by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win either an ebook or print copy of Claws of Action. There is also a link to purchase it Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Lara Caphart was about to see her dream come true. The High Cliff Shelter for cats was opening an official reading room, where shy children can sit and read to one of the resident shelter cats. Lara’s joy is cut short by the unexpected arrival of Evonda Fray, the new Whisker Job, New Hampshire health inspector. Declaring that the tea and cookies Lara and her Aunt Fran serve are made in an unlicensed cat café, Evonda seems to revel in her promise to shut them down before their first official “Read to a Cat” day grand opening.

Evonda’s nefariousness extends past her job duties, as her new tenant Brian Downing comes to the High Cliff Shelter pleading for them to take in his beloved cat Smuggles. It seems his anti-cat landlord Evonda has threatened to evict Brian or remove the cat herself from the premises. After making a few threats himself, Brian is looking for a safe haven for the feline who saved the man’s sanity after a divorce.

Unfortunately, when Evonda is found gruesomely murdered in her car, police are quick to arrive at the shelter doorstep. While cat hair on the scene leads them back to Lara as a suspect, it is additional evidence that places Brian in their sights. The real betrayal for Aunt Fran comes when it is her boyfriend, Police Chief Jerry Whitley, who not only delivers the news in person and takes hair samples from their beloved cat residents, he is unable to remember their names. With far too many murders in her recent past, not to mention the danger she faced, Lara has been adamant that she would remain uninvolved and leave the investigation up to the authorities. It seems that fate has different plans for her though, as her Guardian Angel Blue does everything an unseen cat can do to see that Lara tracks down the truth.

Pet lovers will immediately fall in love with this series that begins with a listing of the cat characters and all of their adorable traits. While they and the cage-free shelter are the heart of the novel, Lara and her friends propel the action and prove to be layered and realistically complicated.

Lara and her attorney boyfriend Gideon have forged a supportive and trusting bond – he accepts her Cat Lady tendencies – but the relationships around them are shown to stumble through miscommunications and mistrust. Young assistant Kayla Ramirez is feeling sensitive about her single status amidst so many couples, “perfect” couple Charlie and Nina Blackstrom are sharing a lot of passive-aggressive exchanges, and Police Chief Jerry is definitely on Aunt Fran’s “ignore” call list. Intriguingly, the detestable, cat-hating Evonda is revealed to have a past that makes her, to an extent at least, sympathetic.

Lara and her Aunt Fran have created an enviable cat haven for its lucky residents, and the appreciation of the bonds between felines and humans is celebrated. Whether through a creative Read-to-a-Cat program, Forever Home adoptions, or the healing power of companionship, these furry friends are lauded as being vital to a happy community. Readers can’t go wrong with this fun mystery full of books, cats, and the humans who love them.

To enter to win either an ebook or print copy of Claws of Action, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “claws,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 31, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. BE SURE TO STATE IF YOU WANT EBOOK OR PRINT. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Claws of Action

You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.