Ruth J. Hartman

It has been a road trip for Christy Bailey and her 2 cats, Milton, a tuxedo cat, and Pearl, a solid white beauty, as they've traveled across the miles from Philadelphia to Green Meadow, Indiana. Christy accepted an invitation from her aunt, Betty Hollingsworth, to work together at Words to Read By and live together in the apartment above the bookshop. Christy is looking forward to the change and is excited that her aunt offered the opportunity to set up a children's book section featuring her children's mystery book series. Betty anticipates that all her customers will enjoy bookshop cats, especially the children, to meet the star fur-ends of Christy's books. However, Christy's arrival is anything but as expected.

Cozies featuring books, bookshops, and cats are favorites, so I was happy to discover a new series. After reading Book 1, I'll automatically click the pre-order button as each new book becomes available. The creative changes in the cozy excite me as it excludes tropes that are becoming weary to this reader. Additionally, the shops have creative names, including Dreamy Sweets, Perked Up (coffee shop), Petals and Stems, restaurants Beneath the Sea, and A Taste of Rome. The furry faces have been given unique personalities that are authentic to felines and human reactions. Meeting the town business owners and residents provides multiple suspects during the investigation and set the stage for future intrigue.

If only this cozy bookshop existed, I'd be a frequent customer. At least I can visit between the pages. I hope you will too.… (meer)

Get ready for a new cozy mystery series that’s quirky and full of feline fun!

Dial M for Meow is the debut novel in Ruth J. Hartman’s new cozy mystery series, the Bookshop Kitties Mysteries. With a loving cat-mom main character, a caring but needy sidekick-friend, two suspiciously smart felines, a puzzling homicide, and a more-than-the-usual drama-filled small town, get ready for a cozy mystery that’s fun and unique.

Christy Bailey, children’s author and devoted cat mom to the inspirations for the feline sleuths in her books, Pearl and Milton, seems like such a genuine young woman. She was completely taken in by her ex-boyfriend, and I felt so bad for her. I truly wanted her to succeed and save the day for her aunt from the very start. I felt like I was still getting to know Aunt Betty in this book, but so far, she’s a strong and caring woman who loves her niece. Janie Lambert has apparently had a rough past, and I feel there is much more to learn about her in the future. She constantly clings to Christy, and there’s got to be more to this behavior than we know.

The murder victim proves to have a number of individuals with a grudge against her, providing fodder for Christy’s snooping. A couple of warnings from the killer only urge her on with her questions, especially when reporting them to the local police only seems to draw increased scrutiny of Aunt Betty. I wondered how the police could possibly believe Aunt Betty might have knocked herself unconscious after committing the murder.

The story is well done, and the action certainly held my attention but one difference that made this cozy debut stand out from others was that the quaint little town of Green Meadows is populated by the nastiest bunch of people ever! The town sounds lovely with its collection of fun, cleverly-named shops, but each one seems to be owned, operated, or managed by a weirdo or an ill-tempered jerk who certainly doesn’t want any business. After Christy’s first experience at Petals and Stems, I couldn’t believe she even bought something there. The murder victim’s visitation or “calling,” though universally disliked, drew quite the crowd, but even her closest relatives couldn’t be bothered to receive visitors on her behalf. The attendees were most definitely there for the spectacle. Thankfully, some bright sparks, such as Dr. Yummy, provide a vestige of normality and, in his case, a possible love interest later down the line. I will definitely be waiting anxiously for the next book in this series, if not for the mystery or the hint of romance, for more of this collection of awful townspeople.

I highly recommend DIAL M FOR MEOW to cozy mystery readers who enjoy bright, young female sleuths, cats who act like cats, and incredibly quirky small towns.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.… (meer)

Christy Bailey arrives in Green Meadow, Indiana with her two cats, Milton and Pearl. Christy creates children’s mysteries starring her two wily furbabies. Christy’s ex-boyfriend decimated her savings and racked up debt on her credit cards which is why she is looking for a fresh start. Christy’s Aunt Betty invited her to live with her and help in Words to Read By. Christy along with her two furry companions go to enter the bookstore only to find it closed. She hurries up the stairs to the apartment above the bookshop to find a woman dead in Aunt Betty’s reading chair. Aunt Betty is unconscious on the floor with blood on her hands. When Aunt Betty rouses, she cannot recall what happened. It seems someone knocked her unconscious with one of her bookends which left Aunt Betty with a goose egg. Christy knows her Aunt Betty would not harm a soul. The only way to clear her aunt is to don her sleuthing cap and pinpoint the killer. Dial M for Meow by Ruth J. Hartman is the debut of Bookshop Kitties Mysteries. I found the story easy to read. I like that Christy is an author of children’s mysteries. I am baffled as to how Christy could let her ex-boyfriend bamboozle her. Did Christy fail to download the apps for her bank account and credit card accounts (or sign up for alerts)? Aunt Betty is a sweetie. The characters need development. The author spent more time developing the cats than the people. Milton and Pearl are adorable. The cats seem to have taken on the attributes of Christy’s fictional sleuthing felines. The mystery is straightforward. There are a couple of suspects and a red herring. There are clues to help readers solve the crime. I like how Milton and Pearl helped Christy solve the crime. I can tell the author has cats. She captured their behavior and attitudes. The reason for the murder is a touch farfetched. There are several grumpy, rude characters. I could understand having one maybe two. It was too much negativity. A couple of the grumpy Guses were not needed. They added nothing to the story or helped move the plot forward. There is repetition of certain details. I do not know why authors think they need to repeat details over and over (I got it the first time). I enjoyed the humor in the story. The cat’s antics were amusing. Dial M for Meow takes readers to the Midwest where there is a mysterious murder, clever kitties, a beloved bookstore, a childhood companion, a kindhearted relative, and a sleuthing.… (meer)