What can go wrong when an elderly matriarch leaves the family fortune to her cat? Just about everything, including ‘catnapping’ and murder!

CATNIP is a mystery set in the picturesque town of Dunbarton, Ontario, and tells the story of what befalls the dysfunctional Dunbar family, and the chaos that ensues, when the matriarch of the clan leaves the family fortune to her cat.

That formidable feline proves to be more than a match for the humans in his life, until one fateful night when, caught unawares, he is stuffed in a sack and carried away.

A nosy neighbor with a nasty, suspicious mind points the finger of suspicion at the Dunbars and Christopher Mallory, the young attorney who is the trustee of the estate, and under the terms of the will, they face losing everything.

When a murder occurs, Christopher finds himself confronting a ruthless killer who would do anything to conceal his or her identity, including to kill again.-Via Goodreads

I’ve read the third book in this series, so I picked up Catnip to see how the series started, and I wasn’t disappointed. I liked that there was two separate mysteries combined in one plot, the catnapping of Marmalade and a murder. The first part of the book was concerned with setting the scene, introducing the characters, and laying the foundation of the plot, and then the lead-up to the catnapping had me on pins and needles, sure the dastardly event would happen on the next page. I thought it was a pretty effective way to really grab hold of a reader! Although the ending was a tiny bit implausible, it was exciting and satisfying and tied everything up nicely.

Note: No animals are harmed in this story

I have to say; at the beginning of the book the Dunbars were a petulant and shallow bunch, but the author did a great job redeeming them. I liked that they gained a lot of dimension by the end of the story, evolving into realistic and likable group that you want to visit again and again. Marmalade is the true star of the show, of course. He’s definitely star material!

Overall, this is a delightful and well written cozy mystery debut, and I definitely recommend it for fans looking to get wrapped up in a new world.