Mabel & the Cat's Meow

Mysteries of Medicine Spring #0.5

by Susan Kimmel Wright

Mabel greets two weeks in her grandmother’s poky village of Medicine Spring with as much enthusiasm as a jaunt to Aruba. Could this be a teensy clue that her job as a lawyer has lost its rosy glow?

One day as Mabel enjoys an afternoon stroll, feeble cries from the second floor of a vacant house prompt her to investigate. Despite being about thirty years older and fifty pounds heavier than Nancy Drew, she manages to clamber inside where she finds more than she bargained for.

Along with freeing a scrawny, half-grown cat from a closet, Mabel makes a horrifying second discovery—a man’s body.
Mabel’s determined to help the kitty, who appears injured, but the cat has other ideas. So does Mabel’s best friend and true-crime aficionado, Lisa, who’s more interested in solving the murder. Despite herself, Mabel is drawn into the hunt for a killer, as well as a cat. Luckily, she doesn’t have to rely solely on Lisa’s and her non-existent skills as rookie investigators. Grandma and her elderly best friends also get into the act, along with Grandma’s dog Barnacle, who proves he too has a nose for crime.

There’s more excitement and danger in this small town than she’d ever encountered in the big city. And she kind of likes it.

167 pages, Paperback

Published June 14, 2021

About the author

Susan Kimmel Wright began her life of mystery as a child, with reading. That led to writing kids’ mysteries and eventually to Medicine Spring with Mabel. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Susan’s also a prolific writer of personal experience stories, many for Chicken Soup for the Soul. She shares an 1875 farmhouse in southwestern PA with her husband, several dogs and cats, and an allegedly excessive stockpile of coffee and tea mugs.

MABEL GETS THE AX, book one of Susan’s latest cozy mystery series, Mysteries of Medicine Spring, is available in paperback and e-book online and wherever books are sold!

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who have read "Mabel Gets the Ax" and loved it (count me in), this prequel is a fun read as we get to meet Mabel's grandmother and a scrawny kitten that leads Mabel on a merry chase. Climbing through the window of an abandoned house to look for the cat gives Mabel more than she bargained for when she stumbles over a quite dead body. But that doesn't stop this not-as-young, not-as-thin Nancy Drew wannabee. This story is full of humor and Mabel is a character that I'd love to know! And the book really is a quite decent length for a prequel, although I don't think anyone could complain about the story ever being too long. I can't wait for book #2!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An introduction to the cast of characters

I find prequel stories a little odd. Generally, you've already met the characters and have a good sense of who they are. Having previously read MABEL GETS THE AX (Book 1 in author Susan Kimmel Wright's Mysteries of Medicine Spring series), I already knew Mabel Browne and the reasons why she was living in her grandma's house.

MURDER & THE CAT'S MEOW allows readers to get to know Mabel's supporting cast and the town of Medicine Spring a little better while also giving Mabel an opportunity to solve her first mystery. It's going to be fun tagging along with Mabel, her best friend Lisa, Miss Birdie, Ms. Katherine Ann, Barnacle, and Koi in future adventures. May those adventures continue for a long time.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not very familiar with the cozy mystery genre, but now I say count me in. Totally charming and fun to play along as clues were dropped and suspense builds.

Mabel is a great character, and I am looking forward to reading more of her adventures.

[Candy Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I prefer novels to the shorter novellas, I did enjoy this prequel, it introduced characters as advertised. I do really enjoy Susan's writing style and her stories. I definitely will continue to read the series and follow the author.

[Kelly Greeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the quaint town of Medicine springs and learning about Mabel

[Janet Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. I'm not a cat person but i found the author's story captivating and I enjoyed the mystery.