Totally Pawstruck by Sofie Ryan

 (Second Chance Cat Mystery #9)

288 pages / 7 hrs

"Although Sarah Grayson is often tending to the contained chaos of her delightful secondhand store in North Harbor, Maine, plus dealing with the quirky personality of her rescue cat, Elvis, she still takes an occasional night off. But her evening out comes to an abrupt end when Sarah discovers Stella Hall, a member of the library board, standing over a body in the street.
 
"Although Stella admits that she and the victim had fought about several things including library funding, she is adamant that she is innocent and the real killer is on the loose. Sarah is eager to help, but even with the assistance of Charlotte’s Angels, the senior citizen detectives who rent out part of her shop, there is still a vast amount of circumstantial evidence linking Stella to the crime. The odds may be stacked against them, but Sarah and Elvis, along with the Angels, will work hard to check out the suspects and catch a killer."  --from the publisher

I thought it was an average cozy mystery. There isn't anything particularly interesting about the plot or characters. I give it three stars out of five.

Claw Enforcement by Sofie Ryan

Claw Enforcement by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #7)
304 pages

"Sarah Grayson owns a delightful secondhand shop in the small town of North Harbor, Maine, where she and her rescue cat, Elvis, are always finding themselves up to their whiskers in trouble. With the help of a quirky group of senior citizens--who call themselves Charlotte's Angels and work out of the store--they solve crimes both new and vintage.

"Local squabbles about property development have the town in quite a state of drama--and it seems like someone may even be upset enough to kill. When a local man involved in the real estate quagmire falls over dead at a reception to celebrate the harbor front's redevelopment, Sarah gets roped in to investigate by her own IT expert, Mr. P., who has long known the victim's stepfather. Between Sarah, Elvis and Charlotte's Angels, the killer is sure to have claws for concern."  --from the publisher

Although the series has minimized the involvement of the cat, the writing is good and the quirky characters are delightful. I give this one four out of five stars.

No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan

No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #6)
304 pages / 7 hrs, 17 mins

"Sarah Grayson and her feline ally Elvis get a chance to see if their sleuthing skills are up to scratch in the sixth installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries.

"It's fall in North Harbor, Maine, where Sarah owns a charming secondhand shop. A cold case heats up when Mallory Pearson appears at Sarah's doorstep. Mallory's father is in prison for negligence after her stepmother's mysterious death in a house fire, but Mallory believes he's innocent and asks the quirky team of senior citizen detectives who work out of Sarah's shop to take on the case. With Sarah and Elvis lending a paw, they decide to try to give Mallory's father a second chance of his own..."  --from the publisher

I sure enjoy these characters so even though the story was pretty average, it was worth reading.

The Fast and the Furriest by Sofie Ryan

The Fast and the Furriest by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #5)
273 pages / 6 hrs, 55 mins

"Sarah Grayson owns Second Chance, a shop that sells lovingly refurbished items in the charming town of North Harbor, Maine. But she couldn't run the store without the help of her right-hand man, Mac--or her dashing rescue cat, Elvis.

"Mac's life before North Harbor has always been a little bit mysterious, but it becomes a lot more intriguing when a woman from his past shows up in town, and then turns up dead. Suspicion falls on Mac, but Sarah--and Elvis--know he can't be the killer, and they hope they can prove his innocence quick as a whisker."  --from the publisher

Another good installment in the series.   The mystery was well written, but the dialogue was a little too predictable for me.  Time to read something else and come back to the series later.

Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan

Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #4)
372 pages / 6 hrs, 56 mins

"When Sarah Grayson opened a secondhand shop in the quaint town of North Harbor, Maine, she was expecting peace and quiet. Then she was adopted by a rescue cat named Elvis and a kooky trio of senior sleuths known as Charlotte's Angels. Now she has nine lives worth of excitement...

"Sarah's friend and employee Rose is delivering a customer's purchase when the quick errand becomes a deadly escapade. Rose arrives just in time to see the customer murdered by his wife, but before she can call the police, she is knocked out cold. When she wakes up, no one believes her, especially after the woman claims her husband is very much alive and has left her for someone else--and has a text message and empty bank account to prove it."  --from the publisher

Another good installment in the series with less focus on Elvis and more on the private investigating team.  I gave it four out of five starts (rounding up from 3.5).

A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan

A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #3)
336 pages / 8 hrs, 12 mins

"Spring has come to charming North Harbor, Maine, and with the new season comes a new haul for Second Chance, the shop where Sarah Garyson sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. Sarah is turning her keen eye to the estate of collector Edison Hall, hoping for fabulous finds for Second Chance--but when her rescue cat Elvis discovers a body in the kitchen, everything goes paws up.

"The body belongs to an appraiser who had been hired to check out Edison's wine collection. When Edison's sister shows up at Second Chance, she hires Sarah's friends--the kooky and charismatic trio of ladies who call themselves Charlotte's Angels and work out of the shop--to solve the murder, Sarah knows she and Elvis are only going to get deeper into the case. But as it becomes a cat and mouse game of lies, cons, cheats, and family squabbles, can Elvis and Sarah claw their way to the truth before the killer slinks away forever?"  --from the publisher

This series of cozy mysteries is well written and a lot of fun!  Great summer reading!

Buy a Whisker by Sofie Ryan

Buy a Whisker by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #2)
336 pages

"Things have been quiet in the coastal town of North Harbor, Maine, since Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, solved their first murder. Sarah is happy running Second Chance, the shop where she sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. But then she gets dragged into a controversy over developing the waterfront. Most of the residents--including Sarah--are for it, but there is one holdout--baker Lily Carter.

"So when Lily is found murdered in her bakery, it looks like somebody wanted to remove the only obstacle to the development. But Sarah soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems. Now, with the help of her cat's uncanny ability to detect a lie, Sarah is narrowing down the suspects. But can she collar the culprit before the ruthless killer pounces again?"  (from the publisher)

This is another fun installment in the series.  For some reason the publisher's summary doesn't include the elderly ladies' "Charlotte's Angels" private investigation agency, but they are a hoot!  Ryan knows how to craft a great cozy mystery.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan

The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan
(Second Chance Cat Mystery #1)
336 pages / 8 hrs, 16 mins

"Sarah Grayson is the hapy proprietor of Second Chance, a charming shop in the oceanfront town of North Harbor, Maine. At the shop, she sells used items that she has lovingly refurbished and repurposed. But her favorite pet project so far has been adopting a stray cat she names Elvis...

"But when Sarah's elderly friend Maddie is found with the body of a dead man in her garden, the kindly old lady becomes the prime suspect in the murder... So it's up to Sarah and Elvis to clear her friend's name and make sure the real murderer doesn't get a second chance."  --from the publisher

This description doesn't include "Charlotte's Angels."  Maddie's elderly friends who are determined to help out with the investigation.  They are wonderful characters.  The book is well written, but a little slow/repetitive in a few places.  Elvis is a key player in solving the mystery reminding me of "The Cat Who" series by Lilian Jackson Braun (which I LOVED).