A Pose Before Dying by Alex Erickson is the first book in the new cozy A Cat Yoga Mystery series. As with most cozy mystery series this first book of the series does contain it’s own fully solved mystery so it could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. Of course there will be character development that will carry over into the next book for those that want to continue the series.

Ashley Branson had done her best to get her over bearing mother to believe in her and her own dreams instead of those her mother wants for her. The family business just doesn’t interest Ashley and now she has the chance to make her own dream a reality and success as she opens up her own yoga studio with a twist, you see A Purrfect Pose will also house shelter cats up for adoption and the patrons will be able to enjoy these cuddly companions during their classes.

No sooner than Ashley gets A Purrfect Pose up and running though her alarm system alerts her to her studio and upon arrival Ashley find the body of a local college professor murdered right there in her new business. Once the police are on the scene Ashley realizes that her always in trouble brother, Hunter, is their prime suspect having been one of the last people seen with the professor but Ashley soon finds plenty of suspects as the professor wasn’t very well liked in town.

So being a kitty lover myself how could I possibly resist checking out a new cozy with lotsa cute kitties when I saw A Pose Before Dying by Alex Erickson? Thankfully with the cuteness pulling me in I did find this to be a really good opener of the new series. There’s of course plenty of humor to go with murder that I love in cozies and the mystery did grab my attention too. Another series that I’ll have to return to in the future!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A nice start to a new cozy series. Ash knows her brother Hunter is not a killer but he's the prime suspect in the murder of one of the students of her yoga studio. A yoga studio that's also a cat adoption locale. Yep- this blends cats, yoga, family drama, and cozy mystery all in one. There's also a police chief- Higgins- who is skeptical about all of it, mostly Ash and Hunter. While the mystery is classic (who among the many people who disliked the victim), the dynamics are fun. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

A Pose Before Dying is the first book in a new cozy mystery series called Bookshop Cafe Mysteries. Ashley Branson is a freshly minted entrepreneur and owner of a yoga studio. Yoga classes are made special with the addition of cats from a local animal shelter and are available for adoption. This is Ash's dream job, but there are a few people who would love to see her business fail. While a yoga studio filled with cats should be a place of peace, the opening day makes it clear that things are off to a rough start. When one of her new clients is found dead at the studio after hours, Ash needs to dig in and investigate to save her business and her brother.

This is a good start to the series. There are a few loose threads left at the end of the book which hopefully will be addressed in the next book. Ash, her family, and the other characters are likable and diverse. This will provide some interesting plots going forward. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

"A Pose Before Dying (A Cat Yoga Mystery #1)" by Alex Erickson is the first book of a new series centered around Ash (Ashley) opening her cat yoga studio. To be clear, people do the yoga while hanging out with shelter cats, not the cats doing the yoga. That would be cute though.

She seems to have just moved into an apartment (constant references to needing to finish unpacking), maybe I missed the why or when behind this but it didn't seem clear to me. She has lots of family in town. Her narcissistic mother and mother's family run a well known business that her sister works at. I wont get into the full dysfunction that is her family but it is a mess of one.

The mystery was interesting. The police chief was really looking at Ash's brother, the family screw up. Which is what really lead Ash to getting involved. I had a pretty good idea of who I thought was the culprit. Things were just to not quite right with them.

This new series begins with the grand opening of the Purrfect Pose, a yoga studio providing rescue cats as companions during the sessions. Unfortunately, one of the first attendees, a college professor, is found murdered while positioned in the child’s pose.

Police closed the newly opened Purrfect Pose since it is a crime scene and began investigating. Ashley Branson, the shop’s owner, decides to check things out since her brother Hunter seems to be on the suspect list, and being closed just after opening is not good for her business.

Alex Erickson writes a comfortable mystery with challenging characters and relationships.

A new series by an author who always delivers a good cozy. Love the setting! A cat yoga studio. Ashley Branson has just opened her studio. But things go terribly wrong when one of her students is killed. A great cast of characters. Lots of guessing. Good story line. Looking forward to next one. Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I’m a huge fan of Alex Erickson’s other cozy mystery series. Consequently, I wanted to give this new series a try. It didn’t disappoint. Like all of Erickson’s novels, it’s suspenseful and not overly predictable.

This new series is a breath of fresh air for cozy mystery readers with a yoga and cat loving heroine. I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is a cute start to a new cozy mystery series. Ashley Branson is breaking away from the family design business to open a cat themed yoga studio, where you practice yoga with cats and can also adopt one. After her successful opening of her business, she gets a notification that her alarm has gone off. She returns to her studio to find one of her students murdered with a knife in his back. The police have shut down her studio, and her black sheep brother is the main suspect, so Ash needs to solve this murder to reopen her fledgling business and hopefully clear her brother. I loved the set up of the cat yoga studio and the cast of characters that will probably be in future stories. I’m also curious about who Ash will be romantically involved with, her ex Drew, new guy in town Walter Hawk, or her new neighbor Leon Fitzgerald? Again, this is a really enjoyable start to a new series. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

In this well-crafted whodunit, we have a lovely protagonist, a victim, a murderer, suspects waiting to be exposed, and an investigation to solve this puzzling case where the clues gathered need to be pieced together. The crisp writing, the comfortable tone, and the visually descriptive narrative made the story flow and put me in the middle of all the action. I enjoyed the engaging banter that surfaced between the various cast of characters who bring their own uniqueness to this drama. The pacing was on par with how well this story being told. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that kept me immersed from beginning to end, and I look forward to more adventures with Ash and her friends.

This is a cute start to a fun cozy mystery. The characters are enjoyable, and the mystery had me guessing a few times. Looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

A Pose Before Dying caught my eye when I spotted it on Netgalley. It sounded good with the interesting concept of a yoga studio filled with cats. I was excited when I got accepted for this one and picked it up when I was in a cozy mystery mood. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more in the series.

A Pose Before Dying is a solid start to this new series. This was a new to me author, although I've read a novella once by him before this. I really enjoyed A Pose Before Dying and definitely want to continue this series as well as pick up some other books by this author as well. A Pose Before Dying is told from the point of view of Ash who just started her own business, a yoga studio with cats that the students can adopt. It was a fun concept and I liked seeing how it all worked. I also liked how there are some scenes about her running her business before she had to close due to the murder.

The mystery was a good one. It kept me invested and engaged as I followed Ash as she tries to solve the mystery. The mystery progresses nicely with some bits of information coming to light along the way. Although I did feel like it kept circling around a few pieces like Ash' brother Hunter who is missing. I liked how she is the one to actually solve the mystery. And I liked how it got resolved and the way it all made sense. I liked how a certain clue I thought might be relevant turned out to be and while I hadn't guessed the murderer, I also wasn't too surprised and was putting things together at the same time as Ash.

I liked reading about Ash. I thought she was a likable main character. It made sense how she got involved in the mystery and I could understand why she acted the way she did. She has quite some friends and family around her as well as students and I liked seeing how she interacted with them. I did struggle a bit with the large amount of side characters at first to remember who everyone was, but that got better as the story progressed. There are some interesting developments relationship wise between Ash and some of the side characters. And I liked how it felt like everyone had something going on and had their own lives.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this book, it's a solid start to this new series and I liked the cat yoga concept. I was glad I got to read a bit about Ash and her yoga business before she had to close due to the murder. The mystery was well written and kept me invested. There were a few points I felt like the book kept circling around, but there was enough progression and new information throughout the book. I liked how Ash is the one to solve the mystery and figure it out. I enjoyed reading about Ash and her life, I could understand why she acted the way she did and I liked seeing her interact with the side characters. There are a lot of side characters, which was a bit overwhelming at first, but it got easier to remember who was who as the book progressed. All in all a great start to this series and I plan to continue this series and read more by this author.

A fresh concept on a cat yoga studio makes this an interesting cozy murder mystery. Ash Branson is nervous on opening day of her new ‘A Purrfect Pose’ yoga studio where cuddly, adoptable kittens help students with their poses and; hopefully, get adopted. A small, eclectic group shows up for the initial class which is rudely interrupted by the groomer next door who complains the cats are making loud noises and upsetting his dog! The police send him on his way fast; but trouble is just beginning. Ash’s studio alarm is triggered and she finds a student’s corpse posed on the floor and the kittens frightened.

Police Chief Higgins-a grouch-shuts down the studio and barely allows Ash in to feed and care for the kitties. Ash’s brother, Hunter, is in trouble; on the run; and it involves the deceased victim. The story has good bones; although some parts were bewildering—i.e., Walker Hawk—What was that about? And, Leon, the new neighbor—Who is he? The killer is exposed and captured at the end; but there are dangling ends that needed explanations. Hopefully, book two will have those answers.

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Ashley Branson has made a few big changes lately but none bigger than leaving the family firm and opening a cat yoga studio! With her mother's disapproval ringing in her ears Ash is determined to prove her mom wrong and make her new business an undeniable success. Apart from that, and the hostility from the neighbouring dog groomers, things are going very nicely at the start but then to her horror one of her students is killed!

With the police looking very closely at her studio and her brother it seems as if her first successful week might be the only one she gets. Determined to help the police in their investigation, whether they want it or not, Ashley finds herself in the killer’s sights and realises that reopening her studio could well be the least of her worries!

Having enjoyed Alex Erickson's other series I was delighted be able to start at the beginning with this one and it was very enjoyable. Ash is a good main protagonist who bumbles her way through life in some ways but is determinedly focused in others! The idea of a cat adoption centre inside a business isn't new but the author has successfully written about cats before and has transferred his talents seamlessly to this promising new series.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I happily recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good cosy!

What a cute read! I enjoyed the characters and the story was fun. Some of the extras could have been left out and made for a tighter, more cohesive story, but overall I enjoyed it.

What a fun and enjoyable book!!

A Pose Before Dying had amazing well-crafted characters, and the overall storyline was easy to follow.

I really enjoyed reading this cozy novel, highly recommend it.

Ohio, amateur-sleuth, yoga, cats, cozy-mystery, new-series, first-in-series, family-drama, family-dynamics, family-expectations, siblings, soap-opera, murder, investigation, romantic, unpleasant-neighbors****

Ash is having the opening of her new business of cat assisted yoga and having many frustrations with her mother and siblings. The business has a number of rescue cats for clients to enjoy and, hopefully, adopt. All well and good until one of her clients is found dead there. Ash is afraid that the police chief will railroad her brother for the crime, so she figuratively puts on a deerstalker and investigates. Good read with many reminders to spay/neuter and adopt rescue pets.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available 21 May 2024 #CatYogaMysteriesBk1

Loved reading this book. New series by this author. I enjoyed reading this book. Hope you enough this book also

Perfect Post is Ashley Branson’s new Yoga studio…with cats! It’s a great start for her as she can do good for cats and be free from her Mother. Everything is threatened when one of her clients is found dead in her studio.

With her brother as a prime suspect, and her business so new, Ashley finds that she has to add sleuthing to her list of new things in order to save both her brother and the studio. Can she figure out who really killed the professor or will she find herself in Dead Man pose…permanently?

This is a great start to a promising new cozy series. Can’t wait for the next entry and for Ashley’s business to grow.

Ash Branson is excited to get her cat yoga studio, A Perfect Pose, up and running. Although she was worried about attracting customers, she's delighted when her first yoga classes are full. The students seem to enjoy doing their practice as adoptable cats and kittens mill around them. The only problem at the beginning is Mr. Leslie, who owns the dog grooming business Bark and Style next door. He makes it known that the noisy cats are driving away his customers. Since Ash knows this isn't true, she's determined to continue as best she can despite his frequent complaints. She starts to wish that was her only problem once the dead body of one of her students is found posed on a yoga mat in her studio after hours. The dead man was a professor at the local college who attended the yoga sessions with his wife, who is also a professor. As the police demand the studio stays shut until the killer is found, Ash decides to do some investigating on her own. Meanwhile, she has to deal with her overbearing mother, who wants nothing more than for Ash to stop her foolishness and join the family business, and her delinquent brother, Hunter, who might know more about the murder than he's letting on. And then there is the hunky, mysterious stranger who's suddenly come to town and is showing great interest in Ash. Will the killer be satisfied with only one victim, or will he/she be back to make sure the yoga studio is closed for good?

I enjoyed the interesting combination of yoga and cats in this story. It would be fun to have a yoga class with a bunch of purring felines, if only they would cooperate! Ash is a likeable character who will stop at nothing to help clear her brother from suspicion and get back to her yoga!

More than the mystery in this one, I enjoyed the vibes and characters. I wasn't very satisfied with the ending in terms of the grand reveal, but the way it ends for the MC makes me yearn for more.

I loved how this novel doesn't focus too much on romance, so the family drama got more screen time. I mean come on, Ash's entire family is so messed up yet likeable, and what's better than characters you can instantly root for? Add this to the fact that the setting is amazing, with the main premise being a yoga studio where you exercise with kittens and I'm happy. There was some great banter, vivid details, and fluid writing which all made this such a fun and quick read.

If I were happier with how the mystery turned out, I'd give this a higher rating, but that's not the case. I can't say it's predictable, but it's not 'hidden in plain sight' so when the culprit is uncovered, you go "OHH!". At least not for me. Everything makes sense, sure, but not in the way that gives you complete satisfaction.