As the co-owner of the "Bar None" dessert bakery and café in
Minneapolis, peace loving Charity "Chase" Oliver loves her
commute to work... all she has to do is walk downstairs,
through a back door, and she is in her delicious smelling
workplace. Her co-owner and good friend is the
grandmotherly, yet very spry, Anna Larson who excels at
baking up new and even more delicious creations. Anna's
granddaughter, Julie, a new lawyer in the district
attorney's office, is much closer to Chase in age. They are
truly long time best friends forever.
They also all love Quincy, Chase's adorably pudgy food-
loving cat with a penchant for tasty treats. Quincy has just
been put on a restricted calorie diet and this sweet-toothed
butterscotch tabby is definitely not impressed with his
human for this starvation deprivation, neither is Anna who
can't resist giving small samples to Quincy when he is down
in the bakery with its wonderful aromas.
Quincy is also a renowned escape artist, prone to taking
advantage of every door left open by a careless delivery
person and is off in a flash to hunt in the neighbourhood,
especially now with too little in his fat tummy. As Quincy
follows the illusive and tantalizing trail of warm meatloaf,
Chase, who too often is on the chase for her feline friend,
quickly searches everywhere for her beloved tabby and picks
up the same trail. Finding Quincy, she also discovers a
stabbed body on the floor. Now, she stands accused of
killing him... How can she prove her innocence when her
fingerprints are left behind?
FAT CAT AT LARGE is the first book in a new Fat Cat
Mystery
series by Janet Cantrell, the pen name for Kaye George,
known for her short stories and other mystery series. Cosy
mystery fans will definitely relish getting their paws on a
new series that sometimes provides a cat's eye view and
tummy needs on the situation. Suspense builds nicely as
Chase has to figure out how to clear her name, deal with
catty and fighting waitresses as well as missing cash and
other goodies. When Chase starts doubting who is her
friend, she knows she is in trouble. Who can be trusted?
Janet Candrell is very skillful in her storyline development
and, even if you are not sidetracked by the deliciously
described desserts (almost food porn), you may still not
guess the whodoneit. I certainly was sidetracked. FAT CAT
AT LARGE also reads well as a stand-alone story, but as not
all the strings are nicely tied up, fans who like series
will enjoy knowing there is more to come. There is also a
nice little bud of a romantic rivalry for Chase's heart...
who
will win it?
I must admit I enjoyed reading Quincy's viewpoint on things
and missed them near the end of the book. I sure hope there
are lots more in the rest of the series. Candrell has
introduced lots of credibly described and diverse human
characters and I particularly like the interactions between
Chase and Anna as their age differences and different
approaches to life provides interesting perspectives. Julie
is a great addition in this trio of friends as with her
legal background, Candrell can nicely slide in some well
researched legal opinions and facts into the mysterious
circumstances in FAT CAT AT LARGE that add to the story.
With a murder to solve as well as dealing with other
unfortunate events, and some stress reducing desserts so
lovingly described you can almost taste them, FAT CAT AT
LARGE may be just what the vet ordered you to read.
Fortunately for cats and their human staff, there are
recipes for dessert bars and healthy cat patties in the back
of the book. FAT CAT AT LARGE is a PURR-fect treat for
feline and cosy mystery fans alike!
When she’s not dreaming up irresistible dessert bars for her
Minneapolis treatery, Bar None, Charity “Chase” Oliver is
running after her cat, Quincy—a tubby tabby with a gift for
sniffing out edibles. But what happens when this cat burglar
leads Chase to the scene of a real crime?
The jig is up for Chase’s adorable plus-size cat, Quincy.
His new vet says “diet”—that means no more cherry cheesecake
bars. From now on he gets low-calorie kibble only. But one
taste of the stuff is all it takes to drive him in search of
better things. Quincy’s escape is the last thing Chase needs
after the nasty run-in she has with underhanded business
rival Gabe Naughtly.
Chase tracks Quincy down in a neighbor’s kitchen, where he’s
devouring a meatloaf, unaware of the much more serious crime
he’s stumbled upon. Gabe’s corpse is lying on the kitchen
floor, and when Chase is discovered at the murder scene, she
becomes suspect number one. Now, with a little help from her
friends—both human and feline—she’ll have to catch the real
killer or wind up behind bars that aren’t so sweet.
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