Julie Chase

Lacy Crocker is the proud owner of Furry Godmother, a pet boutique and organic treat bakery, in New Orleans. Cat Got Your Secrets is the third book in the Kitty Couture Mystery series. This newest installment is centered around Valentine's Day (without being sappy about it, too -- which I loved!) and a National Pet Pageant.

Lacy is on her way to deliver some treats when she sees emergency vehicles at a crime scene. She discovers that one of her father's friends has been murdered. The major problem is that the last person to see Wallace Becker alive was her father. Lacy knows she has to act fast and investigate Becker's death to prevent her father from being arrested, while juggling her business, serving on the welcoming committee for the pet pageant, and her usual busy life.

Lacy is an enjoyable main character, although a bit spoiled and immature at times. Her mother is incredibly annoying (but the character is meant to come off as utterly impossible). I did find it a bit hard to connect on a personal level with the characters as they are not well developed, which happens sometimes in a fast-paced cozy. I may have had a bit of a disconnect because this is the first book in this series that I've read. I was able to pick up the plot and basic understanding of the characters so that I could enjoy the mystery, but maybe I would feel more connected with these characters if I read the first two books. But, my disconnect might be caused by the fact I don't really find the characters all that likable? They come off as rich and spoiled. But, I was reading the book for the mystery, not to fall in love with the characters. The mystery starts off almost immediately....and kept my attention for the entire book. Great mystery. Slightly annoying characters.

I liked the fast pace, humor, setting, and quirky characters (with the exception of her pushy, annoying mother). There were plenty of suspects, and the mystery is engaging. I enjoyed Cat Got Your Secrets enough to backtrack and read the first two books. Middle of the road rating on this one for me. The mystery kept me reading....but I didn't really care for the characters. If I change my mind after reading the beginning of the series, I will come back and amend this review.

For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://juliechasebooks.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**… (plus d'informations)

Lacy Crocker has settled into a routine with her business and her social life in New Orleans. Her business, Furry Godmother is a pet boutique and organic treat bakery that caters to all animals and is booming. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, she’s busier than ever. She is also helping her mother organize the upcoming National Pet Pageant.

When delivering an order of dreidel-shaped doggy biscuits for a Saint Berdoodle’s bark-mitzvah, Lacy stumbles onto a murder scene. Unfortunately, the last person to talk to the victim alive was her own father.

It’s up to Lacy to clear her father's name from the suspect list before Detective Jack Oliver decides to arrest him. Things are as simple as she thinks they should be when she starts receiving threatening letters from a blackmailer. Threat aside, Lacy doesn’t know when to stop.

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Series: A Kitty Couture Mystery - Book 3
Author: Julie Chase
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

The third addition to the Kitty Couture mystery series, Cat Got Your Secrets is a fun and entertaining read. The character of Lacy is interesting even though a bit immature at times. However, this helps the reader understand the gravity of the situations Lacy gets herself involved in. Which her friends and family are continuously trying to prevent her from getting hurt by.

The character of Jack Oliver is a wonderful romantic lead and is clearly the soul love interest for Lacy. Chase is great, but he is too far into the friend zone to be a real love interest. It will be interesting to learn how this plays out in future additions to the series. Will Lacy grow up and accept that Jack is the only man for her?

Lacy’s mother and father are parents who care deeply about their daughter and also their community. They may not be perfect but they try to do the best they can under the difficult circumstances Lacy puts them into. It would be great if Imogene played a bigger role, and the hints of otherworldly inferences could be made a little more prominent. This will be interesting to see if this happens in future books in the series.

Of course, the story is filled with animals of all types, cats, dogs. llamas, and more, as well as their eccentric owners. Each of the animals and owners is a welcome addition to the story and the plot.

The setting of New Orleans is portrayed vividly. If the reader closes their eyes, they can almost smell the Cajun food cooking, hear the music of the bayou, and feel the sticky heat on a humid day. For anyone who has ever paid a visit to this historical and busy community, they will have a sense of going back in time. For those who haven’t visited New Orleans, they will definitely want to spend some time there.

Ms. Chase writes an easy to read, an entertaining and soul filled story of murder, relationships and ultimately, home and family. The plot is easy to follow if a little disjointed at times. The reader is never led so far down another path that they forget which direction the story is going.

Cat Got Your Secrets is highly recommended. Love of animals, food, and family will draw the reader in without ever having to read the first two books. It is hoped that this series continues on for many more books to come.


… (plus d'informations)

Lacy Marie Crocker owns a pet boutique and bakery in New Orleans. While she'd be more than happy to just run her business, fat (and her socialite mother) have other plans. She's been railroaded into working at the National Pet Pageant, and has been busy running around repairing costumes for the contestants. She's also been spending time with Homicide Detective Jack Oliver, even if it's only been for a lunch every now and then. But unfortunately, while they're thinking of sneaking out for a private lunch instead of the buffet offered, pageant emcee Viktor Petrov plunges to death in front of her.

Still recovering from a close call with a murderer, Lacy is having a difficult time dealing with this added stress. While she'd like nothing more than to distance herself from the murder and let Jack do his job, she soon receives a warning - one of the stuffed cats from her shop is returned to her home by courier - with its eyes sewn with little x's and a threatening note. Now it's become a personal attack, so Lacy decides she needs to get involved before it escalates. But when it most certainly does, will Jack be able to find a killer before a killer finds her?...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have to say that I'm surprised each book has gone on to be better than the last. It seems as if while watching Lacy's life evolve, so has the writing. This is a true plus in any series, and one that will bring readers back for more.

Lacy's personal life is not only in danger, she's still got Chase hot on her heels, right where she needs him every time; and Jack not far behind. I do enjoy the fact that this isn't the tired, old love triangle. There's a definite preference, which makes the book readable instead of 'rolling your eyes-able'.

Lacy is also finding her ground with her mother, and that relationship has progressed nicely; I've come to be fond of Violet Conti-Crocker. We also have a new addition in the form of Willow, a sort of hippie young woman whom Lacy immediately takes to, and someone else is fond of her as well.

I loved the descriptions of New Orleans, and having never been, seeing the city through Lacy's eyes makes me want to hop on a plane and visit. I only wish I could have her as my tour guide. Ms. Chase's depictions are delightful and enticing; bringing the pages to life. Her characters are believable and animated, their personalities also evolving through the series as we learn more about them and their lives.

There's a lot going on in the story, yet it never detracts from the mystery itself, which is well-written and taut. We watch as Lacy struggles to figure out who might want her dead, but with over a hundred suspects - all attendees at the pageant - how many of them not only had Viktor marked for murder, but now her? She's promised her mother to see that Eva Little, who was standing near Viktor, isn't railroaded into jail, but in order to do that she needs to deduce who had the right motive.

It seems Viktor had a lot of people angry at him for various reasons, (none of which I will name here in order not to give too much away for people who have yet to read the book) and any one of them could have pushed him from behind. Sifting through the suspects isn't going to be an easy task, and when the ante on Lacy's life is upped, it also becomes a priority to close the case.

When the murderer is revealed it came somewhat as a surprise; the climactic scene between Lacy and the killer (as we know there will be one) was all that anyone could have asked for. It was suspenseful and well worth reading. The reasons for the murder made perfect sense - in the mind of the murderer, of course - and also in the context of the plot; a worthy effort. In the end, the book was indeed entertaining, an enjoyable mystery; and I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.… (plus d'informations)