So here we are, in a near future that is in almost no way different from our present. The main character, James Carpenter (Jim), a private detective with a fedora and a long raincoat, fits even better in the 1950's than in the present, let alone in the future. He's narrating his own story, which adds even more to the look and feel of the old style detective stories. But there is this Conscience, a personal entity that has suddenly appeared a few months ago, is different for everyone, and always floats nearby. It talks, interacts, and has a rather annoying way of doing that. In Jim's case, his Conscience is a cat, and he hates cats. His PI business is dying since the Consciences showed up. At that moment, Alan, once a friend but not anymore, knocks at his door, requesting his help. A scientist was shot, and the suspect for sure is her husband. Only, there is no gun and the husband never left the room to hide it. Jim has only six hours to solve the mystery.

With only 10,000 words, the story is at the edge between short story and novella. A quick read that can be finished in less than an hour. It's well constructed though, without overhead and a good balance between story telling and dialogue. Chuck McKenzie doesn't make use of/misuse handy sci-fi tools to solve the mystery, nor is there any weird construction set up to make things fit. This is basically a solid how and whydunit combined, and basic interrogation and observation are the key elements. Again, truly a 1950's story. If it wasn’t for the floating cat, you could easily forget this is SF. While I guessed the 'how' rather early, it remained fun to follow the banter between Jim and his cat and see how they solve the mystery together. It's a well constructed story, no loose ends, no redundant scenario elements, and main characters that I’d like to see reappear in some follow-up stories. A recommendable read in case you have an hour to spare and don’t feel like getting engaged in a 600 page novel.

(Thank you Netgalley and Daft Notions for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This mystery novella packs a great premise, some fun characters, and an intriguing mystery into a 58 page bundle. Four months prior to the story, everyone (literally everyone) suddenly, and without explanation, acquired a floating ethereal companion that people refer to as their “Conscience”. And in the case of the main character, James, it’s a cat:

“I hate cats. I really do. Feral, lazy, arrogant creatures. So it does seem unnecessarily ironic that my Conscience took the form of a talking calico cat. Maybe the current popular theory about Consciences being ‘shared subconscious projections’ is crap after all. Or maybe I just really do hate myself that much.”

And the Consciences can take a wide range of forms, and don’t always (ever?) get on with the people they’re attached to - unlike daemon’s from His Dark Materials, for example. My favourite, other than the cat (obvs), was Baron Samedi from the James Bond film Live and Let Die. Consciences can be fictional characters! For reasons too dull to go into, I have watched Live and Let Die dozens of times, so this, in particular, was a real treat. And there is a slightly snarky sarcastic tone of some of the characters (what else would you expect from a talking cat?!), which was pitched perfectly and I really enjoyed.

I would love to see the idea of these Conscience companions in a novel length story.

The mystery was a “locked-room” style mystery, where James (and the cat) needed to solve a seemingly impossible murder in a matter of hours. The solution to this was imaginative, unexpected, and quite satisfying.

So, 4.5 stars, rounded down. Why not 5 stars? Perhaps I’m being a bit picky, the first and second halves (character development vs. mystery solving) seemed a little disjoint, with the latter feeling slightly rushed. Or perhaps I’m just sulking about the whole thing not being longer, because I wanted to spend more time immersed in a story where the Consciences were a thing.

Thank you #NetGalley and Daft Notions for the free review copy of #TimeSpentWithACat in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4]

I had a good feeling that I'll like this novella because…cat….and I was right. I liked the concept of the characters having their own subconscious projections aka Consciences that float beside them wherever they go, which is pretty funky, but it also reminds me of video game companions that follow you around to help you. This murder-mystery novella delivers exactly what it promises—a murder mystery with a unique and intriguing crime.

My only qualm was feeling a bit excluded from Jim and Cat's discussions. At times, they would both be surprised by something they've discovered, but never got to share what it was. The final explanation that they did at the end of the book was satisfying, and I liked how it all unfolded and where and how they came to that conclusion, but I would have loved more opportunities to guess along the way.

The banter between Jim and Cat was pretty amusing, and Cat's random remarks were a highlight. Jim was a contrast to Cat—Cat’s outspoken, and Jim’s more careful with his words. Though you could argue that technically, Jim's Conscience is the one outspoken, making him the sarcastic one.

Despite everything, I felt like the novella was really entertaining, and I got completely hooked on the mystery. The characters were lovable, their teamwork was great (especially Jim and Cat, but Alan and Samedi were awesome too). Would love to see more of this world and these characters if they ever make a comeback in the future and would definitely recommend this to readers who’d like to read a quick packed mystery with likeable characters solving an interesting case ( ദ്ദി ˙ᗜ˙ )

𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀

Fun short read but a bit odd at times. The conscious beings were a…choice. So was the statement that the protagonist hates cats (grrr). But still an entertaining 47 pages.

I’m so glad I picked up this sci-fi/fantasy detective mystery novella. I quickly read it and came to a number of conclusions. First I loved it, especially the very perceptive subconscious cat. Second, you don’t need a four hundred page novel to produce a book that is complete story, and very engaging. Thirdly, I want more novella’s or, to be contrary possibly, a book with these characters. Thank you to Daft Notions (this publishers name suits this book down to the ground) and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Great detective case; not so much a whodunit as a howdunit.

An open and shut case that seems impossible to close since there is no evidence at the scene, to convict.

No murder weapon or bullet, nothing beyond gunshot residue on the victim and the suspect’s hand.

A ‘locked room’ scenario where the presence of witnesses just outside meant the perpetrator was the only person in the room when the ‘shot’ was fired.

I loved the investigation and the inviting mystery to be solved. Made more critical by a legal time frame to secure the confession or obtain sufficient evidence to take to court.

What marked this novella out for me however were two factors beyond the usual murder scenes in this genre.

Firstly, there is a sci-fi angle to the crime which is cleverly expounded and marks it out as different.

Secondly, each character has a visible, talking subconsciousness that interacts with its owner and everyone else around them. This raises matters further and provides the writing as both original and brilliant. At times it becomes spooky; almost like a ventriloquist dummy taking control. "Here's Johnny" or rather “Here’s Chucky!” vibes.

The protagonist here is private eye, Jim Carpenter. His ‘Ultra Ego’ cum ‘subconscious factum’ bears no resemblance to him, it is a cat. Others have a James Bond henchman and one of the Fab Four as company.

The additional question is: Will the cat be a help or a hindrance in solving matters?

Original, entertaining and quite magnificent!