Thursday, December 28, 2017

A Cat to Die For (Maria Grazia Swan) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

15. A Cat to Die For by Maria Grazia Swan
     Topic/Prompt: a book with a cat on the cover

Synopsis:
Mina Calvi's new Furry Friends Foundation is a dream come true for the formerly footloose young woman. Her no-kill shelter rescues and places dogs and cats into new forever homes, and it gives Mina a purpose in life.
But changes are looming on a perfect Sunday afternoon at the Dana Point Marina where she is minding the adoption booth.
A Greek heiress, young, petite and beautiful, shows up on the arm of the love of Mina's life, Diego Moran. And worse, she wants to adopt Mina's calico cat, Houdini. The spoiled woman will not take no for an answer. Why is she so insistent on getting Houdini when she already owns a look-alike cat?
When Houdini is cat-napped, the cat-sitter murdered, and the ransom demand sent to the heiress, Mina has to keep her wits about her to get her beloved cat home safely, and to keep her heart from getting broken again by Diego, who inexplicably pops up at every turn of the unfolding drama.

My Review:
This book is considered to be a cozy mystery, but it's slightly different from other cozy mysteries. 

Mina is an Italian American character, the first that I've really read. She puts her heart into everything she does. She does this moreso for cats and dogs with her no kill shelter for rescues. She goes by the philosophy that every cat and dog that are brought in to her foundation shelter deserves to be placed in a permanent home. However, trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes, no matter her intentions. Whether it's a former love of her life who she can't decide if she wants to risk heartbreak again or when her cat gets kidnapped and the sitter winds up getting murdered. 

The whole storyline or plot with Diego was annoying. With that, Mina just plain got on my nerves. However, the mystery plotline turned into something different than I have ever read before. The ending is one you may not have seen coming. It turns into something like a ploy or scheme.

While this book wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, it is ideal for cat lovers. I did appreciate how Maria stressed the importance of no kill animal shelters, as it needs to be talked about. I don't believe that animals should be put down for overcrowding or whatever reason in shelters.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

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