A black cat shows up on the doorstep of a provincial solicitor's firm and promptly makes himself at home. Dubbed Mr. Perkins, the cat meows, looks enigmatic, and takes the employees in hand with the certainty of a seasoned social worker. This collection of tales is illustrated with black-and-white sketches of Mr. Perkins in action.

Bernard, unhappily married to his former secretary after the untimely death of his wife? Mr. Perkins eats Bernard's awful tunafish sandwich lunch, allowing Bernard to go to the pub with a coworker, which leads step by step to a face-off with the former secretary, who decamps with her tasteless furniture, leaving Bernard and his daughter the happier for it.

Graham, who takes more than a nip or two at work? Mr. Perkins nudges his hand away from the booze, meows his encouragement for Graham to mentor young David, and sooner rather than later, Graham is tossing his bottles in the rubbish and David is shaping into a good young professional.

Mr. Perkins slides a few flyers for adult daycare into the pocket of the beleaguered receptionist, Maureen, whose combative elderly roommates need to find outside interests. Mr. Perkins likewise draws the workaholic Ariana's attention to a flyer about weddings in Spain, which causes her to decide to spend her Christmas holidays, at long last, with her fiancé, at his mother's, in Spain, and get married.

Mr. Perkins foils a pair of yoiks from robbing the office, thereby converting the curmudgeonly old maintenance man in to a man more tolerant of cats. "Fred had made it plain on previous occasions that he did not like Mr. Perkins one bit."

I like a story about a cat doing good in the world, but there's a level of British animal-story whimsey here that I could not quite go with.

Each human character's were introduced with a dossier that seemed oddly specific for being essentially set-dressing: Mr. Ali, for instance, a neighbor who helps foil the break-in, is also a "well-established client who was wishing to move his restaurant to larger premises. It was known locally for its South Indian cuisine. The new location was to be in the middle of the High Street in the premises of what had been an unsuccessful Greek restaurant which had only lasted about two years. Before the Greek restaurant the premises had been a successful English steakhouse for about ten years before the chain went bust." Nothing more is mentioned of the restaurant, btw.

It's a quirk that I thought was ironic or humorous at first, but by the end of the slim, illustrated book, I found it a little unsettling. A bit like the fixed stare of a cat, one might say. This sort of naive storytelling device seems to say less about the characters than about the narrator...Be that as it may, ultimately, I believe this book will find its devotees, regardless my dissenting opinion.

Mr. Perkins Takes Charge is for fans of British cozy, wise cats, and morally tidy storytelling.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

Thanks to NetGally for the e-ARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

132 pages

5 stars

What a delightful book. A black cat wanders into a solicitors office and completely enchants all who work there. He befriends and heals all the troubles that the humans have.

If you love cats, you will certainly enjoy this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

A magical black cat who is set out to change lives. Sign me up! One day, he wanders into a solicitors office and starts changing lives, one purr at a time.

Perfect fall read as we approach halloween! Not spooky at all, just black cat vibes. This was a super fun whismical read that is perfect for when you are looking for something light and easy. As a cat lover myself, I enjoyed this book so much and found myself smiling and also wishing Mr Perkins was real.

It might be time for me to get another cat.

This blurb really sums up this book: "This is a story for anyone who loves our feline friends. It’s a story for those in the legal profession. It’s a story for those who stare out of an office window and wonder."

When Mr Perkins, a handsome black cat, walks into the offices of a local solicitors the staff have no idea how much their lives are about to change.
Thanks to him, they will each have chance to think about their lives and maybe change them for the better.
A lovely story of how the smallest things can make the biggest changes. If you like cats you will love this.

Mr Perkins Takes Charge by Suzanne Stephenson

Mr Perkins, a black cat isn't just a magical cat, he's a healer. This communicates within the human understanding that sometimes we need a little happiness as grown adults with responsibilities. I love this story because it reminds me of my Black cat - Luna. She's my healer on days when I want to give up and don't want to face any challenges and she reminds me, that she needs me as much as I need her.

What an utterly adorable story! I enjoyed it immensely.
Mr Perkins, a black cat, wanders in to a solicitors office and makes himself at home. He seems to know who needs him, and is happily obliging with purrs. “The Perkins effect” makes everybody happy.
This story shows how much animals can do for people. A wonderful book for cat lovers.

A delightful book with charming illustrations about a cat who takes up residence at a law firm and how he changes the lives of the people there for the good. I loved this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for the opportunity to read Mr. Perkins Takes Charge by Suzanne Stephenson. "When he strolls into Spong, Salter and Tethering Solicitors out of nowhere, he is set to change lives. Is he just a stray or a magical cat, who can gift those around him the changes they deserve? Both good and bad."
This was as lovely! We underestimate our animal friends.