Telling Tails

<br />There is something very fun about a series where the supporting cast are as interesting and important as the main character. Sophie Ryan's new January 3rd release Telling Tails was a intriguing read. I was guessing until the very end and loved the wit, humor and classy banter of Sarah, Elvis and the gang of older sleuths! Some memorable one liners in this one for sure!

Telling Tales is a fun mystery about the owner of a repurpose shop, her cat named Elvis, and her honorary aunts and one aunt's boyfriend who have a detective agency. When the sale of a pair of silver candlesticks for $450 can only be completed by agreeing to deliver the candlesticks, a determined Rose (one of the honorary aunts who is well past 60) sneaks out to deliver them. What she gets for her trouble is the glimpse of a body and a knock on the head. When she wakes up down the street she is being administered first aid by a licking black lab named Casey. Thanks to him, the police get called and Rose gets taken to the hospital for treatment. From there the rest of the cast and crew get involved little by little until they are all trying to figure out what Rosie saw and who hit her over the head.<br /><br />Meanwhile it is business as usual-buying, selling, fixing, and painting items for the shop. There is also a brief loan of Elvis to do a little critter control in the house of a friend's uncle. The steady flow of life, business, and mystery is woven around the people who work at the shop and close friends. It is a complex mystery with a double murder and a surprise motive that will keep you guessing to the end. <br /><br />I enjoyed the characters and the realism of everyday affairs with the mystery woven in. I read practically without stopping because I couldn't figure out any possible resolution. A most satisfying mystery and book! Delightful and recommended for all cozy mystery lovers...and anyone who think cats can actually understand and communicate with you!

I seriously love Sofie Ryan/Sofie Kelly and her two mystery series which feature very smart and lovable felines as the heroine's companion. I don't care who got murdered or who did the murdering. I read these more for the characters interaction in this type of cozy. And, of course, the often amusing antics of the cat(s.) This series features a 30 something (Sarah) proprietor of a second hand shop in Maine. I enjoy reading about the items she picks up and restores for sale in her store. I love going to antique stores and poking around so it only follows that reading about them interests me as well. Also, several of the regular cast are senior citizens who are friends of Sarah's grandmother. They are quite the sprightly group of butinkski's and have formed a little detective agency of their own. The cat in this series, Elvis, seems to have a gift for knowing when people are lying; he gets an expression on his face that tells Sarah a lie is being told. (I wish my own cats had this gift.) He also, for unknown reasons, loves watching Jeopardy on TV. I am looking forward, as always, to the next book in the series.

Una buona lettura, la parte gialla è forse un po' lenta e alla fine era ovvio chi fosse il colpevole. Il carattere migliore è... Elvis, il gatto! Chissà perché nei libri i gatti sono sempre più affettuosi della mia, in carne e ossa...

Sarah, Elvis, and Charlotte’s Angels are once again on the hunt for the truth in this fourth installment of the Second Chance Cat Mysteries. <br /><br />I really enjoyed my time spent reading TELLING TAILS. Murder and mayhem, lies and, action filled mystery loaded with enough twists and turns to make you dizzy . . . everything readers loved from the first three books are found in abundance in this story<br /><br />Sophie Ryan’s mindfulness to details makes reading her stories even more entertaining and satisfying. She knows what it takes to grab and hold the reader’s attention. <br /><br />Check out TELLING TAILS and the entire Second Chance Cat Mystery series, and you will see, when it comes to writing a good mystery, Sofie Ryan is the cat’s meow. <br />

I love this series, looking forward to the next book in the series.

I wasn't sure I'd read more of this series after the last experience, but since I had got this already I tried.<br /><br />Sarah, the Angels, Elvis (and the police) all work together to solve this crime, which at the beginning wasn't even clear what kind of crime it was.<br />I have to say I liked it, the mystery was unusual and I missed the clues, it was also nice to read their theories. I don't personally know anyone of similar age to the Angels, so I can't tell what my opinion might have been in their place, but the characters seem pretty far from the grandparents stereotype (besides maybe when they try to have their children marry).

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway, thanks to Goodreads and Berkeley Publishing. This was a great little cozy mystery! The resale store was a great backdrop for all the characters including the kitty, Elvis, and how they are all connected to the mystery being solved. There is also a hint of romance probably coming down the road. It makes me want to read the first three books in the series now to find out what other mysteries they solved and curious for what lies ahead for the shop owner Sarah and the "Charlotte's Angels" senior sleuths.

The action starts early in this tale when Rose is attacked making a delivery of candlesticks to a customer’s home. She says she saw a dead body just before she is knocked out, but no body is found at the scene. Roses’s friends all believe her, but the police don’t. It takes much digging into the background of all involved before Sarah and her cohorts come up with an answer. Unfortunately, it is too late for some. This well written mystery has an intricate plot and is peopled with great characters.

Author Sofie Ryan once again takes us to North Harbor, Maine to re-visit Sarah Grayson and her kitty sleuth partner, Elvis. It’s not just Sarah and Elvis, though. The author gives us a whole cast of beloved secondary characters. Sarah is part of a group of senior sleuths, although not a senior herself. They are friends of her grandmother. Each one is delightful and a pure joy to catch up with. I’ve loved each one in the previous books and they just keep getting better.<br /><br />The storyline is intriguing. One of the senior sleuths, Rose, is convinced she witnessed a murder right before she was knocked out. When she wakes up, there’s no body and no evidence that anything happened. Rose’s reputation and sanity are on the line. Sarah and the rest of the crew jump in to try and solve this mystery.<br /><br />As I said before, these characters are delightful and lovable. The plot took a few different twists and turns along the way. It certainly kept me engrossed and guessing. I couldn't put it down. I was kind of on the right track as to who the culprit was, but I was totally off on the details of how and why. It did keep me thinking to the end.<br /><br />I hope this series continues. It’s one of the best cat cozy mysteries around. As much as I loved the whole cast, Elvis remains my favorite :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.<br />