The Cats Came Back

Finished April 4

The Cats Came Back by Sofie Kelly

This is the tenth book in the series. I read the ninth book A Tale of Two Kitties a few years ago and really enjoyed it. The books are set in the small town of Maryville Heights, Minnesota. The town is gearing up for a summer music festival and Kathleen, the local librarian, is looking forward to it. Her cats, Owen and Hercules, are having pictures taken at various locations around town for a fund-raising calendar.

One of the singers in town for the festival, Emme Finlay, a cabaret singer, once sang in a stage musical with Kathleen's mother, and Kathleen is pleased to meet her. Along with Emme are her friend and assistant Miranda Moore and her older sister Nora who also is involved with her career. Emme is thinking about going back to school to gain some skills she wants to further her career, such as learning French, and has had a recent boyfriend with a bit of a rough background. A picture of the two of them drunk in a bar has recently gone viral, causing issues for Emme. So when a body wearing Emme's clothes turns up, there are a lot of questions to ask and not a lot of answers.

There is a side story around an upcoming marriage of one of Kathleen's friends. Both the bride and groom were married previously and have children from those marriages. Their ceremony is planned for their home, which is part of the property where Kathleen's cats, previously feral, are from, and there is still a large cat colony there. 

I liked the music aspect of this mystery, and the scenes around both Kathleen's cats and the feral cat colony. This is a small community with a lot of people who care about each other, and the music community is similar in both people supporting each other and the many connections. 

I enjoyed learning more about Kathleen and her family here as well.

Great read.