What the Cat Saw (audiobook) by Carolyn Hart

What the Cat Saw
by Carolyn Hart [Compact Disc Hart] 

I’ve been a follower of Carolyn Hart’s mystery novels for many years. Initially, I fell in love with the Death on Demand mystery bookstore series. Then her novels featuring senior sleuth Henrie O. Most recently, I’ve enjoyed the audiobook adaptations of her Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, featuring a passed-on spirit who returns to her Oklahoma hometown at various times to prevent innocents from being unfairly convicted in murder cases. That audiobook series features a perfect audiobook narrator — but I was caught up with that entire series, and looking for anything else by Carolyn Hart I could enjoy on CD. So, I was pleased to discover this first volume in an all-new series by Hart — What the Cat Saw, available in both book and book-on-CD formats (narrated by Kathleen Early)!

When Nela Farley agrees to substitute for her sister Chloe in Chloe’s job at a charitable foundation, so that Chloe can take an unexpected trip, Nela doesn’t have any idea what she’s gotten into. Nela will be staying in the home of a recently deceased executive of the Haklo Foundation, in order to cat-sit the late woman’s pet, Jugs. But when Nela gazes into the eyes of Jugs — she gets a disjointed mental message (the thoughts of the cat!) that she first ignores, but then begins to believe…leading her to suspect that the woman’s accidental death was actually anything but accidental.

This is a competent and engaging mystery, with some really well-drawn characters, particularly Nela and Steve Flynn, the investigative reporter with whom she both clashes and cooperates with. Both of them are wounded characters — Nela is still recovering from the death of her military fiance, and Steve is distrustful of women after being burned by his ex-wife. I really liked the slight touch of the paranormal, with Nela’s ability to have brief but confusing psychic connections with the cat, a gimmick which I don’t think was over-used. If you like traditional amateur detective mysteries, with a bit of an “unexplained phenomena” twist, give this one a try, particularly as an audiobook.

[ official What the Cat Saw page on the official Carolyn Hart web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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