Sleight of Paw (A Klepto Cat Mystery#3) by Patricia Fry Review & Giveaway

Book Description

Michael Ivey, the local veterinarian and Savannah’s new husband is attacked by an enraged client and then later accused of this man’s murder. The evidence quickly stacks up against Michael, until Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat, starts digging up clues implicating the unlikely suspect.
Coinciding with the details of this challenge is the discovery that the old house, which the couple purchased from Savannah’s aunt, is cursed. Is this why the couple has not been blessed with a child?
Savannah’s sister Brianna comes for a visit. She teams up with the Iveys’ vet tech, Bud, to discover how to break the gypsy spell and they fall hard for each other. Will their courtship be strengthened or weakened by a frightening carjacking incident?
Detective Craig Sledge is prominent in this story as the lead investigator in the murder case. As usual, he engages in some creative tactics to get the information and the confessions he’s after. He has also become embedded in Savannah’s friend, Iris’s family. He’s dating Iris and helping with her son, Damon’s rehabilitation in prison.

My Review:Sleight of Paw (A Klepto Cat Mystery) by Patricia Fry

4 STARS

Sleight of Paws is a fun cozy mystery heavy on cute smart animals. It is a fast read. It actually has almost two completely different stories back to back.

The first part of the story has a very unhappy customer at the veterinarian clinic. Michael and Savannah are attacked in their clinic. Later there is a body found inside and Michael is the prime suspect in it.

Rags of course finds clues that help solve the case. Also Rags helps save his animal friend from being dognapped. Rags still is a klepto stealing things right out of purses. He brings lots of laughter to the folks around him.

Who the real person that if framing Dr. Michael Ivey is shown real early but the motive is a surprise.

The second part of the story is a curse if found to be on the house Savannah & Michael bought from her Aunt.
Bud and Brianna are looking into the breaking of curses. They also start dating. They have their own adventure along the way.

I like the characters. Michael and Savannah have a bunch of animals with their own personalities who have major roles in the stories. Plus there are their friends and family members that we have met in previous stories are back. The police detective is back. Plus we meet more people in Michael and Savannah's veterinarian clinic.

Sleight of Paw is the third book in A Klepto Cat Mystery series. It is richer to have read the other two books but can stand alone by itself too.

The setting in northern California.

Lots of drama, characters interaction with each other, humor, danger and is a clean read as they solve their problems.
I really like what or how Savannah solves the final problem it is a good motto.

I was given this ebook to read for purpose of giving a honest review of Sleight of Paw.

You can find my review of Catnapped here http://readalot-rhonda1111.blogspot.com/2013/11/catnapped-klepto-cat-mystery-1-by-by.html
& Cat-eye Witness http://readalot-rhonda1111.blogspot.com/2013/11/cat-eye-witness-klepto-cat-mystery-2-by.html




Patricia's Guest Blog about her pets.


There have been only scant moments in my life when I was not caring for one or more pets. I’ve had dogs, horses, a donkey, sheep, a steer, a ring-tailed cat, a raccoon, parakeets, tropical fish and even a turtle named Myrtle. But my all-time favorite pet type throughout my life—from childhood into senior-hood is the cat.



There are currently three cats sharing our home—Fifteen-year-old Max, a snowshoe-type cat who looks like a cross between a cat and a raccoon; Sophie (9), a short-haired tortie and four-year-old Lily, a dilute tabby long-hair. All three of our kitties came from precarious backgrounds—we consider them rescues.



Max showed up when he was only four-weeks old with two siblings and his teen-age mother. They lived in our woodpile for a few weeks before we trapped and hand-raised the kittens. Max has been a total indoor cat since. We found homes for his two sisters. Max has few friends. His introverted personality keeps him from warming up to people and he only tolerates the other cats in the house. But he does have his favorite people who he socializes with on his terms. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people. He does love his Mommy.



Max used to have a great sense of humor. He had the uncanny ability to find joy in everything. Now he’s a grumpy old guy who’s set in his ways. After quiet mornings in my office with me, he spends his days in the bed under the covers.



Sophie was ten weeks old and living on the streets in a nearby community when she was trapped, spayed and put up for adoption. Rather than see her return to her colony, we took her in and socialized her as best we could. She’s one independent girl, but she also enjoys a nap in a cozy lap. She and Lily have common interests and are best of kitty friends. They especially love tearing around the house chasing each other at breakneck speeds. While Sophie seems like a successfully socialized kitty, there is one thing she won’t tolerate—being held, picked up or otherwise restrained. Try to hold her and she turns into Jello and oozes right out from your grip.



Lily was one of 15 kittens born to three feral cats living on a friend’s property. She was born in a Volkswagen. All of the kittens were transferred to an attic, where they lived out their infancy. When it was time for them to move on, Lily chose us and the remaining 14 kittens were adopted within hours of being placed on Craig’s List. Sigh! I just hope all of the who took those kittens were honorable and not like some of the misguided people who pop up in some of my stories.



Lily was the easiest kitten to socialize. I don’t think anyone told her she came from a feral background. Although the mother (who has since been spayed), was not at all friendly, Lily came to us with the sweetest, gentlest demeanor and the most expressive eyes ever. Lily is pure joy. She loves to cuddle and snuggle—always has to be touching me or at least be where she can see me. But she came without a purr. Really, she doesn’t purr.

I have a lot of fun creating the cat characters in my Klepto Cat Mysteries. Each of them is a mix of cats I’ve known. The main guy, Rags—the klepto cat—is patterned partly after my mother’s big boy cat—Smokey. He exudes personality and confidence. He’s a large grey-and-white kitty whose mother was actually a Ragdoll. Lily gave me the inspiration for the kleptomaniac aspect. She takes stuffed toys from the grandkids’ toy box and brings them to me or drops them around the house. She also steals from my collection of tiny stuffed bears and certain Christmas tree ornaments. She’s also been known to take paper money when she finds it lying around, jewelry and other items.



Lily is the pattern for a new kitten I’m introducing in my next novel—Undercover Cat. What a sweet thing—she was also formerly feral. And one of the catnapped cats in the first book (Catnapped) was almost an exact replica of a friend’s cat, Sally.



Why did I decide to write these Klepto Cat Mystery stories? For my extreme pleasure and hopefully that of many, countless readers. But there is an underlying reason. This is my opportunity to educate readers about cats, to maybe endear some of them to the cat and, hopefully save thousands more cats from abuse and neglect.



Klepto Cat Mystery series

Catnapped, now in Kindle and print. http://amzn.to/14OCk0W

Cat-Eye Witness, still available on Kindle http://amzn.to/1bJiq0x

Sleight of Paw, a new Kindle book. http://amzn.to/1mGuAXQ



Patricia Fry’s websites:

http://www.matilijapress.com

http://www.patriciafry.com



Patricia Fry’s blog sites

http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog

http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

(See photos of cute cats—including Max, Sophie and Lily.)

GIVEAWAY: 3 KINDLE BOOKS TO ONE WINNER

Cat-Eye Witness (A Klepto Cat Mystery)

Catnapped (A Klepto Cat Mystery) by Patricia Fry

Sleight of Paw

To enter contest answer the question below in the comments with name & email address. Winner will have two days to respond to email before another winner will be drawn. Open to US only. Contest starts 2/10/2014 and ends 2/15/2014

How many cats does Patricia have?