The Cat, The Lady and the Liar
Cats In Trouble Mystery Series No 3
Leann Sweeney

Obsidian / Penguin
April 5, 2011/ ISBN 9780451233028
Mystery / Feline
Amazon

Reviewed by Beth E. McKenzie

This third installment of the Cats In Trouble Mystery Series relies less upon the cat, who is rescued by page 1, and continues to integrate Jillian into the area she now calls home. Mercy, South Carolina, became a hotbed of quilts, coffee and murder with the arrival of Jillian Hart, and they are both soon to join the ranks of deadly grande-dames and their locations. I'm sure you are familiar with Aunt "Body in the Library" Jane and Cabot "Don’t Swim Alone" Cove.

Isis is a diamond-collared stray picked up near the highway and her microchip says that Ritaestelle Longworth in neighboring Westover is missing her pampered cat. When attempts to contact the owner go unheeded, Jillian plays a little trick on Ritaestelle’s human guard dogs in order to gain access to the doyenne. The ruse doesn’t quite work and she is expelled from the stately manor.

The Westover Police Chief emphasizes the family’s displeasure with a warning to stay away from the mansion and out of Westover. That night Ritaestelle unexpectedly shows up at Jillian’s house in her robe and slippers asking not only to see her cat, but begging the cat crusader to find out who is drugging her. Her reputation leans toward that of the matriarch on a throne, eccentric habits, and in recent months, hints of dementia, making Jillian hesitant. Fifteen minutes later they run out of choices with a dead body in the lake at Jillian’s dock, blood on a cat and the whole 3-ring police circus in the backyard putting Jillian on the high wire.

I find these novels formulaic, but enjoyable. We have the cat in trouble, Jillian finding a body related to the cat in question and subsequently being under suspicion. She will investigate with the help of the deputy, her boyfriend and stepdaughter, usually by sidestepping the Law; and then be held at gunpoint in her own home. Stereotypes abound for superwomen in authority and losers that are jealous of people who can succeed in their lives. She will feel guilty for moving on after her husband’s death, but in the end, a cat will save the day!

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