The Tell Tail Heart

Things on Daybreak Island have gotten quieter now that it has entered November and the season is officially over. Maddie James is delighted to find that she still has a few locals who drop into her cat cafe. But she’s really surprised about the man who came in, paid for a week in advance, and spends most of his time working on his laptop surrounded by the cats. However, things get interesting when a woman shows up and announces that she believes JJ, Maddie’s cat, is really her cat. Naturally, the encounter upsets Maddie, but it is soon pushed to the back of her mind when a body is found floating in the water next to the yacht club. With a Nor’easter approaching the island, will that interfere with the investigation into the death?<br /><br />I found it fun to visit this island during the off season, not that it keeps the book from being any less exciting. In fact, there is quite a bit happening here, and it takes some time for Maddie to unravel what relates to the murder and what is just red herring. By the time she does that and we reach the exciting climax, everything makes perfect sense. One of the minor characters in the series really steps into the spotlight with this book, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about him. The suspects are strong, and I loved spending time with the series regulars again. I’m already anxious for the next book to see how the ending of this one is resolved. This is another fun, charming entry in the series.<br /><br />Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2019/07/book-review-tell-tail-heart.html" rel="nofollow noopener">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Great story with a wonderful cast of characters. Lots of mystery to ponder about, and wonder what’s up with Grandpa Leo and Leopard Man! Part of a fantastic cozy series I highly recommend.

I've enjoyed the previous books in this series so I was looking forward to catching up with the characters in this book. I have to say, this was not my favorite book so far. I love the characters and enjoyed learning more about Leopard Man and his backstory. I thought the mystery was solid and kept me guessing. It came together in a climactic reveal where Maddie once again finds herself in danger. What I didn't care for was Maddie's attitude in this book. At times, it felt a bit like she was having a temper tantrum when the police or her grandfather wouldn't reveal clues or evidence. I also felt like the relationship between Maddie and her Grandfather was off in this book. It just left me wanting a bit more. There is a bit of a cliffhanger dealing with Lucas and what I am hoping is not the potential for a love triangle, which I do not enjoy.<br /><br />I will be back to see where the author takes the characters in the next book.

Het is laagseizoen op Daybreak Island en Maddie hoopt wat vrije tijd te hebben om haar to-dolijstje af te kunnen werken. Haar opa’s huis, dat werd omgetoverd tot kattencafé, wordt verbouwd en Maddie hoopt een locatie te vinden voor een nieuwe sapjesbar. Bovendien heeft haar relatie met de superlieve hondentrimmer Lucas een positieve wending genomen. <br /><br />Maar al snel is het gedaan met de rust. Een bekende schrijver, die op het eiland verbleef om te schrijven, wordt dood in het kanaal gevonden. En op dezelfde dag verschijnt er een excentrieke vrouw in het kattencafé die beweert dat Maddies kat JJ eigenlijk van haar is. Terwijl het onderzoek naar de overleden schrijver vordert, realiseert Maddie zich dat zelfs de buren, die ze haar hele leven al kent, geheimen bewaren… <br /><br />Dit is inmiddels het derde deel van de 'Kattencafé' serie en ook nu was het weer een leuk verhaal om te lezen. De bekende schrijver, Jason Holt, komt dagelijks in het kattencafé van Maddie, maar niet veel later wordt hij dood in het kanaal gevonden. Meteen verdenk je verschillende personen, maar het motief voor de moord blijft onduidelijk. Ondertussen is er dan ook nog die vervelende vrouw die JJ, de kat van Maddie, wil. Ze beweert namelijk dat het haar kat is. <br /><br />In dit deel leer je verschillende personages weer wat beter kennen, dus dat was ook natuurlijk interessant. Verder was ik ook heel erg benieuwd wie de moord op de schrijver had gepleegd. Tot het einde blijft de werkelijke dader goed geheim gehouden en uiteindelijk viel alles op z'n plek. <br /><br />Dit derde deel vond ik misschien ietsje minder spannend dan het vorige deel, maar het was zeker weer leuk om gelezen te hebben en de sfeer van het eiland is ook weer goed op papier gezet. Het vierde deel ligt ook al weer klaar om gelezen te worden! <br /><br />Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️

I started to feel bad that I only gave it 3 stars, until I read other reviews and realized I wasn’t alone in my feelings about this book. <br />Maddie acted like a spoiled brat throughout this installment. Craig and grandpa were doing their jobs, but it only served to tick her off because she felt she was left out of the loop. She was sullen, moody and all around unlikeable. Poor JJ was relegated to a barely there always sleeping prop. For a new business owner, she hardly ever spent time doing the work necessary to keep it running. <br />This just wasn’t one of my favorites.

I always love to read an update in this series, and this was no exception. Maddie James is just enjoying the off season, but still attracting in a few regulars to her Cat Cafe. Although she doesn't realize it, one of her customers is a famous author, and when he is found floating in the harbour, Maddie unravels the clues to catch the killer!<br /><br />The biggest disappointments in this novel is Grandpa and Lucas. The first doesn't seem to trust Maddie, and in the end I think his explanation was flimsy at best. Then the whole Lucas situation is just confusing and left so up in the air that I wonder where the next book will go. The cats are great as always, but we're never really sure on where JJ came from either. So many unanswered questions by the end just really frustrated me, but I'm sure to pick up book four now. <br /><br />Still a good series with a really unique setting. Always love to see cozy mysteries that focus on cats, and this one goes one step further by having them in a cafe! Looking forward to more. Four stars.

Dollycas's Thoughts<br /><br />A dead author, a crazy lady, and a big storm really throws Maddie James's life off kilter. The person who she now knows is a famous author had been coming into the cat café for days working quietly with a cat on his lap. Then a strange woman comes in, has weird eye contact with him, and then proceeds to tell Maddie that her cat JJ, the face of JJ's House of Purrs, belongs to her. So she has lost one of the few paying customers she has during the off-season, she has to protect JJ from being stolen, she has to run the café while the renovation continues, and the Nor’easter coming could shut down the ferry and wreak havoc on the island. Oh, yes there is also a murderer on the loose.<br /><br />Maddie's sister Val is busy too planning a huge Thanksgiving celebration for an island legend who also ropes her in an investigation of their own. They even get Maddie involved.  Both investigations may be connected which could make things on Daybreak Island very interesting.<br /><br />______<br /><br />I am so happy to return to this series. It is really character driven with Maddie, her former police chief grandfather, sister Val, and Ethan, Maddie's business partner, and now Val's boyfriend. They all usually work together like a well-oiled machine for the most part.<br /><br />Maddie inherited her grandfather's zest for investigations but this time he is keeping her out of the loop. This adds a whole different dynamic to the story. I felt for Maddie because of the strain created by her grandfather holding back and keeping secrets. Maddie's boyfriend Lucas was away for most of this story too which made the strain even harder.<br /><br />I really enjoy that a character mentioned in previous books took a bigger role in this story. We were able to learn much more about him and his past and how he fits into life on the island.<br /><br />The mysteries were all tangled together along with just a bit of real-life happenings. The book flowed nicely with several twists and red herrings. I knew early on who I wanted the guilty party to be but it took time for all the clues to fall into place to make my wishes a reality. It was fun to follow along with Maddie but I missed the closeness of working with her grandfather. She has a vivid imagination and theories that don't pan out but when the clues start to come together and facts are revealed Maddie's stubborn streak reared its ugly head which sets up a very dramatic ending that could have gone so wrong, but I liked it :-) .<br /><br />You would think Daybreak Harbor would be quiet in the winter with hardly any tourists or businesses open but Cate Conte proved that wrong. She whipped up quite a mystery and through in a Nor'easter to top it off. The Tell Tail Heart was an entertaining read with a very satisfying ending until you reach the final sentence. Yes, a cliffhanger. That just means I need to read A Whisker of a Doubt soon.

My least favorite of the series so far. The main character, Maddie, was whining and behaving like a spoiled brat. There were several things that were "off" in the book, especially ignoring her Grandfather's request to keep her nose out of things. I don't know why Grandpa didn't give Maddie her comeuppance for invading his privacy. She's an experienced cat rescuer and cat cafe business owner, yet she paid a ridiculous amount to the vet and didn't even broach the subject of a small discount. There was too much time spent on side stories (the yacht club thefts and it being the off season for the island). And what's the point of repeatedly mentioning that her mother is such a free spirit? In this book Maddie's wild imaginings about murder suspects and motives became annoying.<br /><br />I was hoping this series with a cat cafe would be more to my liking, but I'm in no hurry to read the next book.

I really wanted to like this book and I didn't hate it but it was just...meh. Kind of bland. <br /><br />At first, I thought the pacing was quite slow but that wasn't it. It moves at a steady pace and I like the fact that the mystery is the dominant story line. The romance doesn't derail it (unlike in some cozies). And the mystery is decent. Complex but not too convoluted. And I was intrigued and interested but...I didn't really care for any of the characters. They were kind of bland. Vanilla. Uninteresting. And that's when I started to lose interest and the story dragged and became boring. <br /><br />And the main heroine although not obnoxious is rather...silly and immature. Spoiled. Either crying at the drop of a hat or throwing hissy fits like a teenager. The supporting characters indulge her way too much. She thinks the world evolves around her. She's annoying. Spoiled. And that was a drag.

One of my fav series. Maddie James opened at cat cafe in her grandfather's house on Daybreak Island. Tourists are mainly gone now and the cafe has plenty of cats, but fewer customers. There is one customer who pays in advance for a week and quietly works at his computer. Turns out he's a best selling author, and then he turns up dead. Did the odd woman who came in claiming that Maggie's cat JJ, is her missing cat have something to do with it? Or Maddie 's friend, Leopard Man, have another dangerous secret? well plotted and an excellent fun read.?