𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4]

I had a good feeling that I'll like this novella because…cat….and I was right. I liked the concept of the characters having their own subconscious projections aka Consciences that float beside them wherever they go, which is pretty funky, but it also reminds me of video game companions that follow you around to help you. This murder-mystery novella delivers exactly what it promises—a murder mystery with a unique and intriguing crime.

My only qualm was feeling a bit excluded from Jim and Cat's discussions. At times, they would both be surprised by something they've discovered, but never got to share what it was. The final explanation that they did at the end of the book was satisfying, and I liked how it all unfolded and where and how they came to that conclusion, but I would have loved more opportunities to guess along the way.

The banter between Jim and Cat was pretty amusing, and Cat's random remarks were a highlight. Jim was a contrast to Cat—Cat’s outspoken, and Jim’s more careful with his words. Though you could argue that technically, Jim's Conscience is the one outspoken, making him the sarcastic one.

Despite everything, I felt like the novella was really entertaining, and I got completely hooked on the mystery. The characters were lovable, their teamwork was great (especially Jim and Cat, but Alan and Samedi were awesome too). Would love to see more of this world and these characters if they ever make a comeback in the future and would definitely recommend this to readers who’d like to read a quick packed mystery with likeable characters solving an interesting case ( ദ്ദി ˙ᗜ˙ )

𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀

Fun short read but a bit odd at times. The conscious beings were a…choice. So was the statement that the protagonist hates cats (grrr). But still an entertaining 47 pages.

I’m so glad I picked up this sci-fi/fantasy detective mystery novella. I quickly read it and came to a number of conclusions. First I loved it, especially the very perceptive subconscious cat. Second, you don’t need a four hundred page novel to produce a book that is complete story, and very engaging. Thirdly, I want more novella’s or, to be contrary possibly, a book with these characters. Thank you to Daft Notions (this publishers name suits this book down to the ground) and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Great detective case; not so much a whodunit as a howdunit.

An open and shut case that seems impossible to close since there is no evidence at the scene, to convict.

No murder weapon or bullet, nothing beyond gunshot residue on the victim and the suspect’s hand.

A ‘locked room’ scenario where the presence of witnesses just outside meant the perpetrator was the only person in the room when the ‘shot’ was fired.

I loved the investigation and the inviting mystery to be solved. Made more critical by a legal time frame to secure the confession or obtain sufficient evidence to take to court.

What marked this novella out for me however were two factors beyond the usual murder scenes in this genre.

Firstly, there is a sci-fi angle to the crime which is cleverly expounded and marks it out as different.

Secondly, each character has a visible, talking subconsciousness that interacts with its owner and everyone else around them. This raises matters further and provides the writing as both original and brilliant. At times it becomes spooky; almost like a ventriloquist dummy taking control. "Here's Johnny" or rather “Here’s Chucky!” vibes.

The protagonist here is private eye, Jim Carpenter. His ‘Ultra Ego’ cum ‘subconscious factum’ bears no resemblance to him, it is a cat. Others have a James Bond henchman and one of the Fab Four as company.

The additional question is: Will the cat be a help or a hindrance in solving matters?

Original, entertaining and quite magnificent!