Review and Giveaway: Cat Nap

Cat Nap (Sunny & Shadow - Book 2) by Claire Donally

Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425252132
ISBN-13: 978-0425252130

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Claire Donally on the WEB: Goodreads

Books in the series:

The Big Kitty (2012), Cat Nap (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Cat Nap by Claire Donally, courtesy of Amazon.

Synopsis:

Let sleeping cats lie...

Kittery Harbor, Maine, may not be a hotbed of criminal activity, but Sunny Coolidge and her feline companion, Shadow, have a knack for nosing out trouble. While Shadow copes with a sore paw and an irritating puppy invading his turf, Sunny gets mixed up in a financial dispute between rival vets and ex-spouses Jane and Martin Rigsdale. Sunny agrees to help Jane confront Martin about his moneygrubbing ways, only to find herself caught at the scene of a crime: Martin has been murdered.
 
Though Jane is pegged as the lead suspect in the investigation, Martin, with his greedy ways and his catting around, did not have a shortage of enemies. Did a scorned lover or cheated creditor put Martin down for good? It's time for Sunny and Shadow to team up again, sniff out a killer, and clear Jane's name before someone decides to put them to sleep, too.

Thoughts:

Author Claire Donally is a mystery herself, which I find a great inspiration for reading her Sunny and Shadow mystery series. Cat lovers and cozy fans who enjoy the latest book in the series, Cat Nap. Donally's ability to keep the reader guessing is unmatched in the sub-genre. Her twists and turns are quite appealing as well as the fact that readers can hear Shadow, the cat's, thoughts. A good addition to the series.

One of the things that I like about Claire Donally is how knowledgeable about cat behavior she appears to be. It takes a lot of research to make every movement and action of a cat seem realistic. Donally writes cats the way another favorite author of mine does, Rita Mae Brown, hmmm I wonder. Both authors are able to get into the head of the cat and let the reader know exactly what they are thinking. 

Cat enthusiasts will love Shadow and the humorous thoughts and ideas that Shadow provides to the story. But cozy fans will also like the great New England feel that Donally gives to the book by setting it in Maine. I have always thought that Maine is such a beautiful state and so authentic. The people are people of the land and the sea and their attitudes and ideas are just a little bit different than in other parts of the country. Donally really captures that and provides readers with characters and settings that celebrate the people and places of Maine.

The mystery aspect of Cat Nap was full of surprises. I thought Sunny and Shadow had plenty of suspects and a few red herrings that kept the pace fast and furious. This vet was a lover, not a fighter. He loved women and money apparently, but he didn't know what to do with them after he got them. I thought the story was realistic and could have possibly been something that could happen in real life. When you read a cozy mystery or any mystery that involves murder, you probably aren't really looking for an escape, LOL! You probably want to be that investigator, trying to put those clues together to solve that mystery. That's why the realistic ones are so much fun to read.

A great cozy with a super main character and the perfect side kick!

Cat Nap is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Currently there is not much information available about Claire Donally. I know she is a writer of many of cozy mysteries and Claire Donally is of course a pseudonym  but that's about it. If you hear anything through the grapevine about this author let me know. I love a good mystery LOL!

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is providing one copy of Cat Nap for giveaway here at Debbie's Book Bag.

~You must be a GFC follower or Email subscriber to participate.
~US addresses only (publisher request)
~Deadline to enter is Midnight EST, June 10th.

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