Christmas is coming to Daybreak Island. That means twinkling lights, holiday music, craft bazaars, and, whoa, murder? Who'd kill newspaper owner Donna Carey? Why? But, I get ahead of myself. I mean, the murder doesn't even occur until the end of chapter 23, though there's no lack of activity before that. Maddie is trying her best to take some time away from organizing and making things happen but it doesn't seem to be working. She's too good at her job although, as you'll note, a good part of it is delegating and knowing who to call to do that delegated task. With a sizable cash prize being offered for the best decorated home, the competitive side of the community is in high gear. It doesn't help, however, that the man hired to deal with electrical needs/issues seems just as highly incompetent. It's when her grandfather, the retired police chief, is mildly zapped while hanging lights and falls from a ladder, however, that Maddie becomes involved. Many chapters later, Donna is found dead in her yard with a string of lights around her neck. And, oh, there's a stolen cat and designer cats for sale flyers taking up a good deal of Maddie's mind, too. Anyway, that where the investigation starts.
I won't detail the plot further but it's a fun one, even if it does take awhile to get to the expected murder. Unless you're only there for the murder, oddly enough it doesn't distract from the story. It's a full story, with a cast of distinct characters and, yes, cats. All seemed to have a backstory, even the incompetent electrician. Toss in Maddie's shadowy cyber expert/sleuth, oh, okay, hacker, family, cat cafe goings-on, newspaper drama, and, well, so much more, and there's never a down moment. I mean, they manage to turn even choosing a Christmas tree into an event. I liked the characters and sense of community of Daybreak Island, quirky as some were. Hey, Bernie is a gem. I'd hire him in a minute. And, even as a dog person, I fully applauded the devotion of not just Maddie to the cats in her care, but the passion they felt for righting wrongs, whether involving human or feline. Maddie definitely deserves the title Event Ninja.
Bottom line, a fun, full of activity story line that sucks you in and makes you care about not just Maddie and her family but those about her, including the pets. Seriously, she even has dogs of her own. You will feel sympathy at the beleaguered police officers dealing with her single minded focus on taking care of the cats at a murder scene, however. Yes, she's pretty intense. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sPaperbacks for giving me a sneak peek at Christmas plans for this small town on Daybreak Island. I always enjoy my visits to the Cat Cafe.
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