by Cynthia Chow
& Julie Chase

This week we have a review of a fun new pet mystery, Cat Got Your Cash by Julie Chase. We also have a fun pet related guest post by Julie about animal rescue. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Cat Got Your Cash, and a link to purchase it from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Cat Got Your Cash: A Kitty Couture Mystery by Julie Chase
Review by Cynthia Chow

Armed with a passion for fashion and a love for pets, Lacy Marie Crocker has settled into the perfect occupation as owner of New Orleans’s Furry Godmother. An organic bakery and boutique for pets, Lacy has just been given the opportunity to create a fashion companion line for renowned fashion designer Annie Lane. Being shown during the Faux Real arts festival could launch Lacy’s career, but that is quickly snatched out of her grasp when Lacy’s first meeting has her tripping over Annie’s corpse. The true insult is not that Lacy drops her designs in a puddle of blood, but that Annie was bludgeoned to death with her humanitarian award.

Having recently met and suspected Lacy of murder, this time New Orleans Homicide Detective Jack Oliver is more focused on derailing her meddling than seeing her as a culprit. He has cause for concern, as when Lacy inadvertently takes custody of Annie’s two kittens Cotton and Cashmere, they discover that the kitties are accompanied by $10,000 monthly care benefits. So when Lacy’s house is broken into, she is attacked, and then accosted by both Annie’s ex-husband and a cat-headed stalker, it’s attributed more to the feline presence than Annie’s murder. Distracting Lacy is the need to design couture for the Jazzy Chicks charity organization run by her mother, and their rivals the Llama Mamas. Their names are quite literal, so while creating a suspect list that includes Annie’s sibling, protégé, ex-husband, assistant, and animal activists, Lacy will also be designing sequined headpieces, scarves, and sashes for chickens and llamas.

Author Julie Chase takes full advantage of the unique New Orleans setting by highlighting the extravagant celebrations and exuberant parades. It makes it the perfect site for the Furry Godmother and its over-the-top catering to pet couture and cuisine, as this is a town where Mardi Gras gowns are as big as parade floats, weigh as much as a small child, and an outfit isn’t complete without sequins and tulle. Despite the seeming outrageousness and eccentricities of the characters, this second in the Kitty Couture Mystery series is surprisingly grounded and sympathetically follows Lacy’s emotional struggles. She still copes with the trauma of a mugging and attempt on her life, not to mention a broken engagement that has her skittish about the two new possible suitors in her life. That stoic Detective Oliver and pro-volleyball playing attorney Chase Hawthorne are contrasting heirs of new and old money certainly doesn’t make her enviable choice easier, especially considering that they both are very decent gentlemen.

It is Lacy’s friendship with Jack Oliver that makes her investigation seem plausible, as he accepts her input without fully approving it. He has his own intriguing personal mystery to solve, and it looks as though this will lead into the next in the series. This is a novel that succeeds in being even better than its debut, with the mystery being intricate and unpredictable, and the characters imminently likable. This combination of fashion and pets is a standout and should be at the top of every cozy mystery-loving reader’s lists.

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).

Adopt a Pet. Change the World.
by Julie Chase

Have you ever wondered what happens to beloved fur-babies when their families can no longer care for them? What happens if their humans lose their homes, are severely injured, permanently hospitalized or worse? Sometimes, we can make arrangements for our pets, but sometimes we have to let them go. What happens when we let them go? What does that even mean? And what happens if a pet becomes lost or their family is displaced following a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina? All those animals are left without food, shelter and protection. What’s a kitty (or doggy) to do?

Pet adoption is near and dear to my heart, and this is where pet rescuers save the day, not to mention thousands of furry lives every year. Rescue groups mend and protect animals while seeking and vetting potential new families, and making sure pets won’t end up in another shelter one day. They build relationships with the adopting humans, educate them on the animal’s unique situation, and support them as they adjust to the care of a previously lost, abused or abandoned pet. Pet adoption changes the world. Rescuers make a difference in the lives of fuzzy little love bugs and in those of the families who adopt them. And my heart expands until I’m certain it will burst.

Keri’s Doggy, a rescued pup

In Cat Got Your Cash, my heroine, Lacy, steps up to love and care for a murder victim’s kittens, and I think it’s beautiful. People like her save an untold number of pets around the world every year, and they aren’t alone. Local and national groups are also working tirelessly to save these sweet lives. They feed, shelter, groom, and rehabilitate each animal according to its need, and they often do it on donated time and money alone.

Rescued kitty Peony

Organizations like Pawsibilities and the Humane Society are just two of the hundreds of wonderful programs across the country that are changing the lives of abandoned pets. I’m a huge advocate of both, and while I can’t adopt every pet that steals my heart, I can help. And I do. If there’s room in your home for a rescue pet, I hope you’ll consider bringing one into the fold. If you’re looking for a place to donate your money, and get a tax deduction, I hope you’ll consider a rescue or adoption agency. If you’re looking for a place to network, meet likeminded people, or pass some time, I hope you’ll reach out to your local animal shelter. These places need willing hands. Maybe your child or grandchild would like to help out this summer. Kids can volunteer their time, walk and brush the dogs, play with the cats and kitties and renew an animal’s hope. I also like to think we leave those situations with a stronger sense of self and community. Open-eyed and aware. Not only of the need we didn’t see before, but of our ability to make a difference. And we can.

Rescued kitty Mudpie

If you’re not sure how to get started, but you’d like to know more. Here are just three of many wonderful places to get involved:

Best Friends: Save Them All bestfriends.org
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals www.aspca.org
The Humane Society www.humanesociety.org

Check out more animal rescue articles in our Pet Perspective. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue.

To enter to win a copy of Cat Got Your Cash, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “cash,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 13, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section.

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

Cat Got Your Cash: A Kitty Couture Mystery

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

Julie Chase is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. She also writes as Julie Anne Lindsey.

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.