As a game of the original “Cat Who…” mystery books I was expecting something very different than this. I found the idea of a mystery solving cat highly enjoyable, but I didn’t connect with the main character.

The premise of this is so original and new I was expecting more out of this. A simple mystery, not too hard to guess way earlier than intented, this wouldn't fly well with avid mystery reader. I would recommend it to youngers readers not familiar with the style

Princess Fuzzypants here: Okay, I will admit it. Right up front. I love Conrad. Conrad is the talking male calico who befriends Lulu whose husband died recently. At first Lulu thinks she is imagining things especially when all Conrad will say around others is “meow” but she quickly accepts his friendship, companionship and wisdom. He is a very intelligent and well informed fellow. In fact, one of the delights of the book are the number of trivia bits both about cats and other things that pop up throughout the book.

Lulu’s mother in law has Alzheimer’s and lives in a care home. She and Conrad had just visited so they are shocked when they arrive the next day and learn she has died. Something just does not seem right. And the more that Lulu and Conrad learn, the less right it seems. Lulu is a retired DI with the Met and has many friends who can help her delve deeper into the people who might have had something to do with her demise. What they discover will shock them both.

Someone is worried that Lulu is getting far too close and attempts to murder her but Conrad saves the day. He truly is an extraordinary feline. Together they figure out what happened and why and bring the villains to justice. I enjoyed the book so much I hope that there will be future stories with them. Five purrs and two paws up.

The Cat Who Caught a Killer is a delightful cozy mystery, made so by the entertaining conversations between Conrad the talking Calico cat and Lulú, the widowed, retired police detective. From the very first chapter the banter between the two is engaging and fun to read, and it remains so throughout the novel.
Add to that the intriguing mystery of what caused the death Lulu's mother in law while in long term care for dementia, and whether or not her death was truly of natural causes, and L.T. Shearer has created a page-turner that doesn't let up. The complexity of the mystery grows as the novel progresses, with a stunning conclusion that I didn't quite see coming.
I also enjoyed reading such an honest portrayal of an older female protagonist, with all of the frustrations that come with trying to keep up with changing norms within society.
I was glad to get an ARC of the heartwarming #TheCatWhoCaughtaKiller from #NetGalley .

I really enjoyed the concept of this novel, but I unfortunately couldn't get into it. It seemed to have a fun aspect, and I adored the idea of a cat perspective. I just couldn't get passed the writing. I wanted to so badly but it is what it is. DNF.

⭐️ 3.25/5

Thank you Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this eARC.

This novel had the most polite dialogue I’ve ever read! It also used a simple language so it’s very easy to read.

Conrad the Calico cat is not your average cat. There’s a bit of a fantasy with this story so you’ll have to believe in that or have a liking to it, to fully enjoy the novel. It’s a whodunnit mystery and Conrad keeps our protagonist, Lulu company while she tries to solve the mystery—like a co-detective.

I found it was a bit redundant though. Like every chapter they wondered if it’s a cat when it clearly is. Or when she had to explain the logistics of a Will again or her detective friend telling her that she taught him to look for options in almost the same phrase, as few examples. It might be about 50 pages less if it wasn’t for that.

Overall, charming and fun mystery. It did have me on the edge and it got me wanting to keep turning the pages so I can find out the mystery and how they solve it

The Cat Who Caught a Killer is a mystery that warms the heart. An ex-copper, Lulu, has a detective intuition when it comes to the sudden passing of her mother-in-law, Emily. Lulu is convinced that natural causes was not the cause of death, but rather something more suspicious. Proving her hunch is easier said than done, but with her trusty cat sidekick, Conrad the Calico Cat, maybe she can work towards answers.

The characters, Lulu and Conrad, were so cute and the banter was quirky, yet loveable. The early on character building allowed the reader to fall in love with the characters and the plot. The cozy, quirky mystery makes the reader feel warm and fuzzy while following Lulu and Conrad through their journeys of solving crime.

This cozy, quirky, mystery should be picked up by any reader wanting a light yet fulfilling read. I put this book down with a smile on my face and looking forward to what is next. PS cats are smarter than they appear and have me looking at my own cats differently, lol.

Thank you Pan McMillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

DNF at 40%.

This book sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. I'm a huge fan of The Thursday Murder Club and love cozy mysteries. This book was nothing like TTMC and didn't feel particularly cozy.

It was very repetitive. It was very repetitive.

I didn't connect with Lulu or even Conrad.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Pan Macmillan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Pan Macmillan.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
I'm giving this 2 because I like the cat.
The protagonist (Lulu) is a very well off retired policewoman who, for some reason, is adopted by an extremely well educated talking cat. There's never really an explanation for this, and I found myself wondering, especially after a particular event right at the end, if Lulu is imagining the cat talking all the way through, like Fight Club.
Lulu starts off by investigating her mother-in-law's suspicious death in a nursing home, and the cat acts as her animus, I guess, so she's not just wandering around London talking to herself.
As has been pointed out by reviewers on other sites, there's a lot of repetition of character action, behaviour, and minute detail, kind of like a travel book. The only two characters that are developed at all are Lulu and her former colleague. I don't know why the cat is portrayed as such a pedant.
I was disturbed by the author's glaring social critique all the way through book - COVID denial and racism are among the worst.
I am unsure as to whether this is meant to be a fantasy (talking animals) or some kind of allegory for how the author sees the world today.
I was hoping for a lot more from the description of this book, wouldn't recommend.