Murder of a Cranky Catnapper by Denise Swanson

Murder of a Cranky Catnapper (Scumble River Mystery, #19) (Berkley Prime Crime)

by Denise Swanson

In this delightful Scumble River Mystery, a school psychologist has her hands full after a school board sourpuss meets a bitter end...
 
With her morning sickness finally abated, Skye Denison-Boyd is ready to pounce on the pertinent problems she faces as Scumble River Elementary School’s psychologist. After trying almost every trick in the book to aid a handful of socially awkward fourth grade boys, Skye opts for the innovative approach of pet therapy with the assistance of the local vet, a Siberian husky, and a Maine coon cat.
 
Unfortunately, the first session only breeds disaster and draws the ire of cantankerous school board member Palmer Lynch. But Skye’s worry over the episode changes to dread after Lynch is found dead in his home with the therapy cat hidden in his garage. With a clowder of questions unleashed, Skye finds herself dealing with a killer who isn’t pussyfooting around...

Reviewed by Silvara on

4 of 5 stars

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I received this book for free from Berkley Prime Crime in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was both a really funny book, and a more suspenseful one. I had no idea who the killer was, it actually came as a complete surprise. But it made total sense once the reveal happened. And I liked how they brought the person in for questioning at the police station at the end, instead of being one of those cozies where the main character ends up being in fear for her life.

I liked how real the characters felt, there were no cardboard cut-outs, even with the ones who weren't as central to the plot. Skye was my favorite character, but all of them were fun to read about.

I liked how Skye came across clues, as well as helping her Police Chief husband. A number of times it was a case of 'right place, right time' and done in believable ways. Other times, it was something little that almost felt like filler, until Skye suddenly put two and two together.

I haven't read any other books by this author before, but after reading this one I now want to go back and read all the previous books in this series and try out her other works. If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it!

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 September, 2016: Finished reading
  • 22 September, 2016: Reviewed