Marguerite Gavin (Narrator)
Referred to KISS as a "70's hair band" WHAT???
cure story and enjoyed the narrator ( )

Buy A Whisker by Sofie Ryan, is great, I am enjoying the main character’s family and all the tips for rehabilitating furniture that people bring in from dumpsters! I used to watch p ickers on TV to find things that can be rescued and the main character. Sophie Grayson has a business, Second Chance, that buys from pickers and she and her employees fix them up to sell. I enjoyed reading about what she did with the furniture. Her friends are all great characters so I got interested in them before I did in the mystery. As the book proceeds, more suspects appear and
I ended up staying up late at night to find out who was the murderer.

Rose is my favorite character, a senior with no fear and plenty of determination. Elvis the black cat has the unusual ability to be a lie detector when Sophie interviews the suspects. Sophie seems to be more of a dog person instead cat person but Elvis really helps her solve mysteries. ( )

North Harbor, Maine, has been quiet since Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, solved a murder that cleared their friend's name. Sarah is happy giving items a second chance at her store Second Chance. But now there's controversy over developing the waterfront which the residents are all for - except for baker Lily Carter. So when Lily is found murdered in her bakery, everyone thinks it's over the development. But Sarah isn't so sure, and it's up to her and Elvis to find the motive and the murderer.

A fun follow-up to the first book, The Whole Cat and Caboodle. Once again we have great characters (I love Elvis!), and a great setting. I love the Second Chance shop and I love that the characters actually still do work there even though they want to solve the murder. The mystery was good. Some things were convenient but I suppose that's how it goes sometimes. I'm looking forward to book #3! ( )

Digital audio read by Marguerite Gavin

Book two in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series, featuring Sarah Grayson, proprietor of Second Chance, a consignment shop in North Harbor, Maine, and her rescue cat, Elvis. Sarah gets involved in a controversy over developing the waterfront. Sarah, along with most of the residents, are in favor, but one notable holdout is baker Lily Carter. So, when Lily is found murders in her bakery, fingers are pointed as those who were in favor of the development.

Once again Sarah is helped in her sleuthing for her band of friends who’ve dubbed themselves “Charlie’s Angels.” This colorful crew of senior sleuths are tenacious and inventive. And, though I’m not a cat person, I love Elvis and his ability to recognize a lie.

It’s a pretty typical cozy mystery. There are enough suspects and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing, and an interesting regular cast of colorful, quirky characters.

Marguerite Gavin does a fine job of reading the audio version. She sets a good pace and has clear diction. ( )

I'm going through a cozy-mystery burnout, which shouldn't be surprising given the number of them I've read. I go to pick one up off the shelf and the whole plot flashes before my eyes in all its cliched, trope-ridden glory and I put it back on the shelf with a sigh. It's a large part of the reading slump that's been slowly creeping up on me.

I won't say Buy a Whisker defied all expectations and restored my faith, but I picked it because the first book was a little less trope-laden than most and clever with its characters and plotting. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't disappointed either.

I really like the characters and the lack of vigilante investigating: in the first book the 4 older women decide to do it right and become P.I.'s. The MC doesn't go around interrogating anyone either. I really enjoy reading about how she salvages things and rehabs or repurposes them for her shop and I love her self-sufficiency.

The main plot was well done but its motivation a little far-fetched. The twist at the end was a total surprise.

I'll likely be paring down my mystery series list in the coming months, but this series has so far proven to be a keeper. If I enjoy it when I'm burned out, I expect to love it when I'm back in the reading groove. ( )