This was so charming and beautifully silly, one of the most fun mysteries I've read in a while. I liked the way the mystery itself played out, but Conrad was the true highlight of the story, and I could read a dozen books about his hijinks.

I had surgery recently, which has involved a lot of lying down with ice packs that you don’t want to move. So Kindle, secured in a tablet holder, clicker at the ready and all snuggled up to not move a muscle, I prepared to be drawn into the world of Lulu, retired detective, and Conrad, the chatty calico cat.

And what a story they had to tell!! I read this start to finish in one setting, following Lulu’s own deductions and concerned thought processes as we try to unravel the murder.

I’ll admit, this cosy murder mystery isn’t for everyone, it’s about a talking cat solving a murder, with a dash of hyperrealism in the detail of the setting, but it was exactly what I needed. It was a refreshing break from the outside world, with humour, twists, and a dash of Chardonnay!

If anyone needs a pick me up on a miserable February morning, I cannot recommend The Cat Who Caught A Killer enough.

I had heard so much about this book and was pleased to be approved on NetGalley. Such a brilliant concept of a cat solving crime. Just brill

Very simple, easy read. Silly in places, good quick holiday read. Odd, but fun, you do get caught up in the drama

hilarious and right up any mystery lover's street! Enticed me from the very beginning, with loveable characters and an interesting plot

A bit of an unusual start, with Lulu, a retired Met police officer living on a canal boat in London, coming face to face with a talking cat. Okay? I admit I had second thoughts at this point (only a few pages in), but ultimately ended up thoroughly enjoying this fun and unusual cosy.

Conrad, the calico cat who makes himself at home on Lulu’s canal boat The Lark, is a well-drawn, typical cat, other than being able to talk. He is as surprised and concerned as Lulu when she hears that her beloved mother in law, Emily, afflicted by Alzheimer’s and in a nursing home nearby, has died. They had visited Emily just the day before and had seen nothing to indicate she was in any way physically unwell (outside of the Alzheimer’s), and upon hearing this, Lulu decides to investigate.

Conrad assists by being able to see peoples’ auras, and being a sounding board for Lulu as she works her way through the suspects and picks away at the clues. She follows the clues where they lead her, giving her some unpleasant surprises along the way.

A great mystery, well-drawn characters (if slightly stereotypical), a fun and entertaining story and I’m already looking forward to the next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are strictly my own.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Please have a look at the blurb of the book, as here are my thoughts and opinions only, thank you.

Not going to lie, I judge a book by its cover, and I know I should know better, but seeing a cat on the cover always draws me in, and unfortunately I was disappointed so much that took a whole month to bring myself to write the review.

I didn’t like the writing style and I was easily getting distracted by real life. I felt annoyed by the constant comments about the main characters “money” and flashing up designer bags or other luxury items, while living a frugal practical life in a small canal boat. There were some contradictions when it came to the cat, such as being light in chapter one, but later on being heavy?

The talking cat named himself Conrad, and his personality was quite bland, and keep lecturing Lulu Lewis, his chosen companion, about how to look after him, and always drinking bottled water. I was so disappointed with Conrad, as I always imagine cats being witty, sassy, and very clever, having a strong sense of comfort, and they live carefree lives. (That’s perhaps my reflection over my own cats) Conrad was kind of annoying, which is very sad.

Conrad frequently lectures Lulu Lewis about how to look after him, and that constant commentary got on the way and was a bit distracting from the original plot line, which by the way is very straight, no plot twists or anything you couldn’t see for miles away.

Lulu, is a retired police officer who recently lost her husband on a hit and run accident, so she’s not in the right head space to be dealing with daily tasks, or so she says, she takes upon herself to discover how her 90 year old mother in law died, and how is it that someone can actually died of dementia, bare in mind she’s frequently reminded that was a very good police officer, so there are loads of things she should’ve known, as a part of her job, so I keep rolling my eyes when things that I thought were quite obvious she just didn’t know? And how she made her ex colleagues bend the law so she could get the information she needed? I don’t know It just rubbed me the wrong way.

FInished the book being a little upset, as I had high expectations given the title of the book and the calico cat in the cover. Spoiler Alert, the cat didn’t catch a killer. So its even worse.

My 2 stars come from the title of the book, the cover and the authors ability to describe places.

I wouldn’t recommend the book if you like crime novels, or thrillers, or cats.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read The Cat Who Caught a Killer.

I enjoyed this cosy mystery and loved Conrad and Lulu. An easy, no pressure or tension read.
I did think the “whodunnit” was obvious, but it was fun getting there and seeing the twists and characters develop.
Will look forward to their next adventure/mystery.

A few mistakes and inconsistencies but I’m sure these will be picked up in the final editing.

It's only after the first few pages that Conrad the calico cat (the one in the title) appears. No problem with that, I like cats. It just that…he talks. I thought, oh good grief, really? But I'm a 'I started so I'll finish' kind of reader, so after a few more pages in, I was surprised to find I was enjoying this. Really enjoying this! It's a bit silly, yes, but fun silly.

There's incredibility, of course (you know, talking cats and that), and some not very believable characters, but essentially, there's a good plot in there. Suspend your disbelief and it's an entertaining read. The main character is a recently widowed retired police detective whose elderly mother-in-law, Emily, dies unexpectedly. A bit too unexpectedly, dementia notwithstanding, so her detective instincts kick in and she investigates. And the cat? Well, the cat walks onto her houseboat one day. And talks to her—as they do.

As I said, quite daft. But the author writes really well, and gosh, she managed to keep me entertained and glued to the end.

Dare I say, I'm rather hoping there's another instalment of the Lulu and Conrad adventures!

I loved this book and found it to be an interesting concept. As a cat lover myself it as nice to be able to relax and enjoy this. A good book
I will have to put this review with Waterstones

This is such a weird but fun, cosy murder mystery read.

It's a lot of fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. If you are in the market for something light-hearted, then I would highly recommend

I am pretty surprised that I didn’t get a copy of this for Christmas because I’m sure anyone that knows me would immediately think of me on seeing this book. I am delighted that I got to read it via NetGalley because I’d have been very disappointed had I or anyone else spent money on me being able to read it.

Lulu is a recent widow living on a canal boat in Maida Vale. She spends her time mourning her husband and visiting her dementia-riddled mother-in-law Emily in a care home. But when Emily dies, Lulu is suspicious that it was of natural causes and determined to get to the bottom of Emily’s death. She’ll just happen to be accompanied by a handsome, smart calico cat called Conrad who can talk.

Conrad was easily the best thing about this book. He is a witty, ethereal presence and I enjoyed him for the most part. I think he could have been written to be a bit more feline because his voice made me forget that he wasn’t human sometimes. I think that’s down to the very basic writing style that was used throughout the book.

It comes to something when a cat starts to annoy me. Conrad was full of cat-related facts and he appeared to just dump them into the narrative every now and then. I really struggled to see the point of this other than it perhaps being a case of the author just showing off their knowledge or research. I can honestly say I’ve never found a cat (real or fictional) irritating but Conrad was firmly straddling that fence.

Lulu is incredibly judgemental of pretty much anyone who doesn’t think like her. She and Conrad appear to completely dismiss Staffordshire bull terriers as loveable pets, when one of them barks at Conrad. I understand not liking dogs and even not liking certain breeds of dog but it felt like such a strange, unnecessary opinion to put across. I’d like to point out that Staffies were not relevant to the plot in any way and this entire interaction was completely random, so I can only assume it was a scene that was supposed to let the reader into Lulu’s character a bit more. So, she ‘has never seen the attraction’ of having a ‘loyal, dependable, protective’ pet. Um, ok?

My biggest bugbear with the book was the fact that the book appeared to be a vehicle for the author’s own grievances with modern society. Something as serious as COVID was dismissed as ‘that COVID nonsense’. Lulu mentioned at one point that she missed being wolf-whistled at by men. Her former police partner talked about how he can’t be racist anymore without being called out for it. The crazy thing is, I’m sure that there will be people who read this review who will immediately decide that I must be a ‘woke snowflake’ who can’t understand a harmless joke. I’m sure the author is one such person.

The Cat Who Caught A Killer has a great premise. The cover and synopsis make it look incredibly appealing to lovers of both cats and cosy crime but I can honestly say that I’ve never read a book that has such a strong political agenda. In some places, it felt even more explicit than books like Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give and Orwell’s 1984. It’s disguised so well at first and I’m so impressed that the author and their team managed to pull that off. Of course, I can understand that people like Lulu exist and some people may argue that there’s no reason why they can’t be protagonists too. While that’s true, it makes it very difficult to get onboard with their endeavours and connect with them, which is vital to a satisfying reading experience for many readers.

Lulu is a retired police officer living on a canal boat in London after the sudden death of her husband. When her mother-in-law Emily dies unexpectedly at her care home, Lulu's instincts tell her something is amiss and she decides to investigate. She is assisted by Conrad, a talking cat with an uncanny ability to read people and situations.

Someone wanted Emily dead, but who? Lulu's brother-in-law Richard and wife Maria stand to inherit Emily's estate. Then there is the box of posh chocolates that was possibly used to poison Emily.

It is fairly obvious early on who the killer is, but the journey is an entertaining one. Lulu is engaging and Conrad simply delightful, making friends with nearly everyone he and Lulu encounter.

This is a charming story. The plot is a little contrived at times but you will find yourself rooting for Lulu and Emily nevertheless. I would be happy to read more from this author.

I received an ARC of this book from Pan Macmillan, in return for an honest appraisal.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Cat Who Caught a Killer is a delightful, heart-warming and fun murder mystery (yes, I realise heart-warming and murder mystery don’t ordinarily go together) which just happens to feature not just a cat but a talking cat (and one who loves his Evian)!

Lulu Lewis is a retired police detective who has moved to a boat, ‘The Lark’, as her husband died in an accident recently and she can no longer bear to live in the home they shared. Close by in a care home is her mother-in-law, Emily, suffering Alzheimer’s although otherwise in good health. Lulu visits regularly as do Emily’s numerous friends. One morning as Lulu is out on her small patch of land by the towpath where she grows a few herbs, into her life walks a rather unique tomcat for he is a calico, and most calicos are female! But that isn’t the only special thing about him for Lulu soon finds that the cat Conrad can talk (though he understandably speaks only to her), and he makes himself comfortable on her boat. Conrad begins to accompany Lulu everywhere and goes along on her visit to Emily. Emily’s memory is naturally fuzzy but she seems fine otherwise, so when Lulu (and Conrad) returns the next morning for another visit, she is shocked to find that Emily died in the night and has been moved to the funeral home. As Lulu’s brother-in-law was listed as next-of-kin, she hasn’t even been informed.

Lulu becomes suspicious of the circumstances in which Emily died as she seemed in perfectly good health just the previous evening. Conrad raises some questions which add to her suspicions. So she decides to begin to look into the matter—not a full blown investigation, but speaking to people at the home and those who visited Emily, gently digging into the matter. Conrad is with her every step of the way, providing inputs and gauging those she visits. Soon her suspicions are deepened, and she turns to her former colleague, DI Philip Jackson for help. More strange incidents come to light around Emily’s death, and things start to get a touch dangerous for Lulu!

This was an absolutely charming and lovely read which drew me in right from the start, and that was of course because of Conrad. Conrad is a wonderful and loveable cat—intelligent and fun—and not the typical sarcastic cat that stories often portray. He literally walks into Lulu’s life one fine day, and I loved how they instantly form a bond even though Lulu hasn’t had a cat before (Conrad in fact, gives her a few tips on looking after cats). They take to each other immediately and form a nice easy friendship with him accompanying here everywhere, whether it is her investigations, restaurants for a meal, or the ‘pilgrimage’ she makes all over town as a tribute to Emily. Conrad also is great comfort to many of the people they visit, and to Lulu both a much-needed friend and partner in her detective work. The fantasy element is restricted to Conrad being able to actually talk to Lulu (and share his instincts and thoughts) but for the rest they must work within the usual parameters.

The book is set in and around Maida Vale, and gives one a great sense of the place and things in the vicinity—Venice Patisserie, Canal Café Theatre, the Warrington, St John’s Wood and much else. One can tell the author loves the place and has spent many wonderful times there; their fondness for it really comes through in the book. (As indeed does the author’s love of cats.)

The mystery itself however was not a particularly complex one. In fact, one can see the answer fairly clearly just a little way into the book, so reading on is more to see how Lulu (and Conrad) get to it. Lulu’s detective instinct works simply to the extent of telling her something wasn’t right with Emily’s death, but it seemed like while the other aspects of the puzzle were also fairly obvious, neither (Lulu or Conrad) caught onto the right person very soon. Nonetheless, there are some other twists and secrets which are revealed along the way, which were enjoyable to read.

But despite the mystery not being gripping in any way, I loved reading the book, especially for the friendship between Lulu and Conrad, and how they work together to catch the killer. It would be fun to see what they get up to next, though I hope the mystery angle is stronger in it.

I love a good cosy murder mystery. I love cats. I love when the two merge together. So, you would think this would be right up my street?

When I first started this, I thought it was going to be a fun and unique cosy mystery. But then it became repetitive, long-winded and predictable.

A sweet cosy mystery, Conrad the Calico cat decides to stay with Lulu and he can talk. The pair investigate the sudden death of Lulu’s mother in law.
I love the relationship between Lulu and Conrad, also the funny cat related comments he makes.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy for an honest review. I would definitely read another book by LT Shearer.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC! This review is voluntarily written by me.

First of all, I will not write this review on the characters’ views because I don’t have enough knowledge about context or have different viewpoints from theirs. Hence the review is mostly about the writing, the storyline and what I felt about this story in general. In general, I don’t really read cozy mysteries much but the story is kind of relaxing because I usually read intense mystery novels that I need to think a lot about the crime when reading them even though it means it is easier to know who’s the bad guy. However, the issue that I can see is over-describing the situations or places and it has become quite repetitive throughout the book. I really appreciate the description of the neighbourhood but sometimes I skipped it because it is a lot sometimes (I’m sorry). I am attracted to Conrad especially but I think his characterization can be done more. At first, I thought Conrad is the main character of the story along with Lulu, but I find that his role’s growth has become a little bit stagnant but it is still okay for me because he helps in catching the culprit along with Lulu and others. But, I really like the interaction between Lulu and Conrad because for me, they definitely become friends and work well together in solving the cases. In my opinion, the idea of the story is nice but the execution can be better which is quite a let down, but it is still a nice read for me. For anyone who likes cozy mysteries with a pet in it, this book may be for you.

It's a cosy mystery novel, but a little too simple and easy to figure out for my taste. It's also a little long and repetitive - some place read more as an Evian advert than a who-done-it. I preserved to the end for closure, but it didn't have a shocking or surprising turn of events.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

If you love cats and the so-called cosy crime genre (as I do) you will enjoy this book. It's not a demanding read and would provide perfect travel reading - especially if you were off for a weekend in London, as the protagonist (Lulu) lives on a canal boat and so the book includes picturesque descriptions of, and information about, the area around Little Venice.
As many other readers have commented, the calico cat of the title does somewhat steal the show, and since it is revealed in the opening pages, I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the cat has the power of human speech. "Conrad" as Lulu names him, is not at all twee, but rather a sensible, down-to-earth and serious character - and despite there being no hint of this in the text, I was also driven to wonder if his vocalisations were more an expression of Lulu's loneliness after the loss of her husband, since (again realistically) no-one else ever hears anything other than cat language. However, despite never hearing Conrad speak in actual words, all the other human characters are immediately captivated when they meet him - as I'm sure you will be too.

Who does not love a cosy crime novel? As a fan of The Thursday Murder club and the No 1 Ladies detective agency, this book was a joy to ready and I would definitely recommend