Customer Reviews

Murder Can Spook Your Cat (Desiree Shapiro Mystery #5)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Private Investigator Desiree Shapiro has mixed feelings about Kevin Garvey, her former neighbor of two years. She is sad to see him move, but glad to see him marry the woman of his dreams, children's author Luella Pressman. When Desiree met Luella, she immediately finds the writer to be eccentric and thoroughly delightful. Five years later, Kevin contacts Desiree to tell her that he believes that his former wife was recently murdered. He asks Desiree to look into Luella's death. She agrees, but only to try and put his mind at rest.

After questioning relatives of the deceased, the full figured sleuth finds no evidence of murder or even the slightest hint of a motive. Everyone who knew Louella seemed to love her. Desiree feels that the case is at a stand still at least until the autopsy report is completed. However, Kevin pleads with her to continue with her inquiries and soon Desiree stumbles across some interesting information that places her life in jeopardy.

Desiree Shapiro is a very realistic character who is in harmony with herself as she realizes that her love for food overwhelms any thought of being the next millennium's Twiggy. As the heroine in Selma Eichler's MURDER CAN SPOOK YOUR CAT, Desiree constantly employs humor to disarm people including her audience. Although the mystery is creatively drawn and well plotted, the heart of this book and series is Desiree, a native New Yorker who lives life her way.

Harriet Klausner

Although I have enjoyed others in the Desiree Shapiro series, this particular one was difficult for me to finish. In the end, I was glad I stuck it out, but I thought the middle of the book was very slow, not to mention the fact that I'd figured out the murderer early in the story. Worth reading from the local library, but I wouldn't purchase it for a collection.

I happened into a lot of 10 desiree shapiro mysteries, including this one.
I've enjoyed reading the books, but this one wasn't the best of the lot! I found the character interacting with what seemed like an emotionally abusive male, slightly off-putting. But she does wake up and dump him!

Overall, I recommend this series. Great stories and writing. Good detective work, plenty of action. If you're only going to buy one... I wouldn't start with this book.

If you can buy several books and you like mysteries and shorter books, you'll love this series.

Don't know who is more maddening...Desiree Shapiro, a fat, blowzy woman who can't make up her mind whether to ask a man out; her niece, Ellen, who is the quintessential (...) American Princess; or the author, who thinks this is good mystery fiction. Ugh!!!!!