Lara and her Aunt Fran run cat rescue shelter. It’s rewarding to find forever homes for the cats, even though it’s hard to see them go off with their new owners. A fading actress has returned to her home town, in retirement, and wants to adopt a couple of kittens. Even she has to go through the thorough adopting process. But someone has it in for the actress, and threats are a reason for concern, both for the actress and the safety of the kittens. Lara, unfortunately, discovers a dead body, a man who is linked to the actress. To uncover the truth, Lara must dig decades into the past. This well-written and intriguing mystery, coupled with the adorable cats, makes for some very interesting and entertaining reading. ( )

Deanna Daltry grew up in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire, before she became a famous actress. Now that she's older she wants to return home and does so by buying the stone mansion off Cemetery Hill. She has also just adopted two kittens from the High Cliff Shelter for Cats. However not everyone is a fan of the fading star. After being the target of some nasty pranks, Deanna finds herself the prime suspect in a murder investigation when a body is found on her property. Lara is on the hunt for another killer, with the help of a certain blue-eyed ragdoll.

I love the cover. I love cats, I love all animals. I love that Lara and aunt Fran run a shelter, along with their new employee Kayla, that provides the care and love the cats deserve until they can find their perfect home. But these people have their quirks and after reading book three then book one these quirks got on my nerves - the crying!! These people, all of them in the book!, are always crying!! And the abbreviated words got on my nerves. And Lara's childishness when it came to her relationship.. "we had a great night last night but when he text me today he didn't put a smiley face, which can only mean he doesn't like me anymore and wants to break up" Ugh. Otherwise it's another good book in the Cat Lady Mysteries. The mystery itself is well done. I look forward to a break from the people, I'll miss the cats, but I'll keep my eyes open for book four. ( )

Claws of Death is the second book in the Cat Lady Mysteries series. Aging former filmstar Deanna Daltry has come home to Whisker Jog, NH. Lara Caphart and her Aunt Fran run the High Cliff Shelter For Cats. They are delighted when Deanna adopts two kittens from them. Their delight turns into concern when someone begins targeting the former star with, at first, mean pranks hinting at something in the woman's past. When things escalate into dead bodies being discovered on Deanna's property, Lara is on the case to be sure Deanna and her newly adopted fur babies are safe. Unfortunately Deanna is the number one suspect in the murder of a local teacher. Who is out to get the aging star...and why?

I enjoy this series. I like the mix of humor, small town atmosphere and mystery. I foster kittens for the local humane society, so I identify with Lara and Aunt Fran's concerns and hopes for their shelter. The mystery was nicely paced. The kitten/shelter background theme did not overshadow the mystery, but enhanced the main plot. The pacing was perfect. There were plenty of suspects and twists. All in all, Claws of Death is a nice addition to this new cozy mystery series.

I like Lara as a main character. She is funny and feisty, and definitely out to protect the kittens and cats they adopt out. Aunt Fran is a hoot. She's my favorite character in this series so far. Fran is feisty, smart and determined.

I'm definitely looking forward to more books in this series. It won't be a long wait! Book 3, Claws for Celebration, comes out in December 2018!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

First off, I want to say that I need to correct something in the blurb - the Ragdoll isn't a cat that Lara recently encountered; it's the ghost of her own Ragdoll, Blue, who died several years ago. This is important to the story, so thought I should set that straight.

Lara and her Aunt Fran are excited when a Hollywood actress decides to move back to Whisker Jog and adopt one of their rescue cats. When Deanna Daltry arrives, she's more down-to-earth than they expected, and tell her that she grew up there. Deanna decides on a pair of kittens who are brother and sister, and as soon as her application goes through she'll be able to take the furbabies home.

Deanna also tells them that they're invited to a tea given by a local women's club even though they're not members. When they arrive they're just happy to be there. But there's an occurrence when an elderly man enters the premises and seems to have words with Deanna, and he's soon asked to leave. Then Deanna asks Lara to take her handbag out to her car but before she can do so, there's a slight incident regarding the bag but it soon passes and Lara does as asked. However, once outside she sees another elderly man looking into her own car and they have a short conversation and he leaves. When Lara finds Deanna's car, there's a threatening message on the window written in lipstick.

Needless to say, the party ends quickly, the police are informed, and Deanna is shaken up. Later, when Lara and Fran take the kittens to Deanna's mansion, Lara sees the ghost of Blue sitting near a window. Lara looks out and sees a body in the cemetery, and once again, the police are called. It turns out to be the man Deanna was arguing with, and now Deanna is the main suspect.

Lara has misgivings about the kittens but Deanna begs to keep them, so Lara decides to keep an eye on the situation. But then things start to spiral out of control when Lara - even though the police have asked her to stay out of the investigation - allows her curiosity to get the better of her. She starts looking into Deanna's past and the dead man's past, and a series of seemingly random encounters sends her running in different directions to find the truth. But will it be enough? And more importantly, could someone's life depend on what she discovers?...

This is the second book in the series, and I really enjoyed it; more than the first one, I think. I'm beginning to like the characters of Lara and Aunt Fran, but I do think Fran acts a lot older than someone in her fifties. When I first met her I thought she was in her seventies, and she really doesn't act much younger here. Lara seems surprised that Fran is wearing makeup, doing her hair, and dressing nice - like she's never seen her do it before. It seemed odd to me (since almost every woman I know wears makeup).

Other than that, I felt the story was well-written, and I did like the mystery and felt it was genuinely strong; having to go into the past to solve something that happened in the present. I always like tales that merge past and present anyway, so I wasn't disappointed in this.

We also see that Lara is still having some insecurity in her new relationship with attorney Gideon, but they're learning to find their way and even Fran is in the beginning of a relationship herself. There were a couple of tear-jerking moments, which wasn't a bad thing, (bringing up memories of my own parents) so that only added to the story.

I loved the interactions with the cats, and was surprised that someone would balk at having to fill out an application to adopt a cat. You always have to fill out an application when you adopt a pet at any shelter. Although I have never heard of supplying references and found it odd. For myself, I adore cats and have several (including a couple well into their teens - and yes, all indoor.)

In the end though, I felt it came together smoothly. The reason for the murder seemed twisted, yet I do understand the reasons why. One's past always has a bearing on one's future, whether we wish it or not, and it colors our life. A fact that isn't always pleasant, but is always true. Highly recommended. ( )

Claws of Death is the second in this series and I felt that it was not as strong as the first one. The book is a light read, well suited to animal (cats) lovers and those who like a story that involves a lot of character building and relationships. Throughout the book there is information regarding cats, the care and feeding of them as well as a strong recommendation for adopting from a local shelter. The protagonist, Lara lives with her Aunt Fran in a house they have turned into a shelter for abused and/or abandoned cats in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. The shelter then puts the cats up for adoption. In addition, there is a “spirit cat”, Blue, that only the Lara can see, who is helpful in magically focusing the protagonist’s attention on important clues.

The mystery in the book is almost secondary to the relationships both in Lara's personal life and those that are part of the adoption process. When actress Deanna Daltry returns home, her high school boyfriend shows up at a party in her honour. When she shoos him off, he turns up dead. Lara decides to help Deanna in order for her not to feel like a prisoner in her own home. The mystery of who killed the man is hard to solve. There were many people who did not like Deanna when she was younger and might have wanted to frame her for the murder. There is important information that is only provided at the end of the book, as the mystery is solved. This not only makes the mystery almost unsolvable for the reader, but the culprit was hard to believe. The book itself is well written, with good attention to detail. It moves at a smooth pace from beginning to end and is easily read in the space of a few hours. I am not sure if I will continue with this series, but if you love cats, you will probably enjoy this one. ( )