Book: Home by Nightfall

Author: Charles Finch

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery

Summary: It's London, 1876, and the whole city is abuzz with the enigmatic disappearance of a famous foreign pianist. Lenox has an eye on the matter - as a partner in a now-thriving detective agency, he's a natural choice to investigate. Just when he's tempted to turn his focus to it entirely, however, his grieving brother asks him to come down to Sussex, and Lenox leaves the metropolis behind for the quieter country life of his boyhood. Or so he thinks. Something strange is afoot in Markethouse: small thefts - books, blankets, animals - and, more alarmingly, a break-in at the house of a local insurance agent. As he and his brother investigate this accumulation of mysteries, Lenox realizes that something very strange and serious indeed may be happening, more than just local mischief. Soon, he's racing to solve two cases at once, one in London and one in the country, before either turns deadly. Blending Charles Finch's trademark wit, elegance, and depth of research, this new mystery, equal parts Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, may be the finest in the series. Minotaur Books, 2015.

This is book #3, in The Cleat Chasers series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader enjoyment, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this great series in order.

Kenzie is finally in college.  Living with her brother and his teammates for the summer will hopefully not turn her off school.  With all the turmoil at home, she needs to start her life on a good note.  So how come she cannot get Tanner off her mind?

Tanner knows better then to scope out his best friend and roommates sister.  Knowing it, and doing it are two different things.  When she turns out to be a better friend than he has had in long time, he thinks he may have to change his plans.

Such a fantastic read!  I cannot believe how quickly I jumped in and started rooting for the main characters.  This story has it all.  Heat and believe me its hot!  Humor, and I really did laugh out loud.  An actually good solid story.  Good addition to this series.  I give this read a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This copy was shared in exchange with getting an honest review in return only.

In the first in this cat-filled cozy series, aspiring mystery author Sabrina Tate is about to discover that when it comes to solving murders, her new feline friend Hitchcock is a master of sleuthing…

Sabrina has never been the superstitious type. Still, when she moves to Lavender, Texas, to write her first novel and help her Aunt Rowe manage her vacation rental business, Sabrina can’t avoid listening to the rumors that a local black cat is a jinx—especially after the stray in question leads her directly to the scene of a murder.

The deceased turns out to be none other than her Aunt Rowe’s awful cousin Bobby Joe Flowers, a known cheat and womanizer who had no shortage of enemies. The only problem is that Aunt Rowe and Bobby Joe had quarreled just before the cousin turned up dead, leaving Rowe at the top of the long list of suspects. Now it’s up to Sabrina to clear her aunt’s name. Luckily for her, she’s got a new sidekick, Hitchcock the Bad Luck Cat, to help her sniff out clues and stalk a killer before Aunt Rowe winds up the victim of even more misfortune…

My take: This was a nice cozy mystery but I wish I had read it instead of listened to it. I was not taken with the narrator. She spoke with a Texan accent that didn't quite work for me and took me out of the story a few times. Otherwise, I loved Hitchcock, the black cat. Using this for black cat! 

After abandoning the novella I originally started on this, I'm happy to say I've found an easy-on-the-ear alternative.

"Black Cat Crossing" is the first book in a cat intensive cosy mystery series. It sounds relaxing.