Mimi Lee Cracks the Code

Mimi Lee has become a staple in my cozy mystery rotation. I had the pleasure of reading all three books in the series (so far) as arcs, and I've grown to love each journey with the charismatic lead character and her charming cat Marshmallow more than the previous. In this installment, the entire novel felt more complex than the previous two, which I loved! The mystery has many aspects to it, there is a bit of turbulence in Josh and Mimi's romantic relationship, and we get to see a little deeper into her and Alice's struggles with their identity within the Malaysian community. There is plenty of information included in this book where it can be read as a standalone, but I personally think you should read all three for the cozy, wonderful adventures, as well as more sassy Marshmallow!<br /><br /><i>*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.</i>

If I’m going to check out a cozy series, it might as well have a charming talking cat named Marshmallow, right?! I read book one, Mimi Lee Gets a Clue, when it debuted in 2020, and while I’ve missed book two, I still really enjoyed Mimi Lee Cracks the Code and felt like I had enough backstory on the main character to follow this fun and quirky mystery.<br /><br />Mimi’s friend, Pixie, has been accused of murdering her tenant. Of course Mimi believes her friend, that she would not have committed murder, and Mimi and Marshmallow are on the case to solve who did it.<br /><br />Also included in the story are touches of Mimi’s family life, as well as a little romance. Mimi and Marshmallow are SO CUTE. This was a refreshing change of pace for me right now, and I had fun with it.<br /><br />I received a gifted copy.<br /><br />Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.jennifertarheelreader.com">www.jennifertarheelreader.com</a> and instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.instagram.com/tarheelreader">www.instagram.com/tarheelreader</a>

Dollycas’s Thoughts<br /><br />Having Pixie St. James invest in Mimi Lee’s Hollywoof Pet Grooming business comes with a really nice perk. Pixie has a vacation house on Catalina Island and she has offered it to Mimi and her boyfriend Josh for a short little vacay. Of course, Mimi’s sassy cat will be going with them. Any romantic ideas fly out the window soon after they arrive. The tenant who had booked the place for the previous week did not leave as planned. Unfortunately, he’s dead and Pixie has been determined to be the prime suspect. Well, Mimi knows that just can’t be true and she is going to prove it.<br /><br />Mimi Lee is a very likable character. She is smart and truly loves her job. She is also very loyal to her sister and her friends like Pixie. Her mother is all about getting her daughters married off. In this story, she signs Mimi’s sister up for a crazy speed dating event. Mimi doesn’t let her sister go alone. She does everything she can to stay right by Alice’s side until they can both duck out of the loser event. For Pixie she goes above and beyond too, uncovering a really unsavory individual or two and finding a link to other strange events happening on the island. As far as Josh, he ticked me off a bit but If Mimi can forgive him maybe I will too.<br /><br />The character that really steals the limelight again is Mimi’s wonderful telepathic sassy cat. Marshmallow really lets Mimi know exactly what he is thinking which cues up a fantastic amount of comedy. His zingers are priceless. The cool thing is that he can communicate with other animals and report their observations to Mimi. What I really love is that he does help Mimi solve the case, he is not there just for fluff and funny.<br /><br />Ms. Chow has encased her great characters in a complicated and fun mystery. There are plenty of suspects and some really nice twists and turns before Mimi Lee Cracks the Code. I had a great time following along every step of the way. I was kept guessing right up until the very end.<br /><br />I do enjoy the way all the subplots and mystery evolve concurrently. Mimi’s family can be a real hoot. Their family meals and game nights are events not to be missed. Our family holds some of the same but I sure can’t hold a candle to Mimi’s mom. They do have a very strong family unit that I find heartwarming even with all her antics.<br /><br />All the books in this series have been entertaining. Mimi has grown over the course of the books but like almost every amateur sleuth she sometimes leaps into a situation before thinking it through. That is what makes cozy mysteries fun to read at sometimes keeps us on the edge of our seats. I am excited about the continuation of this series because I definitely need more Mimi and Marshmallow in my life.

If there is one thing I truly enjoy is a cozy mystery. Who doesn’t love a cozy cat mystery? Well, I certainly do and Jen Chow does an amazing job with this one. I have never read any book by this author, but she clearly knows how to grasp at the reader’s interest throughout. This is one not to be missed at all. I highly recommend it

I enjoyed this cozy mystery featuring pet groomer and amateur sleuth Mimi Lee….and quite a surprise, she can communicate with her cat!<br /><br />The mystery was complex enough to make it difficult to figure out whodunit. Also I like the touch of romance in this book with her boyfriend Josh. I am also wondering if there is more of a relationship with the hunky detective. I need to read the first two books in the series to figure that out.<br /><br />This book is the third in the series, but it can be read as a standalone.<br /><br />I highly recommend this fresh and fun cozy mystery!<br /><br />I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher!<br />

Mimi Lee Cracks The Code is the third book in the Sassy Cat Mystery series. In this one Mimi, Marshmallow, and Josh take a little trip to Catalina Island when Mimi's friend, Pixie St. James, offers her vacation home for a quick getaway. Things don't go as planned when Pixie's last renter turns up dead. Mimi and Marshmallow have to solve this mystery because Pixie is accused of the murder.<br /><br />As soon as I started reading it felt like meeting up with an old friend. Mimi and Marshmallow are wonderful characters. I like Mimi's family. Marshmallow is hilarious. What I like about Mimi as a sleuth is that she doesn't assume she's right about everything. She comes up with an idea and follows up on it. Some of the things she has to do is because she doesn't get enough information out of the police. <br /><br />There are several things that appear to be happening so there is a lot to figure out. I didn't guess the killer and I wasn't quite satisfied with who it was. Some things that I have grown to love about this series is Mimi's quirkiness. She's pretty bold with her investigations and sometimes gets into embarrassing situations even if she's the only one that notices. There wasn't as much of that this time around and I missed it. The story was really focused on the mystery but I also enjoy reading about Mimi at work, with her family, and everything else. I can't wait for more in this series.

Watch out Sherlock and Watson, you have sleuthing competition! Mimi Lee and her telepathic cat, Marshmallow, are on the case once again.<br /><br />Mimi Lee, a pet groomer in Los Angeles, is offered a little vacation on beautiful Catalina Island by one of her clients. Pixie has rental property there and offers it as a perfect romantic getaway for Mimi and her boyfriend, Josh.<br /><br />The vacay doesn’t go smoothly for Mimi. In fact, Josh brings work along and sleeps on the couch. But that’s not the worst of it. Turns out Pixie’s previous renter is dead! Of course, Mimi and Marshmallow, (yes Marshmallow is on their romantic getaway), are going to do some snooping around. <br /><br />In ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????, Mimi and Marshmallow make a great team. They are entertaining but not overly silly. I loved Mimi's relationship with her sister Alice, and the love trouble between Josh; it gave depth to her character. As for the mystery, Mimi is tracking several stolen items from the rental properties, things she believes are linked to the suspected murder. But someone doesn’t want her snooping around - this is definitely a fun one.<br /><br /><br />Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @jenjchow and @berkleypub for an invite to the tour and a gifted copy.

The writing is so bad, but still a fun read.

MIMI LEE CRACKS THE CODE, the third book in the Sassy Cat Mystery series by Jennifer J. Chow, hits all the right marks for being an entertaining cozy mystery! A telepathic, sarcastic cat named Marshmallow, makes for the perfect sidekick to the owner of Hollywoof, pet groomer Mimi Lee. In my humble opinion though, Marshmallow is really the star of this series providing comic relief and one-liner zingers throughout. Mimi is a great character, but it’s Marshmallow who steals the show. Ms. Chow does an admirable job not only developing fun, colorful characters but she writes a tightly plotted whodunit that kept me turning pages. With plenty of suspects to choose from, I was kept guessing as the plot twisted and turned. I loved that the action was set on both Catalina Island and Los Angeles, giving the story a fun, touristy vibe. This series is one of my top favorites for the year and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next for Marshmallow and the gang! <br /><br />I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.<br />

Mimi Lee was sorta juvenile in this one ? not saying it was a bad read, just saying she seemed to regress a bit especially in terms of her relationship in this book. Mimi has the chance to spend time with her “dreamy” boyfriend Josh, but spends most of the time sleuthing, to help out her friend so she would get a murder charge, yet, get this, is MAD AT HIM for taking time to work especially on things requiring deadlines. ??- girl please!!! <br /><br />Between helping her sister with speed dating, running around interviewing suspects, getting mad at Josh, rather than speaking to him, and everything in between, Mimi came of as a bit selfish and immature in this book. The mystery itself was a bunch of rich people being robbed and someone was killed. ??‍♀️