The Cat Who Caught a Killer: 1 (Conrad the Cat Detective, 1)

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Overall, a fairly light read, however the author does have a habit of over explaining things that really could have been left out. Seriously, I didn’t need to read the full recipe of how Lulu made her dinner. Charming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers." — Anthony Horowitz, author of The Twist of a Knife The Cat Who Caught a Killer might be a good fit for audiences that agree with author's nostalgia for the "good old days" when there were less consequences for your bad actions, and those who don't mind long-winded descriptions and having their hand held through every step - but it certainly wasn't a good fit for me and not one I'd recommend to anybody I know. The owners of some of the cats Bouquet stabbed to death were at Hove crown court on Friday to see him imprisoned for five years and three months. Nine cats – Hendrix, Tommy, Hannah, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie and Cosmo – were killed and a further seven injured.

Peter James, bestselling author of the Grace series Charming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskersSJ Bennett A captivating, charming and gentle tale, perfect for all those who love their crime cosy

Oh, and dear author, if you don't like there being no police stations open anymore maybe stop voting Tory. Just a thought. During the trial, jurors heard accounts from several cat owners who found their pets injured on their doorsteps. J. M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder A charming, off-beat story with some great characters and wonderful London locations. I’m sure it will make readers long for their own canal boat, and quite possibly – if they don’t already have one – their own talking cat. Conrad is a delight Lulu is in mourning due to the recent death of Simon, her beloved husband. She is retired though had served for thirty years in the Metropolitan Police, rising to the rank of Superintendent. She currently is adjusting to life on her new canal boat, The Lark, as well as visiting her mother-in-law in a nearby care home. Charming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers' – Anthony Horowitz, author of The Twist of a Knife

Neither has Lulu Lewis, until he walks into her life one summer’s day. Mourning the recent death of her husband, the former police detective had expected a gentle retirement, quietly enjoying life on her new canal boat, The Lark, and visiting her mother-in-law in a nearby care home. Mynott is supporting the RSPCA’s Cancel out cruelty campaign. “All I can do is put my energy into helping other animals,” he said. very repetitive (Lulu goes out to meet someone new, they say the same thing about conrad over and over) But a brutal murder and a daring art theft means her plans are shattered – instead she and Conrad find themselves on the trail of a killer . . .

There were a few things that made this book very much not for me, the first being the writing itself. It was extremely rudimentary with every detail over-explained - every outfit change, every drink made, even the washing up. Her travel routes are detailed step by step in more depth than Google maps directions, and as someone who lives just around the corner from where it's set I can tell you it really isn't interesting enough to warrant that! All of this extensive detailing just made it harder to get through without adding anything to the plot or character development. Being a cat lover, I was very taken by Conrad and the idea of a talking cat. I always think I can understand my 2 cats but they don't quite go as far as asking for Evian water or trout for dinner (unless I just misunderstand of course.)

This book feels like it's setting the scene for a series (which I think it is). There feels like there is a lot of scene setting and building a relationship between Lulu and Conrad. The death of Lulu's husband is dangled like a carrot in front of the reader, with neon lights flashing that this is important. There feels like that is a lot of fishing and the wham, things fall into place, the suspects(who are quite obvious all along) confess etc voila, there we are. However, this wasn’t for me and I had to limp through it. The author is definitely older and can’t help inserting their gripes with how sensitive and bad everyone is now and how much better things were in the Good Old Days when young people didn’t have piercings or hurt feelings on social media, or when police officers could be racist as a little jokey joke with no consequences (these examples are lifted straight from the book) - for a cosy mystery, there’s a lot of politicising on the author’s part. There’s also a lot of meandering, extensive description and praise for specific areas of London, notably Maida Vale and Little Venice, which gets repetitive and boring to read after the third consecutive mention in the same chapter. Mynott said he was still gutted by the loss of his beloved pet and although the killing was not one of the nine dead cats named in the trial, he is convinced Bowser died at the hands of Bouquet, along with many more for whom there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

Its a bittersweet story with a fun premise of revisiting all Emily's old friends to discover more about her Cosy mysteries aren't generally my thing, but this one jogs along at quite a pace and although it is fairly predictable, the interaction between Conrad and other characters made me smile. I'm not quite sure whether people would be as generally welcoming to a cat as they seem to be, although I would like to think they are. I guess part of me now wants to try and take my cat into my lawyer's office! But then this is fiction and if I was prepared to accept a talking cat why quibble about people's reaction to him? Conrad is quite a character - he doesn't miss a thing and can be quite hilarious, as well as very empathic. He's definitely the strongest character in the book. During his trial, jurors heard accounts from several cat owners who had found their pets bleeding on their doorsteps. Nine cats – Hendrix, Tommy, Hannah, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie and Cosmo – were killed, while another seven were injured.Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Retired police detective Lulu Lewis’s life changed forever when she met a street cat named Conrad. There’s something very special about Conrad, but it’s a secret she has to keep to herself. 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.