Back in her hometown, Nora reconnects with old friends and makes some new ones, like Nick, the charming feline who seems determined to be her cat. But not everything about Cruz is friendly. Writing for a local online magazine, Nora investigates the curious death of socialite Lola Grainger. Though it was deemed an accident, Nora suspects foul play. And it seems that her cat does too.
Apparently, Nick used to belong to a P.I. who disappeared while investigating Lola Grainger’s death. The coincidence is spooky, but not as spooky as the clues Nick spells out for her with Scrabble letters—clues that lead her down an increasingly dangerous path. Whether fate put her on this case or not, solving it will take all of Nora’s wits, and maybe a few of Nick’s nine lives.[summary via Amazon]
I've been wanting to read the Nick & Nora Mysteries for a while. I'm the proud owner of a somewhat-grumpy-and-adorable tuxedo cat, and little Nick on the cover of Meow If It's Murder reminds me of my own tuxedo cat.
In the first book in the series, Nora has returned home to take over the family sandwich shop. She's left behind her life of being a crime reporter in Chicago, and taken up the art of making sandwiches. However, her crime-seeking nose picks up the scent of crime, when she hears that one of my mom's friends, Lola Grainger, has died in a boating "accident". Nora, with the help of a new feline companion, must use all her crime-reporter skills to follow the trail and find out what happened.
I was simply charmed by Meow If It's Murder. It hit all the high marks with a superb mystery and interesting characters, including Nick - the star of the show. Nick is a cute, intelligent tuxedo cat, that enters Nora's life and helps her solve the mystery! His previous owner, a PI, taught Nick to play scrabble and he uses this love of scrabble tiles to help Nora with clues. How adorable is this? Nick has absolutely stolen my heart. He is definitely the most intelligent cozy cat I've read (although don't tell Hamlet from Ali Brandon's Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries!).
I really enjoyed that the amateur sleuth, Nora Charles, has a background in crime reporting. This gives her an "excuse" to investigate the crime, even if it is a loose excuse. She uses her background in crime reporting to help her dig deep into the investigation. I've read a lot of cozies with amateur sleuths that are just "nosy", so it was nice to see a mystery where the amateur sleuth has an almost valid excuse to investigate.
Meow If It's Murder is an enjoyable debut in the Nick & Nora Mysteries. It will hit all the high notes for many cozy readers, with a mystery that will keep you guessing right until the end. You will be wanting to visit again - not just for the mystery, but also for Nora's delicious sandwiches and the every adorable Nick!
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