The Fast and the Furriest

The Fast and the Furriest by Sofie Ryan is the fifth installment in A Second Chance Cat Mystery series. Sarah Grayson owns Second Chance in North Harbor, Maine. Sarah is refurbishing an item for the shop when she is approached by Erin Fellowes looking for Mac McKenzie (a part-time employee of Sarah’s). Mac is a private man who has not shared any details of his past. When Mac returns Sarah passes along the message from Erin. Later that evening Mac shows up at Sarah’s house. He was unable to find Erin and wants to tell Sarah about his past. His wife, Leila has been in a coma for two years from a carbon monoxide leak in their home. Mac was the main suspect and Leila’s parents sued for guardianship. While they are talking, Detective show more Michelle Andrews shows up looking for Mac. Erin Fellowes was found dead and a witness claims Mac was arguing with her before her death. Sarah with help from Elvis (her cat) and Charlotte’s Angels goes about locating Erin’s killer and discovering what happened to Leila two years prior.

The Fast and Furriest can be a standalone. The necessary details are provided in the book. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. The Fast and Furriest is a light, entertaining cozy mystery. The story has a good pace and great characters (Mr. P is one of my favorites). I love Sarah’s business and her creative ideas. I like the interactions between the characters along with the scenes between Elvis and Sarah. The author is adept at dialogue. The mystery is nicely constructed. Clues are provided to aid readers in identifying the culprit. There is also misdirection that could send you down the wrong path. I appreciated getting to know Mac in this story. I hope we will see him again in the future books. It will be interesting to see what develops between Sarah and Nick. There are those cozy moments that readers love (cooking, going out, gossip, friendship, and family) as well as light-hearted humor. If you are looking for a charming cozy mystery with a smart main character and an adorable cat, then you should check out The Fast and the Furriest. show less

There was something about this book; I enjoyed it more than the last one, even though Ryan used more than a couple tried and true tropes. Somehow she just made it work.

Sarah's friend and employee Mac, he of the simmering romantic tension and secret past, has just had his past come to visit. When her dead body is found, Mac is, of course, the prime suspect. Sarah's grandmother's friends kick in to gear to help dig Mac out of being rail-roaded for a crime he didn't commit.

As I said, tropes galore. But Ryan makes subtle choices that perhaps make the story work: the seniors that investigate are actually licensed private detectives (or at least, one of them is, and the rest are legitimately working with him) and they always cooperate with show more law enforcement. That's not to say there aren't a few moments where belief must be suspended (the final scene comes to mind), but for the most part, this isn't some insane slapstick caper.

I've been head down in a lot of historical fiction and popular science lately, and this was a nice, light break that offered a well plotted mystery to boot. Just what I needed. show less

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.

Sarah is dertermined to clear Mac, one of her employees, of a murder charge. She engages the help of the elderly Charlotte’s Angels, a detective group that is up to the challenge. This cozy is the fifth in the series, and though the characters continue to develop as their lives go on, the backstories are explained so the story can work as a standalone. Well written with interesting characters, identifying the murderer will keep readers turning the pages, especially for those who enjoy solving the case along with the characters.

Another enjoyable entry in the Second Chance Cat cozy mystery series. Sarah Grayson, aided by friends and by her intrepid cat Elvis, springs into action when employee Mac is accused of the murder of a woman from his past. Sarah knows that Mac is not capable of murder, and Elvis agrees.

Light and fun.

The Fast and The Furriest is the fifth book in the A Second Chance Cat Mystery series.

Sarah Grayson and the Charlotte’s Angel have a case that hits close to home this time.

Sarah was busy sanding a metal cart when a stunning, mid-thirties stunning lady, Erin Fellows, approaches her and asks to see Mac, her handyman, that it is very important that she speak with him. When Mac gets the message he tries calling Erin but the calls keep going to voicemail, so he heads out to look for her, telling Sarah that he looked all over downtown North Harbor. Later there is a knock on the door and Sarah finds detective Michelle Andrews at the door and wanting to talk to Mac. Knowing this can’t be good, Sarah calls a lawyer, Josh Evans and the three show more of them meet with Michelle at the police station. Soon a witness comes forward who claims he saw Mac talking to Erin downtown. So, Mac is arrested for Erin’s murder and soon Michelle is taken off the case because of her being friends with Mac and Sarah.

Liz, Rose, and Charlotte, almost known as Charlotte’s Angels along with Mr. P set off to clear Mac from the murder charge. With the information that Mac shares from his past, they set off to investigate a company that manufactures skin care products for possible mismanagement. (This is Mac’s story to tell, so I will let the readers hear his story as they read the book.)

As always, Charlottes are very determined to have justice served. Once again Rose and Mr. P excel and also provide a few light humor moments.

A very well told story and one that kept me in the dark until the end.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

The Fast And The Furriest
By
Sophie Ryan

What it's all about...

Maine, mystery and a murder! The stuff cozy mysteries are made of! Oh and I forgot...almost forgot...about the cat! The lovely smart and lovable cat...Elvis...who watches Jeopardy every day as his way to relax!

Why I wanted to read it...

The premise of these cozies is always that someone is murdered. In this case a woman comes to town looking for someone and before she finds him she is murdered. That leaves everyone else hustling to find out what, who , and why.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

This book takes place with a cast of quirky interesting characters who are all connected to a second hand store in North Harbor, Maine. There are tons of antiques, lots of coffee, show more great conversations and yummy sweet treats.

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who love really well written cozy mysteries will adore this book. I can’t wait to read more of the books in this series!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it. show less