Hairballs and Homicide

My first book by this author. I was drawn to the title and cover of the book.
I am delighted I decided to read this book
Ellie and Simon were likeable characters. Mr. Templeton was a hoot, I lived him🐱
All the other feline characters were adorable. I can't wait to read more in this series.

This is a great start to a new series!
Ellie is a good character, she’s a dedicated cat lover and that comes across very clearly in this book.
Owning a cat cafe, Ellie is working hard to find furever homes for the cats in her care.
Unfortunately, not everyone is a feline lover, so when angry protesters show up at her store, she finds herself in the middle of a bizarre murder investigation.
The suspect list is long, and before long, Ellie finds herself the victim of cruel pranks. When hunky detective Simon is assigned to the case, Ellie finds herself attracted to him.

I had so many laugh out loud moments and I really enjoyed meeting the cast of colorful characters.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

I really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery set in a cat cafe. A little romance is thrown in, but mostly it's about the cats and solving the mystery. Characters are interesting, particularly the quirky seniors who visit the cafe. Though I'm not a fan of dressing up cats (and am still wondering how one of them kept her tiara on her head), it did add a little bit of imagination to the story line. And, I loved Templeton, the owner's cat, who clearly is trying to rival Koko and YumYum (of the "Cat Who..." mysteries) as a crime solver and defender of his person. Loved this book and look forward to the next in the series!

Margaret Harrington enters the Kitty Beret Café and shrieks at the sight of a cat. Owner Ellie Warren rushes to her side only to find that the woman disapproves of cats being inside the café. Ellie’s customers laugh as one of them points out that this is a cat café – where rescue cats mingle with prospective adoptees while enjoying refreshments.

Margaret threatens Ellie and abruptly leaves. Several hours later, police detectives show up, asking Ellie if she knows Margaret, then explain that she is dead. This captivating introduction to a new cozy series includes a healthy dose of frisky felines and well-defined characters.

Ruth Hartman skillfully fabricates a multi-layered story blending mystery with a little romance and lots of feline participation. The author’s ability to describe feline-human interaction is convincing and often adds humor to the narrative. Hairballs and Homicide is a welcome and purrfect entry in the feline-themed cozy mystery genre. Cat lovers take note.

Princess Fuzzypants here: First off, I must say I cannot understand anybody who has an issue with us kitties. And for some humans to hate us so much they would do us harm or harm a nice lady who runs a cafe that tries to find forever homes for us, it is beyond my ken.. The story starts with a harridan threatening Ellie about her cafe and her cats and then storming out. When she is found murdered by a cat toy behind the shop, Ellie becomes a purrson of interest.
Since she has a number of witnesses who can supply an alibi, she is stricken off the suspect list quickly. However, the cat hater organization, to which the victim belonged, does not accept her innocence. In fact, she is getting so many attempts on her life and her livelihood that the hunky detective assigned to the murder becomes her protector. He is more than aptly assisted by the man in her life, Templeton, her cat. Templeton is pawsome. Simon, the human isn’t bad either.
I do confess I did suspect the killer early on when he revealed his true nature. But it was an enchanting and entertaining romp to have him revealed and Ellie rescued by her heroes. I enjoyed this first tale and hope there will be others.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Hairballs & Homicides is the first book in a new series by Ruth J. Hartman. As a fan of cats and a cat lover I was thrilled to review this new series for the author. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity..

Ellie Warren owns the "Kitty Beret Cafe", a coffee shop where customers can have coffee and baked goods while they visit with adoptable cats. I love the names of the coffee drinks such as "Saucer of Milk Latte, Mocha Meow & Kalua Kitty Cup." The back room of the cafe is called the “ Purr Pen” . Ellie is a fearless cat advocate and owns a adorable cat Templeton. When some anti cat people target her cafe and make trouble Ellie is worried. Unfortunately they have one mean customer who ends up dead near the cafe and taints the cafe with a bad reputation. People in town even accuse the "killer cats" of murdering the victim ! Ellie is also under suspicion by the investigating detective and must save her business by investigating on her own . Ellie has a smart cat named Templeton that will help her find the right suspect by cleverly putting her in the way of clues. Ellie and Templeton are a great team .

I love cat based cozies and this is one of my favorites. I enjoyed all of the supporting charcters ( including the cats!) and look forward to further books in the series. The sleuth was smart and had plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing. The cats are adorable and the author knows cats and their personalities. A very enjoyable fun read that I highly recommend.

Hairballs and Homicide by Ruth Hartman is the 1st book in the Kitty Beret Cafe Mystery, and my first book by this author. I loved this book, can't wait for the next one. Ellie Warren owns Kitty Beret Cafe, which is a cafe and cat rescue in one. One day a women came into the cafe yelling about the cats and how horrible they are, the next thing you know she is found dead behind the cafe. I really enjoyed this book, but there were a bunch of people who hated cats and wanted them all dead. Honestly that really bothered me, are there people really like that? I highly recommend this book, if you enjoy cozy mysteries like I do.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a light cozy mystery with an interesting premise.
The characters were entertaining and I look forward to reading the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.