Blog Tour ~ Street Cat Blues by Alison O'Leary

Jaffareadstoo is honoured to be starting off the Street Cat Blues Blog Tour

Crooked Cat Books
2018

My thanks to the author, publisher and Random Things Tours for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of this blog tour

What's it all about ...

A quiet life for Aubrey? After spending several months banged up in Sunny Banks rescue centre, Aubrey, a large tabby cat, has finally found his forever home with Molly and Jeremy Goodman, and life is looking good. However, all that changes when a serial killer begins to target elderly victims in the neighbourhood. Aubrey wasn’t particularly upset by the death of some of the previous victims, including Miss Jenkins whom Aubrey recalls as a vinegar-lipped bitch of an old woman who enjoyed throwing stones at cats, but Mr Telling was different. Mr Telling was a mate…

Here's what I thought about it...

I often wonder what my two orange cats see and do when they go out for the night. That they patrol the area, with whiskers twitching and paws gently tumbling along footpaths and driveways, is all part of the secret world of cats.

In Street Cat Blues we meet Aubrey, a slightly overweight rescue cat, who hopes that he has found a permanent home with his new owners, Molly and Jeremy, but as every street cat knows, it’s always wise to have a backup plan and Mr Telling was Aubrey’s back up plan, that is until something dreadful happened to this kindly, old gentleman.

I knew I was going to like Aubrey from the very first paragraph when he slipped beneath a parked car and covered in grease and dust he waited and observed the comings and goings at Mr Telling's house across the street. 

The author writes well, and keeps the momentum of the mystery alive in several threads which don’t all involve cats and feline participation and yet, it is with Aubrey and his pals where the real heart of the story lies. She has created in Aubrey such a force of nature that you can’t help but become involved as he, and his associate cats, particularly, the hapless Moses, who I loved second only to Aubrey, start to delve a little deeper into the ensuing mystery. That Aubrey is as clever as he is wise comes across in this charming cosy crime debut.

I really enjoyed solving this murder/mystery alongside Aubrey and his pals, their feline point of view is a refreshing change in a world of gritty crime and I’m sure given the right set of circumstances, Aubrey and his adventures could become a great book series.

About the Author

Alison was born in London and spent her teenaged years in Hertfordshire. She has also lived in Somerset and Gloucestershire. After studying Law she decided to teach rather than go into practice and for many years taught Criminal Law to adults and young people. Since moving to the south coast, Alison has been involved in qualification and assessment development for major awarding bodies. When not writing, she enjoys crosswords, walking by the sea and playing Scrabble on her iPad – which she always sets to beginner level because, hey, why take chances? Alison lives with her husband John and cat Archie.

Twitter @alisonoleary81 #StreetCatBlues

@crookedcatbooks

#RandomThingsTours