A terrific read - murder, arson and a cat who is so much more than he seems!' – J. M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder

The plot is awful and horribly predictable. Of course it’s the gold-digging Europeans to blame, rather than the sadly gullible but otherwise very proper Englishman. The Indian doctor is a fraud, because of course he is. I’m surprised that the Hungarian girl, Ildi (whom Lulu somehow just “knows” is Hungarian), didn’t turn out to be terrible - although I suppose she was basically just helping herself to a dementia-ridden pensioner’s expensive chocolates. I’m sure an English nurse would never have done that! #eyeroleTelling the story of how a local community in Brighton came together to help stop their notorious cat killer Steven Bouquet is a documentary airing on ITV. How to Catch a Cat Killer airing Wednesday, June, 8 will show how they stopped the cruel cat killer. It took a while to get used to the cat talking to Lulu but then I quite enjoyed his insights into life.

The mystery element I felt was weak too, but I enjoyed Conrad’s character and the bond he forms with Lulu. This was such a charming tale and a genuine mystery that had me glued to my e-reader from start to finish' – 5* reader review Charming and original. This book is the cat’s whiskers." — Anthony Horowitz, author of The Twist of a Knife

Advance Praise

I'm also not really sure what the point of the talking cat was - perhaps this was revealed in the last 25% that I couldn't face. I'm a big cat lover, which is why I was drawn to this book, but even I couldn't warm to Conrad. With Conrad the cat helping her though, Lulu is soon on the trail of the killer and together they work on finding the killer. However, this wasn’t for me and I had to limp through it. The author is definitely older and can’t help inserting their gripes with how sensitive and bad everyone is now and how much better things were in the Good Old Days when young people didn’t have piercings or hurt feelings on social media, or when police officers could be racist as a little jokey joke with no consequences (these examples are lifted straight from the book) - for a cosy mystery, there’s a lot of politicising on the author’s part. There’s also a lot of meandering, extensive description and praise for specific areas of London, notably Maida Vale and Little Venice, which gets repetitive and boring to read after the third consecutive mention in the same chapter. very repetitive (Lulu goes out to meet someone new, they say the same thing about conrad over and over) 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.)

I also didn’t feel any emotional connection to any of the characters and Lulu made several decisions that I just don’t think an ex detective would make. S. J. Bennett on The Cat Who Caught a Killer A captivating, charming and gentle tale, perfect for all those who love their crime cozy In his police interview read out during the trial, Bouquet told officers he was “no threat to animals” – but a photo of a dead cat was found on his phone, the court heard.

Conrad is a talking cat, which is pretty cool. He walks into Lulu’s life and helps her unravel the mystery surrounding her mother-in-law’s death. To be honest the cat doesn’t do much detective work, he follows Lulu around and talks to her while she investigates. But a brutal murder and a daring art theft means her plans are shattered – instead she and Conrad find themselves on the trail of a killer . . . I don’t mind talking animals in books, but I felt the voice of cat didn’t always work for me – a bit too didactic at times. Conrad is a talking calico (and we get told he's calico quite a lot). After the loss of Lulu's husband, he adopts her. So starts a friendship. Not long after, Lulu's mother in law dies suddenly in her nursing home. Ex police officer Lulu isn't happy with the explanation which initially leads into her and Conrad finding out what really happened.

The mystery / plot itself is fairly simple, as advertised, but I did enjoy it and I admit I had the wrong person guessed as the suspect. My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Cat Who Caught a Killer’ by L T Shearer. Oh, and dear author, if you don't like there being no police stations open anymore maybe stop voting Tory. Just a thought. SJ Bennett A captivating, charming and gentle tale, perfect for all those who love their crime cosyBeing a cat lover, I was very taken by Conrad and the idea of a talking cat. I always think I can understand my 2 cats but they don't quite go as far as asking for Evian water or trout for dinner (unless I just misunderstand of course.) Meet Conrad. Conrad is a cat. You’ve never met a detective like him before. Neither has Lulu Lewis, until he walks into her life one summer’s day. Mourning the recent death of her husband, the former police detective had expected a gentle retirement, quietly enjoying life on her new canal boat, The Lark, and visiting her mother-in-law in a nearby care home. But when her mother-in-law dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances, Lulu senses foul play and resolves to find out what really happened. And a remarkable cat named Conrad will be with her every step of the way . . .’ When Lulu takes her narrowboat to Oxford, she is planning nothing more stressful than attending a friend’s birthday party. And drinking a few glasses of Chardonnay.