine thing – but not when said guest brings of all things, a pig (and a puppy, but that’s besides the point). At first, Bijou is disgusted. Soon enough though, they set their differences aside and she comes around to the unlikely trio of guests. As Spencer begins to fall for the newcomer, it becomes more and more obvious that not everyone in town is quite as fond of Eddy.

As the weeks go by, Bijou entertains herself by teaching her Viking wisdom to the pig, Hamlet, and performing her usual rounds of the town. Everyone is excited leading up to the bakery’s opening day, until the most shocking thing to have ever happened in Gray Birch takes place. On the night of the grand opening, Bijou stumbles across the murder of one of the locals! Meanwhile, Eddie’s beloved puppy, Fennec, has gone missing!

The police are immediately on the case, as is everyone else in town. But most importantly, Bijou, with her Viking ancestors behind her, is determined to solve the case and bring the puppy safely home again. The question is, who is the murderer? And what could they possibly want with the puppy?

My Thoughts…

Not going to lie, when I saw the cover of this book I expected an adventure story onboard a Viking ship with cats… Although I’m sure this is what Bijou would be hoping for as well, it’s not at all the case! This book is a cozy mystery set in a small town with your typical bunch of characters. There’s the friendly inn-owner, Spencer, the old bartender, the cranky old lady who complains about everything and the mischievous youngster. A neat little mystery that finally gets solved after each of the residents have a chance to have their say about the matter, only it’s told from the perspective of the animals living at the inn.

I should preface this by saying that I am not a cat person. So why did I pick up a book with a cat as a main character? That’s a good question. I thought it was interesting reading a book from a completely different perspective than I’m used to. However, I often felt disinterested in the daily commentary of cat-things like eating, grooming and looking down on dogs for chasing things. Perhaps if I had a pet cat I might have found it more endearing or funny. Despite the occasional lapses in keeping my attention, I enjoyed the general storyline. I thought the mystery was interesting and not something I suspected right from the beginning. At the end of each chapter the story was partially broken up by interview statements from different members of the community. I thought this was a nice way of including side characters in the story and allowing the reader to attempt to piece things together bit by bit.

One thing I would have liked to see more of is the Viking aspect of Bijou’s life. She finds a book for Viking novices and talks a lot about spending time reading it, but the reader doesn’t get to find out the contents of said mysterious book. How does one become a Viking Cat? I thought the references to the Viking gods was intriguing and it would have been interesting to go into more depth there. Granted, the main focus of the story is supposed to be the murder/dog-napping so I get that it wasn’t the priority. I think with the way the book ended, any following books might delve further into the Viking side of things.

It was amusing to read about the relationships between the various animals and the way they interacted with the townspeople. I thought it was a little odd how people would talk to Bijou and ask questions as though she would respond, but quirky can be entertaining! I really liked the setting – a little mountain town where everything is in cat-walking distance. It really added to the cozy atmosphere of the mystery. If you’re an animal lover who likes reading mystery books, this one is for you!

Funny, witty, with a cast of colorful characters, this cozy is the purrrfect mystery with humorous moments for cat lovers. Cold Snap, A Viking Cat Mystery, makes a brilliant debut by author Codi Schneider. I really enjoyed this cozy with a very feisty feline, amusing fur-babies, and a baby pot bellied pig that can hold her own! Between the settings of an animal inn which Bijou Bonanno (Viking Cat) co-manages with her human Spencer, and a new bakery opening in town (The Witching Flour), there is a murder and a dog-napping to solve. Be ready for the Dewclaw!

5 Stars!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Codi Schneider for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

A Mystery, with a cat in the role of the detective! If this description doesn't get you all riled up, I don't know what will. Of course, this is a house cat - and really a cat, so if you're expecting a Blacksad like noire experience, you're looking at the wrong book.

Bijou is a descendant of Viking longboat mousers, and she has a really dry humour, as this quote will surely prove:

"The corpse was, as corpses tend to be, very dead."

Well, you can't argue with impeccable logic like this, right?

Talking about humour, there are some things in this book that seem a little forced to me, like calling the local police lieutenant Lou Tennant. I mean, come on! That's almost like having Joe Parts joining the military in the rank of a Private.

Sadly, we aren't done with, ahem, »funny« names. There's also Dr. Flora, the local veterinarian, of Flora's Fauna. Or Bobi Pinn, the hairdresser (bobby pin - you get it?). Oh boy. That's cringe worthy.

The story also tries to switch between the past and the now, by throwing in statements given in the present to the police. I'll guess in the final book, they will be marked in a way that lets you clearly distinguish them from the rest of the chapter. In the galley, they were just there, but I caught their meaning quickly. And talking about dramatics, it's always a good idea to start the book with something dramatic. In this case, a homicide - in combination with a dognapping!

The animals are really cute, and naturally they have more personality than some of the humans we encounter. This is not a point of critique - our first person narrator is a cat, so it follows the animals are of more interest than the humans. And the important humans are portrayed very well, too.

Really, despite the somewhat silly names, characters in this book are just great. As well as the village itself - it's a place where I could immediately settle down, between all those people. It's a real boon for the story.

Some parts are, well, I don't know why they are. Not what, but literally why. Here we have a domestic cat following along a homicide investigation. That in itself is already enough - it's what the story should be. There really was no need to throw in some supernatural stuff.

Pacing is a different thing. There are some really good scenes, when the pace is just right and everything flows and you find yourself turn page after page, in excitement. During those moments, this book shines as a great mystery novel.

But there are those other moments, too. When the cat-ness of our hero dictates the pace too much and a lot of stuff revolves around food. There are some funny moments here, no questions, but they're not doing anything for the plot. They're stalling, thus making this story longer. I would have preferred it trimmed down a little bit. It took me longer to read the book than expected because of those avoidable lengths.

Then again, for cat lovers those scenes will probably be somewhat golden, when you look at Bij and think »Oh yes, cats and their knacks.«.

*****

So, all in all, this was a mixed bag. On the downside are some pacing issues, some unnecessary supernatural elements and quite a bunch of goofy names. On the upside we have really loveable characters and an intriguing mystery behind all those minor (and major) crimes. 3.5 out of 5, rounded up to 4 for cat lovers! It's going to be a good read for the coming cold season, along with a cup of hot beverage. Or some ale.