katiewilkins186

Although I started listening to the Cat Who series with The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards is actually the first in this series of cozy mysteries. The narration was just as good as in the other book. Sadly, I couldn't say the same for the story itself.

First, I think the story is beginning to show its age in an entirely unacceptable way, as we deal with a woman the book somewhat subtly indicates is a lesbian and than very un-subtly names "Butchy". The plot than goes on to paint her as a possible murder suspect; a highly unattractive and masculine woman; and someone who's motives and actions are not very nice even if she isn't the killer. I was kind of appalled. The second problem had more to do with the plot itself. Specifically, that there wasn't one. The main character basically sits back and lets events unfold until at the end he stumbles on (literally) a character we have never met before and who turns out to be the bad guy. Talk about unsatisfying! And our main characters doesn't even captures this bad guy, oh no. His cat does instead! Now, the cat tripping the bad guy is a plot device I'm ok with once in a mystery featuring a cat. But that happened in the other book too and twice is just too much. I don't think I'll be going on with this series.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.