It has taken six years to revisit Sofie Kelly’s series because I loathed the first book. I gave both of these two stars. I do not know how people of my acquaintance graded it highly. Darlene Ryan compelled me to coin a term: “false action”. Nothing happens in the chapters, not even being a librarian, until the end... then comes James Bond mode. Kathleen investigates a suspicious place without bringing her police boyfriend. We have read how these shticks go. A friend will figure out where she is and haul her out of trouble.
Every other page is about drinking coffee, receiving a call, and telling her cats she would be called insane if anyone knew she spoke to them. That attitude pisses me off! They are alive! All her friends protect cat colonies! The “false action” I coined, substitutes events with nothing but movement: picking up coffee, hot chocolate, wine, going in and out of doors... I tried this sequel because I bought a few of these new. I will give away the others as gifts. This series taught me that to invest readers, stories have to be told via emotions.
I gladly give credit where it is due. This is a creative mystery, layered as well as Kathleen Paulson’s outdoor clothes. Her age varied friends are sweet. I loved the winter festival setting, especially winning a hockey scrimmage as a Canadian should. The protagonist is a Bostonian in Minnesota, which borders my province but Darlene Ryan is Canadian.
Rather than curbing coffee-drinking narration, I feel that the stylistic faux-pas got worse. Characters incessantly teased each other about romantic crushes and blushed over it; with most of them over age 50! I had to recognize a second star, for depicting some aspects of alcoholism and caring for feral cats.