Jillian Hart is mad. Her house and cats are her solace since the death of her husband, but somebody broke into her house and the Abyssinian, Syrah, is gone! The police say, "Oh, so nothing of value is missing." WHAT???? When the local cat thief ended up dead, I wasn't surprised. The police decide that stolen cats have nothing to do with the murder (after eliminating Jillian as a suspect). Returning the stolen cats to their owners brings Jillian out of her house and into the community where she finds others who have also suffered loss. By being herself she makes a difference, and her shadow of grief is lifted.

At first I thought I was just reading a parody of cat sleuths and bigoted cops. Jillian is devoted to her cats, which are named after wines. She quilts for cats, she rescues cats, she decorates for her cats, she talks to her cats; she is a colorful stereotype. The police officers responding to the break-in call also painted a caricature: It was Chief Bill Gillespie (In the Heat of the Night — 1967) blocking the efforts of Det. Calleigh Duquesne (CSI Miami — 2009).

After the first chapter, I closed the book and laughed about the profusion of crazy cat lady indicators. Who ever heard of quilting for cats? Then I paused. Next to my computer is a half-size, hand-stitched, Cathedral Window baby quilt on a special shelf for Harley and Lexus because I can't convince them that a keyboard is not a pillow. Oops. I sheepishly picked up the book and continued reading. My reward was a story of healing, happy kitties, romance and a solid mystery to boot.

The Cat, Quilt and the Corpse scratches out the line in the sand between people who deeply love their pets and those who do not, can not, or just will not understand a bond that is as deep and real as that between people. The cat lovers and quilters alike will smirk when they see themselves between the pages.

Reviews of other titles in this series

The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse #1
The Cat, The Lady and the Liar #3
The Cat, The Wife and The Weapon #4
The Cat, The Mill And The Murder #5
The Cat, The Vagabond and the Victim #6