Time Spent With A Cat is an engaging very well written locked room murder mystery novella by Chuck McKenzie. Released 5th Nov 2024, it's 47 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

SF short form fiction which would be right at home in F&SF magazine. The author has a spare and wry voice and the interplay between MC Carpenter and his conscience/Greek chorus in cat form is a delight.

It's not derivative at all, but the style is reminiscent of Harry Harrison and/or Simon R. Green. Fans of that type of semi-snarky SF/Fantasy will likely enjoy this one. Hopefully the author will revisit these characters again for future adventures.

The climax, denouement, and resolution are all self contained in this short volume.

Four stars. Very very good. Available at large and small retailers, Smashwords, etc.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is an entertaining novella told in first person present tense. Like the description says, it really is a genre-spanning sci-fi, urban fantasy, hard-boiled detective story. Despite its length the author created an engrossing world with characters that feel real. The mystery seemed secondary to the world-building, but even that was fun to unravel.

McKenzie introduces the concept of corporeal Consciences basically by saying “everyone has an ethereal being that follows them around and as far as we can all tell it’s our own personal Conscience” and then getting into the meat of the story. At no point along the way does the author hold the reader’s hand and lay things out with clunky exposition, the world-building is all seamlessly woven into the story. I liked this book a lot, and I really recommend it!

this had that element that I was looking for from a fantasy murder mystery novella, it had that private eye element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this. Chuck McKenzie has a strong writing style and was able to create characters that I was wanting and enjoyed from this. I'd love to read more from Chuck McKenzie as this was really well done.

What is this -- a mystery? A fantasy? A story about a cat? I'm not sure but it was fun, although I always think books by Chuck McKenzie are too short.

I love cats. I love horror. I love good writing. I love to have fun. I loved this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

When humanity develop consciences that manifest as ethereal creatures least likely to be welcomed by the recipients, Jim Carpenter gets a cat. Not just any cat but a talking one who takes no guff. It is not just the one human who can see the conscience so things can get pretty hairy with the humans stumbling along and their consciences trying to keep them out of trouble.

What Jim does not realize at first is how much he needs his cat. He is given an assignment to find a murderer in a very short time and the incentive is a huge amount of money. It also gives him the satisfaction of the making the person who changed his life- and not for the better- come grovelling for his help. The intricate mystery is fun but it does not compare with the joy of reading the adventures of Jim and Cat. It is a hoot and a fast read that you will not want to put down. Five purrs and two paws up.

Thank you Netgalley, Daft Notions, and Chuck McKenzie for sending me this advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a very short murder mystery, with some offbeat elements. The snarky cat was hands down the best part.

Surprisingly enjoyable novella that combines the old style private eye with some UF aspects in the form of a spectral assistant/manifestation of your conscience. Easy read that held my attention and completed in one sitting. Wish it was longer and I hope the author continues the series as id like to read more adventures!

With so many mystery/thriller books already out there and still being released, one wonders what newness can a yet-another-mystery book offer? And here comes Chuck McKenzie with his novella doing just that – a quirky take on this genre, still keeping the essence of a mystery thriller at its core.

The book is set in a world in which every character has a conscience, not just in one’s mind but existing outside the body with its own physical form. Our detective, Jim Carpenter, has his conscience take on the form of a cat, which is funny because Jim hates cats. The cat can speak and can interact with the rest of the world. I was floored by this book right here.

Jim is called to solve a murder case which seems impossible to crack. The person is dead, but there is no weapon to be found. Jim is given only six hours to solve the crime. Jim, with ample help from his smart conscience, the cat, cracks the case.

The only complaint I have with this book is it was over too soon. It is a novella, so I finished it in less than an hour and was craving for more. Here is a petition to the author to write a full blown novel with these characters. In such a short book, McKenzie creates such strong, memorable characters – the detective and the cat. I miss the cat already!

Thanks to the publisher for providing ARC.

A very short, but fun, murder mystery novella. And a talking cat?

The idea of everyone having a ‘Conscience’ companion is so cool, and I’d love to see it in a full-length novel. The mystery was also fun, even though it was super quick.

I loved the craziness of it, but it was too short to really get into it. On the plus side, today I learned what gonzo fantasy is and I’m intrigued enough to explore more of the genre in the future.

This was a fun little whodunit. I recommend for sure. What a way of viewing our conscience. Image if this was really the case.

Time Spent With A Cat is an outrageous and sharp-witted mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. Jim Carpenter, a grumpy private eye with a talking cat sidekick, gets tangled in a murder case that's as impossible as it is entertaining. The mix of hard science fiction, fantasy, and noir-style humor felt fresh and unique. I loved how the banter between Jim and the cat added levity to the tension. This book is a quick, clever read that’s perfect for anyone who enjoys quirky mysteries with a dash of the surreal.

Jim is a private detective who hates cats. When everyone in the world was assigned a Conscience that can be seen and heard, Jim was assigned a cat. And that perfectly opens up this enjoyable, short novella that follows our protagonist out there solving crimes.

But it's more than that. Jim is visited by a long fallen out friend and offered a case to solve in a very short time, and we follow the case, the clues and the thought processes as Jim, and his cat, go to work sleuthing.

A short read but no less enjoyable for it. I really had fun reading this, and I suggest you do too.

Holy catnip, this book is wild! Time Spent With A Cat is like if a hard-boiled detective got dumped into a sci-fi circus and brought a snarky feline along for the ride. Jim’s got six hours to crack a murder case that makes zero sense—and his cat won’t stop being a pain in the butt. I laughed, I gasped, and I’m pretty sure I yelled, “What?!” at least three times. If you’re into weirdly awesome mysteries that make your brain hurt in the best way, grab this now. 😺🔍✨

Time Spent With A Cat is a fun short story. It's a whodunit detective style mystery with, you guessed it, a cat! The cat, however, is not just any cat. He is private investigator, Jim Carpenter's Conscience. While other people gave gotten pretty cool Consciences like Baron Samedi and John Lennon, Jim got a calico cat.
After Jim's former partner comes to him with an offer, Jim finds himself working to solve a case in six hours.
This is a fun short story, a mystery with many laughs along the way. I appreciate an author who can incorporate so much in such few pages. I didn't feel like anything was lacking or needed improvement, but instead, I was left with the feeling of satisfaction and wishing for more Jim Carpenter short stories!
Thank you NetGalley, BuzzBooks, and Chuck McKenzie for this read!

Thank you Daft Notions and Netgalley for this arc.

There are lots of clues scattered along the way and not necessarily in a "THIS IS A CLUE" way but I doubt that most people could solve this one. Even Jim and the cat need to Google some stuff once they have an idea of what to look for. The main draw, for me, are the working relationships, especially the smartass cat. Because we cat lovers, and also the cat haters, secretly believe this is exactly how they'd act and speak if they could. The dialog is snappy in the best noir way and it's a novella that can be read quickly. I hope that there will be future cases for Coco and Carpenter, okay, Carpenter and Cat, to solve. B

4.5★s
Time Spent With A Cat is a short novella by Australian author, Chuck McKenzie. The premise is interesting: everyone has been issued with a visible, audible Conscience. It’s only been four months, but it has, understandably, adversely affected Jim Carpenter’s private investigation business. Each person’s Conscience takes a different form, so that adds both irony and humour: Jim’s is a cat, and he hates cats.

When a former military colleague turns up with a job for him, he doesn’t exactly have a choice, with work thin on the ground. The top-secret nature of it adds a wrinkle, but it’s essentially a scientist who has been murdered in her lab, shot in the head but no weapon or bullet apparent, a locked room mystery. Her husband protests his innocence: did he do it, and if so, will he get away with it?

Between Jim, his unasked-for cat, the forensic tech and her Conscience, they ask the right questions and manage to solve the very puzzling how of it.

The consciences assigned to the characters range from cats to James Bond characters to rock superstars to bluebirds. They do seem to be more of the observer/commentator type, rather than warning their soul against morally dubious action. Jim’s cat is snarky, but proves also to be very smart. A fun piece of speculative sci-fi crime/mystery.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Daft Notions.

Jim Carpenter has a problem, he hates cats. He is an Australian P.I. who is saddled with an external conscience in the form of a floating, snarky cat. Everyone now has an external conscience that manifests differently for everyone else. But after a dry spell, Jim and the cat have a doozy of a case! A locked-room murder mystery with missing weapon and bullet plus a very short time line in which to solve the case. Will the reward be worth it when you have to listen to a cat? Read this short tale and find out! A fun story!

Thanks Netgalley and Daft Notions for the chance to read this title!

I knew this would be short so wasn't sure what I was expecting. A private eye in a world where the Conscience has been given form and his is a cat. He hates cats. This is a recent development in this world so Jim is still getting to grips with it. When an old friend shows up to offer him a job solving a murder with no weapon they may have to learn to work together.

I loved the whole creation of the Conscience. The cat is sarcastic and it's interesting to see what other people have through the story. The murder mystery plot I found well done and the twist of what happened to the weapon is quite an interesting one.

Overall I found this really creative and enjoyable. The length was good but I would like more, a bit more history with Jim and Alan and a lot more of how things have been going with the Cat and how the world is adjusting to the new way of life. Would love to see this in an anthology of Carpenter Mysteries.

Can't wait to read more from this author and explore other worlds he's created.

It is a truth universally accepted that if a cat could talk, it would be sarcastic. I fully expected that with this novella, but what I didn't expect was the cat's function in the protagonist's life.

His conscience? This intrigued me. In the first chapter, I'd thought everyone in this world had an animal as their conscience, but that's not the case. A couple others the reader meets are manifestations of dead people. I'm not sure some of the choices of these consciences makes this story full-blown gonzo, but it definitely makes a stab at it.

The snappy dialog evokes the hardboiled Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade, and Jim is definitely as world-weary as they come. There's as much character development as a novella can fit for Jim, though not for anyone else. We get a sense of his past, his ethics, and his considerable brain power--even if it sometimes lags behind that of the cat.

The pacing is enjoyable and the reveal had me slapping my forehead saying, "Why didn't I see that?" An enjoyable read and I would definitely pick up a sequel.