Copycat Killing (Magical Cats)

It is winter time in Mayville Heights and to the shock of Librarian Kathleen and best friend, Maggie more than one body has been found floating in the Artists Co-Op basement. Trying to get those images from her mind, Kathleen takes her turn to care for the feral cats up at old Wisteria Hill. Luckily she is not alone as the hillside gives away and sweeps Kathleen over 10' down and she emerges along with the skull of another body!

This book was filled with humor, truly scary episodes that will have you gasping, and ends with you feeling the love that tightens the bond of the residents from the past to current days and onwards.

Hercules and Owen are present and they help all they can to solve these murders. I do wish Kathleen had someone she could share 'their' secret with though.

This was a rich and satisfying mystery novel. I look forward to the next installment.

This is the third book in the series and of the three, this was my least favorite. I'm not saying I did not like it but I found it sort of a long read. The other two I devoured in just a couple of days - this book took me about two weeks. I think this book did have a positive aspect in that the magical cats tended to be more front and center in this novel vs. the humans. I think Kelly has a talent for describing these cats and their personalities, their likes and dislikes. She makes them real and I think that is a special talent when describing cats that can disappear at will or walk through walls! I think the Funky Chicken cat toy aspect is getting a bit over used though. However, I am happy about the development of the love interest in this story. The ending leaves you with hope for more to come in future books surrounding this aspect related to the lady librarian and the local cop. I think Kelly is doing a good job of building this relationship as she tends to do with all the characters. This is one book where you look forward to the next saga to see what happens in the lives of these people that grace this small town.

It's raining in Mayville Heights, MN. In fact, it's been raining for entirely too long. Kathleen Paulson's town library, though not threatened by the rising waters, has had to close because the streets are blocked, and there's four feet of cold, dirty river in the basement of the artists' co-op, to say nothing of leaks in various parts of the building, forcing its manager, her friend Maggie, to play shuffle-the-art and end up with most of it in her dance-and-tai-chi studio, which tends to make classes impractical. When Kathleen goes out to the deserted estate of Wisteria Hill to take her turn at feeding the troop of feral cats that lives there, an earthen bank, weakened by the rain, gives way under her weight--and reveals a human skeleton. Not long afterward, one of the co-op artists, who had been loudly attempting to stir up support for the concept of corporate sponsorship, is found dead in the basement's unwanted indoor pool. The steps, being wet, are slippery; did he fall in by accident? Of course not. Meanwhile the skeleton has proved to be not only in the ground but in someone's closet: it's the mortal remains of the biological father of Kathleen's friend Roma, who vanished when she was very young. When the dead artist proves to be a former forger of religious art, and some journals lent to Kathleen for the library's centennial exhibition turn out to have a number of pages neatly razored out, the mystery deepens. Add in the operations, back in the 50s and early 60s, of a so-called "knitting club" that was actually a kind of updated Underground Railroad devoted to getting abused women away from their men and to safety, and you have the recipe for a complex and fascinating mystery which also provides, at last, an explanation of why Wisteria Hill has gone unoccupied for so long.

Kelly did make two rather egregious errors of fact that her editor should have caught: it wasn't Flower's mother in [[ASIN:B004AKCMDO Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition)]], but Thumper's father, who advised that "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all;" and drowned bodies don't float--with their natural buoyancy destroyed by the water filling their internal cavities, they sink. But her characters, both feline and human, are well-drawn, and the small-town setting is nicely done--and the mystery, as usual, has a nice twist in its tail at the end.

Sofie Kelly's series about a librarian in small-town Minnesota is unlikely to make it onto anyone's list of Important Fiction. This is just good "entertain me" storytelling that helps me unwind after a long, stressful day: fun characters, a puzzle or two to solve, and a dollop of romance. I've read the earlier books in the series, so when I saw this one on the shelf at my local bookstore, I grabbed it. I'm glad I did.

In this installment, Kathleen has been librarian in Mayville Heights for about a year. When a long soaking rain causes the ground to shift at Wisteria Hill, she (literally) uncovers a long-dead body... who, it appears, is the father of one of her friends. And then an artist at the co-op is discovered in the flooded basement. Some things don't add up... and, of course, Kathleen pokes around to find out the real story -- aided by Hercules and Owen, Kathleen's cats, who appear to have some extra-special powers. And, oh yeah, helped by that hunky detective, too, who Kathleen is beginning to admit might be more cute than annoying.

If you have read the earlier novels, you'll like this one as well. (You COULD read this standalone, but I think you'd miss a lot.) The "charming" setting isn't quite as high as it was in [[ASIN:0451237544 Curiosity Thrilled the Cat]], and the mystery was only okay, but I certainly kept reading all the way through.

But the cats are in fine fettle, and that makes all the difference: "He didn't exactly look innocent -- that's hard to do when your fur is all messed up, you have dirt on your nose, and one ear is turned inside out -- but he tried." I love the cats and Kathleen's relationship with them.

I've been saying since the first book that this is a mystery series for us cat people, and it's continued to be so. If you liked the previous books, you can buy this one with confidence.

I love when cozies have a historical mystery to solve as well as the modern day one. This one is very complex and had me guessing until the very end. The secrets hidden on Wisteria Hill have affected so many lives, and the difficult subject matter involved made me form an even deeper attachment to these characters.

With each book in this series Owens and Hercules are getting more and more involved in Kathleen's cases, and she actually pays attention to what they're trying to tell her. They are an unbeatable team in a series that keeps getting better and better! (Don't you just want to scoop up those little fur angels on the cover and take them home???)

Copycat Killing
By Sofie Kelly
Copyright May 2012
Publisher: Obsidian Mystery

Everyone thinks their cats are special--but Owen and Hercules have powers that go far beyond an adorable look or an irresistible purr. Along with their owner, librarian Kathleen Paulson, they have an uncanny instinct for solving crimes...

It's been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights. The small town's been deluged, and now the local artists' co-op is on the verge of flooding. Kathleen has been up all night helping her friends move their creations to the safety of the upstairs studio.

The artwork survives, but when controversial mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the co-op basement, Kathleen questions whether the death was accidental. After she discovers the artist was using an assumed name, she realizes she can't actually assume anything about him. With the help of handsome detective Marcus Gordon--and her cats' extraordinary powers of detection--it's up to Kathleen to unmask a killer.

It's been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights and the town just might float away if it doesn't stop. Everyone is on edge, and if they have businesses on the main strip they are shoring up the place and pumping out water as fast as they can.
Kathleen is home with her two cats Owen and Hercules. Owen is not very happy about the rain boots he is modeling (he hates to get his paws wet) and Hercules appears to be laughing at him (as much as a cat can laugh). After removing the offending boots from Owen, Kathleen locked up the house and went to meet Maggie at the Artist's Co-op to help move things up to the second floor so they wouldn't get water damaged. Kathleen and Maggie move all the perishables up to the second floor and run into one of the other co-op members, Jaeger Merrill, who just has to get his .02 cents in even when no one wants to hear it. He has this plan to hire a manager to run the co-op and to look for corporate sponsorship.
The majority of the members aren't interested he just keeps harping on it. It's no wonder that a couple of hours later when Maggie is checking the water level in the basement she finds his dead body floating at the foot of the stairs. Who did it, and why are the main questions, and that is the crux of this story.
We find out many secrets and hidden pasts, things best left alone, and now shining in the light of day.
Copycat Killing is the third book in the Magical Cats Mystery series and by far the most complex one to date. I enjoyed it immensely and strongly suggest that you add it to your book ordering lists.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the author, who only asked for a fair and impartial review of it.

Well formed story! Love the two footed creatures but the four footed creatures are more fun!
Already looking forward to the next book!

This was a good read. Dead bodies seems to find Kathleen when first she falls down an embankment and then finds one drowned in basement. Are the two incidents connected, despite being years apart? Is the drowning accidental or murder? That is what I faced as this book became a page-turner that I could not put down. The author did a good job in keeping me guessing in this mystifying whodunit. The story boasts a strong heroine who is making her own way in her newly adopted town, two friendly felines who are a whiz at communicating and a supporting cast that rounds out this charmingly terrific series and with that ending, I can't wait for the next book in this lighthearted tale.

I have not read this book but have read the first 3- they were great. I have 2 kitties & they do seem similar. I think all Kitty Mommies & Daddies will see their fur babies in them. It is a sweet simple read.
I've gotten the book & read it. The fur babies are as adorable as ever. I like that it the characters grow as the series goes along. One can read just one, but why?

I bought all of the Sophie Kelly Magical Cats Mysteries. They are really good. Lots of fun to read. The cats are just as fun as the people involved. Each book further develops the community of characters in the series. Some stories are funnier than others, yet there is a delight in reading all of them. Not an easy trick when you are trying to present a serious subject like murder. She blends the pain and serious subject of who did it, why, how, and how to protect the innocent who get accused of the "deed", with humor that we can all find in our lives and appreciate. I have enjoyed them all. Hope she keeps writing more. You learn to love the town, the people, and the community they create because of their talents, even their weaknesses, and their caring for others. You have a 'who done it', with some suspense, a story of people caring about each other, and some of the joy and frustration in being a cat/pet lover. Ultimately you feel good and are glad you took the time to get to know these characters by reading these books.