Beyond the Gravy

The No.2 Feline Detective Agency #7

by Mandy Morton

Psychic cat Irene Peggledrip is being visited by a band of malevolent spirits who all claim to be murderers. Not only is their message disturbing, but they cause chaos with indoor snowstorms, flying books and the untimely demise of a delicious Victoria sponge. Irene calls in Hettie and Tilly of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency to help, but they’re not sure how far their skills reach into the spirit realm.

Meanwhile, Lavender Stamp, the town’s bad-tempered postmistress cat, has some good news to deliver to Tilly: she has won a competition to take afternoon tea with renowned mystery writer Agatha Crispy at her Devon home, Furaway House.

Will Hettie and Tilly finally lay the ghosts to rest? Can Molly Bloom’s new café survive the seance? And will the moving claw give up its secrets before the gravy congeals? Find out in this latest adventure of our favourite feline sleuths.

Genres: Mystery

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2019

About the author

Mandy Morton began her professional life as a musician. Her songwriting formed the basis of six albums during the 1970s and early 1980s, when she toured extensively with her band. More recently, she has worked as a freelance arts journalist for national and local radio, specialising in making music and theatre documentary. She is the co-author of a non-fiction theatre book, In Good Company, and lives with her partner in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always a place for an ageing long-haired tabby cat. The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is her first novel, and begins a series of books inspired by her first cat, Hettie.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins, proprietors of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, are back again in their seventh case, in Beyond the Gravy by Mandy Morton. They’re cats, by the way.

Business has come to a halt. It’s winter. Soon, readers find out about Bloomers, the new cafe in town. Molly Bloom is the owner. Then we “meet” Irene Peggledrip - who wants everyone to pronounce the ‘e’ in her name. She’s the local psychic. Delirium Treemints is her house cat (house keeper) and general factotum. And of course no Feline Detective agency book is complete without a mention of Agatha Crispy -- Tillie’s favorite author. Oh, and there’s Elise Haddock -- owns the local fish and chips shop. Are you getting the picture here? There are plenty more inhabitants, rivaling humans in their uniqueness and quirkiness.

Irene contacts Hettie to visit, imploring the duo to rid her house of some ghostly inhabitants, who have become impossible to ignore and are upsetting her spirit guide to distraction. A psychic can only take so much, after all. The (dead) spokes-cat decrees that unless the group can be made “free from guilt,” they’re not going anywhere. It becomes pretty obvious the group has done something very bad, and now they’re stuck “in between,” as it were. It’s up to The No. 2 Detective Agency to tackle this otherworldly problem -- to figure out who, and possibly why, and expose it all.
But not before Tilly gets her chance to visit her favorite author, and take tea. This was a nice little touch, but it took a long time to get there with a lot of sidetracking which may go on far too long for some.

Now, I don’t like ghosts in mysteries -- shouldn’t they be able to solve the mystery on their own? Or contribute a lot more than they do? I’m prepared to suspend a lot of disbelief when reading the Hettie and Tilly books, after all. But ghosts are not my cup ‘o tea (or pipe o’ nip). But for many, this will just add another little layer to your delight at reading these books. For me, I’d like to see all eight paws firmly on the ground in the next adventure.

I should mention that everybody gets to eat a lot in this book. And we’re not talking cans of tuna. The new cafe has a wonderful menu, and everybody has a sweet tooth. How a cat handles a cream horn can occupy a lot of thinking time, let me tell you.

I should also mention that this is a darker book than others in the series. Real issues are discussed here. And the ending, as the point and counterpoint of the murder(s) is discussed, comes out rather gruesomely. The murder gets discovered in a slightly out of left field fashion; murderers on top of murderers, tables turned in a ghastly fashion, as it were.

When Agatha Crispy finds out what has happened, she presents a new story in their honor. Quite the finish to the case.

At last, Irene will have peace. “The strangest of cases” had come to a "satisfactory conclusion.” The characters are what makes these books, and as much as I didn’t much like the plot in this one, you can’t help but be fascinated by the fascinating ones that Mandy Morton has conjured up (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for advanced copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

[Sue Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just suspend your disbelief and allow Mandy Morton to take you into a different world. One where cats dress and act as if they are human. One where felines have a detective agency. One where the psychic cat in the village, Irene Peggledrip, asks for help dealing with an influx of rowdy spirits who all claim to be murderers. If you can do so, you'll enjoy a imaginative and inventive mystery. Morton's naming of characters equals J.K. Rowling's from our protagonists, Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins to Lavender Stamp, the postmistress. Not for everyone, but if you can expand your mind, you will find yourself charmed and enjoy this book. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: Hetty and Tillie return to solve mysteries as the No 2 Feline Detective Agency.. If you are a fan of kitty detectives and also a fan of those wonderful old British tales such as Beatrix Potter and The Wind in the Willow, this could be an enchanting find. The author creates a cats only world that closely mimics the villages of so many cozies set in Britain. The cast of characters are all cats who lead productive lives. They run shops and they write books and they ride motorcycles and wear leathers. And they run detective agencies. While the characters exist in this parallel universe they are still, when all is said and done, cats. It is quite a trick to pull off.
In this second outing, that is precisely what the author does. Hetty and Tillie are asked to help a local psychic deal with some decidedly unsettled ghosts who are haunting her home. They cannot pass over until a mystery surrounding their deaths is solved. But first the two detectives must discover who they are and what happened to them. It all coincides with a contest Tillie wins where she is invited to take tea with her favourite famous novelist.
During the adventure to the tea, the ladies find some missing pieces that help them uncover the secrets that will free the ghosts. It is a lovely little book with charming characters that would be fine for younger readers or adults. I know I enjoyed visiting. I think you might too.
Five purrs and two paws up.

[Linda Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tilly has won an afternoon tea with Agatha Crispy and a cheque for £50. Their visit doesn't go according to plan - in a good way and a bad way. They make a new friend along the way and help her get a new job. Molly Bloomer's Cafe opens in an old nail bar notorious because it's previous owner turned out to be a murderer exposed by Hetty. The town's psychic, Irene Pegglegrip, is having unusual visitations. She holds a seance in Molly's cafe to pass on messsages to the locals but it reavels more than expected. Can Hetty and Tilly figure this one out before more people become upset at Irene?
Cosy crime with humour and puns galore. Great fun and an easy read.

[Susan Underbrink · Rating 2 out of 5]

A big thank you to NetGalley and Farrago for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. Okay, I absolutely Love cats, but this was to much for me. I didn't know how to take it, tongue in cheek? The cats talk? Food voachers? I couldn't do it. I didn't even skim it just flat out DNF! I can usually skim and finish abook. Sorry folks not for me. So I am unsure how to rate. It was well written, just not something I want to read. 2 stars

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hettie and Tilly are back on the case in the seventh book of the series. With ghosts,a slightly strange psychic and whole of lot of this cannot be real it makes for a interesting story. Lots of food as these cats can eat a lot. Yes they are cats and do they do a good job of solving cases. If you sit down with the book and just go with it makes for a fun and quick read.

[Steph Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author and Farrago. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Those already familiar with this series, or who have read my previous review of Magical Mystery Paws will know what to expect from this new instalment of Hettie and Tilly’s adventures, but for those unfamiliar I will just briefly explain: they are cats, but they are also ‘people’.

Hettie and Tilly run a detective agency, love baked goods and a cosy life. They wear clothes and ride in motorbike sidecars, write notes and read books. They are also cats. They love a good stretch and to curl up for a nap in a chair in front of the fire.

Mandy Morton has created an engaging twist on the cosy detective novel here, with an affectionate tip of the collar to Alexander McCall Smith’s No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Morton brings a style entirely her own to the genre, not only with the anthropomorphic feline cast, but also with a tongue-in-cheek lightness characterised by silly names (Agatha Crispy) and frequent puns.

This book was slightly different to others I have read in the series, as it introduced a paranormal element – ghosts and psychic visions – that wasn’t there before. Even the characters retain a healthy scepticism about the ghostly goings-on, and look for alternative explanations. I will leave you to find out for yourselves whether they are successful or spooked!

This series is the perfect warm, fluffy cosy mystery read for fans of Agatha Crispy-style mysteries and cat-lovers alike. Grab yourself a cream slice and a cuppa, and curl up by the fire with Hetty, Tilly and their latest ectoplasmic adventure!



Tilly jotted the names down and Hettie slid back down the line of headstones to check for any further clues on the inscriptions. Carman Veranda was ‘At rest from the fruits of her labours’, and Hettie smiled: in life, Carman had had a fruit stall on the Tuesday market. Baxter Crimp’s epitaph singled him out as ‘A cut above the rest’ – perfect for the cat who had run the town’s barbers.

– Mandy Morton, Beyond the Gravy

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

P.D. James said of the series “original and intriguing… a world without people which cat lovers will enter and enjoy” – and I really can’t argue with that. I’ve read very little cosy crime (ok – none at all!), and have no previous experience of cats as a book’s protagonists, but this book was an absolute delight from beginning to end. I’ve noticed that many of the enthusiastic reviews for books in this series mention the need for “suspension of disbelief”: but the author’s world-building is so thoroughly excellent that I didn’t find that a problem for an instant.

I always so enjoy a book set within a community made up of diverse characters, and this wonderful story most certainly delivered. The relationship between Hettie and Tilly was beautifully handled and immensely heartwarming: I loved Tilly’s naive enthusiasm, bursts of excitement, and her clumsiness (it’s the paws…), and Hettie’s care and protectiveness (and only occasional impatience…) was so well done. They are characters with real depth and history – but then so is every single character within this book. I loved the different shops, run by individuals with the most perfect names – I was particularly taken by the Butter sisters who run the bakery (and produce the most wonderful pies and cream cakes). But don’t expect every character to be lovable – these are cats with characteristics that are sometimes all too human, and I particularly liked (perhaps the wrong word…) Lavender Stamp, the aggressive and slightly unhinged post mistress.

The story itself is really excellent – the excitement around the opening of a new cafe, a mystery to solve from the world of the supernatural, a road trip with real drama along the way with stops at the biker cafe and a rather macabre hotel, a meeting with Agatha Crispy herself (complete with spectacles, two-piece brown suit and string of pearls), and a stay at her boathouse with a rather lovely Kenneth Grahame (or should I say Greyhair?) moment.

I loved all the literary references, the resolution to the investigation was so cleverly done (and well built up to) – and I’ll admit I was rather sorry to leave this wonderfully created world and its endearing characters. Totally original, very different – and I’m in awe of the author’s imagination. Very much recommended by me.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating between 3 & 3.5

Another good entry in the series I thought.
The humour present in the names and mannerisms of the various characters was as good as previous novels, whilst the interlude when Hetty and Tilly actually meet Agatha Crispy was well done.
On the debit side however was that entire Devon excursion which should almost have been a stand alone short story or novella, simply referenced in this novel rather than included. Also the whole spiritualism/ghost haunting thread I found rather unbelievable even in a story which is based around anthropomorphic cats solving crimes.
I hope this isn’t a sign that the author is running out of ideas for her creations. A lot of series seem to reach numbers 6-8 and then start to feel like completely different authors or series as either they go very dark in tone or simply become silly and repetitive in the storylines.
This series has so far told very good mysteries in my opinion whilst set in the unbelievable world of cats with a large slice of humour and that is exactly why I read them.
So overall I would recommend this but not necessarily as the first in the series to try as the number of characters and their relationships are becoming important to the overall feel of each story.
Only downside were the ghosts but as a one-off excursion I can live with them.

[ClassicPink · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** Please visit my blog for the full review *****

What a refreshing read. I feel full enough after all of the tea, pies and baked goods to say that it was enjoyable. This is a fantastical tale where you can easily forget you are reading about cats with human qualities. I really enjoyed the foodie aspects being tied into the narrative so often.

This novel was very well paced. I learned a great deal about the characters along the way. Their personality types mirrored those of humans and were equally well fleshed out.

Since the cats live in a world that is seemingly lawless it made perfect sense that a detective agency would be needed. Despite the two main charcters, Hettie and Tilly, being polar opposites their strengths and weaknesses combine to make a great duo. Tilly couldn’t have been sweeter and Hettie couldn’t have been grumpier. Both are intelligent and observant and when they link wits they uncovered enough to solve the riddle.

The fact that they were working on a case for a psychic was interesting to say the least. I would say that it would be hard to wrap their paws around ghosts that even the psychic that hired them cannot handle. I enjoyed the way the truth unfolded, although I think that Hettie had more than a little bit of luck on her side, and ultimately I did not come near to guessing the whodunit in this fantastic work.

The other characters all had such definitive personalities it made me want to read more about them in the other books in this series. Where else can you hear tales of a drunken, angry cat who runs the post office? Or kitties that are sky high off of catnip?

I will have future reviews of this entire series to post in due time. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Crittermom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our favorite feline sleuths, Hettie and Tilly are back in their latest and most unusual adventure yet - Beyond the Gravy.  Ghosts are usually beyond the purview of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, but after Irene Peggledrip’s pleading and a demonstration from the ghosts involved, the duo reluctantly agree to take the case.  The ghosts believe they are murderers, but who they are and who the victim was is in question.

A vital clue comes from the venerable Miss Crispy who recognizes elements of her play The Mousetrap.


Needless to say, over the course of their investigation Hettie, Tilly and Co., make new friends, have plenty of unusual , off the wall adventures and eat plenty of scrumptious food.  Like all books in this adorable cozy series, there is much to bring a smile to a reader’s face. From the merry to the macabre, Beyond the Gravy is a veritable feast.


5 / 5


I received a copy of Beyond the Gravy from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom 

[MV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Farrago for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with the No. 2 Detective Agency series and had been recommended it before receiving this book but his was my first experience meeting the characters. It took a little while to adjust my thinking to characters with paws but also cardigans but once I did this was a quirky little mystery which I found myself enjoying so much that I read it in one sittingl! The characters are charming, for the most part (Lavender Stamp, I'm looking at you!) and I found it easy to keep up with them, despite not having read the prior books. There are puns, eccentrically named characters and plenty of twists and turns throughout, some of which I'm not certain were needed to further the plot but they were fun additions, and made me read on. I'll definitely be delving into the previous books of this series, although Beyond the Gravy works perfectly well as a stand alone.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat Mysteries . . . Who Knew?

I was looking at books to choose to review at a book review site that I sometimes use, and I was in a mood for mysteries. I mostly read romance, but I do love a good cozy mystery now and then. So I just grab anything that looked like a cozy mystery. I didn't realize that this particular one had cats as the detectives and a psychic cat! I knew that such a thing as cat cozy mysteries existed but had never read one out in the wild. I found the cat aspect to be quite silly but more charming than I would have imagined. It was definitely an unusual and interesting read than I would have imagined. The main detective cats had such personalities. And there was actually a mystery, too! An enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency #7


Cats--cozy mystery--ghosts!! Sheer delight. If you don't love cats, then enjoy the Mystery, the Spooky aspects, and the lovely anthropomorphic examples of Felines displaying all-too-human foibles.


Delightfully humorous and a fun, entertaining, read.

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books, they bring such a smile to my face. Hettie and Tilly are asked to investigate a haunting at the local medium's house. Combine this with an interesting trip to Devon to see Agatha Crispy and plenty of food and we gave another winner!

[Yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read in this series. It is witty and hilarious. Some plots are not completely relevant to the development of the story. However, they are still interesting and funny. One of the most entertaining books I read this year!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tillie's jokes are funny. I want to eat at Molly Bloom’s cafe, Bloomers. I didn't know who the killer was. Irene Peggledrip using gravy to see the future is funny and interesting.

I received an arc from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series, and sad to see the series come to a close. 8(

[AnnieM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow so weird.

[Susan Corcoran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was charming and original and I enjoyed it.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving these books - the cats have so much personality. Some have charm and some don’t

[the reading teacup | ~☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4.5 stars 🌟

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this series.

[Lost Vegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the world these cats live in and I adore the cats.

Mandy Morton is so talented at managing to make this jaded reader fall in love with a supernatural mystery with cats.

[Taz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun easy read. I enjoy this series, its very light, but good fun!

[Richard Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spooky Cosy mystery this time for this enjoyable series. Enjoyable as always

[Sharlene Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing cat detective novel

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book in the series all that much. It was a little too macabre for my liking and I found it a bit boring.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Play within the Play

Ms Morton puts her feline detectives into some interesting situations, in this case involving psychic manifestations. The book title is a clever pun which is sort of revealed (well, at least *I* had an "aHA!" moment about 1/3 of the way in)--okay, I guess that is a pun of its own but since the book is replete with them, be prepared! In addition there are tons of clever wordplays when it comes to the naming of cats. I've only read one other of the series and although there are probably lots of cross references to earlier cases, this tale (sorry, it's catching!) stands well on its own. Keywords: thespians, motorcyclists, cooks. Have fun!