Available:*
Library | Material Type | Item Barcode | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Adult Mystery Fiction Book Paperback | 120791002730832 | M STU | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Two tarot-savvy cats and their tenderhearted human outwit a cruel criminal in this animal-centric whodunit.
Most days, Ruby Sparks feels like the sign that says "Tarot Card Reader Extraordinaire" should say "Tarot Card Reader Fairly Competent." But as challenging as it is to take care of her half-sister's New Age shop--and her growing menagerie of enchanted pets--Ruby never worries that she's bitten off more than she can chew...until a customer wants her to divine the truth about a murder.
When her own life is threatened with a double dose of danger, Ruby begins to wonder if she's being played for a fool. Luckily, she has Ophelia and Brandon--sibling black cats with a talent for tarot--and a feisty pit bull friend who all lend a paw in collaring the culprit before Ruby finds herself taking her final cat nap.
Praise:
"[Stuckart] writes throughout with charm and warmth. Anyone with a pet will enjoy."--Kirkus Reviews
"Lighthearted and quirky, this will enchant cozy readers and animal lovers."--Publishers Weekly
"Diane A.S. Stuckart strikes the perfect balance of quirky and charming with murder and sleuthing hijinks. Ruby handles the human matters with plenty of sass and a quirkiness that pairs well with murder-solving pets. While Ophelia, Brandon, and Zuki handle their own investigation in a realistically animal way, they show their innocent nature and their heartfelt determination."--Seattle Book Review
"Fool's Moonis an enjoyable cozy mystery; it's the cat's meow for animal lovers and a purr-fect debut for her new series."--Lansing State Journal
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This whimsical series launch from Stuckart (The Queen's Gambit and two other Leonardo Da Vinci mysteries) introduces Ophelia and Brandon, two handsome black cats who can communicate with all their fellow animals except for humans. The littermates live the good life in Palm Beach, Fla., until their wealthy owner, the Old Woman, drowns in her swimming pool and her cat-allergic son dumps them on the street. Brandon goes looking for help, but before he can return, Ophelia is rescued by Ruby Sparks, animal lover, Tarot reader, and temporary proprietor of her half-sister's Santeria-themed shop, Botanica Santa Rosa. When the Old Woman's former housekeeper, Luciana Torres, shows up at the shop, seeking guidance from the cards because she suspects her boss was murdered, and then ends up dead herself, Ruby feels compelled to uncover the truth. Ophelia and her army of animal friends-including Brandon, a stray mutt named Rally, and a psychic koi called Philomena- are eager to help. Lighthearted and quirky, this will enchant cozy readers and animal lovers. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Trusting tarot card reader Ruby gets help from some pet friends in solving a baffling mystery.Black cat siblings Ophelia and Brandon may be high maintenancethey talk fluently to each other, though not to their human acquaintancesbut their excitement at finding a corpse is not an overreaction. Though she loses track of Brandon, Ophelia is rescued from a box by Ruby Sparks, who's recently agreed to step in for her Cuban-American half-sister Rosa and run the Botanica Santa Rosa while Rosa takes a sabbatical. While Ruby gets her bearings in the shop, Ophelia, with the help of Zuki, her new pit bull pal, sets out to find Brandon. Fortuitously, Ruby gives a reading to housekeeper Luciana, who recognizes Ophelia, originally owned by Seora Givens. But Luciana has a more important question for Ruby: Did Senor Givens murder his mother? Ruby is taken aback but moved by Luciana's apparent sincerity. Before Ruby can decide how to proceed, the frightened Luciana, ignoring Ophelia's calls to her, runs away. Ophelia is overjoyed to find Brandon in an alley even though his rescue involves facing off against a trio of churlish dogs. Meanwhile, a headline describing the death of Mrs. Givens shakes Ruby to her core, and she feels she must investigate.Stuckart, author of the Black Cat Bookshop books (Twice Told Tail, 2016, etc.), kicks off a new series that often puts animal antics ahead of narrative tension and sleuthing, but she writes throughout with charm and warmth. Anyone with a pet will enjoy. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Brother-and-sister black cats Brandon and Ophelia are separated when their owner, a wealthy Palm Beach philanthropist, drowns in her swimming pool, and the woman's son boxes them up and throws them out of the house. Ophelia is found by Ruby Sparks, a tarot card reader tending her sister's New Age shop. After Ophelia befriends Zuki, Ruby's pit bull, the two find Brandon at a nearby pawn shop. When Luciana, the housekeeper for the cats' previous owner, shows up and asks Ruby to read the cards to learn if the woman was murdered, Brandon and Ophelia are shaken. A prophecy from a koi named Philomena and another tragic death lead the cats and Zuki into a murder investigation and trouble. The anthropomorphic cats and dog kick off a series in which they read tarot cards, plan trips in cars and trucks, and find a killer. -VERDICT Recommended only for readers who are already fans of the author's "Black Cat Bookshop" series, written as Ali Brandon, or those who enjoy talking cats and dogs in their mysteries. Suggest for fans of Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" books or Shirley Rousseau Murphy's "Joe Grey" mysteries.-Lesa -Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.