Nozy Cat 1: A Tuxedo Cat Bookshop Cozy Mystery

by Lyn Key

Following her lifelong dream, Hope Jones finally opens the charming Brontë Bookshop in the rural hamlet of Sweet Springs tucked away in the rolling, green hills of the Virginia piedmont. Her best friend and business partner Peggy Sue Roswell assists Hope along with her spirited fifteen-year-old daughter Stacey. Their tuxedo cat Nozy Cat, the bookshop mascot, likes to sleep by the cash register while he guards it. One summer morning, Hope opens up the bookshop and finds the town’s handyman Hugo Spangler lying dead in the poetry section. Sergeant Trogg rules it a homicide and casts a hard eye on Hope and Peggy Sue as his prime suspects. Fortunately, Hope can rely on her incredibly clever, resourceful pet Nozy Cat when she gets busy applying her sleuthing skills to track down and identify the real murderer among the three suspects. The Hope Jones Cozy Mystery Series offers mystery fans a clean read and traditional whodunit with loads of good-natured humor and a perfect dose of the paranormal.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Cats

165 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Lyn Key lives in Virginia, owns a rescue tuxedo cat, and writes cozy mysteries. Nozy Cat 4, the fourth humorous, fast-paced title in the new Hope Jones Cozy Mystery Series, is available for sale at your favorite online retailers. Great news! Nozy Cat 5 has been published in 2024!

Hope Jones runs the Brontë Bookshop in the small town of Sweet Springs tucked away in the rolling, green hills of the Virginia piedmont. Her best friend Peggy Sue Roswell assists Hope along with her smart, spirited fifteen-year-old daughter Stacey. Their tuxedo cat Nozy Cat is the bookshop mascot. Hope decides to get to bottom of the hit-and-run fatality of her husband J.D. from four year ago, which Sergeant Trogg and the police have ruled as a murder. The possible murder suspects include J.D.’s boss Dirk Sisler and his older brother Vince Jones. Fortunately, Hope can rely on the clever, resourceful Nozy Cat when she gets busy applying her sleuthing skills to identify who killed J.D.

Lyn Key also writes as Ed Lynskey.

Reviews

[Pumpkinpuddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be a fun, light read. Some of the characters are well developed enough to make you care about them and that helps the book hold interest. It also took me most of the way through the book to figure out who the murderer was. I read so many cozy mysteries that I usually solve them sooner than that.

The book has some first time author issues. Some of the major characters have no dimension. There are also some editing issues that were annoying for a grammar geek - mostly places with odd sentence structure, missing words, and extra words. I think fleshing out some of the auxiliary characters and a good editor could take this series from being good to being really good. Despite everything I just said, I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series.

This review is excerpted from the review posted on my blog, Adventures of a Suburban Kitty (http://pumpkinpuddy.com.)

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Jones, along with her best friend, Peggy Sue Roswell open their own used book store in Sweet Springs, Virginia. It’s not easy to make a success of a used book store, but they will do whatever it takes to make it work. Of course, finding a dead body in the their poetry section is not going to help their business at all.

The dead man is Hugo Spangler. A man neither Hope or Peggy Sue knew very well, but the police focus on them as the main suspects. The police have no intentions of looking elsewhere for the killer, so the women start investigating on their own. Well, not totally alone. They do have a tuxedo cat named Nozy Cat who just so happens to be able to talk to them and only them. It’s a race to save their business and bring a killer to justice.

As a cat lover, the premise of this book grabbed my attention right away. However, it took me a little time to get into the book. The dialogue is a bit stilted and didn’t sound genuine. It kept getting better with each page until I fell in love with the storyline and characters.

Hope, Peggy Sue and Nozy Cat make a great threesome. Yes, he’s as much a main character as the humans. He’s so snarky and funny.

The storyline had the feel of a classic mystery. No blood or gore, but several possible culprits. There is a good mixture of mystery, humor and a dash of the paranormal to make for a charming cozy mystery.

This is the first book in the series and I’ll be reading the next one. I’m so glad I stuck with this one. It’s such a cute story.

[Karol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of this story were entertaining, but the dialogue didn't sound at all like the way people actually talk to each other. That made it hard for me to read the entire book - but I was interested enough in the story that I did get to the end.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a tongue-in-cheek on cozy mysteries with a cat and book store. I wasn't sure what I thought of it at first, but I quite liked it by the end. Hope and her best friend own a used bookstore and a man is found dead in the poetry section. When Hope opens the store in the morning she is informed by her cat, Nozy Cat, that there is a body in the store and the police need to be informed. The police detective, Trogg(probably short for troglodyte), is a very unpleasant character and seems determined to pin the murder on Hope and her partner. So, in order to keep from being arrested, they go searching for the murderer with Nozy Cat helping. Only he's very talkative and keeps nearly blowing his cover. In the end, they figure it out and the detective lets them help him catch the killer.

[Maren Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly did enjoy this book. It’s extremely silly but that’s what I need right now. It may be a little far-fetched but I found it very enjoyable and would recommend it. I may even have to read the rest of the series

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read! I enjoyed it and plan on reading the 2nd in the series.

[Sep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic talking cat, a book store, and two good friends. What more for a relaxing read.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't honestly say I will be reading any more of this series. I actually put it down and started another book but decided to finish it hoping it would get better.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Jones, assisted by her bff Peggy Sue Roswell, runs the struggling Brontë Bookshop in the small town of Sweet Springs, Va. Hope’s bright, unconventional, witty 15-year-old daughter helps out, and they are all ably assisted by Nozy Cat, the bookshop mascot/security guard. Hope’s really trying to make a go of the store, because it’s her lifelong dream, and it’s where she’s sunk all her money. Hope arrives at work one morning to find the town handyman dead in the poetry section, and the not-too-bright town cop pegs Hope and Peggy Sue as Suspects No. 1 and 2. They investigate to find the real killer to save their honor and the store.

I enjoyed this story. It’s “clean” in the sense the murder is off-screen, there’s no profanity, and no getting busy. Normally that bores me to tears, but I found these characters likeable, the dialogue snappy (reminded me of the old “Thin Man” movies), the plot interesting, and the day-to-day bookstore operation details interesting. The fact that Nozy Cat “talks” is just icing on the cake. (OK, he doesn’t really talk, it’s more like mental telepathy. He has a very dry sense of humor for a cat and his assessments of people are spot on.)

This was a fun, light, entertaining read. It made the time on the treadmill fly by. The author, Lyn Key, is a pseudonym for Ed Lynskey, who writes the Isabel and Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series, and the Frank Johnson Mystery Series and the Piper and Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. I think he has another winner on his hands with Hope and Nozy Cat.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are introduced to a new crime solving trio, yes I said trio, in this debut novel of a new series.

In Sweet Springs, Virginia, there is a new 'used' bookstore named 'Bronte Book Store.' This store is a partnership between two very good friends, Hope Jones and Peggy Sue Roswell. Who is the third crime fighter...why it is 'Nozy Cat' and yes, he is a Tuxedo cat and oh so very nosy. The truly unusual fact is Nozy Cat can join in the discussions as he has the ability to speak 'English.'

The crime? Well, Nozy Cat takes his 'security walk' through the bookstore and rushes back to tell Hope that there is a situation in the Poetry section. Hope, who has just learned that Nozy can talk and that everyone knew but her (the Pet Parent,) takes his word and rushes to the scene...a man's dead body is on the floor! How did he get in? Who put him there? Why is he dead? and Who is he? Finally, why are 'they' being set up?

The book takes us on the journey of discovery, blocked by Sgt. Trogg, a cop doing his 'job.' The cat is quite a talker and adds his sardines to the discussion as well.

This book was a good start to what will be a great series. I would have enjoyed a bit more background of each of the characters to get to 'know' them better, but in a debut book it is difficult to do that. Good read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good First Novel!

Hope Jones and Peggy Sue Roswell run The Bronte used Bookstore in Sweet Springs, Virginia. They have been best friends since childhood. When Hope gets the idea to open a bookstore, Peggy Sue naturally wants to be her partner.

Well things are going along great until they find a dead body in the poetry section of the store and become the chief suspects of the murder.

They decide to help the cops solve the crime, with the help of their bookstore cat Nozy Cat who can only talk to them!

The story is well rounded and very funny. It keeps you glued to the pages. I am looking forward to the next one in the series. I would like to know what Hope, Peggy Sue, Nozy Cat and the rest of the characters have in store for the Bronte Bookstore next. I know it will be fun and enlightening.

[L.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this book was good, I liked the characters (though it would have been nice to get to know them better) and the setting (again more info and description would have been a bonus). The descriptions and explanations were very good, good variety of terminology and the expressions used were interesting, many I'd never heard. What fell short for me was the dialogue, which was a bit awkward. Dialogue is my favorite part of a story so I may have been hit harder by that than some readers would be. Unfortunately for me in places it bogged down an otherwise pretty good story. I think this author is worth reading again, good things to come!

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to figure out if this is a comedy cozy or a parody of a cat/book cozy (I worry about Sergeant Trogg and some of the other names), and the style seems rather unpolished, as if the book was written in a hurry. Still, the characters have potential (although it was hard to figure out how old they were supposed to be) and the sassy talking cat is entertaining.

It's definitely my kind of book, but maybe the next one in the series will be a bit more polished.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed Lynskey is the actual author. It is another one of his Cozy Mystery books featuring two friends who start a used book store, only to find a corpse in an aisle when they open one morning. Naturally, they work to find who dunnit. Nozy Cat helps--he has the ability to talk with them. Very pleasant and enjoyable to read these 156 pages on a nook!

[Yvonne Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

These ladies are a lot of fun along with their Nozy Cat mascot.
When a dead body is found at their book store they must find the killer before they are arrested for the murder.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book in the Nozy Cat series by Ed Lynskey (writing as Lyn Key). A bookstore owner finds a dead body in her poetry section(!) after opening the store one morning. Coincidentally (or not) she discovers that same day that her cat can talk.
Hope Jones and her bookstore partner Peggy Sue don't have a lot of faith in the local policeman's ability to solve the murder (of course, he thinks Hope is guilty) so they set off to solve the crime with the help of Nozy Cat (who has been speaking to almost everyone except Hope for some time already).
Several suspects present themselves and the ladies spend a fair amount of time traipsing around town, Nozy Cat in tow to interview the locals.
Without giving anything away, the ladies (and Nozy Cat) solve the crime and the police are actually thankful for the help!
I'm pretty sure I will follow-up on the next edition of the Nozy Cat mysteries. I grew up with Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie but found the interactions with Nozy Cat more intrusive(?) to start, but I'm guessing Mr Lynskey has smoothed out some of the dialogue transitions in future books. Overall, the book was well written and has a great combination of local color, dialogue and character development.

[Gail Overholt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I've read all six of Ali Brandon's Black Cat Bookshop mysteries, and there doesn't seem to be any more coming (which makes me very sad).* It also reminded me of Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series, set in scenic small-town rural Virginia. But Nozy Cat was not nearly as good as either of those two series.

Many of the characters were caricatures, and the dialogue (and there was a lot of it!) was often insipid. Some incidents which seemed important at the time (such as the guy who was apparently blackmailing the diner owner) led nowhere. Then there was a big deal about the victim blackmailing folks (I think), but it was never explained. That just feels like sloppy story editing to me.

I did finish the book, but really just skimmed through it. I sort of want to read NC #2, I've heard it deals with the death of Hope's husband but now I'm not so sure I will.

The same can be said with the Chet and Bernie mysteries, which really pisses me off because of the way the last book ended.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the plot conception of an individual following a life-long dream and opening an independent bookstore. The delight of working with a friend and having Nozy Cat as the bookstore mascot added to the delight. That's where some of the delight ends.

For a first novel, it is easily understood that an editor could be cost prohibitive. However, there are always readers willing to be beta readers who could have easily identified grammatical errors (e.g. missing words, extra words, rough sentences) for the author's editing prior to publication which would have eased the read for everyone. As per prior reviews, I have dropped 1 star due to errors.

The paranormal element of a "talking" Nozy Cat is a fun premise but it wasn't pulled off to be an exemplary addition to the story. It's also very difficult to believe that a single Mother would take the risk of opening an independent bookstore in a small town setting and without the timing defined by the author it's another miss to be part of today's reality.

There are so many delightful cozy mysteries available with bookstore settings and wonderful felines that I'll be skipping beyond any future additions to this series.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nozy Cat 1 by Lyn Key has all the ingredients to be enjoyed in a cozy mystery series: a heroine in love with Wuthering Heights (she named her cats Heathcliff, Catherine, Nell Dean, Edgar, Hindley, Isabella, and Mr. Lockwood), a used bookstore nestled in a small town, a cat with a voice, and an appreciation for coffee. I’d like to visit “the relaxing, inviting atmosphere found at Cordelia’s Expresso... It earned bonus points for admitting pets. A breezy tune (Hope didn’t recognize the saxophonist) enlivened the cozy space filled with the intoxicating, rich scent of roasted coffee beans. The décor featuring birch paneled walls, antique furniture, and white mugs fit her idea of how a coffeehouse should be” (120). Key even explains Nozy Cat’s ability to speak with his humans, a surprise I fully appreciate and look forward to seeing how it plays out in the series.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky fun

Nosy Cat is one of the most quirky cozies I've happened across in a long time. This is book one and sets the characters for the series. Hope and Peggy Sue own a used bookstore. The store mascot, Nozy Cat, is head of security and speaks perfect English. He also found the dead body left in the poetry section. Naturally Hope and Peggy Sue are suspected of murder. The book isn't an action fest. It has much more dialogue but it's clever and funny. I confess the ending wasn't a surprise but getting there was a hoot. Looking forward to more in the series.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cat knows best

A great solid cozy. Okay the killer was obvious but the characters especially Nozy Cat made up for it. When a bookshop owner finds a dead body in the poetry section, she certainly doesn't expect to be the number one suspect. Along with her busy partner and their cat, Nozy Cat, they decide to clear their name and bring the real killer to justice. By the way have I mentioned that Nozy Cat talks. Can the two bookworms worm their way to the truth? The characters are great and I love the way she got the teenage attitude and mannerisms down pat.

[Andrea HumbirdStout · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Light Read

Not the most edge of the seat read I've ever had, but fun and entertaining. The three main characters, including the cat, were well done, and the teenager was very aptly described as well.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun loving cozy mystery. I just loved Nozy Cat the bookstore mascot. Loved hearing what he thought. Pretty funny cat. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun loving cozy mystery. I just loved Nozy Cat the bookstore mascot and what he is thinking. He is so funny. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little mystery. This is a fun read.

[Sandra Gaultois · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light read. Was pretty good for the first book in the series. I have already started book 2. Unsure what I think of Nozy Cat talking and the quick acceptance by all lol

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of a bookshop, a paranormal cat, and two friends with a mystery is appealing. I didn't care for the writing style. Grammar just doesn't flow well.

[Flo Tinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an enjoyable book

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this very good book. I read it in one evening. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series

[Beatrice M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

Cats and book's great combo. Lot's of fun and fast moving. The cat has some unusual traits that you may expect

[Naomi Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope reigns

Cute idea to have a talking cat with a sense of humor. Hope needs hope to keep her book store open. A satisfying read.