Reading the Meow Review: The Cat Who Caught a Killer (Conrad the Cat Detective Book 1) by L. T. Shearer

My Interest

I I found this book in someone’s Twitter/X tweet/post, but forgot to note just who posted it! It was just right for #ReadingtheMeow24. By now you all know I’m a cat-lover. Add in a cat on a narrowboat (canal boat) and well, …..pretty much this story was written for me. 

Thanks to blogger Literary Potpourri for hosting #ReadingtheMeow24

FYI: If you are curious to see what narrowboats look like click HERE –this blog has marvelous photos of them.

The Story

Former police officer Lulu Lewis has tragically lost her husband in a hit-and-run accident. She can’t face staying in the wonderful home they shared with her very elderly mother-in-law who is now in a nursing home so Lulu has been staying on her narrowboat in London’s Little Venice (click) not far from Maida Vale where the house is. One day, Lulu is adopted by an unusual cat. Not only is the cat a rare male calico, but he talks. No, he doesn’t just “meow” in response he speaks English. But never in front of anyone but Lulu. To add to his eccentricity, Conrad the Calico Cat, likes to ride, draped around Lulu’s neck like a scarf. Oh, and he drinks Evian water.

When Lulu’s beloved mother-in-law, Emily dies suddenly, Emily finds out that the will hasn’t been changed and her loser brother-in-law, Richard and his wife get all of Emily’s estate–except for Richard’s offer allowing Lulu to pick a few sentimental items to remember Emily by. Richard’s current wife, a Spanish women several years younger than her husband is hot to sell everything and go back to Spain. Her brother, Juan, is equally eager for this to happen. When Lulu’s police office Spidey senses kick in…. [No Spoilers] well, you read book’s title, right?

FYI: There’s a video at the end of this post that tells about London’s Little Venice.

My Thoughts

This is a cozy so you don’t question things to severely. Do nursing homes in the UK really have resident’s full week of medication out in one of those weekly pill organizers? Seems like a big liability problem to me! Plus if Emily has Alzheimer’s and forgets to take her pills she could also forget she took them! But, who cares, right? It makes the story work.

I loved Lulu and Conrad (and Emily). Conrad talks, but this attribute never strays into the realms of the precious. You all know by now that I hate the realms of the precious! He is wonderful. I love that he stayed close to Emily when she was stressed and gave her head butts just like my cats do. So sweet. This book definitely made me a fan of the series so I will be reading or listening to the others. Currently Conrad is up to Book 3 which doesn’t come out here in the USA until October. 

My Verdict

3.5

The Cat Who Caught a Killer (Conrad the Cat Detective Book) by L. T. Shearer